"There is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars."- John Green
The Interceptor dominated the upper atmosphere of Corellia. Planet-wide submission was overseen by the Star Destroyer's legions, the familiar whistling sound of TIE craft flew through the midday haze, as a threat to the criminal underworld.
General Hux viewed the holovid sent in lieu of an official report. The narration came from the affected tones of Lieutenant Kyrell, an older man whose service record stretched back to the days of the Empire. "Furthermore, couriers as they're called, were rounded up in an effort to clean the streets. It was my suggestion," Kyrell said self-importantly. "That an order of execution be handed down. Captain Windrider was of course notably in dissent."
"They're children, aren't they?" Farady accepted caf from Peavey. "How distasteful to kill children." He shrugged his shoulders disgustedly.
"No quarter, no prisoners." Hux reminded, his eyes sharp on the two captains. Peavey looked between them, uncertain whether his opinion was welcome on the subject.
"Those were rebels. These are youngling Kyrell speaks of." Farady said dismissively. "There could've been a good Stormtrooper cadet or pilot among them. I've seen it." He lifted his cup in meaning. "Give a starving child incentive and they'll excel. It's when you take good old boys like him," Farady jabbed the cup rudely at the static frozen image of Dalven Kyrell. "Who think the galaxy owes them, that become the problem."
"You consider yourself one, captain?"
Excuse me! His look narrowed. "My grandfather and father were career officers. My grandfather served with distinction under Jedi General Aayla Secura during the Clone Wars and afterward he used his experience to further his station in the Imperial Navy." So there's little comparison. "Kyrell is from a second wave family on Jelucan." He thought he remembered Windrider telling him once over holocall while complaining about the lower tier of officers. "I should think Captain Avior is a prime example of my meaning. Or Captain Amaral." Farady stopped short of sneering. "Your father saw the worth of a scavenger on Dandoran."
Hux's pale face flamed brighter than his hair. Farady rather hoped the general might suffer an apoplectic fit sooner rather than later. To his everlasting disappointment, Hux collected himself quicker than he had anticipated, saying coolly. "I'm surprised you would reference the Jedi. They're all extinct now."
"Yes, well, there are a number of us who recall them without much trouble at all." Farady resumed sipping his caf, peaceably. When the general was out of earshot, Peavey glanced at the other man. "What do you think of the Jedi?"
"Oh...do I believe they were trying to overthrow the Republic or were enemies to the Empire like Skywalker?" Farady's scoffed, but he smiled slightly. "Not at all. When I was a boy, my grandfather used to tell me stories about the war. He may have kept his private opinions separate from his military persona, but he never spoke ill of their legacy." Farady dropped his voice lower. "He used to say you don't know what the light is…until it has died in the galaxy. These times remind me of it now."
"You're referring to the Supreme Leader's Knights?" Although, Peavey kept to the bridge and tried to concern himself little with the goings-on of the Force users, he wasn't blind to the sudden arrival of four of the five surviving Knights aboard ship.
"I think he called them to choose a successor." Farady looked mildly uncomfortable, dropping his voice lower. "What he has conveniently forgotten is the power of the dark side to ultimately corrupt. None of them will be content to kneel at his feet for long."
...
"The path of a Force sensitive warrior leads only one way." Somebody had said it once, determined to fight the rising darkness. The air hummed with the pair of dueling blades, sparking from each collision. It was a fine display to be sure. Violent, unrelenting, something Ren enjoyed watching. The duelists hadn't bowed to one another, observing no kind of formality they'd once known in Luke's ring.
Saskia held her tongue, her arms clasped loosely against her torso. She was cold with the flagrant dark side energies flooding the room. Jaina should've been there. Her presence alone had the power to cut the darkness. Once balance was restored, she would've been able to breathe at least.
Why now?
She cast a furtive glance to Kylo Ren who watched detachedly from the sidelines. She could easily see no enjoyment in his expression, no pleasure or excitement seeing the pair duel in front of him for some express purpose only he knew. Unless…rumor had reached them of the Centrist planets whose populations expected a return of the Empire. She thought they were gravely mistaken in believing the First Order regime shared Imperial beliefs.
Ren might want to strengthen his position. Barring selecting a wife from a strong Royalist system and having children, he could choose an apprentice. A true apprentice who would one day inherit the First Order leadership. The latter made her glance narrow. The cycle was going to continue. He was drawn helplessly to it, seeking someone to stand as his equal. Training Jaina wasn't the same as choosing her as his apprentice. Saskia had suspected that had been his intention all along. But, why this farce? Or he was serious in choosing from them?
If so…her gaze returned to the ring. Hvitur had won thus far.
"Saskia."
She saw him swing his light saber tonfa in her direction; the ridiculous weapon he favored when showing off over his modified saber lance. Saskia returned the cool glare. "I refuse."
"I was looking forward to playing with you." The taller male shrugged, laughing.
Footsteps rang on the polished floor.
"Sorry, I was detained. Have I missed much?"
The other four knights turned to survey the newcomer. Saskia felt the chill seep beneath her heat reflective body suit.
"Aww! No one missed you, Valkyn."
The knight's hawkbat helmet turned, surveyed them.
"You still got that old thing?"
Valkyn shrugged off his short outer cloak. "What can I say? The classics live on. I don't want to waste my time with you, Hvitur. I challenge you instead, Kylo Ren, for title of Master of the Knights of Ren."
She felt her stomach tighten instinctively.
Say no
No.
"I accept." Ren said tonelessly.
...
His disappointment ran deep. Two of the four Knights sparred in open contest, falling prey to their same weak blood sporting to impress him. Kylo traced the edges of their Force signatures, displeased. There was nothing beautiful in Hvitur's sloppiness. Only chaos and ugliness. He was a little surprised he couldn't wait for it to end.
Had he spent so long in her company he could only think of her and the way she moved? Kylo's glance flickered to the other approaching. Jaina wasn't strong enough to challenge the others.
Only one hadn't come. Yet here he was as if manifesting from his thoughts.
"I challenge you instead, Kylo Ren, for title of Master of the Knights of Ren."
Some of his lethargy evaporated. Valkyn's curved saber hilt jabbed crudely in his direction. Kylo was taken back to their youth and sparring until sweat ran down his back.
"I accept." For a moment, he could see himself moving to spring upon the younger fair-haired boy, electroblades crackling. It wasn't enough to swing the harmless thing, feeling the minor sting imparted by the sparks flying. Ben Solo was angry, he wanted a real light saber in his hand -
Kylo moved to the center of the ring, shrugging his shoulders, his cape fell heavily to the floor. Saskia was watching him concernedly from the sidelines.
"What're you going to do, Ben?"
About what?
"When she grows up like us?"
The boy was small for his age, unlike lanky Ben Solo; small and fair, almost too pretty. Freckles smattered the bridge of his nose, his eyes were a soft shade of green instead of the indeterminate hazel. The boy was forever saying things that shocked Master Skywalker. Secretly, Ben thought Valerian made his uncle nervous with the things he said.
"When she finds a man to take care of her."
Valkyn's curved light saber ignited, the narrow beam gliding through the air. He chose his favored opening stance of Shii Cho, ready to change into another form like a chameleon at a moment's second.
"What's that look for?"
Ben Solo had fallen silent. He said nothing, his brow furrowed, his features some would call strong later in life, brooding, dark precipitating his inner storm.
Kylo held his stance, ignoring the saber's sputtering. He could feel the crystal reacting to his emotions, surging within the chamber. The crystal thirsted for the Knight's blood.
"I'll take care of her."
I'll always take care of her.
...
What was his game?
The Knight stared through the narrow visor of his helmet adjusted for the gloomy interior of the room. Ben didn't so much as move. They faced one another, Valkyn's feet shifted. He was antsy, anxious. He didn't expect to win. He was foolish to challenge Solo.
I'm the only one who knows.
He felt gleeful, manic. Solo's initiate was here. Valkyn presented an unruffled front. Expressionless, waiting. He could wait. He prized himself on his ability to locate Force sensitives. No one else could sense her.
Come at me.
The blade swung for him.
Ripped from his thoughts, Valkyn matched his swing with a wide smack. The two sabers sprung apart, sparks flew. Valkyn saw them sizzle and dissipate into scattered bursts of energy. They reminded him of Solo, broken bits and pieces.
"Focus." The voice rumbled in his head.
Yes, Master. He needed focus. Valkyn centered himself on his reason for heeding Solo's summons. The light wasn't so bright or vivid existing in the deep darkness of the combined knights. It didn't need to be. Valkyn increased the ferocity of his attacks. He could see it existing like a light in the darkness, the glow of a candle flame comforting his fears. He knew it manifested differently for others - Ben saw it as a sky, Saskia saw it as a clear line like a blade cutting the darkness.
The light side…would show him Ben's destructive path. Speed increasing, he was a second faster, a moment lighter on his feet than the taller, heavier man. Across the room, Saskia flinched as the sabers struck against Ben's side. The pair sizzled, each struggling to overcome the other. In true duelist's fashion, Valkyn sprang aside, following up with a sharp upswing. Solo was a hairsbreadth from being skewered. The blade skimmed the edge of his tunic, close enough to burn the fabric. The Knights tensed. No one in years had come so close to killing Solo, not since the scavenger - and that, Valkyn assured himself was a lucky strike, not skill, not the Force.
Solo looked unnerved, the emotion fleeting. He hadn't expected a nobody to come close to killing him. Valkyn sweated beneath his helmet, heart pounding. Excitement licked his Force signature, he felt confident. He could end it any time he wanted.
"Solah."
"Those rules don't apply here."
Valkyn kept his guard up, his grip one-handed. "Solah!" He called, raising two fingers from his free hand. Saskia nodded relieved, confirming his surrender. "It's over."
Ben tossed her a look of hatred and fury. "It's only over when I say it is."
Valkyn flicked the switch on the saber.
"You would kill an unarmed man?"
Solo leveled the blade, the crimson fire sparked in the black depths of his eyes.
"Your friend?"
He saw the indecision, the fleeting rage pass over his face. Ben seethed inside at this new humiliation. "We were never friends." The saber lowered at last.
The moment was over. The other Knights sensed his withdrawal and filtered out disappointed. Someone else had entered quietly, arms at her sides, slim and dark-haired. He turned his head slightly to keep her in sight. The knight licked his lips, the motion unseen. He had one last parting shot for Solo."Your blade…, had no focus, no clarity. Anger doesn't cloud your swordsmanship, rather it is empty and purposeless. You disappoint me, Ben. I expected more of a showing from you, son of darkness."
...
I want to show you something.
Jaina followed his unhurried pace through the Dreadnought's labyrinth of corridors. She stayed at a respectful distance, quieter than normal. He had noticed her pallor and lack of effusive greeting. Jaina was preoccupied with thoughts that didn't revolve around him. Kylo knew enough about her moods from careful study to know it.
"I've been thinking it was time to choose an apprentice."
In the turbolift, they were alone with the droid. The BB unit peeped around her legs at his statement, but Jaina scarcely reacted. "So you chose to find an heir rather than marry."
"Yes." Are you pleased? The unspoken tail end of his sentence hovered between them. The flavor of her jealousy had been tasted on various occasions. Her jealousy burned hotter than his own, stoked by what she thought was beyond reach. He began to wonder, observing the slice of her profile visible to him, if she had simply given up.
"Who?"
"Are you concerned?"
She thought a moment, "not really. I was just wondering who I was going to answer to in the future."
No, she wasn't happy or pleased. There was none of the usual frisson of excitement in the Force surrounding her. He derived no warmth or light from it, only detachment. She was tolerating his summons, but not enjoying anything about their exchange. The difference struck him forcefully. Questions formulated in his mind - the ever present feeling of inadequacy loomed up. Then, he stopped himself. Jaina was only acting as he had wanted her to act for the past two years. Subservient - a weapon. Far from being pleased, he felt disappointed.
Silence dominated the remainder of their ride to the level where his quarters were located.
Stormtroopers went from at ease to attention upon sighting their exit.
Kylo accepted their uniformity with a slight salute of his own. Fear alone often made the difference in whether or not he was obeyed, but sometimes it was a gesture that mattered. Jaina stayed behind him, retaining a moderate distance between them when he accessed the door panel. "Come." He motioned more impatiently than he should've. But, she moved forward, entering in ahead of him. The droid rolled after her, photoreceptor eye turned toward him in passing.
Inside his room, he felt her gaze settle on him - not on anything else.
Instead of speaking, he went to the other door that didn't lead to the 'fresher. The door that had often consoled him in his private moments of desperation. The rite was almost sacred to him, allowing another to see the most important person from his past. Kylo put in the code, his back to her. The door retracted allowing the inner chamber to be seen. Jaina was slighter than him, but even she could see what it was resting on the circular table.
The crushed helmet drew her attention - the tray of ashes from those who had crossed him, resided in an indistinct corner.
"My grandfather, Darth Vader."
...
She saw the ashes.
She saw the helmet. A flash of Darth Vader went through her head. She saw Anakin Skywalker's youthful Force ghost exchanging banter with his first master. She felt her inner reserve crumbling. It was impossible to remain detached. A younger Kylo Ren came to the helmet for solace, as Luke had assumed. He spoke to it, waiting for it to answer. It was a pattern, a habit of steps, moments when he felt lost. She sensed his undercurrent of tension, his confusion creating internal strife. He warred with himself on what to do about her.
Kill her.
Use her.
Love her.
The last one she had been expecting, the expectation wrapped with fear.
I cannot follow your path.
"Why are you showing me this?" She said, her voice tightly controlled. The persona she had cultivated as a person had begun to change as well. She was not so much the lovestruck fool as a Jedi. She was bits and pieces of affection, continually rebuffed until the longing had worn down to a distant pain. She reinforced the heart that ached to comfort him with the person she was becoming. I am a Jedi. She tried to soothe herself with those thoughts, daring her mental barrier to be breached. She steeled herself against his slight, hurt look.
"I want you to be my apprentice."
Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, she responded.
"No." She thought he was going to become violent, enraged, but he was calm. The calmness was far more concerning than outright hostility. "The Knights will think I'm an upstart."
"Prove them wrong."
"They'll despise you for it."
"I don't care."
She felt herself tremble. That emotion thickening his voice couldn't be for her, could it? Hope surged in her chest despite her best attempts to stifle it. "Don't…please." Jaina was certain he had sensed it from the triumphant expression he wore. "Don't ask for what I can't give you."
"And why not?" He advanced closer to her, patient, with a confidence she wouldn't have thought he had.
"Because...that was in the past. I'm trying to forget it." I realized...they were right. Those feelings were incompatible with my path. "It's better for both of us." She murmured, her throat constricting. "I'm sorry." Jaina turned quickly around, preparing to bolt.
Then, she collided into a wall. It felt like one - created by the Force. Kylo lowered his hand. The droid squeaked from the opposite side of the invisible barrier.
"Say that with a straight face."
She felt him behind her.
"If you care about me." She forced the words from her lips. "Let me go."
After a long moment of tense silence, she felt the shift across her temples, crawling across her skin. The energy retracted; Jaina made herself leave.
...
The Gilad Pellaeon hovered within the vast cloud of dust and gas that constituted the Ghost Nebulae. The devastated planet of Atoa could be seen from the viewports on the bridge. Jagged Fel knew they had moved into unofficial Empire space, the people of Umbara had once worked undercover until the New Republic's rise, retreating to their homeworld in the Expansion Region. Umbara's primary export was Doonium, a white-grey metal used extensively in starship construction. After ensuring his orders would be carried out concerning the shipment of metals for future repairs, Fel returned to his quarters, summoning the ex Stormtrooper to his attached personal office. He didn't have to wait long. Finn was prompt, hastily tucking away an oil-stained cloth into one of the many pockets of his tan jumpsuit.
"Captain Fel," Finn greeted barely a shade less precise than one of the many Stormtroopers aboard ship.
"Thanks for coming on such short notice." He gestured to the holoplate which gradually expanded a holographic image of a young fair-haired man in the formal attire of an Imperial ranking Captain. "Finn, this is Jori Lekauf, my unofficial second in command and…a friend."
Finn found himself sized up by the other man. Lekauf's smile however was warm and his gaze friendly. "I don't believe we've met before. I was one of the few who didn't attend the meeting a while back. Imperial protocol to keep a reserve in case of a leak."
So this guy is…
"Uh, nice to meet you too."
"He has overall command over the Steel Talon, an Imperial-class Star Destroyer whose firing power matches our Pellaeon."
"So this is about the coaxium?" Finn recognized the name of the ship.
"Just a debriefing," Fel said breezily. "We have people in place to guide you along. Jori thought given the current state of galactic affairs warranted a quick discussion on potential problems."
Finn didn't like the sound of that. "Problems?" He could think of a whole mountain-load of problems that could descend on them, including a First Order-sized one.
"One of them being the amount of planets accepting the First Order's rule." Fel said. "Commander Dameron reminded me of a recruiting mission his Black Squadron went on in the Outer Rim a number of years ago. You may recall the unfortunate details regarding Ikkruk's defensive system taken down by First Order loyalists on the ground."
"I think so. I looked at the files on Kobol that you guys have. In order to reach the sector, you have to pass through a hypergate which leaves you in the middle of Galatica station, a security checkpoint. Each planet is protected by an upper atmospheric orbital ring similar to Imperial tech. The only way in or out is through the ring."
"Yes, something similar was used on Scarif before the Rebellion infiltrated the Imperial archive." Lekauf supplied. "So we know it isn't infallible. All our intelligence points to a lack of First Order presence in Kobol. They would seem to be focusing on infrastructure and establishing Chandrila as their capitol world."
"What about us?" Finn asked. "Do we have a capitol world planned?"
Jagged Fel looked hesitant on sharing certain information with him. "I suppose it's known by some that we've held onto the Braxant Sector in the Outer Rim. Part of the Empire's forces retreated to the fortress world of Bastion after the Emperor's death. Bastion is now being considered as our home base." Lekauf nodded slightly. "The Steel Talon was stationed there while the rabble were being rounded up."
Finn wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that. "You mean there were First Order loyalists on the planet?"
"You could think of them as such." Lekauf admitted, a shadow of weariness passed over his face. Jag knew he referred to a faction of Imperialists who argued for joining the First Order's operations. "Among them was a pretender to the throne, Warlord Harrsk."
"What about Kobol?" Finn interrupted; he wanted to understand the deeper issues at stake such as defeating the behemoth the First Order had become, but the pair were largely talking in way over his head.
"What do you mean?" Lekauf asked.
"If Ikkruk can be overrun, then Kobol's defenses might not be enough."
...
I think…that's the worst word in any galactic tongue.
…is almost.
She tried not to think of him. No mindedness. The eye of the storm was a calm center in the midst of a chaotic surge. The pair were evenly, unevenly matched coming at her from both sides. The unevenness gave her an edge. The Force allowed her to see…the places where they cut down, across. She deflected Secura's blue saber, her single grip swung forward, then down and forward. The blur of light produced by the three blades flickered, flashed in a synchronous hum. Jaina spun and danced between them, the red blade glided in an arc, coming down to block Fisto's wide swing for her chest.
Segura went for her back. Jaina broke off contact, evading to the side, kicking out simultaneously. The Twi'lek Jedi Master smiled slightly, her reserve cracking. Kit sent her a reproving look. Now wasn't the time to go easy on her. His saber swung around his body. Jaina recognized the signature cho move, her blade beginning the orbital revolution of defense.
Every obstacle is a lesson to be learned.
Blue and green plasma crossed. Each blow lancing off the revolving cage. Jaina kept her right hand tucked against her abdomen. Feet moderately spread, she felt momentary panic arise in her. One wrong move and the blade could slice into her arm. She felt the heat blur, come close to burning her. But it never did. Secura's saber sought an opening, her demonstration of Form V proved Shien's versatility. Panic made her breath short. She broke the circle of shelter by performing a deflective slash.
The pair leapt back out of range.
Jaina resumed the high guard stance, the saber angled forward above her head, her free hand loosely curled outward. She was gradually improving her defensive abilities, learning how to read the Force flow around an opponent. The technique circle of shelter was reminiscent of battle meditation as it resulted tapping into a moving meditative state. Most of the time she had to focus on not getting the saber smacked out of her hand.
An unseen signal passed between the Jedi.
"I think that's enough for now." Fisto said, dropping his Shii Cho stance. Secura did the same, her twin lekku swaying. "You need to work on your stamina." She said calmly. "Your hands are shaking."
They were...slightly. Jaina hadn't noticed much. She did feel her shoulders protest, her fingers cramped loosening their single grip. She had been sweating profusely since the beginning. It was much more intense with two opponents coming at her.
"What Aayla means," Fisto flashed the Twi'lek his signature disarming grin. "Form IV is physically taxing on the body. She's trying to encourage you without meaning to appear so."
Secura huffed, looking away.
"You've got the basics down for Soresu." He continued reassuringly. "Your defense is good, your stances are on par with what I would expect of an older student. You need to work on your circle of protection with multiple opponents."
Jaina nodded, clipping the saber to her belt. As eager as she was to begin Ataru, the thought of extreme physical activity left her imagining hours of aches and pains.
"Are you still having those dreams?"
"No." The feeling of guilt wouldn't subside. "No, they stopped." She pushed it away, trying to think calming thoughts. Her mind stubbornly kept returning to Ren and the moment when he...she couldn't completely rid her body's physical memory of the way his hands felt on her face, the brusque brush of his gloved fingertips wiping her tears away. And then. "I want you to be my apprentice." He was calm for her. He wouldn't force her if she wasn't emotionally-
She was relieved when they disappeared without questioning her further.
"Almost." Jaina whispered to herself under the sonic shower head. She had seen the Jedi look at one another with mutual longing, their interactions intense. They fought in synchronized union as if they'd fought a lifetime together. She ached to that have that kind of bond with someone. Anyone. With Kylo. If she was truthful with herself, it couldn't be any other. But, the Jedi disapproved of attachments. They still did. Furious with herself, she rubbed her hot face. She was letting herself get carried away again. Those feelings were the past. She was letting go of the past in order to move forward.
"Train yourself to let go of everything you're afraid to lose." She consciously repeated to herself, pressing her hand against the cold tiled shower wall. If only she could make herself do it.
...
For one moment, Saskia had dared imagine a future of her own choosing. Wrapped in the cold safety offered by the faraway sector, she thought of a moment when she hesitated. Presently, warm hands wrapped around her upper shoulders. She felt the man's physical human warmth against her back, the tickle of his breath against her cheek and press of his lips to the side of her face following.
"Credit for your thoughts?" The captain of the Dauntless whispered.
"Oh, you." She said instead, frustrated with his ability to fluster her. Two years ago, she wouldn't have entertained the thought of resuming her relationship or...whatever it was with Radford. Then, Jaina happened. She could think of no other way to describe the woman. Jaina made her think the impossible was possible. She had felt hopeful again. And the most wonderful part of it all, if Ren noticed or sensed anything, he didn't seem to care. The bed sank down beneath Radford's weight. "I notice you haven't left as much as before. That initiate not working out?"
"On the contrary," she sighed, leaning against his shoulder. "I'm not needed."
"Now that...I find hard to believe." Radford twined a loose corkscrew curl around his forefinger, tugging on it gently.
"She defeated me." More than once. "I don't know how much more I can show her that she doesn't already know."
He ceased playing with her loose hair, clasping the side of her face to turn her toward him.
"What's wrong?" He looked her full in the face. "I can see something's troubling you."
I...
"There was a moment," she covered his hand with her own. "...when the Knights were going to attack Kylo Ren." It's all for power. Their sudden surge of bloodlust like animals scenting prey had startled her from her thinking of them as bonded, an unbreakable unit. Radford surprised her then. "Why didn't you and them get rid of him once and for all?" His tone and expression were serious. Saskia trembled, despising the sudden feeling that she would never be warm again. "I don't know the others' reasons. I only know mine."
"Saskia...,"
"I'm scared of her." I never told you, or him...what exactly I saw..., "It was quite a long time ago...Jaina wasn't doing well. She was failing everything and I was harsh with her. There was just once when she...lost control. It was then, that I saw something inside her."
I knew in that room that if I cut Kylo Ren down, I would face something far worse.
She knew it was hopeless, V'lane couldn't understand everything. Turning her head a quarter of an inch, she caught his puzzled frown, endearing him more to her. "That's not the only thing. Ren was seeking guidance from the dark side. I don't know if I should tell her or not...," her face screwed up. "Snoke would want for nothing less than for Ren to turn on Jaina. She can't trust him. No one can."
"I think you should tell her." For himself, he immediately quashed the surge of excitement. "Just my opinion. But, the initiate...you seem close to her. Telling her to be careful isn't being disloyal to the Supreme Leader." He kissed her cheek. "Whatever you choose, I know you'll make the right decision."
…
The light was a spark…he could feel across the galaxy. It was her light. The same one he had been drawn to during his meditation. Jaina existed in the living Force, brightly luminescent. She didn't appear to be as powerful as Rey had been - but there was something. The light drew others toward it for its effervescence.
"Jaina."
She was meditating somewhere, her peace briefly disrupted. "Not now, Luke."
She was trying to levitate herself through meditation. Yoda was with her and Shaak Ti. He could feel them suddenly, existing in the Force, part of the Force. Jaina gained a few feet, he could feel her consciousness expanding with the release of emotion. The black and silver BB unit she always had with her, rotated through the air, levitating with her.
There was no doubt clouding her mind, he thought almost enviously. She knew she could do it.
Jaina exhaled and descended slowly down, wobbling twice from her perfect balance. Luke sensed her touch the floor again, remembering Artoo hitting the damp earth of Dagobah. Jaina relaxed, resting her hands on the tops of her thighs. The Force ghosts disappeared from the sphere of light side energy surrounding her.
"What is it?"
"I was going to ask how my sister's doing. But, since you're busy-"
"She's fine. I spoke to her a few days ago."
In between those words, a slight catch, reticence. There was something else Jaina wasn't saying. Luke wondered if Leia had begun to figure it out and if so, questioned her closely. It was just like his sister to not shy away from the truth.
"What - no torture sessions?" Luke made no effort to hide his sarcasm.
"Luke, please. I…" Jaina paused, collecting her thoughts. "I walked out on her. He told me…she wanted to see me and so I went, but I…I think the past…should die. All that was bad, let it go. The old Jedi may have failed, but they never stopped fighting to protect the light. Take what is good from the past and remake it anew, I think that is the lesson you should keep from the Jedi. The darkness may have won, but the hope that inspired the Rebels on Scarif remade the Rebel Alliance."
"I thought you were pro-Empire."
He had the sense of her smile, luminescent across the stars.
"Have you ever heard the story about Jyn Erso and Rogue One?"
Luke couldn't say he ever had. He remembered Artoo's mission and Leia, the princess he had nearly lost his heart to, but almost nothing from before he joined the Rebels. Now he supposed it wasn't a lack of interest, there was simply no time to converse about fallen heroes. Luke said as much to her.
"They didn't think of themselves as heroes, Luke. They were simply people who believed in a better future." Then, she paused trying to remember the exact saying. "So you've never heard them say, Rebellions are built on hope?"
"Not really."
"You disappoint me." Jaina added by way of explanation. "I finished galactic history earlier."
"Ah. That was more of an education than I got."
"Oh, don't be jealous. If you asked Madame Nu nicely, I'm positive she would talk to you."
"No thanks. I'd rather stay in ignorance." He thought so if it came from that bespectacled stern-looking Force ghost.
...
Five times she failed.
She had kept hitting the floor unable to reach the proper meditative state. I have to let go of each emotion, become an empty vessel for the Force. Thinking over what they had said was easier said than done. She was too full of emotion to properly channel her old thought patterns.
I don't think I'm going to be able to do that again, she thought crossly, her thoughts turning toward Skywalker's request. He wanted to know how his sister was. Understandable, but given the way their visit went the last time, she was reluctant to continue getting to know the former Rebel general. The blame lay within herself, Jaina admitted silently. She handled it badly and looked like a fool for not being able to control her emotions. Leia didn't see it like that...Leia wanted to comfort her as if she were a child. Annoyed with herself, Jaina wasn't tired enough to return to her room. Rising to her feet, she began a run through of Form II. Light on her feet, her body loosened up from the stiffness of her meditation posture. Not long after she had begun, there was a slight disturbance in the Force.
"Leave me alone." Jaina murmured, continuing her swings as if she couldn't feel the coldness in the room. The temperature dropped below comfortable levels causing gooseflesh to break out on her bare arms. The Sith's face manifested in the shadows, surrounded by the deep hooded cowl, the remainder of his long, thin body was indistinct from view."Such dedication!"
"Go away."
"You are what they make you. Strong, isolated. A Jedi in training."
"I'm not listening to you." The word isolated struck a chill in her soul. Jaina determinedly ignored the Sith's forward glide until he was less than a meter from her. That was a fluke. I lost control. She feinted a wide Shii Cho move, her footwork sweeping her across the floor. That's the thing. I let myself lose control. The blade held down before beginning a revolving spin, faster and faster until the arc of light blurred into a Force-enhanced hum. But, the energy surrounding her was far from calm. Jaina could feel her agitation building. I won't let my feelings control me. Mace Windu, the best duelist of his era, could see right through me.
She broke out of her defensive stance, her lunge similar to a Makashi stab. She didn't stumble, didn't need to correct her grip. She felt some of her confidence return. This was proof she was improving. She looked down at her hand, no trembling here. "How were you murdered?" Jaina felt her curiosity mounting, she straightened her stance. She had been hostile before. The Muun far outclassed her strength, but she sensed no hostility in the Force surrounding him.
"Sidious, my apprentice, had ascended to the rank of Chancellor. I never slept in all my days, fear of assassination kept me awake. On that night, I let my guard down, drinking freely in his presence. I believed, you see, that we would reign together over the galaxy."
"But, you were mistaken." She looked almost sadly at him. "The Sith have always betrayed one another."
"When I fell asleep, Sidious used force lightning on my breathing device. I didn't need to defend my claim that I had achieved immortality - as my essence here proves it."
"So you agree, then? The Jedi are correct. There is no death." She felt validated in her beliefs. Not everyone believed as she did - it was true, but maybe the future could be different.
"Would you care to test that theory?" He offered, smirking. "I don't believe in the Mist-Beyond, or the Jedi netherworld."
"No, because I know it's true." Jaina said simply. "You were known as Plagueis the wise. Where did you acquire your vast knowledge from?"
"Through my master, Tenebrous. He was a Bith Sith, who had taken on another apprentice alongside myself. Venamis proved to be a minor challenge, believing himself to be Tenebrous' rightful heir."
"I can imagine." She said drily. "But, there must have been other ways you acquired knowledge."
"There were my experiments. Tenebrous was a scientist first and foremost. He possessed a brilliant mind that was bent on constructing a virus to separate the Jedi from the Force."
"That's possible?" Her eyes widened, now that was a scary thought.
"He thought it was and there were holocrons from dark masters that contained knowledge not seen in the galaxy anymore."
"I know what those are." Jaina said less confidently. "Even Jedi created them. The most famous being the Tendryn holocron that held the knowledge of the old Order."
"Hmm, yes. Unscrupulous they might be, it's a terrible thing when knowledge is lost. There are still those who seek to destroy these precious artifacts. The location of one in particular has been recently revealed to you."
"What do you mean?"
"The Knight of Ren whose memories you touched, was in pursuit of one. It was stolen from my apprentice's hoard decades ago and only recently the ship has been identified in a Tatooine junkyard."
Her eyes flickered away. "Does Kylo Ren know about it?"
"Pah! I don't concern myself with his lack of knowledge. I would assume you don't need to ask. Their betrayal of him is no different than the legacy of the dark side."
"You sound remarkably bitter for someone who was a Darth." Jaina pretended to cover her mouth in dismay. "I meant to say is."
"You're a bit rude."
"Thanks, I try to be with Sith ghosts who interrupt my practice." She said primly, striding to the door. She sensed the Sith melt away, his essence dissipating until the remnant of cold air was all that remained.
...
Sweat ran down his torso.
Moisture, grime on his skin made him think of the hot climate of the jungle world. Wide open gaps surrounded by far off alien trees, flowers, lush undergrowth trampled by many feet and his uncle, the sage Jedi Master in his tan and white robes.
The cold stale air felt good against his face.
Once stripped to the waist, he resumed his familiar routine that had been momentarily broken by the mission to Arkanis. Captain Farady preferred to resume a routine patrol through the capitol world's system while overruling him, Hux insisted on reviewing one of the First Order's many flight schools which included a tedious examination of their holoreports.
Unnoticed when he walked away from the proceedings on the bridge, Kylo had very little interest in the future pilots of his armies. Cannon fodder. Lives wasted tamping down dissent in distant systems. All trifles.
"These pilots won't be raised from infancy to believe in the First Order." Farady had said concerned, reading over the manifesto. "How do we know they'll carry out our commands?"
"They'll all come from one place or another, captain. The First Order dealt away with individuality decades ago." Hux had said smugly. Now he could only wonder if the plan to restore the cloning facility had been accomplished. Privately, he had believed it was a better step in following his grandfather's ideals by using clones out in the field. As his thoughts drifted, he thought back to Valkyn's jab at his dueling skills. Kylo envisioned his late grandfather surrounded by the Inquisitorius - Vader never would've showed weakness or fear. He wouldn't have shuddered to feel their sudden tense, the barely held restraint of wild animals smelling his death. If Valkyn had cut him, they surely would've rushed upon him, sabers igniting. Then, they would've fought among themselves, mindlessly for power. Only Saskia stayed motionless, scared. No, not scared for him. She was scared of what would happen to her if she joined in the fray.
Someone knocked on the door, preceded by a flash of an ID code. Captain Farady appeared a moment later in the doorway. Spare, precise in his tailored uniform, he stood at attention.
"I came to address my reservations, Supreme Leader."
Kylo took a towel from the rack, curious, he waited for the man to continue.
"General Hux," Farady said in tones of thinly concealed disgust. "Has made it clear that my pilots and troops are to be replaced. These are loyal men and women who have served the First Order and this ship for years. I just came from a private audience with him where he said in no certain terms am I allowed to keep my current legions. I am supposed to authorize a full trade with Captain Amaral in one week."
"That's your concern, captain?"
The man obviously had put a great deal of thought into his problem and felt it warranted more than dismissal. "If you wish to call it that, then, yes."
"One is the same as the other."
"No, they aren't."
He was only a little surprised the captain wouldn't readily agree.
"That's like comparing two women because the slit between their legs is the same." Farady said straight-faced. Kylo raised a brow at the man's assessment.
"If I might be frank with you."
"I can't think of anything less than you have been."
"Please countermand General Hux's order. I know my pilots, who is the best, which legion performs well. Breaking them apart is the same as disassembling a perfectly functioning machine."
"Why should I do anything?"
"Because, I believe you know better than he does." Farady lowered his gaze respectfully to the floor. "All that's left is for you to act on the things you want to do."
"We see differently, captain. A perfectly ordered machine isn't dependent on the difference of one or two of its limbs. You're speaking of your personal preference, attaching meaning to faceless things. They are your will, captain, not anything less."
Farady colored, but stood his ground. "If you believe it, then Ionone, what is she?"
Kylo had turned his back on the man, attempting to affect a dismissal.
"She is the same as everyone else. That's what you're saying. She has no meaning, no purpose. Why did you save her from Soramar Ren? I know he wasn't part of the rebels. I'm not that stupid."
"Soramar disobeyed me. He had to be punished."
"Why do you want to keep her safe from your knights?"
"I don't have to answer you."
Farady stepped back, retreating from the ice in his tone. "No, you don't. For two years, you've been watching over her, celebrating her small triumphs, encouraging her when she fails. Ionone is the closest person you have in your life to a friend who could be more." Farady stopped at the door. "She makes you happy. What does denying your feelings for her, do for you?"
He raised his hand in a threatening gesture. Farady tilted his head at a slight angle, vaguely disgusted. "I don't know a lot about the Force, but love is the same no matter what form it takes."
...
"She finally left." V'lane's comment was mostly to himself. He had finished his rounds early, returning to his quarters, he packed a light kit of various weaponry and clothing suitable for the mission. Miura met him on the ramp leading into the Blackhawk's cargo hold. "Lady Ren, sir?"
But, he didn't answer. It had been difficult to keep shielding his thoughts from the knight. Thankfully she was distracted enough by frequent kisses to not question his abstraction. So Ren was threatened by his Knights and had chosen to seek lessons from his dead master. Both were interesting developments and possibly the most crucial aspect was the initiate. If she could be convinced of Ren's betraying her, or being a threat to her life...she could be turned.
"I've uploaded the flight plan to the onboard computer." Miura continued. "The ship's been refueled so by my calculations you'll have enough to make the four hour jump and return ahead Lady Ren."
Radford shook himself out of his thoughts. "I'm supposed to rendezvous with some of the princess's people. See how that goes."
"Godspeed, captain." Miura saluted him, stepping back. "Oh, and stay away from the casino."
...
The Tua Lu flew in through the tractor beam of the Gilad Pellaeon. Maz and Emmie guided the freighter to the docking station sent by the air tower. She despised the uniformed officers, the clanking white armor of the Stormtroopers filling the main hangar. As she disembarked, a pair of TIE clawcraft flew in. Recognizable through their familiar cockpit ball, the outer structure projected a three point shield and was said to be among the finest of Chiss technology. Maz saw small scale AT-ATs worked on in a hub while Stormtroopers drilled new cadets. She had the sense of expectation among the humans and alien races calling the Star Destroyer home.
"Where is that old bantha poodoo?" She muttered to herself, sensing the lack of darkness. There had always been that underlying presence aboard the ship. In a thousand-year lifespan, she had never known a Force signature quite like his. Her eyes narrowed, she rubbed her jaw. Her ruminations were interrupted by the sudden shout of the Clawcraft squadron's leader.
"Maz!" Poe Dameron removed his helmet, his black curls sprung loose around his tanned face. Maz chuckled at his exuberance. She had always had a soft spot for that errant flyboy.
"What're you doing here?"
"Oh, I came to deliver this heap of junk." She muttered good-naturedly. Poe glanced at the metal trolley Emmie wheeled down the Tua Lu's ramp. The burlap sacks distended and tied tightly with a medallion of dubious origin momentarily confused the pilot.
"What is it? Bombs?"
She sighed over his naiveté. "Just a whole lot of artifacts your benefactors hired me to retrieve." Maz figured Captain Fel must've been called as the usual retinue of Stormtroopers suddenly stood at attention. Foremost among them, was a face she almost thought she'd never see again. "Well, hello there, Luke." She could think of a handful of other words, colorful curses to add on as the Jedi Master crossed the deck, surprise alight in his eyes.
Poe must've sensed something as he excused himself to attend to his squadron of trainees.
"It's been far too long."
"That it has been."
The lounge was comfortably outfitted with armchairs; woven textile rugs in traditional patterns covered the metallic floor panels.
"I sent a girl to you." She didn't need to focus her lens on his face to see the downcast expression residing there. "She carried a lot of hopes with her. What happened?" This time, Maz couldn't hold back her accusatory tone. Maybe things would be different now if Rey had lived…
"I refused to train her." Luke had his hands wrapped around the cup of caf. "I showed her three lessons trying to show her that the way of the Jedi was wrong."
Maz nodded a little sadder than before. She had expected as much from the abrupt retelling of Rey's end. "I gave her your family's light saber. I felt it belonged to her."
"She tried to give it to me and I threw it away. Can you believe that?"
We all make mistakes.
"Ben Solo has it now."
"I know. That woman had the Jade legacy saber. I…met her during one of my collecting trips. Those items comprise the first lot from Snoke's private collection." Maz took a heavy draught of whiskey. "She's grown up beautiful like her mother and strong."
"Rey didn't know about them."
"I figured you'd grown up enough by now to be a father to someone."
One side of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile. "Han used to say the kid has a kid. We were both kids who never grew up even when we had younglings of our own." He set the cup down within reach. "So why are you helping the Imperial Remnant?"
Maz had numerous reasons including repaying Fel for keeping the spark of hope alive. Mostly it was credits. "Since my castle was destroyed on Takodana, I've taken to my old ways. It's a tough, but exciting life smuggling goods. I'm on contract with Captain Fel to provide them with certain artifacts of ill repute among other things. It's primarily a business-oriented relationship. What about yourself?"
Her sharp eyes didn't miss the Jedi Master's hesitation. "Well, to be honest I had washed my hands of the whole thing. The galaxy's living legend…some legend I turned out to be. Then, I realized that if I didn't keep fighting, what was I living for? I didn't need to fight for the galaxy, I could fight for my sister, I could fight for everyone else around me. Someone repeated to me the words that gave courage to the men and women from Rogue One." He had heard the story of the Imperial scientist's daughter and her mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. Luke felt he owed their memory enough to commit the words to his own mind as a reminder that some sacrifices had to be made. He chose not to remark about who had told him the story.
"Rebellions are built on hope. When I remembered it and saw the hope that spurred the Imperial Remnant, I thought maybe this was the place I needed to be. This was the fight I wanted to carry. I know you can't understand their beliefs and I know - the Empire was…what it was, but they along with Leia's people might have a chance at working together for future peace."
Silence fell between them.
"You came back for her, didn't you? When you wouldn't do anything for Rey."
"I came back for Leia." He said firmly. Luke accepted the blame she attached to him. He had tortured himself with maybes and what ifs the entire time after seeing the Millennium Falcon leaving Ahch-To. It was cruel, but it needed to be said to absolve his guilt. "Rey was nobody. She wasn't my flesh and blood."
...
The look on his face disconcerted a great deal of the bridge crew. Amaral walked up and down the T-shaped catwalk, observing the work done at various stations with something close to good humor.
Everyone knew something was afoot.
I'm not going to be destroyed -
A terse message from Hux had come in earlier during his morning routine. As punishment - punishment for following orders! He rankled at the notion he should be punished for obeying direct orders. The punishment included a patrol of a distant, dull sector faraway from important galactic centers and trading his crew with Farady's.
This last was an observation given with a sneer. Connix had caught up to him in the hallway, delivering a rapid-fire spout of her report. The Executrix's right cannon had suffered overheating issues. Mechanics were deployed to check the underbelly of the Dreadnought -
"Do you think the crew is loyal to me?" He asked in the middle of her delivery. Connix broke off with a confused look on her face that quickly smoothened out into Imperial indifference.
"Yes."
"No, they're not. A good portion of them came from the Finalizer. The older crew members were favorites of the general's. I've had a mixed bag of loyalties ever since being given command of this ship."
"Since the beginning?" Connix asked innocently.
"I'm not that old." He caught the tail end of her amused smile. It did something to her face. Made her look open, approachable. "This was Sloane's ship for a brief time." Amaral said distractedly. "In the beginning."
"Grand Admiral Sloane? I've always admired her rise in the Imperial Navy." Connix said enthusiastically, somehow it sounded forced.
He hadn't personally liked the women too much from what he recalled of her, she had a core of iron. Nothing soft or feminine except for her long curly hair that somehow always escaped its binder. "She was accused of incompetence after letting a band of Imperials go from this ship. Snoke…or whatever he called himself then, had placed a warrant of execution on the head of a Force user with them." He dropped his tone as they walked toward the turbolift. "I had the feeling, Sloane was all too happy to rebel in some small way."
"Why?" They entered the lift together. Amaral punched in the floor number for himself. "She disagreed with Rax's the Empire needs children memo. She had holed up here on this ship with other like-minded people who believed we should expand the empire with aliens, ending the exclusion policy Palpatine made law. Rax's beliefs fostered a whole host of unsavory plans that the majority acted upon. I was relatively young in those days and considered an untouchable." So don't lump me in with them.
"You?"
He smiled thinking of his younger self. "I was a filthy scavenger. When Brendol brought me here, I was barely above an animal." The effect of his statement loosened up her expression. He glanced at her. "Oh, my father had been a technocrat, but he was gone and so was anyone else who might've remembered me. The New Republic destroyed us." He saw her struggle with her feelings for a moment, then she looked away.
"You seem so…I wouldn't have thought."
"Like one of them?" He had modeled himself after Brendol so the comparison wasn't striking. "I am. I'm just as cruel and monstrous as they come. The Executrix crew despises me otherwise for my background. I'm not one of the good old boys." His lip curled disdainfully.
"A lot of people weren't." Connix said softly, peering at him from under her eyelashes. The effect was one of shyness.
Sloane wasn't. She was from some backwater planet or so he'd heard.
"You really admire Sloane?"
Connix wasn't sure how to answer. She chewed her lip stalling for time. If anything, the action made her appear hesitant, maybe unsure if an affirmative made her look wrong. Amaral was tired of second-guessing his crew, although Farady was in for hell with the crew being in Hux's pocket. But, that was his problem.
"They're trading us over on officers of a certain class. You'd be stationed on the Supreme Leader's flagship." He saw her go pale. "It's a…promotion of sorts. Captain Farady is…bound to lose his authority so you'll be answering to General Hux." He noticed her hesitation, taking it as a good sign. "If you don't mind a long boring patrol through the Expansion Region….I've heard the Ghost Nebulae near the Helgentar system is currently expanding."
...
The Starfall docked in the main hangar. The outer hull had a layer of space dust dulling the silver paint. "I'll be gone a short while." Saskia said to her personal guard. She wore her long outer cloak over a heat reflective suit. She received a few nods of recognition from the Stormtrooper legion performing a routine drill. "What's all this?" She caught the hum of a saber intermingled with the pew-pew of blasters.
The troopers had formed a loose wide ring. Four of them knelt in tactical combat, firing at a central figure who wielded the saber with tight, economical motion. Jaina's deflects were sharp, almost perfect. A few officers watched from the observation deck above, among them, grey-haired commander Duma.
"Blaster practice?"
"Live practice." Jaina limped visibly, absently rubbing the spot where the cloth had burned down to the skin. She had been hit multiple times, proving her skills were novice level. "I've been practicing a great deal lately while you've been gone."
"Ren doesn't do defense. Is there any particular reason why you're learning it?"
"Sometimes, the goal isn't to win, but rather to survive a duel." Jaina said coolly. "Wearing down a difficult enemy and maintaining your strength should be a duelist's primary concern."
"That sounds more like your fighting style." Saskia commented, trying not to smile. BB-9e chirped a cautious greeting, rolling away from a cluster of red-eyed BB units.
"You've never exerted a great deal of kinetic energy in live combat. Using a fighting style that promoted conservation of energy sounds like a good strategy for yourself."
They took the turbolift up to the floor, easily falling back into routine. "It's not really a technique I'm developing. When I think about it, somehow it all makes sense. I think you should always err on the side of caution when facing an opponent."
"Is Ren still distant?"
"The same. I've been busy as of late." Jaina lied. Distant enough to show me Vader's helmet and ask me to be his apprentice. "He said to try footwork and a more aggressive pace. I got bored and decided to try blaster deflect. Next time, the whole legion."
"Somebody's ambitious. Ren wouldn't like it if you were permanently damaged."
Jaina went ahead and unlocked the doors from the keypad. "Really now, that makes me feel a whole lot better. Being damaged...sounds like I'm a thing and not a person."
"You know I didn't mean it like that."
She took up position across from her.
"Tell me something I don't know about one of your fellow Knights."
Saskia began her warm-up routine, stretching out her muscles from the long flight. "Curious about them? Don't worry, they don't compare to you."
Jaina tried to find a smile, managing a small tight curl of her lips. Her arms were aching from swinging the saber around in Form III kata. "Tell me about Valkyn."
"Valkyn…" Saskia's force signature flickered into darkness. Her expression turned brooding. "He challenged me once when Snoke had praised my swordsmanship. Valkyn beat me to a pulp. He hammered my mask in and likely would've killed me if Snoke hadn't forbade it. He said I had claws, but no teeth to bare at my enemies." She ignited one half of the dual-saber. "Valkyn was the first of Luke's students. He challenged Ren at one point for the title of Master of the Knights."
Jaina stilled her Form I swings, surprised. "What?"
"He lost to him. I guess that's hardly surprising when we're talking about Kylo Ren."
Through their training bond, Jaina felt the disquietude engendered by her speaking of the knight. Images formed in Saskia's mind punctuated by concern.
Kylo Ren young, unscarred, challenging a masked figure. Ren was still Ben Solo. Fierce, with his power to prove and allegiance to the dark side. Snoke lurked in the background as a purveyor of nightmares.
Jaina saw his savagery in full display
"He was going to kill him. I don't know what would've happened if Valkyn had won."
"You were listening in?" Jaina watched the projected image change, colors rushing together to reform into the throne room. Ben Solo knelt to Snoke, who chastised his apprentice's lack of foresight.
"He's in contact with Snoke's dark side ghost."
Their eyes met.
"I'm concerned."
Jaina endeavored to calm her racing heart.
"I went to see him because something was bothering me about his motives. He was in a dark side meditative trance. That was before he ordered them to fire on the mine colony." She powered off her saber, returning it to her belt. "Snoke still has his claws in him. I had the sense that he wants Ren to bring you to him."
"You're thinking Snoke influenced his actions?" Jaina couldn't deny how likely it all seemed.
"I don't know why he went looking for him now - but I do know that Ren has always hungered after praise. He wanted to cast himself in Darth Vader's image. It might be that he's realized his training is incomplete." She took a deep breath, drawing closer to her. "His master is gone in the flesh, but his presence is strong in the dark side. You need to be careful around him." Saskia searched her face, frowning. "You can't trust anything he does."
She couldn't hold the knight's gaze, her eyes dropping to a distant part of the flooring. "If...," she felt her insides quake. "If it's Snoke corrupting his mind still, I'll fight him off." She spoke more confidently than she felt, her senses responding to the dim glow of warmth suffusing the coldness of the room. It took her a moment longer to realize it was concern for her, pure and simple.
Oh, Jaina! The knight exhaled loudly in frustration. "You can't fix what's already broken."
"I faced Snoke once, Saskia. He lost." I'm training. I'm stronger now. She could look at her clenched fist, open her fingers and sense the Force. That same strength was power, she understood the Sith a little more. They were right. That same power broke her chains, gave her a choice.
"Jaina, overconfidence-"
"He'll lose again." And again and again. "I'll defeat him over and over until he learns to stay the hell away from me and Kylo."
"He knows a great deal of dark side knowledge. Hell, even Master Skywalker was in contact with him once. They were both after Force knowledge. Snoke used to say that Luke wanted to help someone with it, but I never knew what he meant." She looked away from her almost guiltily. "I wasn't going to say anything." Jaina's gaze was sharp; she had the unpleasant sensation of a mind probe without brute force.
"My allegiance should be with Ren. Snoke was once my master too."
"But, you loathed him for holding the one thing you wanted most, just out of reach." The latter stilled, her expression pensive. "Truth be told, I don't care how much knowledge he has. I'm not like anyone he ever fought."
...
The only thing he hated more than a losing streak, were amateurs. Rose and Finn were Resistance heroes, whatever that meant. Nonetheless, he couldn't understand their need to deviate from the plan which included disappearing after a short conversation on the need to keep a low profile. V'lane navigated through the milling crowds of well-dressed people, smiling. Occasionally catching the eye of the female of the species. No Rose. Where did she go? V'lane had insisted on lurking near the 'fresher in case she had nipped in, but after ten minutes, he was forced to admit she wasn't inside.
"We've searched everywhere." Finn muttered, stopping short of the bar. Beside him, V'lane stiffened, silently cursing his ill luck. "They're here." His eyes slid over the assorted Abedno, Sullustan and Neimodian gentlemen. In their midst, a petite brunette with her hair touched a frosted silver, passed the occasional comment to the bartender. She had two drinks waiting.
"Finn, go."
"What?"
"Skedaddle. Crimson Dawn is here."
People passed between them. Finn glanced toward the bar, seeing nothing of note. Amateur…he didn't see how one woman commanded the attention of the vicinity. That was power. The simple gold bar necklace adorning her white throat. "She is the leader of Crimson Dawn. She's been in the game longer than we've been alive."
"That woman?"
He felt his hands sweat. "Go."
"Qi'ra!" He chose a mask out of his collection. "Looking marvelous as always." He walked up to the woman, retaining a moderate distance between them. She was slim, yet muscled beneath her red silk blouse and black trousers tied at her waist. No weapons. It was distasteful to bring weapons into the casino.
Master of Teräs Kasi…never underestimate your foe… he went through a litany of memories, forcing the tension out of his posture.
"You are always supremely flattering, V'lane Radford." She stirred her drink, her eyes demurely lowering to the thin stemmed glass filled with an absinthe green liquid. "But, why so nervous? Could it be the pompous fool from Black Sun, the so-called heir?" V'lane cursed his luck thrice for the arrival of the Falleen half-breed.
"They were once part of our consortium until the unfortunate dissolution of our mutual interests. Never mind, this Prince being an illegitimate claimant to Black Sun's legacy." Her tone sharpened as her eyes narrowed. "I so hoped you had better taste than to associate with lower forms of life. V'lane."
"Qi'ra, when have we ever missed a payment? You've always received your share. Need I mention little beanos on the side?"
Her smile dipped. "Promises, V'lane. You and your master have neglected your commitments."
"I have no master." I have a friend and a lot of hopes that are getting farther away. "Someday, when I become an Admiral of the Fleet, but alas not now. Grand Admiral sounds nice, doesn't it?" He laughed self-consciously.
She looked at him pityingly. "We all have our masters, V'lane. The First Order rounded up and slaughtered scumrats from the streets of Corellia. Some of our couriers were lost. I want the Imperial Remnant to make good on their promise, full operating rights for Crimson Dawn. And for that, the First Order must be dealt with."
He paled, "Qi'ra…,"
"Credits can't pay for everything we've done for you. I don't want promises, I want results."
...
Rose lifted the trailing hem of the gown as she trod closer to the racetrack. A milling porter had directed her to the staircase leading down to the bottom. As the warm scent of animals washed over her, she thought back to their desperate mission to find the master codebreaker. She had not forgotten the boy who she had given her Rebel Alliance ring in payment for his help. Temiri Blagg, she thought. Please be here. It was time, she thought; time to bring someone with them. They needed children and he was smart and she could watch over him. In truth, she felt lonely sometimes even with Finn, the big idiot, there with her. They didn't see each other as often as she would've liked, not since she had begun working with shield defense to see if her baffler idea worked with existing Imperial tech.
The very notion of working with the Imperials had lost some of its distaste. She found her thoughts returning to Miura, his seeming honesty and indignation over the New Republic had truth she couldn't deny. Rose couldn't ever imagine herself becoming an Imperial, but their cause wasn't so terribly misaligned with the Resistance either.
Rose slipped into the echoing stalls, scattered hay slipped under foot. Within the large pens, the snort of the Fathiers and occasional stamp of hooves brought to mind a happier memory.
She didn't see the children.
Or maybe they could see her and didn't recognize her because of her finery. She grabbed fistfuls of the satin skirt with low heeled flats, wrinkling the cloth in frustration. The lacy black fingerless gloves were a nice touch, albeit useless in combat. What's wrong with me? I've never worn anything so fine or pretty in my life and all I can think of is my old mechanic duds…at least Finn had seemed to notice her - among others.
"Are you looking for someone?"
The decidedly male voice came from behind her. Rose whirled around, startled that someone had approached without her noticing. It was a slimly built man in a tailored suit and white high-collared shirt. The pin at his throat had a strange symbol on it that was vaguely familiar. The blade with a tapering edge had a star burst at the apex of the hilt. Her eyes were drawn to it, reluctantly snapping up to his face. Green eyed, with pleasant features she could say were handsome crowned by a head of blonde hair. The only imperfection were the twin scars stretching from either end of his mouth upward causing him to appear as if he wore a permanent smile. Who was he? She could almost sense something about him. She could feel something in his aura. Rose scanned for a weapon of any kind, only noticing the strangely curved black hilt at his waist, glimpsed when he moved.
…a knife…? No blaster. No revolver…just a knife.
"Yes, I am." Mentally she kicked herself after the words were blurted out. What the hell was she doing trusting a well-dressed stranger!? "I-uh shouldn't be talking to strangers."
Amusement lit in his eyes. "That's something your sister taught you? In that case, let me introduce myself. You may call me Val, short for Valerian."
My sister!? She struggled with fleeting panic. "I-I'm Rose. How did you know…,"
"It was fairly easy to deduce since your pendant has another half. The other piece of the snowgrape leaf would've belonged to someone special like a sibling." Val pointed out calmly. Rose felt immediately ridiculous. That was true…she reached up more as a comforting gesture to grip the medallion lying in plain sight against the satin of the rounded bodice.
"I was looking for someone, but I don't think he's here." She felt her voice quaver. Temiri's absence could mean a lot of different things. Rose forcibly stopped herself from thinking so negatively. "He was slave kept in the stables."
"You were hoping to liberate him? In that case, allow me to accompany you." He added vaguely self-conscious. "You'll find that liberating children is of supreme importance to me."
...
This was the worst one yet.
She awakened from her hasty sleep, heart pounding, her hand opening up to let the hilt roll across the tangled bedding. In the darkness of the room, she struggled to get her bearings. She hadn't been in the room long enough to think of it as her own. Located off the upper floors of the Victory II class ship, the short hallway contained the 'fresher and closet against one wall, further down, a nook for a caf maker. The room widened for a platform bed and was large enough for a desk and a full size holoplate against the back wall. Getting her breathing under control, Jaina pushed the blankets aside, swinging her legs over the edge. Her movements caused the motion sensor lights to turn on in the grill panel opposite the door. Using the soft illumination to see by, she padded into the 'fresher, turning the faucet a quarter of the way. Jaina splashed cold water on her face twice, blinking at the murky reflection she made in the mirror.
She hardly recognized the youngish woman clad in a loose white shirt over white briefs. Her dark hair lay in heavily, tangled coils around her face.
Dim fragments began to come back to her.
Mustafar...The volcanic plain seethed and bubbled rivulets of magma across the planet's tortured surface. In the distance, the single rising spire of black adamantine dominated the skyline.
She was there in Vader's castle.
"Standing your ground?"
She turned quickly, shocked to see the Muun appear fully to her gaze. The withered flesh surrounded sockets of deep yellow eyes. The long face creased into a leer surveying her brave stance.
"Come to gloat?"
"Yes." Plagueis dissolved into quiet laughter. "You're so ready to fight me when I'm by far not your first nor last enemy." The Muun drew circles in the air with his long fingertips stirring the Force. "Young Solo is resolved to see you dead…If he receives word from what he thinks is Vader." The Muun's voice changed becoming her mother's. "He will kill you, Jaina."
No.
But, she wasn't alone in the castle. Ren or something that had his form, was waiting in Vader's throne room. She looked upon the presumptuous scene with distaste, watching him ignite the cross-guard blade. For a moment, her mind ran through the possibilities of the next seconds. Her instinctual reaction was to defend herself - openly acknowledging the path of a Jedi. But, that was just it. She was playing right into the same cycle. "No." She released her grip on the saber hilt. "I will not play the games of a Sith." That's what they want, for us to kill each other. A true Jedi doesn't fight, they only act when balance can be achieved.
The first few moments stood out stark and clear in her mind.
Go ahead.
Go ahead and give Snoke…give them all what they want.
Or better yet.
She turned the weapon awkwardly toward herself.
"I will never hurt you." She shut her eyes tightly, depressing the switch.
Jaina scrubbed her face, trying to forget the look in his eyes. Saskia and Plagueis' visit had caused the unconnected bits to surface as a warning in her mind. She had tied together his obsession with Vader over her future existence. "Oh, Anakin...why can't you appear to him and try to make him see the truth?" She muttered, dragging her fingertips down her mouth. She was thirsty and at turns feverish, her skin clammy to the touch. When she had calmed down enough to try a cup of caf, the terminal pinged across the room, someone was calling. Even if you fail, isn't it better than never trying at all?
...
It's no good.
"What did you promise Black Sun?"
They had regrouped on the balcony overlooking the race track. "Support in installing a government favorable to them on the capitol city of Caprica. They're trying to regain control of the Kobol sector." V'lane said dully. "Caprica's a Regency world whose monarchy has brutally suppressed revolts in the past. Black Sun doesn't care about the people, but the First Order also doesn't deal kindly with crime syndicates not allied with their rise."
"And the fuel?"
"Captain Lekauf's Imperial-class Steel Talon needs it according to the debriefing we both received."
Finn let out a long breath, resting his forearms on the railing. "So we've gotta keep Crimson Dawn thinking they're our best friends and help wrest control from Caprican royalty. Sounds somewhat for the people. But, what about the fuel?"
"Black Sun won't refine it for us. They're giving us the raw canisters."
"So…"
"Yeah, we've got someone to make the delivery for us." The fastest ship in the galaxy…please. I'd like to race my Blackhawk against the Falcon any day, he thought. "That's where you and Rose come in to make history in Caprica." After the contract's been settled of course... "Well, if she hasn't been sold into the slave trade yet."
"Wait- so you're not going with us?"
"Are you crazy? I used one day of shore leave! I have one more left to make some moolah!"
"Make - what?"
"That's fancy talk for money, Finn." He winked. "You'll learn. Now, let's split up and see if we can find Rosie."
…
The scent of hay and animals was all around her. Rose watched Tomder's eyes roll back in his bulbous skull. An incoherent stream of words in his native language gushed out. Saliva trickled down his greyish-green skin. He didn't even touch him, she thought, glancing frequently at the smooth, untroubled expression of her companion. Val lifted his hand away from the Cloddogran, responding a few garbled words in the same language, then he switched to Basic for her benefit.
"I'm sorry, Rose. It seems as though someone else expressed interest in the boy. He was sold this afternoon to an offworlder."
Rose paled, disgusted with herself. If they hadn't had to meet up with Radford for the mission, they could've made it in time to take the boy with them. If Finn had agreed…Finn hadn't known she was planning on an extra person stowed away on the getaway ship. Val's sympathy seemed genuine enough and she started to warm to him. "I'm sorry too." She spat most unlady-like on the fallen slaver. "I made you come all this way for nothing."
Val made a funny gesture with his hand.
Yellow sparks like electricity manifested, assaulting Tomder. That was definitely not normal. She winced as he writhed on the ground, growling in pain. "It's no less than he deserves and he deserves more." She saw the harsh set of his face and decided not to ask. Could he have been a child-slave? Or knew someone who had been a slave? Briefly, she wondered if it was possible to recruit him into their cause, but wasn't sure how to go about it. The fear of exposure kept her tongue in check. How did General Leia go about recruiting people in the past? Rose remembered her and Paige approaching the Resistance in the early days. They'd been accepted and forgotten as part of the greater will that kept hope alive.
"I'm sorry you had to see that."
They walked along the beach. Rose lifted the hem of her skirts up over her ankles, enjoying the night breeze that cooled her warm cheek. "I…I'm not afraid." She cleared her throat nervously. "I have a friend who knew somebody who could do…things. It's the Force, isn't it?" In the days after their rescue while they situated themselves on the Gilad Pellaeon, Finn had told her his suspicions concerning the other person who had been present during their rescue.
"That man…Jagged Fel hardly mentioned him by name. I overheard someone say Jade, or Master Jade. I think he's a Force user like Rey was."
"Why do you say that?" Rose had been a little jealous over Finn's constant praising of Rey. Now, she knew it was partly her own loneliness over losing Paige that had caused her to feel that way. Finn was…Finn was a good friend, but over time she had begun to realize her dependence on him was her grief. Rose's mind stubbornly returned to their long forgotten conversation, pushing aside her ruminations over their relationship.
"He did something - cut away the rock face like it was nothing, but there was no trace of the stone. It was like he wished it away or made it disappear."
"Finn, you think too much." Maybe he did or maybe he didn't. Rey. Luke Skywalker. Kylo Ren. Jade and now Valerian. How strange she should suddenly recall the particulars of the conversation.
"Val?" He was there suddenly, grabbing her shoulders. He pulled her down to the sand swiftly, shielding her with his body. Not a second later, shots whizzed above them. "Who's shooting at us?!" Rose asked wildly, wincing as divots of sand spattered over them. Val said nothing, his expression tight. Pulling her up with strength she wouldn't have thought he had, they were soon running blindly across the beach. Val sent a few careless gestures with his hand that she felt rather than saw, gust past her, causing explosions out in the dunes. A few wet grunts followed. She pushed the image out of her mind of dead bodies spattered with blood.
"We have to get where there's more cover." Val explained, hardly winded.
Rose nodded, hoping he saw. Where were Finn and V'lane? They weren't much help, but there was safety in numbers. As they entered a more populated quarter of the city, she espied a familiar man far ahead, searching the crowd. "Finn!" She shouted unthinkingly, hoping he'd hear her. Val saw him too, gaze darting around.
"They've followed us."
...
"Did I wake you?"
She sat on the holoplate, her feet tucked in. The room behind her was a shadowed dimension. Kylo didn't recognize the edge of the platform bed with the blankets bunched up around the droid. Jaina reached for the cup of caf within reach, taking a sip before answering him.
"I've been up for a short while." The bare tops of her thighs were visible. She wore very little clothing aside from a loose white shirt that hovered somewhere above her midriff. The slight indentation of her belly button was visible above the narrow white edging of her underwear. In some incessant part of his mind he wondered how comfortable she would be if she was physically in his presence. Another stray, deviant thought pictured her lounging across his bed - he stopped that train of thought forcefully.
The unbroken stretch of skin puckered into the ugly scar. He didn't see the bloody hole punched through her stomach. Relief, however brief, passed through him.
The place had been Vader's castle.
The place he had gone in an act of rite of passage becoming Master of the Knights.
In his dream, they had both been there.
He could hear the fading echo of Snoke's laughter in his head. He could see the shadowed indistinct form of a masked Sith, glimpse the red eyes from the slit-like visor. He heard a second hum ignite barely understanding the reason why he held his saber so tightly in his grip.
The dark red hue pierced below, burning brightly from the broken saber. The legacy blade shot forward aiming true for her vitals.
In a split second, he took in the droid, her saber cast aside -
No.
That isn't what I wanted.
No.
The beam stopped flush against her skin, burning. He caught the smell of burning flesh and wrenched with the Force, diverting the blade beam. He felt the blade shudder when it was ripped from her hand and thrown backward against the wall. Flicking the switch on his own hilt, he dropped down to his knees, taking advantage of her distraction to put her under. Kylo lunged forward as she fell backward, catching her in his arms. Vitiate's saber had burned a portion of her skin away. His hand came away slick with fresh blood from her side. The wound wept profusely. Pulling her up, he raked his free hand through her hair, pressing his mouth feverishly against the side of her face. He tasted salt on his tongue.
"What have I done?"
In the confused depths of sleep, Kylo had mistook Vader's wishes for those of his dead master. I killed her. With these hands. He had awakened with the horror fresh in his mind. Vader, his grandfather, despite his excesses, wouldn't have made him choose life without the one person who rejected him, fought him and accepted him for what he was. "I needed to …" he broke off. I needed to hear your voice. The silence had stretched between them. But, it wasn't wholly uncomfortable. The youthful awkwardness in which he had conducted himself, lingered. "When I woke up…the first person I thought of was you."
"Same." She cradled the sides of the cup between her palms, observing him calmly over the rim. If she had been smug, he would've known how to react. Now, that he held her attention, he wanted to keep it. Farady's words were getting to him. "What were you doing?"
"I was sleeping until a while ago and then I decided to try a cup of hot caf to see if it could relax me enough to rest."
Kylo grunted softly. His own spate of bad dreams left him wide awake, anxious. Hot caf sounded good. "Why did you wake up?"
"I had a disturbing dream." Jaina said, shrugging her shoulders. "What about you?"
"Same." He almost smiled.
"You should try caf or hot blue milk. I've heard it helps you to sleep."
His mood soured. Blue milk reminded him of Luke. Certain things would always bring the man to mind no matter how hard he tried to disassociate Luke with his life. "I don't like it. Blue milk," he clarified unnecessarily.
"Neither do I." She muttered, wrinkling her nose. "It's gross." Kylo almost smiled. That was remarkably similar to his younger self's complaints. The holographic image of the cross-legged girl flickered on the edges. This was nice, he realized. Normal. They didn't have to be reminded of who they were.
"Jaina-"
"Ren-"
A slight frown touched his lips. He supposed it was better than my lord or his full title. There could be worse, he knew. Jaina waved her hand dismissively. "Go on."
Kylo didn't quite remember what he was going to say. He could feel it. A slight pulse. The feeling was familiar. He was being summoned. "I have to go." He sensed she was watching him, her brow furrowing. She could sense something too despite the stars between them.
"Wait."
His hand hovered over the disconnection.
"Ask yourself, please. Is it worth it?"
Instead of answering, he watched her face fade away.
…
The holograph disseminated to blue particles. Jaina caught one between her fingertips. She sat there for a while longer until BB-9e prompted her with a beep. Hope had surged within her like the tidal wave of a sea disturbing the calm of her emotions. The upheaval left her feeling vaguely nauseated. In its place was disappointment sharp enough to cut, to hurt. Warm liquid dripped down the curve of her folded thigh, staining her skin. She glanced down seeing the fractured fragments of the cup she didn't remember shattering.
"It's just a scratch." She should've felt something, maybe awe or surprise, but felt nothing except need. Cups didn't shatter by themselves, at least not without proper application of the Force. Her fingers unfolded from the rounded handle attached to little more than part of the base. From the bed, the droid had seen the unusual phenomena, logic processes running through a compendium of incidents on datadisk that referenced the former pilot, finding them of increasing frequency. Something internally was happening to her, BB-9e decided. Something was changing her.
Jaina set the cup handle down, picking the pieces from her lap. After a few minutes, her head sank down to her chest. Soft whimpers came from her and BB-9e considered rolling off the bed to cross the room and bump her arm. Gradually, the droid's fine audio sensors discerned her murmur - an imperfect recitation of the Jedi code. When she subsided into silence, her head lifted. BB-9e tilted to the side, scanning the edge of her visible profile. She had been crying.
"Let's go."
…
This is a hired hit.
The thought went through Valerian's head and then he knew where they were. It wasn't very smart of them to hire Force sensitives for the job, thinking their natural abilities would enhance them in a fight. Maybe against any other common criminal - but not him. He was sure even Saskia, weakling Saskia would sense them coming a mile away and kill them all. Drawing his legacy saber, the curved blade splashed ruby light on the cobblestone street. The sight of the weapon elicited a few gasps that turned to screams once the shooting began.
He covered Rose several times, deflecting each shot with near accuracy. His wild swings were reminiscent of Shii Cho with the tight footwork of Soresu. He had meant to quietly mind-trick her into walking in the surf until he could no longer see her. But, she had begun thinking of the scavenger girl and their connection to the nebulous survivors of the empire. Valerian had discreetly scoured her mind, discarding the emotions he cared nothing about for the real meat of her memories. He could've laughed at her naivety when his thoughts had revolved on disposing of her once he was done with her mind.
Valerian returned a few shots, listening with growing satisfaction as they struck some of the fleeing civilians.
Rose Tico didn't know half the story.
He considered thrusting her forward as a human shield, then quickly discarded the thought. It was possible, just possible that she could serve another purpose. After all, he could always dispose of her later.
...
The shot came from nowhere all at once. Rose had little time to scream as he shielded her. She realized she was babbling words, clutching onto his arm, her hands soaking into blistered, bleeding soaked cloth and flesh. "That was a piercing round," Val said, grimacing. He pushed her away; the sizzling hum of his weapon punted a few more shots, then his hand fisted. Glass shattered, erupting from store windows, hover cars overturned as a whirling blast of energy leveled outward. Rose heard the screams of their pursuers choke off into abrupt silence. Nothing else stirred on the city block. Val lowered his energy weapon after a hard probing glance around, thumbing the ignition switch. The beam dissipated into fragmentary energies.
"Are you…are you alright?" She asked stupidly, not knowing what else to say. Reaching down for the hem of her skirt, she tugged on it, ripping a strip longer than her arm. Rose wound it around her hand, lightly touching his arm to get his attention. Valerian looked her over dismissively. "What're you doing?" His cold, hard tone she put down to pain.
"You're injured. I know we need to get out of here, but you can't go around bleeding like that."
"This is nothing."
"Like hell it isn't." Rose snapped. It felt good to get mad at something. Whether it was the First Order or whoever it was shooting at them, she didn't like it one bit. Besides, he had gotten injured protecting her.
"Aren't you afraid of the things I can do?"
"A little bit." She silently agreed they weren't natural or normal, but what was normal? Normal was boring. It took a lot of courage to stand and fight, let alone save someone they barely knew. "I think you can do good with what you have." Rose slipped the fabric around his arm, pulling it snug and finishing it off with a bow knot. Val watched her fuss with the makeshift bandage, expressionless.
"You're a strange one." He looked past her, halting her further motions with the touch of his hand on her face. "Rose. Give this to the man who wears a mask. You saw him on Crait." His hand dropped to her shuttered fist, pressing something into her palm; her mind barely had time to process it. She found herself unconsciously clasp the slinky metal coils of a chain heavy with two halves of a blood red crystal. Valerian tucked back strands of hair from her brow, the gesture gentle for someone she should've been by all rights, afraid of.
"He'll know what it means." The moment his hand left her face, her body went instantly numb. Paralyzed by an unseen force, Rose saw him walk off from the corner of her sight until only his receding footsteps could be heard.
...
"You've passed the test."
He didn't want to remember the coldness clinging to his aura, a remnant of dark side power from his deliberate sacrifice of the Force sensitive slaves. "The knowledge to heal a light saber wound." Kylo reminded through gritted teeth. He knelt on the mist-shrouded ground, the chill sweeping through him, piercing his heart with ice cold rage. Beneath his collar, his skin had begun to crawl. This is for her. He had to think of her. The way she looked, the sound of her voice. The hidden part of his conscious mind sought comfort in her image.
"The Jedi Order had a separate division of Healers. In the time before their twilight, they possessed great skill in mending flesh and bone. They had something else to empower their light side healing. Crystals of Fire, they are very rare and powerful Force sensitive stones."
"I've never seen one." He said carefully. "Not even you had one in your possession."
"When the Jedi Temple fell, Loress Jade created a distortion field with his mind, allowing him to enter unchallenged. He took the crystals from the Healing Center using them to heal severe injuries later on. There are some who claim his line merged with that of several prominent dark siders. The heretic Millennial is one of them."
"Jade is long dead. He was killed years ago." Although Kylo tried to remain unconcerned, he sensed the darkness swirl strangely around him at the man's name.
"Make no mistake; he has escaped destruction many times. Valkyn lied to me about Jade's death on Niruan. He planted the saber himself with hopes of locating Jade's whereabouts."
"What was so important about Loress Jade?"
"He was part of the Jedi Order until the rise of the Empire. Despite his…turning to the dark side, I've always felt he was a threat to my autonomy. He is uncontrollable as the woman is to you."
"I can control her. She does what I say."
"Does she?" Snoke sounded curious. "You let her go. You let her do whatever she wants. She keeps the corrupted symbol of the Jedi as her light saber."
Kylo's gaze dropped to the ground; he couldn't continue shielding his mind for much longer. Snoke always had a way of breaching his defenses, raping his emotions, exposing his failure at subduing the light in him. Snoke could access those parts of his mind easily, but not everything in him. Her trick of hiding things in her mind was useful. Jaina's light saber had long disturbed him although he had chosen to say little about it. The light saber was an heirloom like the Skywalker blade; Jaina identified with it strongly and with her dark side heritage. That was another thing they shared in common. Eventually, he supposed he could work in a lesson on constructing light sabers with a journey to Ilum for a crystal. Learning how to make the crystal bleed would only further her dedication to the darkness.
"Where can I find one of these stones?"
"Don't even think of challenging him as you are now. Loress would be dangerous even for you, young Solo."
He gritted his teeth. Jade was elderly, older than his uncle. It wasn't possible he could be defeated by someone who…yet to have eluded Snoke proved he was wily and capable. "Where else?" Kylo spat the words from his lips.
"On Dromund Kaas. In the prophet's ruined temple."
The legendary Sith world…seat of Vitiate's power. "I'll find it." Kylo drifted out his meditative state missing Snoke's thin sneer of triumph.
...
Jaina watched Obi-Wan Kenobi demonstrate his defense velocity. The blade was a rushing color deflecting from the third orbit outward. He had explained the concept to her first, now he performed it single-handed, his other arm folded horizontal across his chest. The hour was late. She felt the tiredness creeping on her. BB-9e dozed across the room, plugged into the electrical panel. She couldn't shake off her unease.
"Something wrong?"
He noticed she failed to say something after he had finished.
"No."
"You've been scowling something fierce this time around. Reminds me of a Hutt's elbow -" he gestured to her face. "You know if you keep frowning, your face will stay like that?"
"You're not funny."
"It's not meant to be unless you think it is. I would like to put you at ease, Jaina. You learn better when your mind isn't tense."
She knew deep down he was right. The Force was telling her to open up. "Earlier," she began without knowing what she wanted to say. "I…I was talking to Kylo - Ben." She almost rolled her eyes, reverting to the Jedi's favored form of address. "I could feel it. The darkness called to him."
"You knew he was never going to choose you over the dark side." Obi-Wan said offhanded.
Jaina gave him a long measured look, her brows drawn together. "You don't have to rub it in "
"I don't." The Jedi Master agreed. "But, I'm not sorry either."
Her hand slipped down to the hilt clipped at her belt. She was mentally exhausted, unable to rest. Throwing herself into constant training and study - she felt like she was losing sight of what it meant to be aligned with the light side. She didn't want to brood on her failures at night or dream of being murdered by the man she loved.
"You're dwelling on dreams. You'll forget how to live."
She drew the saber until the hilt was level to her chest, thumbing the switch. "The thing is, I'm wide awake. The Force isn't warning me from him only you are." The blade sprang forward, the crystal sang a challenge through the Force. "That nightmare and others were sent by someone to wrest me away from Kylo by making me fear him." Her lips thinned as she regarded the ghost. "I know that now."
"How?"
"We had the same dream." I don't know how I knew or what. "When I looked into his eyes...we were an astronomical distance apart, but somehow I knew." The saber descended at her side. "I know we dreamed of Mustafar and a Sith whose presence is somehow still anchored to this world."
"You want to save him. Is that it?" The analytical quality of the ghost's blue eyes made her feel a surging mix of shame and anger. Jaina wrestled with her conflicting feelings, suppressing them after a moment's exhalation. "I don't know much about the dark side or the light side or saving people! I feel the balance and know that there is only the Force. I think you are wrong sometimes and especially about this." For a moment, I stopped him with a word. Kylo stopped for me when he wouldn't stop for anyone else. She couldn't tell if she saw approval or disappointment in the ghost's look. It was both she realized as he prepared to face her.
"Kenobi." Although never spoken in life by the masked Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan reflexively stood back. The man that came forward was tall and not of broad build. He wore armored robes and a white cloak over a domed helmet. Revan, the hero, traitor, conqueror, Sith, savior. Jedi was part of him, his final moments spent on Yavin 4 before he became part of the Force. She was more than a little scared suddenly to face the legendary Jedi. Meetra Surik and dark-haired Bastila Shan, the two women who had been closest to him in life, glanced at one another.
It's like sparring the Hero of Tython, the greatest in his age.
"Don't be scared."
"I shouldn't be." She mumbled, coloring to the roots of her hair.
"Why?" When he asked, it was as if her fear was the most unnatural thing in the galaxy.
"Because you're…," Jaina couldn't put it into words. The masked face with the T-shaped stripe of bronze almost the color of his greaves, reminded her of Kylo Ren's masked face. She sensed him waiting for her answer. "You're Revan." She finished lamely, unable to select just one title to define the name.
"That wasn't my name." he said after a moment. "But, it'll do. I want you to think of your fear, Jaina."
She could sense the quaver in the Force. The light side shifted considerably as several more light side ghosts appeared, curious. "I am."
"What is the cause?"
She could've named any single one of his crusader quests against the Mandalorians, against the Sith Empire. "You tried to resurrect the Sith Emperor on Yavin 4 and became part of the Force…more darkness than light. I don't stand a chance against you!" She whispered, frantic. "They said that looking at you when alive was like looking into the heart of the Force itself!"
"Do you always believe everything you're told?" Revan asked harshly causing her to flinch.
"No." Jaina admitted guiltily, feeling her hand shake.
The former Sith paced across from her, his violet light saber cast a distinct shadow behind him. "If I am Revan to you, then I am not Revan the legend." She saw him cease motion, his stance wide and open, the blade held in a low guard position she almost didn't recognize.
Her mind went through a litany of opening stances finding none matched. In the midst of her panic, she wondered if it mattered. Maybe it didn't. Maybe nothing did. The Force, luminous, eternal, held no warning only a sense that she should trust - and believe.
Little by little, she released the fear that had become a tight knot inside. Once, BB-9e had reminded her of the light, now she needed to believe in it more than ever. As she readied her Form III stance, Jaina opened her mind to the Force, falling into moving meditation. Revan moved a split second later, breaking his motionlessness. The white cloak had lifted with the speed of his movement, the violet blade swung up - she tensed, readying the deflective slash. She had scarcely blinked when he vanished from sight. Thrown off, Jaina glanced around quickly, stunned - only to sense the disruption in the Force surrounding her. She broke stance, spinning around, the blades clashed, red and violet sparking viciously. Revan brought the saber up, skimming her arm. The heat seared her flesh. Jaina swallowed her gasp, leaping back. On the edges of her vision, she glimpsed the blue tint of the ghosts crowding closer, they formed a wide ring, curious faces, a few murmuring to each other. She saw Yoda and the Jedi Masters she was familiar with, observing. She almost thought they weren't pleased.
Why?
They won't interfere because it's Revan.
Jaina forcibly stopped thinking.
No mindedness.
She felt the arc of Revan's blow twisting through the air currents. She felt the spark of energy seconds before the ghost reappeared. She had heard stories about Revan's pre-cognitive abilities, but couldn't imagine their scope. He had effortlessly countered each and every one of her moves, proving he was beyond the skills of the Jedi during their twilight. Now on the defensive, Jaina deflected his heavy blows, rapidly losing ground.
"You still have so much to learn."
The simmering resentment she had carried within her, was momentarily forgotten. Jaina was conscious of the saber in her single-handed grip, the spin of the blade and flashing contact. The violet beam came at her relentlessly - but there was nothing behind it. No sense of regrets, no lingering memory of other battles. Revan fought to win. He gave his all even after death. Jaina augmented her sudden thrust with a Force shove, breaking her circle of shelter. The two blades crossed - both struggling to overcome the other. She sensed fleeting approval from the masked face - then, he performed a simple motion almost unseen and sent her skating across the floor.
Revan strode over to where she lay in a flat sprawl. Jaina went through a gamut of emotions ranging from surprise to pain. Her shoulder and hip felt bruised from the initial contact with the floor. She tilted her head up, regarding the ghost. Revan extended his gloved hand, the gesture shocking her further.
No one had ever offered to help her up.
Jaina hesitantly uncurled her left hand from her side, placing it in his palm. Revan's grip was neither light nor hard. He pulled her up effortlessly, his touch real - unimaginably so. Revan held onto her hand for a second longer. "Do you understand now?" The modulator distorted the former Sith's voice. "The lesson?"
"I…think I do."
...
"What is darkness?"
V'lane watched white-coated police swarm the streets outside the palatial hotel. The case he had been entrusted with contained a small fortune. There were advantages to being stationed above a galactic jewel amid a desolate outer region. He still remembered the day he had met the Falleen heir in the casino on Terramaire. A half-breed from one of the crime lord's many affairs, he had begun rebuilding the syndicate and reclaimed some of Black Sun's former territories. Operating out of Nar Shaddaa, Xun had taken on his father's name and place in the organization after the assassination of Boss Gyuti and his underling, Rynscar.
"I believe we have ourselves a bright future ahead." A small stack of one hundred credit notes were double-counted, put on the books. A pair of Falleen foot guards carried special issue double-barreled blasters, stationed at the doors, they were less than an overt warning he had to see this thing through.
"I do too." V'lane wet his lips nervously. He didn't like being separated from the other two. Who knew what else mischief they were getting into. "How did you know….?"
"About you?"
"The Knight of Ren. Very few recognize them especially in plainclothes."
"Ah, him. He's been on our radar since his selling of Force sensitives into the slave trade. The ones he sold were broken in mind, good for the mines, hard labor."
"I see." That was troubling, very bothersome indeed. He supposed there were ways to break someone through the dark side, but- "Is the First Order involved?"
"I think it's a little tit for tat. Something extra on the side." Xivor grinned showing too much teeth. V'lane disliked the oiliness of his smile. Either he was immune to the pheromones exuded by the Falleens or maybe Xun had too much Ikotchi in him. "Like you."
...
Jaina pressed her hand to the biometric scanner. Her ID flashed once, the lock depressed with green for admittance. The old man sat with his back to her, hunched over a voluminous folio of flimsiplast sheets. There were codes and rules to follow about personnel, he had reminded her. Jaina noticed the old type wall-chrono near him reflected the time of Coruscant. Drawing up behind him, she turned slightly and gestured for silence. BB-9e rolled after her very slowly, minimizing the noise from its servos.
Lightly, she leaned her upper body forward against the back of the chair. "Father." The man started a little, half-turning. "Oh, my goodness! I didn't hear you come in." He relaxed visibly, "you know, your mother used to do the same thing."
"Force stealth? I know." Jaina muttered, refusing to let it bother her. "I remember sort of…" she had a fuzzy image in her head of seeing her mother leaning against a man's back, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. The memory was confused however and brought with it slight pain. Consciously, she shook it off. "I have to go away for awhile, but I'll be back soon."
"Uh-oh, it's not Lord Ren sending you on a mission, is it?"
"No, no! I'm going with BB-9e." The droid trilled excitedly, rolling in a semicircle around them. "This is something I have to do." She tried to resurrect the feeling of confidence she'd felt understanding the purpose of Revan's lesson. She released Duma and stepped away.
"Oh, Jaina, when you come back…and barring," he turned around in the chair, coughing indelicately. "-General Hux's approval, I would like us to visit the galaxy. Not everything, mind you, but some worlds here and there." He tried to soften his normal gruff tones when he spoke, frowning as he did so. "Star Tours offers packaged deals to Coruscant, Bespin's Cloud City and out of the way places like Empress Teta. We can catch a starspeeder to Naboo's capitol city from the space port in Batuu." He peered at her hopefully to see if she was excited.
"Naboo?"
"It's a beautiful planet located in the Mid-Rim. Very green and full of wonderful old architecture-" He broke off into a coughing fit again, waving her away with an impatient gesture. "I'm fine! I'll be fine! Damned space dust. I ordered Noventa to have the mouse droids serviced after that last meteor shower." Jaina raised a brow, returning to his side. She patted him absently on the back, knowing he didn't like to appear weak and frail. "Everything sounds wonderful, but…"
"You're not a Knight of Ren yet." He said quickly. "The Supreme Leader can't lay claim on you now."
"That's true," she admitted. Since when had she ever worried about permission? It was likely only a week or so she would be trekking the galaxy. "What could he do to me anyway?"
"Oh, plenty." Duma muttered darkly.
She doubted it. There wasn't much beyond physical torture and even that was extreme. "I know you're worried, but I can take care of both of us." BB-9e bumped her legs. "And you too. I am not weak. I am not some nobody. My mother was apprenticed to Darth Vader's Master. For a short time, he considered replacing Vader with her."
"That isn't something most people would be proud of."
"You know what I mean." She said frustrated, her lips unable to resist curling into a fond smile.
"I think I do." Duma said. "And I'm concerned about it. Jaina, Kylo Ren wants you to turn to the dark side. I don't want to lose you to his ambition."
She sensed his honesty, touched by it. "You won't."
"You don't know that. The dark side corrupts. It drives Force sensitives insane with a lust for power." He said insistently.
"I know it does, but I have the dark side in me." She didn't want to believe in Yoda's old theory that the dark side tainted someone's path once they let it in. "Light can come from darkness. I know it can. Inside us all, the Force flows. Inside me, the balance exists."
"You know I can't feel the Force. I'm completely dead to it. I think in a nicer moment, your grandfather called me a squib. In certain galactic cultures that refers to people who are of a non-magical bent."
She smiled a little pained. "Jade was quite the character from what I've heard. But, that isn't it. I'm referring to you and all living creatures in the galaxy. All I have to do is meditate and I can feel my connection to them. I know my place is among them, not above as a ruler so you have nothing to worry about on that account."
...
"I liked flying."
The answer came from deep inside. The unearthing of the memory as faint as the oil and grease from his father's hands. I wanted to be a pilot like my father. He could've said that as well. Han Solo was another ghost he hadn't rid himself of. Sometimes he thought he saw him, youthful, old, a blur at the edge of his vision, wearing the same look of sorrow as if only then realizing he had lost his son.
The woman stilled. He thought he had surprised her. The woman who saw and knew everything, didn't know all. Kylo was pleased. He could still surprise her.
"Oh, I didn't think you were going to answer." She wore a sleeveless under shirt over repurposed heat reflective trousers. The belt crisscrossed at her waist held a carbine clip for the saber. The straps of the belt reminded him of a TIE's belting with a piece of smooth curved metal as the buckle. Her arms were bare, white shoulders visible. The double scars caught his eye. She swung the saber sideways, her wrist angling, performing a spin.
Her hair was pulled back into childish pigtails that bobbed a little when she turned around. She looked softer somehow, years younger, like a child who played with a dangerous weapon. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Your meaning eludes me."
"Sharing." She thumbed the switch on the saber. "You never fly now or on your own, I should say so I wouldn't have thought…,"
"It belonged to someone else," he said shortly, understanding her sudden reticence.
"Ben Solo." The way she pronounced his old name made him feel strange. He almost liked the way it sounded.
"What was he like?"
Kylo considered showing her everything he wasn't anymore, but didn't quite feel like moving or halting her useless warm up. She restarted from the same point facing an imaginary opponent across the room. "He was weak, emotional." It was easier to think of that person as being separate from him. Better to pretend Ben Solo wasn't still somewhere inside him. "He couldn't do anything to protect the people he cared about."
"He must've had things he liked, places he liked to go."
He watched her stab the air. No Makashi salute, her saber moves were sharp, lethal. The dull blade she was, had teeth now and an edge of steel down its core.
"I…don't remember."
The woman didn't miss a step.
"What're you doing?"
"I was trying to recreate a dream I had."
When he didn't immediately change the subject, Jaina went on hesitantly. "I…I've been having nightmares. Lately, in a sequence every night. They're terrible things, they wake me up and I can't go back to sleep afterward."
"What does that have to do with -"
"I dreamed I was in a field of long grass. I wore long grey and black robes. I fought a young man. He fought fiercely, full of righteous anger. I used Force lightning on him and was so close to winning. He barely survived, shouting at me why, why did I try betray him."
"Did you know who it was?"
Jaina averted her gaze, her hands flexing. "I don't think so."
"Have you had any more? Anything you remember?"
"One of them was reoccurring," she eventually said. "I dreamed I was sleeping and woken up by some sound and that someone was trying to kill me. It was so awful, dreaming it over and over again. I didn't feel safe going to bed at night."
He twitched faintly, his lips thinning. That was much too close to the old familiar nightmare from his youth. "Who was it in the dream? Did you see their face?"
She pressed her hand to her brow, a soft yawn stifling her exhalation. "It was you."
Surprised, he sensed her tiredness. It was true. She wasn't sleeping and neither was he.
"I know it's just a dream. Sometimes it's you and sometimes it's Skywalker." She clipped the saber to her belt, a little more unsteady on her feet. "Then, there was another where Leia was my mother. She was younger and she worried about me. I could see it, but I couldn't hear her thoughts. She was afraid for me, but I knew it was already too late." Jaina's voice grew smaller. "At the end of the dream, I killed her and my father."
"Who was your father?"
"I-I don't know!" She burst out fitfully, turning away. The droid tried to get between them. Kylo gestured, using the Force to send the droid spinning out of his way. He grabbed her by the arm, yanking her around to face him. "You do know, tell me." She whimpered under his steel grasp, trying to twist away.
"No- it's all wrong! It was-it was Han Solo."
The moment he heard the name, he released her. Kylo had expected it somehow, understood and even could picture the fractured fragments in her mind. But, Han Solo and Leia - his parents?
"You saw my nightmares. You're doing this. You're inside my head."
"No, I swear to you! I don't know what's going on!" He saw the panic and fear in her eyes, almost relenting.
She was manipulating him.
Snoke was right.
She had caught him in her snare.
"Kylo, please-please -" she stumbled back as he ignited his saber. The hellish glow refracted two pinpricks of crimson in her blue eyes. He drew it back, both hands wrapped tight around the hilt, swinging for her. The blade knifed between them, splicing in a brutal downward stroke. The sizzling hum met air as she toppled to the floor -
- he started awake in the darkness of his room, gasping. Drenched in sweat, he felt his left-hand twitch on empty air, probing for the light saber left on the table. His fingertips closed, fisting as he dropped his hand to the top of his thigh. The sheet was twisted around his waist, confining him to the narrow, hard bed.
"It was a nightmare." Shakingly, Kylo rubbed his face. "Just a nightmare."
...
The holocall terminal pinged. Irritation rippled across the smooth velvet of his dark side power. He retracted the claws of a nightmare letting the boy off easier.
"What do you want?"
"I can't receive payment until you've inspected and confirmed the authenticity of the goods." A crotchety female voice said. The holoplate projected Maz Kanata's impish figure in all her disapproving glory.
"What'd you do? Raid the hidden cache of Aphra's archaeological fakes?"
"Please, I never rely on third-party transactions. Besides, Dr. Aphra isn't in business anymore."
He grew quiet, thinking of the woman whose roguishness has led her into several scrapes with the Empire. Darth Vader had attempted to kill her on more than one occasion, not to mention sending that incompetent woman, Tolvan, after her. Why Vader hadn't simply stopped her heart - less messy, than throwing her out the airlock was beyond his understanding. Chelli was just one more woman who had hated him.
"I get your point. She tried to sell me a light saber from the Sith Empire era that she claimed belonged to Valkorion or Vitiate as many still know him as. Why, she'd think I would want that cursed thing, I have no clue."
Maz hummed thoughtful. "Snoke had one in his possession. I saw the catalogue number in the database."
Privately, he thought it was likely the same one. "So what'd you requisition for me this time?"
"Oh, a pair of cracked holocrons retrieved from the Temple of the Kyber. The eye of Horak-Mul. A portion of Darth Bane's orbalisk armor and you'll like this." She grinned wickedly. "A gauntlet from Darth Atrius."
"Atrius…familiar. I believe my Lord Vader had one of his light sabers, a cross-guard design, very old. The saber belonged to a pair that your friend, Luke Skywalker, destroyed the other half. They were also horrendously cursed by Atrius's vicious spirit. I'm surprised you'd take the risk."
"I deliver what was promised."
"Or are you starting to like me in your advanced age?"
Maz glared at the slightly distorted image of the masked man. "I wish you'd burn in the seven hells, Jade. You and your kind…that's all you deserve."
He chuckled, smirking behind the silver mouthpiece. "I was once beautiful, Kanata. There was almost no woman alive who I couldn't have - at least until that Whiphid bounty hunter you sent after Mara took half my face off."
"It's too bad he didn't take off more." She grunted, swiping through the datapad. "So what about the goods? I want my credits."
"I'm going to have to take a closer look at Atrius's gauntlet."
"Why? Don't trust me?" Her voice rose on a raspy accusing note.
"No, on the contrary, Kanata. I trust you as far as I could Force-throw you, which is a pretty good distance." He didn't miss the eye roll behind her eye piece. "Rather, my uncertainty lies with Darth Atrius. I don't know if I can harness its energies ."
"There's no one who could break your mind, Jade. I know some who've tried."
"I know you do, because you sent them." Jade flipped her off cheerfully.
...
"I offered to make her my apprentice." He thought he had done so humbly. Unable to lie awake any longer in his quarters, Kylo had passed the sleepless night resisting the urge to reach out. Forgoing a review of orders from the ship's upper tier of officers, he had visited his mother instead.
"That's the kind of gesture -" Leia stopped and shook her head. "Why would she want to be your apprentice? Ask yourself that."
"I don't think you understand what it means." He replied testily. "I am offering her everything in the galaxy-"
"-to stay with you." She saw his sudden childish pout. Oh Maker, her son had a lot to learn if he thought grandiose gestures were going to win a woman. "Jaina cares for you. I wouldn't disbelieve it for a second. Whatever she's going through is causing her to distance herself. Show her how you feel."
"I have."
"No. No. You've shown her what power can give her. Show her what you - " as Ben, as Kylo, "yourself are offering."
He considered her words with pursed lips. What else did he have to offer other than a place at his side? Power was intertwined so closely with his sense of self that he could think little of his worth as a person.
Leia saw his inner struggle. "When you look at her, how does it make you feel?"
Kylo turned the words over in his head. How did she make him feel? Angry, conflicted, comforted, loved. The last thing made him hesitate. Jaina made him feel like somebody without the dark side. He was less of a man without her.
"I'm concerned for her."
That girl…rejects companionship.
"I've tried to reach her, but she won't let me in." The one other outlet she could reach out to remained the person closest to the woman. "Some people when they've been alone most of their lives need companionship. They're constantly searching for someone to fill the void in them, but she isn't like that."
She has a fantasy.
She wanted to find that man, whoever he was, and kill him.
"I'll show it to you. This is the power you were so afraid of."
In her deepest, darkest heart she wanted to kill them all. His new family, his imagined family that he left them for. His wife, his children. No matter how terrible or ugly, that belated revenge remains the one thing she cannot let go of.
"Do you know who her father is?" Leia asked quietly, partially afraid of the answer. She remembered him mentioning a man who was a First Order commander. But, Jaina had known who he was and seemed to harbor no ill-will toward him. In fact it was quite the opposite.
"No. She doesn't remember what he looked or sounded like. Every time she stood in the shooting range, squeezing the trigger, she imagined a different face. She fired off each round without thought, aiming for the heart, for the head. There's a seal on her memories. One of my Knights felt it although he didn't understand what it was." Through him...I sensed it. "I couldn't see her father, although I have my suspicions."
"I don't understand…some people who are abandoned look for their parents in other people. They look to fill that lack inside them, but she doesn't."
"She fills that void with rage. The dark side feeds off it."
"What're you going to do about it? She needs…something. I told you before, she needs someone to take care of her."
That anger could be turned into a potent tool. "She doesn't want someone to take the place of her parents. You asked her about her father." The slight accusatory note came out. He wasn't sure if that was connected somehow to Jaina's distance when they had last seen each other face to face.
"I wanted to know more about her," Leia tried to keep the smile from her voice; let him think what he liked. "Don't I have a right to know about the only other woman in your life?"
At that he snorted. His mother didn't know for sure. She was making guesses. "I could have a woman on every ship."
"But, you don't. You're here because you need reassurance - wait-" she sent him a glare as he started to rise. "I'm not finished." You want me to tell you everything will be fine. Well, I don't know if it will or not." She resisted the urge to say his old name, looking into his eyes. "My advice to you is to take care of her, if you can't do that much for her, let her go."
I am taking care of her.
I did what she asked.
I let her go.
He stood in the hallway outside the apartment suite, thinking of everything he had said and done to get to this point. Sometime before he had summoned the knights to the Ravager, he had already made up his mind concerning her. Part of him knew it was inevitable, whether to carry on Vader's legacy as a man or to choose a suitable apprentice and steep them in the dark side. The incident with the knights had only furthered his conviction that from that outlet, he was well and truly alone. Dismissing the last dregs of bitterness from his mind, he found his feet taking him back to his quarters almost on impulse, all previous thoughts concerning training until he was too exhausted to remember his nightmares, fled. It was at that moment, he realized why the bitterness held very little pain. He stopped feeling alone because of her.
...
"I wasn't sure if you were going to answer." Jaina was the one to call. Hovering above the brown sun-scorched mud ball in the backwater part of the galaxy, she waited while the Absolution checked out their ID code. Then, a heartbeat later when Ren looked at her. "I was thinking about what you told me." Yes, she had been running it through her mind. "I think the only one who was powerful enough to erase my memories was my maternal grandfather." She hated thinking of him like that; robbing her child self of a real identity. All the hastily collected evidence she had put together pointed to collusion between the people she was forced to admit she hadn't known at all.
"I'm like him." She had once felt pride in the comparison even knowing his sins as an Inquisitor. Now, she didn't know what to think of them or the Jedi.
"The closest ability I can compare it to is psychometry or retro-cognition." Ren went on to explain his research into the Imperial archives inherited by the First Order. "Jedi turned bounty hunter, Quinlan Vos, was from Kiffu, whose people originated with the ability. Rojo Trace, a Jedi Knight before the Sith Empire war, was said to have the gift."
She almost thought there was more but Kylo wouldn't speak it. "Do you think it's possible Jade was from Kiffu?"
"No, he was Alderaanian. I found his entry into the Jedi Order."
She had an image of Alderaan before its destruction, shivering as the mental picture disseminated into grief. "Thinking of Alderaan always makes me sad. I can't imagine watching your entire homeworld destroyed in a single act of wanton destruction. I know the First Order came from the Empire, but Alderaan isn't a legacy to be proud of."
"My mother never talked about Alderaan." He said haltingly unsure if she was interested in hearing about his childhood. "I…disagree with Tarkin's assessment that Alderaan was a lesson the galaxy needed to learn."
"They christened this Star Destroyer after him." She mused, fingering the keys. "I think I do remember something," she hummed the fragment of a song. Kylo caught his breath. He knew it somehow, but frustratingly the memory was dim in his mind. "That's Mirrorbright, an Alderaanian lullaby."
"Well, that makes sense I guess. He must've taught it to my mother." Jaina tried to keep the bitterness from her voice.
"He had a reason," Kylo began, less certain. He didn't like the look on her face. That dispirited expression didn't suit her. Rather clumsily, he tried to think up something to say to make her feel better. "From everything I've heard, Jade always had a reason for everything he did. Maybe it was to keep you safe."
"You mean from Snoke and you?" She asked without a trace of bitterness. "I'm pretty sure people fell into two categories for your former master. Either he used you or he eliminated you as a threat."
Well, that was close enough to the truth. Kylo fought to control the spark of irritation that ignited with her bland tone. She made him feel even more of a fool for following someone so blindly. "The point is, you survived. Snoke isn't a threat to you anymore and neither am I."
"Are you sure about that?" She frowned at him and he had the sense that she knew something. Of course…the knight was predictable enough to have told her. "I don't know if I can trust you or anyone right now." Jaina said after a moment, sighing in exasperation. "I just feel like there's so much going on around me." They have an image of who I should be, when maybe I'm not really that person. "I don't want to resume training or be anyone's apprentice."
I want to learn more about the Force.
"I want to think it through." She readied herself for his anger. "I want to have a choice about my life." She saw a number of emotions pass through his expression. Mostly disappointment, but the anger if present, was carefully withheld. "You asked me once what I wanted most. That's what I want is a choice."
"You would choose an ordinary life?"
"An ordinary world." She colored defiantly. "Sometimes the most wonderful thing, Ren, is letting go of the power you think is yours. The Force doesn't belong to you or me. We serve the Force through our actions toward others." As she finished, she could see him turn the words over in his mind trying to figure out her trick. It was no trick, no lie. Kylo-Ben was someone to her without Vader's legacy.
"That power belongs to us." He said slowly. "And there is nothing else for you. You have no life outside the First Order. No place to go, no one waiting for you out there." He consciously exhaled his doubts, refusing to let them hold him back. "-you have me. I want you to choose here and never leave."
...
After the holocall had disconnected them, he sat there for a while longer, staring at nothing at all. Across space, separated by the stars, Jaina rose and entered the cockpit, the viewport was dominated by the wedge-shaped ship hovering over the planet. BB-9e waited for her to engage landing procedures as they had been cleared for entry into the planetary atmosphere.
The droid ventured a beep the longer she remained motionless, her hands resting in her lap.
"I know." That was all she said.
Jaina shook off some of her lethargy when the desert plain came into view. They descended slowly through the atmosphere, gliding over clustered white buildings representing to her eyes, a settlement. She had never been to the planet variously denigrated as the galaxy's armpit. It was a backward, ugly place where moisture farmers provided water at a premium. On other worlds less hospitable, she had heard of oxygen farms.
She saw cadets in training armor practicing for patrol in the distance. Their armor was dusty, their troop leader, a minor colonel, had them rounding up scum from the streets.
BB-9e rolled ahead of her out of the space port, head swiveling around in dizzying circles trying to take it all in. "Slow down, BB-9e! You'll get lost!" She saw a troop transport in the distance, sensed the underlying tension in the streets. Unsavory types drifted in and out of a cantina's smoky interior. Jaina slowed, her eye caught by a passing hover car. The street signs were in Aurebesh with the occasional Galactic Basic thrown in at cross-walks. The architecture consisted of domed rooflines in dusty white-washed hues. She didn't know enough about galactic architecture to make a comparison, supposing BB-9e was excited enough for the both of them. She had so rarely made planet fall when not being on a training exercise or on mission, that the dusty streets seemed inviting.
Jaina felt more than saw glances dart from her face to the light saber openly clipped to her belt. Did they know where she came from? She doubted anyone in the galaxy would openly carry a light saber beyond the knights. That's what I am right now, she thought, shedding skin like a desert snake. An initiate into the dark side. She kept walking, briefly closing her eyes. The knight had a rough sense on where the artifact was located. She had seen flashes of the map lost in the coherent stream of thoughts and feelings.
He was after something that someone had stolen …from Sidious' collection. The artifact pulsed with veiled dark side power. Her senses caught onto the flare of energy. It was somewhere beyond her, she followed the trail to a junkyard behind a sagging building façade. Sand had gathered in copious quantities beneath the broken down hover cars and light space craft. Pieces of broken wing material lay on their sides, haphazardly disappearing into the ground. The place looked deserted. Her thoughts turned somber. Someone had once piloted the U-Wing star fighter. Through the interior, she peered into a dusty pane and saw rows of defunct astromechs, metals parts lay strewn on a table beside a tray of metal findings.
She touched the panel and instantly saw a smallish Sullustan pulled away by Stormtroopers. They clapped the pleading alien in binders, escorting him away with a dozen or other mixed alien races.
Jaina lifted her hand away, glancing around. She had the sense of being watched, but saw no one and heard nothing. A low rising wind whistled off the carved cliffs to the east. In one way or another, she remembered Tatooine had been Anakin Skywalker's birthplace, and Luke's home before his second life. What a terrible place in the galaxy, she thought, and lonely.
"BB-9e?" She called hoping to hear the droid's responding chirp. She decided it was better to keep her light saber close at hand, wending her way further into the junkyard's maze.
...
BB-9e heard the former pilot calling and couldn't beep in reply. Rather wouldn't. It was strategically impossible to escape the blaster muzzle aimed point blank at its photoreceptor eye by the black plated astromech whose metal joints creaked and groaned from a lack of proper oiling. The pair were old – the black metal bipedal Threepio unit. Now BB-9e had heard of specialized hunter-killer droids utilized in planetary defense arsenals, and even the whisper of a Blastromech prototype produced by the Tarkin Initiative. It was a rumor circulated in the droid pool that someday First Order BB units would be put to use as droideka-type killing machines in the capitol. BB-9e wished it had been equipped with more than a match-light flame to better protect itself and Jaina.
"Well, well, well! I certainly didn't expect to survive the crash – did you, Bee Tee?" The protocol droid exclaimed in mechanical Basic. "Not that our survival rate compares to the unfortunates like Black Krrsantan and Mistress Aphra." The protocol droid's red photoreceptor eyes flickered to the bones clothed in ragged garments. The sight of the bone protruding from the canted deck filled with sand caused BB-9e to shake.
Bee Tee responded something in a binary language BB-9e didn't recognize.
"Yes, never mind who awakened us." The protocol droid had begun rummaging through a hidden compartment beneath the split holochess table. "Curiously, they never found this." The droid held up in his skeletal metal fingers, an octahedron-shaped crystal that burned red fire. BB-9e's eye focused in on the crystal, taking several images of it. Whatever it was - BB-9e was certain the ex pilot would find it interesting.
"BB-9e?" Quickly, the BB unit's head swiveled, beeping out a warning.
Jaina had paused in the shattered hole exposing the gutted ship's interior. The heavy frontal point of the ship had been buried long ago into the sand, tilting crazily at an angle. Jaina's gaze swept the interior, glimpsing BB-9e and the two droids. She dove out of sight, seconds before Bee Tee's blaster fired in her direction. BB-9e used the distraction to ram the other droid sending Bee Tee's aim awry. Instantly, white hot electricity shot through BB-9e's circuits. Bee Tee lifted the stun prod only momentarily.
"Well! This should be fun, Bee Tee!" The protocol droid chirped. "A human female no less! They always scream so delightfully, I doubt this one will be an exception!"
...
She stumbled.
The bolt ripped through her abdomen. A sickening nausea of pain and dizziness shifted the world out of focus. The droids - she knew now, had belonged to Dr. Aphra. Hazy imprints of the woman's life had been left on the derelict Ark Angel III. Sana Starros, a former associate of the archaeologist, had provided the knight with the information through an intermediary. The name Bazine Netal had flittered ghost-like through the knight's memory.
Why was he after the artifact?
She sensed it within the chassis of Triple Zero, thwarting most of her attempts to use the Force. The bipedal nightmare resembled Threepio - a chattering golden protocol droid with a red arm. The image popped into her head. Who was Threepio? She knew who Threepio was vaguely. The two wove in and out of her own memories, unclear. Blurred when she tried to grab a hold of them. Jaina fought down her frustration knowing it would make her do something rash or potentially stupid. Or would it…
Jaina could sense the coming storm on the peripherals of her vision. "I'm not going to leave you." BB-9e's beeping stopped.
"Really? How do you propose to stop us? You are outnumbered by Bee Tee's unrivaled arsenal." The protocol droid stated in a flat monotone. Jaina closed her eyes briefly, wrestling with her need for answers. Power as she understood it, came from the Force. She didn't need to destroy in order to feel strong, she just needed to keep BB-9e safe.
The saber lowered at her side, her hand relaxing enough for the hilt to drop inches enough so that the astromech prepared to fire. The thing was with droids, their programming was all too predictable. Jaina thrust her right hand out, freezing the blaster bolt with the Force. Triple Zero's red photoreceptor eyes flickered in surprise, algorithms recalculating expectation of victory. The odds were uneven. Triple Zero couldn't accurately predict the variables of the Force.
"A feint!" Triple Zero noticed the hovering saber float inches into her grasp. "My…your level of control is -"
Shut up.
She redirected the bolt with a slight gesture, seconds before impact, she brought the blade up with a wide single-handed deflecting move.
"Shut up." She seized them both, effectively extending her hold on every inch of their metallic bodies. BB-9e rolled away from Bee Tee, quickly hiding behind her. "You have something."
Triple Zero found his voicebox still was functional.
"An artifact no less of Lord Momin. Momin was no Sith Lord that the galaxy had seen before! I must say his creations were exquisite!"
Within the droid's chest cavity, she felt the malignant little octahedron spark in contact with her light side energy. Jaina probed it carefully, the energy an extension of her will, studied the facets of the holocron. Darkness blossomed from it, surrounding her inner vision.
"Woman." The voice came from within. She heard it watery sounding as if it came from underwater.
"Momin."
The holocron thumped against Triple Zero's chest plate, eager to be free of its confining cage.
"I feel you. Your power that moves inside the living. So much darkness struggling for dominance. I can show you the true nature of the dark side."
Within the artist's darkness, red eyes flickered open. The Sith continued whispering. "The light, ah…waxes and wanes in you." She felt the holocron stretch malignant tendrils out, curling into her own energy center, probing the outer surface of her thoughts. She was always thinking of him somewhere in her mind. Kylo's face emerged and the Sith chuckled.
"Vader's grandson? How precious…"
Jaina's vision was splitting. She felt her clothes whipped by the hard lashing winds of the storm and somewhere within the holocron, she sensed her inner self drawn in with Momin, unconsciously summoning the holocron toward her.
"Oh! Oh, really…must you rip off my chest plate?" Triple Zero muttered disapprovingly.
Her grasp on the saber loosened. The winged hilt represented a lot of things to her. The shape and green cabochon reminded her of something she needed. Momin had found the weakness in her armor -
She saw herself on her own.
"Sword of the Jedi? Now that…takes me back. Lady Shaa told me the legend once." She felt his amusement crawl beneath her skin. Momin knew something she didn't. It was a terrible feeling to be ridiculed. "The light isn't strong in you. He was a storm in the Force, a living vessel of power like his siblings. Your light vacillates, hesitates."
Jaina blinked rapidly, sand and grit stung her eyes. The ground cracked into a spherical shape spreading outward beneath her feet. She was somehow two places at once, with Momin's spirit and present in her body. She held onto the saber hilt by her fingertips. Momin manifested into his armor and ancient clothing. His domed helmet and masked face radiated grim pleasure. Red eyes gleamed from the horizontal visor slit.
"You weren't born to be a Jedi."
She swallowed and sand seemed to slide down her throat. Her own suffocating feelings were burying her alive. Her grip finally started to slip. She could barely feel the hot metal of the hilt, hear the humming blade. Somewhere within Momin's darkness, the blade was with her. She knew it was. Darkness was never absolute. Once, the blade had been a pale violet hue. It had been wielded for good. Maybe the light in her did hesitate, maybe it wasn't so bright or strong. She couldn't fix Kylo Ren, she couldn't redeem the other person who was almost a friend - in the deep recesses of her mind that no one knew, she held onto the image of Luke Skywalker redeeming the most hated man in the galaxy - and succeeding. I'm not Luke, she admitted suddenly to herself. I have too much darkness in me. I'm not Luke or the legendary Sword of the Jedi. I'm just me...and that's alright.
"No." Jaina admitted quietly; Momin's shade was inches from her face. "But, that's what I am." She said with difficulty, consciously pulling back. "You're a liar and a murderer! You were never a Lord of the Sith! You sowed pain and fear wherever you went -" she twisted her hand, closing her fingers into a loose fist. "I see it all! Every creation of yours and they make me feel nothing." She snarled finally. The Force whipped itself into a frenzy. Gusting outward in a powerful circle centered around Jaina and Triple Zero. They lifted off the ground, pushed apart in a gigantic tug of war.
I'll show you...
The Force struggled to achieve balance between the dark radiance spilling from the crystalline octahedron and her clawing grasp, burrowing deep into the surface. Momin shrieked from the hellish netherworld of his prison, sending shockwaves of pain through their connection. Jaina felt it lash her body, forcing her physical senses to ignore the agony. Beneath her fingertips, she had the tactile sensation of the holocron almost as if she held it in her hand. The hard edges of the crystal gave way to flesh as if she held something living with a pulse -
All that knowledge -
She regretted letting it go.
"It's enough."
I saw enough.
Tears wet her cheek. Jaina shuttered her fist decisively, screaming in defiance of the Sith's futile last attempts to hold onto his form..
...
On a distant forested planet, she slowed to a stop. Something stirred through the upper canopy of leaves. The ever present darkness lingering on the edges of her senses, writhed in dismay. She had lain low for three decades, choosing life and quiet reflection. The headstrong girl had matured into a competent warrior and then after the blaze of betrayal from the closest person in her life, rebelled. The Rebel had long since vanished from the face of the galaxy descending into silvered elder age.
Some called her Ashla, a wise woman who lived at the forest's edge and communed with the trees. Her eyes were no longer as sharp, nor piercing blue. She felt something beyond the planet, greater than herself. Whatever or whoever it was, challenged the dark side…and won. She felt their triumph as a rebellious scream, the echo of which carried through the Force. The Force, ever serene, soon returned to itself, flowing around her. But, it wasn't the same. She could feel it in the air, in the ground. In the trees and flowers. The warrior inside, remembered what it was like to lose - lose others - and fight back.
"I'm not part of it." She reminded herself, not anymore. The aged Togruta who had once been called Ahsoka, shook her head, turning her back on the forest brimming with life.
...
The Force moves in mysterious ways.
He thought it apt to think so, pulling the woman into his arms. Jaina was boneless, completely unconscious. She barely stirred when he hefted her across his shoulders, her height slightly taller than him. "Why do these things always happen to you?" Luke felt his age showing as he tottered a few steps. He hadn't expected an answer nor received one.
The droid he glanced at through narrowed eyes.
Some part of it was still functioning, the blue eye sizzling in the wind, sparks thrown off by its metal body.
"Sorry." Luke offered gruffly. "I can't carry both of you." He had the slight feeling the droid understood, head rotating a quarter of the way to watch them go. Luke wended his way with difficulty down the sand dunes soon hidden from the droid's sight.
I couldn't ignore it.
That feeling drawing me here.
He was sure now.
The Force intended for him to save her, the Force wasn't done with Jaina or Ben, of that he was positive.
In the distance, the whipping winds blurred his sight of Mos Eisley. The canyons where the Tusken Raiders had once prowled were eerily devoid of life. He saw troop transports lifting off and sensed a darker taint to the Force beyond Jaina. The source belonged to someone else, someone who had once been under his tutelage. Luke felt the grit in his mouth. The speck of sand wormed its way under his tongue, stinging, cuttingly bitter. There was no light beyond the stabilizing inner force of Jaina's balance, the edges where the two met petered into sharp grey descending into malevolence.
It was one of his former students alone and without the accompaniment of Stormtroopers.
...
"Master Skywalker!" Saskia uttered in shock. Beneath her helmet, the color had drained from her face. She would've recognized the slightly bent form of the stocky older man anywhere. Luke straightened, his blue eyes keen. For a moment, Saskia felt like an orphan on Gatalenta.
"It isn't good or nice to see you as it should be, Saskia."
She jolted hearing her name fall from his lips.
"So you're alive?" She felt stupid as soon as she'd opened her mouth. The vocoder distorted her voice into a deep growl.
"As you can see." Luke hefted his burden forward suddenly, throwing Jaina to the ground between them. "I aim to stay that way for some time to come."
She wanted to laugh at his statement. It was impossible in Ren's galaxy for him to remain alive. Yet here he was, the most wanted man in the galaxy, walking around in the desert unnoticed. Saskia reached for her light saber, the motion ingrained from confronting an enemy that she didn't immediately glance at the woman.
"I don't mind tangling with you now."
She saw the hilt of his saber so familiar to her youth. The floodgate of memory threatened to overflow. Saskia gritted her teeth, wrestling with herself. The blade lit green and she remembered burying her yellow crystal in Zahara's grave.
"But, if she doesn't get medical care soon, she'll die."
Saskia looked sharply, not wanting to believe it. Jaina was in a bad way physically. The wounds, she noted, weren't the clean cauterization of a light saber, but ugly and messy. "What makes you think I care?"
Luke shrugged slightly, "I don't know. You didn't care when Zahara was murdered so why should you care now?"
Stop it. She felt her resolve shake. Killing Luke absolved nothing of her guilt. Tearing down the image in her mind of her first master shattered none of her chains, or achieved her unattainable dream. Kylo would be furious that his uncle had survived the attack and even more angry that she had delivered the coup de grace. "I hated you."
"I know." And he sounded resigned. "I hated myself more than any of you ever hated me. That girl," he meant Jaina. "She knows nothing about me. I found her out there - the victim of a junker's violence. I think the junker was trying to make off with the droid."
"So ...what? You just decided to pick her up like a stray?" She spat. "Just like us?!"
"Maybe showing a bit of kindness to an enemy." Luke rejoined, mildly irritated. "Believe me, I don't care about the galaxy Ben's forging from fire and blood. I'm not the hero, Saskia, nor am I your enemy." Those blue eyes that took her back to a moment when Jaina was challenging her beliefs, stared into her face mask. Unsettled by the similarity of expression, her hand dropped to her side, emptied.
Those eyes seemed to insinuate the truth.
You know who your true enemy is.
Luke switched his saber off after a long moment. Saskia felt somehow let down. After all this time, she could still feel like an unruly child.
"Master Skywalker," she said after he had begun to walk away. "You had no children." Didn't you? You had no family, no one to carry on your bloodline. No one who should make that face so similar to yours.
He glanced back and she sensed he was smiling, wearing that wry, unpleasant twist to his mouth. Luke had been handsome once, still was. Try as she might, Saskia couldn't shake the look on his face, her mind trapped in helpless circles to the times when she had seen the same expression on Jaina's face.
"I must be losing my mind."
...
Nash Windrider remembered countless inspections by the red-haired man who disembarked from the command shuttle. There was a time when their ideals had seemed aligned with a strong Empire, the future was clear. Windrider, whose pilots benefited from the knowledge of former Imperial cadets, were stronger than those pressed into service aboard other ships. He considered himself beyond the petty entanglements and intrigues of the men jockeying for position in Ren's new Galactic Order.
He produced pilots worthy of the long dead Imperial breed. For a long time, Windrider had felt assured of his status as the best of the First Order commanders, little by little doubt has begun to creep in.
"Captain Windrider, so good of you to join us."
"I am pleased to have you here, and much honored, Supreme Leader Ren, General Hux." Clipped speech, polite tones. He had assembled his top cadets in rank and row. Windrider stood proudly before them, expecting to point out numerical designations, flying marks. Hux's gaze swept past him, idly sizing up the interior of the resurgent-class Star Destroyer's main hangar. Irritation disturbed his complacent form.
"You graduated from the Imperial Academy?"
"Yes, that's right."
Supreme Leader Ren had hardly glanced around. Windrider had heard stories of the Force user's abilities. Briefly, he felt some trepidation. The younger man almost seemed to dismiss him as unworthy of further attention. Windrider cleared his throat slightly. "What is this about?"
Hux had taken a data pad from one of Windrider's officers. He swiped through the specs of the TIE Wing. "Largest TIE Wing in the armada, strongest cadets reported by Captain Serotte during his subjugation of Coruscant."
"I always seek to exceed expectations. Captain Serotte's commendations don't belong only to myself, they extend to the pilots."
Hux approached him now, a slender figure in his great coat, the only color his green eyes and bright red hair. Windrider felt a sharply distinct dislike for the man pass through his heart. Hux was close enough so that his next words were observed by no one.
"You recommended Ciena Ree, former stand in Captain of the Inflictor for the highest Imperial honor years ago?"
"That's right."
"You'll be disappointed to learn your judgment of her was quite wrong. She and around fifty others were hiding out on a mining colony causing trouble. The Tarkin and Advantage led the attack. They've all been eliminated by the Executrix."
…
The resurgent-class Star Destroyer Absolution drifted above Tatooine. An exercise in tactics for the young cadets followed Saskia's Starfall into the large bay.
"Teaching them to be ruffians," she remarked caustically to the Stormtrooper Captain by rank shoulders below Avior. Her comment provoked a spurt of laughter. In the military ranks, she fell somewhere between nuisance and superior. She should've felt better to be surrounded by durasteel, but the comfort she had come to expect from the First Order remained absent.
Now as she stood before the bacta tank, she frowned at the displayed vitals.
"What is it about you?" They'd all had their scrapes, their near misses. She thought something must be wrong. "Why does it feel like something wants you dead?" Saskia studied the woman's face, her increased pallor a side effect of the bluish tinted bacta fluid. The med droid had told her it was a special formulation for tissue rejuvenation.
"When will she awaken?"
"In four hours, if not sooner."
Wonderful…like I didn't know any better. Saskia opened her mouth to say something else. The med droid had brusquely strode away.
Then, came the part she dreaded most.
Saskia had the call directed to her quarters on the Starfall. She had barely removed her helmet when the pinging came anew. Ren had been incessant for the last hour.
"How is she?" The first words out of his mouth weren't surprising in the least. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping well.
"She's alive, but's that's not what you're asking. You want to come and see her." Saskia could plainly see Ren's want. He was fighting the urge tooth and nail, losing the battle to keep away. You want to take her in your arms, kiss her and make her feel safe. I know how you feel because every time I came back from a mission, that's all I wanted was to be in his arms.
"Somehow, someway, you knew what was happening on the moth-eaten dust ball of a planet light years away from your current position. You even ordered the cadets into the sandstorm to find Jaina."
"I had prior contact with her."
"You told them to look beyond the junkyard at the edge of Mos Eisley." You told them exactly where to look and threatened dire punishment if they didn't return with her. "You know what I think?" No, she could also see he didn't particularly wish to know her thoughts.
"You felt it."
He despised the superior look of knowing on the knight's face.
Yes, he had. Physical pain reminiscent of torture jolting him awake where he'd fallen into a light doze. Kylo was reminded of Chewbacca's bowcaster, wretched creature. Kylo refused to think of his small self running after the large Wookiee.
"She must be projecting it. Her force gift is unique, unusual in application. There are likely ways she can manipulate the Force from a distance so that it affects the mind." He stated with something less than surety. Saskia wore the damnable smile she always did when satisfied over a particular slaughter.
"She was a quarter of the way dead when I found her." The knight said flatly, ignoring his wince. "Tell me how she was injured."
He thought to remind the knight that it wasn't her place to demand answers and especially when thinking about it made the woman surface in his mind. "She was shot by a blaster."
Yes, that's what it felt like.
He still remembered the blaster burns on his hands training with Luke's old droid.
"Where?"
In the knight's expression, he saw he could no longer keep denying it even to himself.
...
"You're broadcasting your thoughts a mile away." The voice came from a room of red velvet drapes. Rose wandered from the door closer to the source. "You need to learn better control."
"Kylo Ren is aboard."
"Oh, I know already. I could see Hux's manipulation bringing him here. He wants to take Windrider's cadets, take away everything the man has dedicated his life to becoming. It's the beginning of his purging of the Imperials. Ironically, his hatred of them is based in his deep rooted insecurities over his father and birth mother."
"If you don't mind me asking," she walked past a velvet divan draped with a shawl of darshaa silk, following the sound of the voice. "Who are you?"
"I could say master of the mystical art of the Force, but that's just puffery. I belonged to the Jedi Order until I was twenty years old." She walked through the connecting room, her footfalls muffled as hard black flagstone gave way to plush bedroom carpeting.
"Then, you're a Jedi." She wasn't sure what to make of the Force or Skywalker. It seemed a bunch of old legends that had no place in the galaxy she knew. The Force didn't save Otomok or Paige, nor had it saved Rey. Humans had saved the Resistance to fight again, but even that she hesitated on being thankful for. I asked to come here. She could see comfortable furniture, cloth that rustled when someone shifted. It was an old man. She knew he was old somehow even without catching a glimpse of flesh.
"You can call me Loress or Jade. It doesn't matter. They usually call me Master Jade as if I was a Master of anything or anyone." He snorted. "Snoke used to think he could control my mind like all the rest. He called me worm for a while, then snake at the end when he decided to set his Praetorian Guard on me."
"So you were helping Snoke?"
"Not really. I had my own goals in mind." He observed her hesitance. "It's alright, you don't have to come any closer."
Rose wasn't afraid much. She distrusted a great deal, but that was only ingrained wariness. "What about Kylo Ren?"
"They're going to stay onboard to observe the training regimen. I'll have to send a few nightmares to shake things up."
"You can do that?"
"Through the Force, Rose. You're safe here from him. I've been in his head for years."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly how it sounds. Luke, ever the fool, thought it was Snoke who unbalanced him. Dreams, horrible fantasies, nightmares it all takes a toll on a person's mind."
"I…don't…but why?"
"Think about it. You're a smart girl. If Ben Solo was unstable, how would be perceived? He wouldn't have legions of loyal men and women at his beck and call. They follow him out of fear, all the while Hux plots away on how to get rid of him thereby destabilizing the First Order from within." Jade shrugged. "It might be scary to you, to think of fighting someone unstable, but you must remember…he is alone and will make mistakes that allow openings such as the one when you fine people were rescued."
"Why tell me this?" As she had spoken, the old man got to his feet, shuffling to a counter top with a hot plate. From a shelf, he procured one chipped cup and a canister of pungent-smelling dark granules.
"Oh, I don't know…you can tell Luke if you want. Frankly, I don't care." He scratched his silver cheek, the motion ingrained from years. "Sometimes, the worst thing is almost. You've almost made it. You've almost carried the day only to fail at the last and watch everything you've saved, sift through your hands." The hazel eyes flickered to her.
"If he wasn't so pitiless, I could almost feel sorry for him." She said bitterly, rubbing her arms. "If you're so powerful, why haven't you killed Kylo Ren?" Rose knew the name and it inspired terror in her. The masked face and long cape seemed a nightmare, a monster dwelled beneath the helmet, nothing human could lead the First Order.
"Thirty years younger, he would've met his end on my blade. But, I am old and no match for him in physical combat." Jade offered her a cup of instant caf. "I tried to kill him when he was small. I had a vision of him murdering my daughter and the child she would have. I couldn't risk losing Mara or her baby."
"What happened?"
They kidnapped him.
It was almost too easy. Organa had a pair of droids watching over the tiny boy. Solo, his father, was off gallivanting across the galaxy. Even back then, little Ben Solo was strong in the Force. They didn't kill him, they brought him to the rendezvous point, alive.
"Luke stopped me."
He tracked the ship. He slew the bounty hunters I hired. He even dismantled Kaytuu. Jade's voice grew wearied. "We fought an increasingly pitched battle out in a field surrounded on three sides by trees."
I tried explaining my reasoning.
"What he'll become will destroy everything you've ever cared for including mine and I won't let it. Luke was stupid. Still is. I began to realize I didn't need to convince him, I just needed to kill little Ben Solo." It was such a terrible thing, but I had done many, what was one more? That was what I rationalized. I tried, oh I tried. "Force lightning, not many have been privileged to witness its true destructive power." He watched her face. "Snoke protected him. I felt the dark side shift around the boy. Snoke's malignancy pouring out of him kept him from the verge of death."
It was too much. I wasn't strong enough in the dark side to counter both Ben and Snoke together, especially not with that fool, Luke, attacking me with his strong style. "He was desperate to stop me, he went to the dark side. He defeated me nearly the same way he had taken down his father on the second Death Star. But, where there was familial love stopping him, there was none for me." He stopped only because Ben Solo started crying for his uncle Luke.
So the Jedi who had never been knighted by any living Master, went to his nephew and soothed his tears. I had been so close. So near to ending the boy's threat - but I had failed.
I knelt in the bloodstained grass, waiting for Luke to return.
The old man held up his right hand. "I'd already lost one." He stood over me, holding Ben. Luke was smug in his place as a Jedi. Jedi didn't kill and he wasn't going to kill me. "He was only going to take away my ability to use the Force. Thereby ending the threat or so he thought. Now you'll never know what it's like to hold your grandchildren in your own hands. You have only yourself to blame. Luke said that and I told him in response one day he would bitterly regret stopping me. He paid a terrible price for his foolishness."
"I never knew or imagined…," Rose had only experienced the human side of the conflict, never realizing the drama that had played out between the Force users had contributed to the end result. "I came from a poor mining colony. I never really knew about the Force until Finn…," she trailed off, unsure of how to describe how much Finn meant to her or how they had met. "Finn told me about this girl who could use the Force. Until then, I thought we only had to keep fighting on smaller fronts to win the day." She smiled self-consciously. "I guess that was my naiveté speaking."
"I like you." Jade said in the silence that followed. "I don't normally like humans or aliens. They think too much. After raping so many minds, I've found they're all the same, full of greed and petty lusts. But, yours,…oh ho! Yours is so honest and open. I like it. If you were a Force sensitive, I would train you."
"N-No, thanks." She had the sense he was smiling. He reminded her of a coiled sand snake. Something feral, dangerous. He was slightly unnerving her even now. "You…mind-rape people? That's it?"
"I thought everyone knew, but never understood it. I can hear your thoughts, spoken in your voice. More than yours, coming in a steady stream from every direction. When I was a boy, I was taken to the Jedi Temple. I can still see it now, the courtyard, the fountain, padawans who walked with their noses in the air because they'd been chosen by masters. I could hear voices all around me, but no one was speaking to me. Logically, I thought I was losing my mind and was quite afraid for a long time until Yan Dooku, ah, yes, that was his name, the Count of Serenno, told me I had a gift. It was difficult for me to accept even hearing it from a master so when Master Infil'a demonstrated the similarities between myself and Master Vos, I began to realize my full potential."
"I've never heard of them." Rose said carefully. She had never spoken to anyone who had walked inside the old Jedi Temple, not even Skywalker had that knowledge.
"You wouldn't have. He was long dead before you were born. He was a very strong and good man although losing his padawans as he did, hurt him more than he could take. He was murdered under Palpatine's directive." Jade paused to gather his thoughts in order. "It didn't take long for me to realize I could hear more than surface thoughts. The Jedi and Sith have a similar technique called mind probe which is the invasion of a mind. But, I could hear secret thoughts, the kind that usually don't see the light of day."
Fisto and Secura are in love with each other.
Windu still has moments of uncontrollable darkness in him, he masks it behind his Vaapad form.
Yoda buries his uncertainty in the future of the Order, choosing to believe in the unifying Force…when the Jedi are stagnating along with the Republic -
"There's no innocence left soon enough. The mind develops, the body matures. I had matured faster than the ten year old younglings fighting to catch the eye of a Master. I could hear everything, Rose. I still can, although I've learned how to filter through the noise so it's tolerable to live and sleep."
"How much can you see?"
"Quite a bit. You have something in your pocket from Cantonica. It's been weighing heavily on your mind since last week."
Rose's gaze had dropped to the man's saber hilt. Curved silver with a carved cabochon of a carbuncle star set midway down, the hilt drew the eye reminding her unwillingly of Valerian. This man was no Jedi like Skywalker. He was something else entirely.
"You even thought of pitching it out the airlock, but something held you back." He held his gloved hand out, gesturing with a slight curl of his fingers. "Give it here, let me see it."
She slipped her hand into her pocket, her fingers smoothing the crystalline edges. Rose placed it carefully in his palm. The eyes visible through the mask darted down to the cloven crystal. After a few moments of silent contemplation, she couldn't stand it anymore.
"What is it?"
"I know this crystal. It once powered a Jedi Master's light saber." The old man's hand trembled. Rose heard the catch in his voice, curious as to the play of emotions on his face. "He once took the Barash Vow to live alone with the Force. Padawan Kynter was of course upset when his Master left the Order, but I was impressed. I used to wish he had taken me with him to the monastery on Al'doleem." The old man appeared to be looking into the mists of memory, murmuring to himself. "Maybe together we could've had a fighting chance."
"So it's important?" She stammered, embarrassed. Maybe she should've shown it to Finn, but he was so busy preparing to ship off for Kobol that she hadn't wanted to bother him. "I'm sorry I didn't know what it was - I um...used to work behind pipes and you know, I don't know a lot about these things. So, was the man who gave it to me a Jedi? I thought there weren't any more Jedi in the galaxy except for Luke Skywalker." I thought Valerian was with the First Order…come to think of it, V'lane seemed to know who he was.
"Luke's still carrying the torch as the last Jedi? He's full of it." Jade muttered in disgust. "The man you speak of stole it from someone. He was sending me a message...he knows I'm alive and what's coming."
Rose's heart quailed. Had she done the right thing in coming here? She had traveled so far under a different alias to gain access to the Interceptor that she hadn't stopped to question her motives. It just felt like…an impulse or something that needed to be done. I was his messenger, Rose realized, shaken. Valerian had asked her to give Jade the kyber crystal, but without words, Valerian knew that Jade would understand. "Who is he and what's coming?" She felt suddenly that she was part of something bigger than the Imperial Remnant.
"That man is one of the Knights of Ren. As for your other question...No hard feelings, but I might have to kill you if I tell you. ."
...
"Why did you change your vote?"
Windrider willed himself to remain patient. Hosting the First Order on his ship had once been something to take pride in. He remembered his dedication to the cause of restoring the Empire to its place of power, turning a blind eye to Sloane's murder, the purge of fellow men who had overstepped Snoke's increasingly rigid bounds. He sat in his private study, glad to be away from the scrutiny of his crew.
It's Princess. Princess Leia, you fool. "Leia Solo is one woman. The First Order doesn't execute helpless old women."
"She is a symbol, Captain. She formed the Resistance singlehandedly and tried making noise about our continued existence to the fools of the New Republic until our…devastated coming out during the Battle of Hosnian Prime. Unless, your ties to Alderaan moved you to sympathy. I hope you aren't spreading seditious conduct among the susceptible new recruits." Hux drank tea from a white cup, taking a delicate sip from the rim.
Windrider flinched. He couldn't help his instinctive gut clenching reaction. Ciena and now this…cross examination. "My homeworld is no more, General. Alderaan hasn't existed on any star map for decades." Acid dripped from his tone. "If you're questioning my motives for mercy, I would address your grievances with Supreme Leader Ren. He pardoned Leia Solo."
"Oh, I intend to, Captain Windrider. I feel," Hux sighed as if aggrieved. "As though Leia Organa isn't long for this world." The cup rattled in its saucer. Windrider's gaze flickered to it. It was a sign, subtle but certain. "On the subject of training the new generation for defense, what was your opinion on the Empire's use of clones?"
"They were for the most part inadequate. Yes, there were some advantages, but the Empire eventually saw the folly of their ways and began recruitment from the galaxy. A move that benefited them much." He didn't have to say it, thinking it was enough with the tight, arrogant smile that Hux despised. He had graduated from the Royal Imperial Academy, a distinction shared by a few of the old First Order elite. There was nothing of the Arkanis Academy from which Brendol Hux had originated from.
"I see, but perhaps the man they cloned was flawed. Full of error encoded DNA, the flaws would manifest in the Imperial Stormtroopers." Hux persisted.
"It's possible, anything is. Human cadets have always performed well in my squadrons. The Resistance effectively utilized alien species." He had never much understood the policy of exclusion practiced by the Empire. In rare cases such as former Grand Admiral Thrawn, a member of an alien race could rise through the ranks if they possessed exceptional talent. Windrider had a vague inkling as to the direction the general's thoughts turned. It had been discussed at some point, utilizing clone technology to perfect the First Order's Stormtroopers. Although, in the event of a defection which was highly unlikely given the amount of conditioning, he had seen little reason to attempt a change to the system.
"The First Order has no need of alien races among our army and naval command." Hux said sternly, setting the cup down hard. "We need soldiers who will obey orders without question - who breathe and live the First Order coda." He smirked. "We have no need of the old, decayed method of turning infants into killing machines. No more of Brendol Hux's methods." The shine of future glory had come into his green eyes. Nash watched him warily. He had seen the same look of madness in the eyes of prisoners sent to Imperial detention centers.
"Then, what're you proposing, sir?"
Hux rose to his feet. "No more of your pilots. The remainder cease operating as cadets from this moment on. The academy in Arkanis will produce them from now on."
…
No more…,
"He intends to disband my flight school."
Muffled clapping broke the silence. "So Nash Windrider's crisis of conscience is over. Excellent! Let's see how far his vendetta will go." The old man jeered; Rose looked between the First Order Captain and the Force user. Windrider took notice of her, "who is this?" He jabbed a gloved finger in her direction. "Who is this girl on my ship!"
"Don't worry about her. She's with me."
"Hey! I'm not with you!" She yelled, reddening in embarrassment.
"It's a figure of speech, young one."
Windrider shook his head slightly. "We have a problem."
"No, you have a problem."
"I said we…the First Order is going to begin cloning troopers and pilots to fill their ranks."
"Oh, I know about that. What I meant is one of your senior officers, Dalven Kyrell, plans on outing you as an Imperialist sympathizer."
Windrider blanched, "that scum! I should've known. I kept him close to keep track of his movements. He probably thinks Hux will reward him for the information."
"In all likelihood, yes. You're going to have to catch up to him." The old man nodded to Rose. "Take the girl."
"Why me!?"
The old man moved with laborious intent. "There's luck around you. That girl who looks like you said so."
"What…?"
He had stopped in front of a paneled wall covered with an enormous tapestry of a moon. "Don't tell me you bought into the whole Jedi thing about only Force sensitives living on through the Force? Please. There is no death, there is the Force. Paige, right. That's her name?" As annoying as their coda is, some parts of it were true.
She pressed her hand to her mouth, shaking. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Hey, I'm not Skywalker. Why would I? I certainly don't care about making you feel better. I can see her around you. I don't think she's there all the time."
Rose sniffled and somehow started to smile. It was all so unbelievable, she could almost believe in a galaxy full of weird and wonderful things like the mystical Force. She would try to remember it whenever she felt the odds were insurmountable and she felt truly alone. "I wish I could see her."
"Well, I don't see anything. Ciena and her people used to believe in the Force. Personally, I thought it was a whole lot of baloney."
"You would, Captain Windrider. You're far too practical for my taste." The old man exposed a hidden keypad, striking the keys rapidly. With a hissing sound, the panel slid away revealing a wall case of weaponry. Despite herself, Rose drew closer, amazed to see curved hand scythes, kukuri throwing daggers and a number of ancient hilts she could only assume were the mystical weapons of the Jedi, mounted behind the transparisteel panel. Aside from his mastery over the Force, the old man was apparently a weapons connoisseur.
"This deadly ordnance belonged to the Mandalorian bounty hunter who took out my liver." The old man grumbled, sliding the hidden clatch open. The short spear extended with a slight depress on the haft. Six minuscule needles spiked from the tip. "The chamber contains six grams of poison in three vials. Unload it under the chin, the point of entry is nano-sized. He used to say it was perfect for assassinations."
"I have a blaster." Windrider touched the officer's model at his hip.
"Too messy and traceable. If Kyrell gets away, then you'll have the entire ship on high alert." The old man said reasonably, passing off the hand spear. He reached in one more time finding a slim familiar-looking gadget. "This is for you, Rose. It once belonged to Aurra Sing before she met an ignominious death by the hand of a human. It's a modified laser stunner."
Perfect. She knew just how to work those things.
"It works pretty much the same as your average electric charged stun gun, but better. Now, get going and no foul ups."
"Couldn't you just Force-throttle him?"
"It's called force-choke and no, not if I don't want Kylo Ren battering down my door."
…
I must be insane or mind-tricked.
Silence filled the lift.
The dark-haired young woman looked down at the stun gun in her gloved hand. Her black hair was tucked into a bun beneath her peaked cap. Almond-shaped eyes flickered upward, catching his glance.
"Who are you?"
"Who exactly are you?" She returned cheekily.
I know who I am. Nash had fastened the hand spear beneath the sleeve of his jacket. The leather brace remained hidden with an inch or so to spare. He could hardly believe, he, a respected First Order Captain, was voluntarily committing treason.
I agreed to disseminate Rebels among the armada.
I agreed to alter the instructional program on my pilots…
I claimed to support the return of our glorious Empire.
"My homeworld was Alderaan." Nash said instead of the spiel he had compiled. I know who I was. "Where are you from?" Nights spent in a dormitory comparing homeworlds came to mind along with the laughter of good friends. The moment despite its attendant sorrow strengthened his resolve.
The woman scarcely blinked, her chin lifting with pride. "Otomok system, Hays Minor."
After a moment, he broke stares, glancing to the number counter. Like with all things on his Interceptor, everything ran like polished clockwork. Precise and perfect. "I'm sorry." Nash thought shame was one of the most humbling emotions someone could ever feel.
Rose blinked and felt her heart rate speed up. They were close. She was an astronomical distance away from Finn and the place where in some small reluctant corner of her heart, she had begun to think wasn't so bad after all, yet the man next to her in the lift wasn't the enemy. The enemy, Rose had begun to learn had many faces and sometimes the one who had the face of an enemy was a friend after all.
"I'm sorry too."
...
"Where am I?" She blurrily came to with a slight groan. The sound was involuntary.
"On the Absolution."
She focused on the knight's face.
"Where's my droid?"
"The BB unit was recovered before the storm." The Stormtrooper academy wasn't her first choice of places to be. Jaina shifted her gaze to the med droid who shuffled out after making cursory marks on the datapad. A shade less professional, the knight's gaze softened. "I knew you'd raise bloody hell if we didn't find the droid."
"You know me too well."
"What happened down there?" Saskia's look turned serious.
"I was searching for a parts dealer for my ship. It's an old Imperial model and I was attacked in the sand dunes."
"I find that difficult to believe you could be bested by a non force sensitive."
She glanced at her, eyes narrowed. "They were modified hunter-droids."
"Droids?"
"I don't know. It was something nasty hidden away in an old piece of junk." Jaina inspected the patch of smooth slightly blistered skin spreading from her middle to the waistband of the loose bottoms. She was itchy from the bacta tank. Why wasn't Saskia asking her about the holocron...didn't she sense the struggle in the Force? Her head began to hurt in confusion. "Were you on mission?"
"No...I was on my back to the Dauntless when something drew me here. I had the sense that I needed to come back."
...
Dalven Kyrell was a coward. He had privately rejoiced over the identification of rebels, former or otherwise, located on the mining planet Waskiro. A film of the Executrix unloading her guns on the planet was circulated around the HoloNet much to the censure of a number of activist groups.
The First Order didn't attempt damage control. In Dalven's mind, that was somewhat of a mistake. Appearances were everything. There were also nasty rumors floating around that the planet was secured by TIE squadrons.
Then, there was Nash Windrider. Dalven had chafed under his command for years, longing for a moment to break out of his control. For one reason or another, his merits were never noticed by the upper echelon of military command. Windrider, he suspected, was solely to blame.
He had a meeting with General Hux to further discuss the Alderaanian's loyalties. Windrider was treading on thin ice with his stunt over the voting. Now with Amaral, another who supported the Supreme Leader's version of mercy, under criticism for indiscriminate slaughter, Dalven saw a chance to prove his worth to the general.
One hour.
Dalven checked his comm. He felt restless after eating in the cafeteria. The Interceptor had been his berth for seven years since it had ascended into space from the Kuat shipyards. A lower officer under Windrider's command, Dalven had long walked the hallways, dreaming of the day he would become Captain. All he needed was something to pin on Windrider's spotless record.
Windrider had done it himself.
Six months ago, the Interceptor had apprehended a crippled yacht drifting near Corellia. Familiar to both men from the days of the Empire, the Jade Shadow as it was called, had a thousand dents and scorch marks scarring its hull as if it had fought as many battles. But, the interior was pristine; a perfect museum of Empire tech. Windrider had boarded it with the troopers, blaster in hand. Nostalgia had come over the Captain, remembering the Empire in its glory days, the yacht that had once ferried Moffs and other people of importance contained a broken Imperial droid and an old man who drowsed in the corner of the kitchenette.
That was the first divergence from protocol in years.
But, that old man…in his strange tattered garments, arrested by the Stormtroopers, had offered no resistance. Dalven had been present when the old man's mask had been forcibly removed revealing the extent of his terrible injuries long since healed. Nauseated, Dalven had left the interrogation room, unable to continue.
Windrider had resumed the interrogation; another unusual occurrence.
"He had no face." Dalven said tremblingly over the table he shared with mess mates. "It looked like someone had scooped away the lower half of his face, taking his mouth, part of his nose and cheek." Or clawed it away. Dalven imagined the old man would be thrown out the airlock for drifting in First Order space.
The turbolift had left him on a stretch of corridor
But, a cell had sufficed.
Imprisoned, the old man rarely stirred in the subterranean prison situated within the bowels of the Star Destroyer. The yacht was moved into storage. Dalven had been down there once to make sure the old man hadn't moved from his cell. For a long time, Dalven stood outside the energy field panel, biting down on his gloved fist. He considered murdering the old man to be rid of him. He'd had…nightmares about that face and deep set yellow-gold eyes peering at him from the darkness along with other unpleasant things he couldn't remember.
Now Dalven entered the mostly emptied quarter, he needed to see for himself again before he brought it to Hux's attention.
The cell was empty.
He stared dumbly into the cell, then checked the corresponding numbers. "Gone! Gone!" He slapped his palm on the wall. Somewhere, the sound of revolving doors opening and closing reached him.
…
"I was hoping you were awake." She sat propped up by pillows in the med bay. The holo transmitter displayed a tiny flickering image. She supposed it was better than nothing, after the desert planet left her feeling in need of comfort. Saskia had been her usual brusque self, but more perturbed in mind. The Knight had retired to her private quarters aboard the Starfall, disdaining a room offered by the Absolution's captain. Several times, she had caught the knight looking at her in consternation, yet said nothing. Jaina wondered if it was something Saskia had sensed that was bothering her. Whatever it was, Jaina decided not to probe into it too deeply.
"Are you feeling well enough to be up?"
"I'm alive, if that's what you're asking." Random mechanized killing droids called Triple Zero and Bee Tee notwithstanding. Jaina rubbed her bare arms, peering into the tiny holo. The blue glow cast a comforting light on her lap covered by a rumpled blanket. "Valkyn was after an ancient holocron that went down with a ship on Tatooine."
"What happened to the artifact?"
"It was destroyed." She decided to leave out the part where she Force-crushed it to rid the galaxy of Momin. "I believe the holocron belonged to a Sith called Momin. He was a sculptor of dark side creations. His name was struck from the records of the Sith and Jedi for his heretical views of the Force." Jaina hesitated, her fingers curling into the bunched up cloth. "He…sought to create rather than destroy in order to secure his legacy."
"I've never heard the name before. Were you able to open the holocron at all?" He couldn't imagine it possible for a novice to understand such a powerful dark side artifact.
"Just one side." She admitted guiltily. "It was through Momin's influence that Lord Vader built his castle on Mustafar. He thought he could harness the dark side to create a door in space and time. One that could breach life and death." Jaina said somberly. "Sidious gave Momin's mask to Vader as a test. Momin's crazed spirit approached Vader offering him a way to bring his wife, Padme, back to life through the castle that would act as a tuning fork to harness the dark side energies lingering on the planet. Momin even chose the site of an ancient dark side cave since it was thought to be exceedingly evil." She paused and fragmentary images of Momin's shade witnessing the scorched afterlife plain came back. "I think he succeeded...to a certain extent." Jaina subsided into pained silence. It was what he deserved."It was crazy really. Death is not the end, but Vader couldn't see it."
"She rejected him."
"Padme loved one part of the man he was. She loved Anakin and not Vader. To her, Vader wasn't Anakin, I guess there was a clear separation between them."
"You saw it all?"
"When I destroyed the holocron. The pair were linked…the mask was destroyed decades ago in a fire. But, the holocron kept his foul spirit anchored to this world."
"Are you sure you're alright?" The dark side artifact was interesting to him because of its creator's connection to Vader, yet the thought of being influenced by the vile creature Momin had been, reminded him of the master she had freed him from. Kylo had never thought about his grandmother's feelings concerning her husband's turning. Naively, if he had given it a thought, he would've assumed something other than Padme's apparent revulsion of the dark side. He found a smile forming the longer he regarded the woman's holograph. He had something more now than his grandfather ever had.
"Unless I suddenly murder half the crew and impale their heads and entrails in some bizarre display - if that happens, please kill me." Jaina muttered, but she smiled as if the thought was amusing. Her smile quickly turned to a frown as the tiny holoprojector in her lap flashed red with low battery life. "Kriff! This thing's dying, I'll talk to you later."
"Jaina, -"
The tone of his voice stopped her from trying to find a cord to plug it in; the connection was lost a second later, cutting him off mid-sentence.
...
"What're you doing?"
"Overriding the security system." Nash had loosened a panel with connecting circuitry on the wall near the warden's desk. "Dalven's here."
Rode leaned closer over the counter, peering into the monitor he tapped. The man looked as any other she'd seen, pale from a life spent in space, pristine uniform, ashen blond hair. The constipated look on his face had devolved into one of nervous anxiety. He frantically searched the cell blocks, blaster in hand.
"What's he doing?"
"Dalven's looking for Jade. He's exhibiting all the signs of a nervous breakdown. He fears Jade, likely aware in some primordial way that his dreams haven't been his own." Nash switched the view to the hour before. "The Interceptor recently cleaned up its prison. I haven't had troops stationed down here for some time. Not that Dalven ever noticed if it didn't concern his future promotion."
"I'm not going alone." Rose said.
"Of course you're not. What, you think I'm going to let a girl do my job for me?" Nash snapped. "I can tell you've never killed anyone."
Mollified, she faintly smiled. "Sorry. You're not quite what I expected." She had almost thought he meant to let her take the blame for Kyrell's disappearance. Rose didn't trust First Order officers especially not Windrider with his changing loyalties. But…Jade…whoever he was, with whatever he could do, seemed to think Windrider was trustworthy.
No more back and forth.
This was serious.
Please be watching over me, Pae-Pae, and please don't think it's bad what I'm about to do here. Rose nodded as firmly as she could to show her resolve wasn't buckling. Nash took the lead without another word.
He held his hand up for her to stop. Rose heard the clanging of footsteps farther up ahead. She peered around him and nodded. Windrider clung to one wall as she slid along.
She took point now.
Her hand shook as she came in sight of the man. He was liable to shoot if she so much as made any discernible sound. Rose readied the stun gun, aiming carefully around the corner. The gloom provided cover as the track lighting was sparser here. The empty cells were pits of darkness. She took aim and fired. An electro-pulse wave half the size of the corridor was discharged from the business end. The flash of light startled Dalven Kyrell. He screamed and staggered back, his legs weakening. Blaster fire went wild, peppering the wall where she'd been. Nash pulled her back, trading off a few shots.
I thought Jade said no blasters.
The third shot hit Dalven in the shoulder. Nash rushed him when he went down.
There was a struggle.
Windrider kicked the blaster away, pinning Dalven's arms. The blond sweated profusely, his eyes bulging.
"Traitor!" His slurred word echoed between them. She started forward unsure of how to help. Windrider, shaken, depressed the hidden mechanism. Veins popped out of Dalven's neck, his reddened face went through an extremis of horror, disbelief, fury and finally slackened as the poison did its work. Nash held him upright until his feeble twitching stopped.
"I'd wanted to do that for a long time." Windrider said, retracting the needle-like appendage from Dalven's throat. Rose clipped the stunner to her hip in place of a blaster. "He's dead…just like that?"
"In the old days, Rose, the Rebel Alliance had many spies and not all of them were around to celebrate the end of the Empire." Nash straightened, momentary emotion clouding his face. "War is cruel. There is no glory in dogfights in the skies. I lost friends on the original Death Star, good people while this thing -" he gestured with disgust to the man collapsed on the floor. "Wheedled and whined his way out of active service to save his own skin."
"I'm sorry about that…somehow. I don't know." Rose wasn't sure if her sympathy made her a hypocrite to the dead rebels. Heroes, Poe would've called them proudly. But, General Organa would've bluntly replied dead heroes. Her feelings were confused; she thought she could think about it some other time. There were other more important things to do. "What now?"
"We dispose of the body. Help me with his feet."
...
"That was very foolish of you."
Although spoken in a mild tone, Jaina felt her face heat up. Shaak Ti never raised her voice. She didn't have to in order to make one understand when they'd displeased her. "I know it was," she'd left the med bay hours ago, resuming work on repairing BB-9e's damaged chassis. Whatever she needed to fix BB-9e was given without question. She wondered if it had something to do with Saskia's presence in the hangar or if her own status was somehow elevated. They'd even offered her a new BB unit without its motherboard to install BB-9e's personality. She had refused mostly because her BB-9e was different. BB-9e wore dings and dents and burns with its now-broken antenna just like she carried scars. No one had a more loyal droid than her, she was certain.
"I had a reason." Jaina said simply, laying aside the wrench. "Momin was a sculptor, an architect of dark side objects. He could weave the Force into a building - I needed to know how." She saw the Jedi Master's disapproval. "When the Jedi Order returns, they'll need a temple. I want to design a temple that incorporates the light side of the Force. The old temple was built on top of a Force nexus which could be turned for good or ill. When the Jedi declined in power, the evil gained a firm foothold, clouding their connection to the Force. I want the future temple to resonate always with purity."
"You're so determined-"
"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge."
"-to be right."
She was going to protest that wasn't always the case, shifting on the stool. Pain from the healing wound made her gasp, lightly pressing her hand to her abdomen. The Jedi Master's expression softened minutely. "Since you should be taking it easy right now, you should resume your language studies that you've neglected recently."
"Do I have to?" She had hit the multitude of Wookiee words for wood and been confused on the purpose of them all. Picking up the wrench, she made a few adjustments to BB-9e's back panel. Once that was done, she switched on the interior orbiculate motor. The droid's blue eye flickered on and a tinny beep issued.
"Or you can practice Force techniques that won't tax your physical strength."
"I'd much prefer Force techniques." Jaina said relieved. "What is there other than Force healing?"
...
The message came during his physical work out. Kylo listened to it while toweling his face dry of sweat. One of Farady's officers had located the holomap in Darth Vader's personal archives. That his grandfather had been aware of the corrupted Sith planet's location was astounding. He had thought it lost for a millennia.
The nervous tones of the Petty Officer related the find, timidly ending the call with a question as to where the information was to be sent to.
"Upload it to my ship." He sent the order through one of Windrider's Lieutenants who was only to pleased to be of service to the Supreme Leader. He planned his next steps beneath the refreshing sonic jet in the shower adjoining his temporary quarters.
As of late he had been picking up a slight disturbance concerning his mother. Once he had been in proximity to her for an extended amount of time, a faint wisp of their old bond had come alive. He doubted her safety in a period of time spent away especially if Hux thought he could get away with it.
...
"Consitor Sato is a light side technique to induce plant growth mainly for aid in battle. I was a practitioner of it during my lifetime." Shaak Ti said with simple pride. "Fortunately, despite your location being less than ideal, there is a healthy greenhouse kept in quadrant nine. You can likely feel the plant life through meditation."
"How do I do it?"
The greenhouse encompassed an entire level of the Star Destroyer where artificial lighting and heating kept the optimum growing conditions for numerous consumable fruit bearing trees, vegetables from the vine and other various types of blue lettuce. She peered at them, thinking of the food replicators kept within the cafeteria's kitchen.
Reach out with your feelings.
Touch the green, growing life of the plant.
"Command it to grow."
Vibrant, healthy and full. "You can make flowers bloom out of season. You can create fauna in a desert land once you've mastered the technique."
She glanced upward to catch Shaak Ti watching her. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to manipulate life this way."
"Don't worry about the result. The least you can do is fail."
Fail…she hated failing, but then it was all part of the learning process. She always failed the first time, maybe the second time. But, that was only natural to not succeed every time. As long as I don't give up, she thought, tentatively stretching her fingertips toward the purplish-vined plant.
…
Tired, but pleased, Jaina sat cross-legged on the floor. BB-9e circulated around the plate of strange-colored fruit, studying the oval brown and green striped pieces, eye clicking.
"That is one example of the Consitor Sato technique. It can also be used in battle. Because of your sensitivity to plant life, you'll be able to feel a world undergoing famine or drought. The Jedi Service Corps when in existence often were sent out to help the worlds deemed relatively safe for travel." The Jedi Master said, her dark robes pooled around her, the edges were emblazoned with elegant brown and red designs. "I want you to meditate now and see if you can describe them."
Jaina nodded slightly, resting her hands on her knees. She wanted to eat a piece of fruit and see if the interior tasted as good as the outside looked. She closed her eyes and focused on her desire to help others. It was one feeling or another that required concentration on. She felt her consciousness expand, moving past the limitations imposed by distance.
"I see a planet."
She could see it drifting around a red dwarf star. Two rocky moons the size of large asteroids circled it endlessly. She saw blazing heat and freezing nights. "I see children." Desert nomads. "They collect water and roots from the sparse plants." She didn't know how to describe the tall angular-shaped trunks with rounded limbs spiked with sentient thorns. She saw dry flat bread produced from the ground up roots. "They're starving…the trees or whatever they are, have been dying off."
"The system is far, they had nothing of worth to the First Order and went unnoticed by the New Republic. What is causing the famine?"
"I…I don't know. Nothing has changed in the seasons, the star and moons still rise and set." She grew quiet, trying something else. BB-9e rolled backward as the plate vibrated. "There was war." She breathed, the furrow deepening in her brow. "The marauders live in limestone caves. They're another species who survive off…something -something else. They burned the plants -" the root system beneath the ground was all connected, each sentient life form feeding the other its knowledge, sharing memories. The sensation of being burned alive ripped through her body. "I can hear them! They're screaming!" She cried suddenly, pulling away from the meditative state. BB-9e had shocked her with the lowest setting of electricity. The droid's electroprod vanished into a compartment as an apologetic beep came.
"Thanks, I needed that." She muttered, settling into a discontented slouch. "The sustenance of those people… It was all burned within a fortnight. They retaliated and managed to drive off the marauders, but the damage was already done." She looked at the woman sitting across from her. "Can't you do something about it?"
"What can be done? We serve the Unifying Force whose tenets promote the observance of destiny. The future is what should be built upon not the dealing of here and now."
"But, still…it's one planet. One place where a little bit of help could do a lot of good."
"Alright, if you were able to help them with what you've learned today, what would you do?"
She looked down at her hands, wishing she weren't so far away, just one person in the galaxy. "I would grow the living roots with the Force, encourage them to sprout new life. It would take some time…but why can't I do it now?" Yes, why couldn't she reach out through meditation and encourage growth through the Force?
"That is an adherence to the Living Force, seeking out the here and now without concern for the future. Recall, a Jedi should only act if balance can be achieved. It would take multiple Jedi to produce -"
"I've been told how strong I am in the Force." She protested stubbornly. "If I can translate it into power then maybe I can help someone! What is so good about the Force if I can't help even one person! Wasn't that part of a Jedi's duty to help those in need?"
"You should rest." Shaak Ti said after a long moment of quiet contemplation. "Your spirit is wearied from earlier." Rejuvenate yourself with sleep and we'll talk tomorrow."
...
The door opened.
"Mother."
She lowered the handkerchief from her face. Something was up. He never came to see her so often unless it concerned that surge in the Force.
"I should scold you for not knocking first."
"I'll be gone for a time." Ben appeared as he always had, yet there was an urgency in his expression. The swarm of anger always present around him was lessened by degrees. Leia always associated the positivity in Ben's aura to have an immediate connection with her.
"Why are you telling me this?" She wore a bed jacket over her long night gown. She had braided her hair, taking comfort in the familiarity of the gesture.
"I've left you in Captain Farady's care."
"Oh my, this sounds serious." She stopped short of teasing. "Is is something I should be concerned about?"
Those dark eyes flashed her way. He seemed more bemused than angry which was another good sign. Rather than say more, he was at the door when she added.
"Aren't you going to kiss your mother goodbye? You always used to back then."
"Don't push it."
...
Now is the time to see how strong I really am.
BB-9e beeped as she settled down on the floor. "Why don't I wait…? Because they'll try and talk me out of it." Jaina pushed her hair out of her eyes, wiggling around until she felt comfortable. "I don't need to doubt myself. I need to see what I can do." She exhaled, releasing the nervous tension in her body. "What good is hoarding power if you don't try to help people with it?"
The droid wasn't sure what she was getting at and resumed its station nearby, close enough to beep alerts, but far enough not to disturb her concentration.
Once more, she reached for the planet, through her feelings; she felt the thorny, recalcitrant plant hive mind that she had touched before.
"Grow."
The plant resisted her.
"Please grow…through the Force…death feeds new life. There has been enough death on the surface of the planet. Please…," she felt the energy stir with her determination. She felt it rise to meet her, existing within the spatial bounds of her meditative state. BB-9e's eye caught movement. One of the pieces of alien fruit left behind levitated from the plate, splitting apart midair. The green seeded interior blackened, shriveling into a rotted husk as if the very life was being sucked out of it. The droid looked around for a source, fixating on the former pilot. Sweat trickled down the side of her face.
Grow. She repeated the word monotonously. She drew on her feelings, on the positivity of happiness Consciously, she discarded her negative emotions, refusing to let doubt hold her back. I can do this. It's not harming or hurting another. The plant reacted to the strength of her intention -there are no others to help me right now - the reminder sent a bitter pang to her heart.
A vision of Luke's students went through her head.
It was such a waste.
In the midst of her concentration, her thoughts swam in hazy circles around one man.
"Why aren't you angry that I've turned you down twice?" This is a trap. He must be lying to me. As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, the look on his face transmitted through the tiny holograph was enough to make her stomach flutter in nervous excitement.
He smiled - not a twist of lips in a pained grimace or expression of distaste. It was a true smile as far as he was capable of making. "I know you'll say yes."
"That's rich. You don't really know who I am." She couldn't resist asking doubtfully.
No, maybe he didn't know and was basing his assumptions on what he wanted to see. Maybe that's what had frightened him so much about opening himself up to another person was not knowing a thing about them and being afraid of judgment for what he wasn't. "I can learn." No, it wasn't about being able to learn, it began with an earnest desire to know someone on a deeper level. "I want to learn you."
No one knows how that makes me feel.
Happy. Excited. Afraid. Jaina was able to release her emotions to maintain the meditative state needed to convince most she was…letting go.
She came back to her self, stretching her senses out to check the results of her attempt.
She saw something.
It took her breath away.
It was too much like…
Wild growth choking ancient ruins. Swampland thick with syrupy mire. The sky was a torment of leaden grey with angry clouds hovering over the horizon. Jaina had the sense of surveying it all, breathing through lungs in a body not her own. The dark side was strong on the desolate planet manifesting in swirling shades of cloaked figures hovering on the edge of her/his sight.
"No."
Her exhale passed from her mouth into his. For a moment, she could taste a residue of the caf he had drunk on the shuttle.
"Jaina."
The dead didn't so easily loosen their grasp on the living. She had the sense of what was to come. Hideous armored beasts awakening from an ageless slumber. She saw the few Stormtroopers fall back, blaster bolts harmlessly bouncing off their plated bodies.
Cut off from his escape route, Kylo advanced to face them alone.
…
Rose glanced furtively at him throughout the day. Windrider carried on as he always had. Brisk, efficient only hesitating a few times when he caught the Haysian's eye. Rose could be more discreet about it, he thought, doubting very much she was trained as a spy. If anything her indiscretion caused the rumor mill to swirl leading the bridge to speculate their captain was going through a late mid-life crisis. It was better than the alternative of suspecting collusion between him and the Imperials in Kyrell's sudden shoreleave.
Windrider grabbed Tico by the arm none so gently causing her to squeak and struggle in a deserted corridor.
"Come on." Her reddened face suggested something else entirely. Rose looked fuming mad to either stomp his foot or call for help. Fortunately - or unfortunately for her sake, a junior bridge officer wandered by just then and flashed a wolfish grin - conveniently going the opposite way. Windrider dragged her into a room used for storage, bemusedly surveying the girl's sparking eyes and snarl.
"Was that really necessary?!"
"Pretty much." Windrider muttered, thrusting her away. "You've been trying to tell me something all day. Now that we're alone, go ahead and spill it."
Rose smoothed her uniform down, flustered. "I…I was just wondering if…Jade was right. If you did turn because of…Ree and your pilots."
You killed a man.
"Kyrell had it coming. He served himself and no one else." Windrider said tiredly. It was only part of the truth. He didn't have the time or the patience to explain the small part of himself that he'd squirreled away from his persona in the First Order. For a moment, Windrider looked at her coldly, at the rebel who was for all purposes, at his mercy. Rose stared back, trying to look brave and not at all intimidated. Regardless of their different beliefs, Nash was impressed.
"The First Order isn't the Empire, Rose. I serve the Empire."
Her expression softened slightly. "Jade said he was going to organize a holocall meeting with Captain Fel."
"When?" He thought the name was familiar. Baron Fel? One of Baron Fel's sons? He thought it didn't matter who the man was. Windrider was committed to a point.
She checked her wrist comm. "The Interceptor's going to pass through a solar flare emitted by the nearest star. Jade's providing the equipment on a secure channel."
Windrider forced himself to nod. "Supreme Leader Ren recently departed - the flight tower alerted me that he took a light guard with him. Hux is staying on until tomorrow, then he'll be returning to the Dreadnought."
Rose restrained her instinctive flinch. The reminder conjured up Paige in the StarFortress exploding over the First Order ship. Bad memories all. "Good riddance." She said with feeling instead.
"For once, I agree."
...
"I saw Kylo Ren on Dromund Kaas."
She stood in the center of the room. The blue radiance of the ghosts cast a pale tint to her face and body. Rather than feel comforted, their ethereal luminescence reminded her of a tomb's chill."What was it?"
"A vision of something to come. You've seen it before." The elongated head of a Cerean Master nodded sagely.
Jaina felt like screaming. "He was killed in my vision."
"Many paths the future takes. None of us can know the exact outcome."
"Yes or no?" She held her hands out, facing them. "What was he doing there?"
A few glances were exchanged. Once again, she had the unpleasant feeling they were weighing just how much to tell her. She reined in her temper - barely.
"He's searching for something he was told was somewhere on the planet's surface."
"Something to make him more powerful?" She asked sarcastically earning a reproving glance.
"No, it was for you." The one ghost she shouldn't have expected to keep silent, spoke up. "It's always been for you."
One of these days, my mouth is going to…
"Kylo Ren is-"
"-one person."
You can't ask it of me right now.
"If your vision comes to pass, you will not have to make the choice later." She flinched at the sharpness of her tone. "Think hard about the effect your actions have."
"We're not censuring you, Jaina." Obi-Wan tried to soften Shaak Ti's curt assessment. "You need to decide what to do with the forewarning that was given to you."
...
Hidden deep within the bowels of the Star Destroyer in First Order space, Loress Jade put aside his mechanized screw driver. Kaytuueso's hand cannon was finished. "So it's begun." He didn't despise the light side, having moved on from hatred. Hatred and anger were far too easy, too simplistic to maintain. In his long life, he had learned to share an uneasy coexistence with the lighter half of the Force - and often as he had reminded his daughter, true balance couldn't be achieved without the light.
"Alright…let's get this done."
The white photoreceptor eyes turned toward the unsealing of the locked door. Jade laid aside the kit, the tools wrapped in a piece of reptilian skin clanked against one another.
"Whoa!" Rose looked startled, freezing behind Windrider. Kaytuu lowered his hand cannon, identifying them instantly. "Hello, Captain Windrider, Ms. Tico."
"It talks!"
"I was non-functioning for a while, but as you can see my model is made specifically hardy." The droid's slight mocking tone drew a furrow across Rose's round face.
"I altered his programming to identify you." Jade moved laboriously out from behind the makeshift desk. "Ordinarily he'll call you a meatbag."
"Charming." Windrider commented, glancing at the droid. "You don't see the security droid models anymore."
"I'm unique, Captain Windrider. My chassis is augmented embersteel to withstand extreme temperatures like those from a light saber or flametrooper's attack."
Windrider looked at the droid dubiously. "Where's the holoplate?"
The old man's legs refused to work properly. He moved stiffly toward them. "There isn't one. Kaytuu has a built in projector. Comes in handy when most people don't realize he's a walking-talking ordnance pile."
The droid tilted its head at them both.
"Shall I call Captain Fel?"
"Please."
Kaytuu switched modes while they made conversation.
"I thought that thing was a whole lot of junk." Rose admitted; the droid towered over them. The scuffed metal chest plate she remembered before, gleamed a dull greyish steel. The scent of machine wax clung to the shortened arms and piston-socket legs. Windrider had told her about the day six months before when the Interceptor had pulled in a derelict Imperial yacht drifting above Corellian airspace.
"He is very persuasive."
"Jade?"
The captain had smiled deprecatingly. "Not so long ago, I hadn't entertained many subversive thoughts in my head. Once or twice admittedly, I detested Brendol Hux and hold an unfathomable loathing for Armitage, his son. I've paid my dues all these long years."
He sounded so bitter that she hesitated to ask. Understanding the man was one step closer to acknowledging that they weren't much different at all. "What do you mean?"
"You've heard the rumors. Breeding programs. I probably have a son or daughter somewhere in the fleet." He caught her startled look. "Most men do except for the few like Dyen Radford. He was a technocrat to use a term from the old days. I didn't know him too well, but he went the route old man Duma did, saying his sperm count was low."
Rose's eyes rounded. "I heard someone in the mess hall mention sacrifices, but I didn't know what they meant."
"The nurseries if you will, had our children and the babies they'd stolen from outer lying worlds. Ships like the Absolution weeded out the officers, the pilots and made the rest into Stormtroopers."
Finn had been one and countless others. Rose had a hard time looking at the cold faces of the officers around her without imagining them parentless, churned out through loveless unions all to feed the machine the First Order had become.
"I'm sorry," she offered, feeling like she had done more apologizing in the week she had been aboard Windrider's ship than in her lifetime.
"Don't be," Nash said curtly. "I brought it upon myself." That had ended their brief conversation after disposing of Kyrell's body. Rose had gone to the barracks assigned to her ID number with a numb feeling in her head. Now looking at the man with his lined face and determined glint in his eyes, she saw a little of his resolve, recognizing it from the faces of the Imperial Remnant.
Jagged Fel's projection appeared a moment later.
"Greetings, Captain Windrider." He sent a nod of recognition Rose's way. "Master Jade filled me in on the distressing news about your flight school."
...
"I can sense your pain."
Jaina half-turned in surprise. She hadn't expected company on her solitary walk during wraith watch hours. A Kel Dor female had manifested into sight. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her ample chest. Her orange skin tone and contrasting brown Jedi garments appeared real enough to touch.
"Who are you?"
"Knight Sha Koon, niece of Master Plo Koon." Sha had a lyrical voice even through the antiox breathing mask she had worn during life. "How can you..." Jaina didn't know how these things worked. She had never seen one of the Force ghosts outside of the training hall. "Manifest?"
"Your light side energy has increased therefore we can appear around you and not be so easily sensed by dark siders."
Jaina still didn't quite understand, but she nodded anyway. "So it's true then, my strength in the light is growing." She was rarely secretive with the Jedi, however she refrained from speaking her mind with the Kel Dor Knight. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I'd like to be alone just now."
"I won't take up much of your solitude." Sha clapped her hands together, straightening. "It is...after all, the light in you that has brought about imbalance."
"Okay. You lost me."
"Your pain," Sha stepped closer. "Your unresolved feelings for Ben Solo are equal parts light and dark. By choosing to ignore the warning the Force has sent, you're steadily tipping the balance into chaos. The pain at his death, Jaina…search your feelings, you know I'm right. It will destroy you."
She stared into the Kel Dor's face, amazed the Force ghost had read her so well. "No, no, I'll be fine. I know my path and where it leads. You don't have to worry on that account."
"I saw you." Sha interrupted fervently. "In the seconds before Darth Vader killed me, I had a Force vision of the future." Just an outline… "I saw Vader's redemption and his children…and at the very end, I saw the person who would unite the fractured pieces of the old Order with the new. I wasn't sure. I was one of the outliers who didn't believe someone who went against everything we had known could be the future." The ghost dropped one hand to the legacy saber. "It was this weapon forged anew with a violet beam."
Wordlessly, she looked into the ghost's face.
"It was you. You wondered why we didn't appear to Luke to guide him…to help him restore the Jedi." Sha shook her head slightly.
"Yes, I…I did." She admitted somewhat guiltily.
"It's because Luke was wrong. He is part of it, but not yet. We knew it wasn't his vision of the Jedi that would restore the light." The Kel Dor Knight touched her shoulders, "to bring balance to the galaxy, you must keep the balance in yourself."
"Knight Koon." Jaina sounded nervous even to her own ears. "The old Order is gone. It died with Master Yoda when he passed into the Force during Luke's youth!" That was over thirty odd years ago. She remembered herself saying something similar to Obi-Wan. No Jedi. No Sith. Only the dark siders who claimed to be the Knights of Ren.
"No." Sha said quietly. "No. There are a few left."
They felt you.
"When the corrupted blade turned violet. That millisecond of light side strength caused a ripple effect across space. Master Yoda had a similar vision during his search for immortality through the light side. He had a vision of the Jedi Order and how it could be." Sha said in a whispered hurry. "He saw Ahsoka Tano with a group of youngling. The Force was at peace with itself and balanced by both halves. What Master Yoda saw was the future." The knight's grip tightened fleetingly. "She is among those still alive."
"Sha-" Jaina began tiredly.
"I believe you'll do the right thing." The Jedi Knight insisted and was gone.
...
How does one go about changing one's loyalties?
The figure of the young man wore the full Imperial uniform of captain rank. His smooth square-jawed face held a slight familiarity to it, his black hair and minor scar slashing his brow were markedly distinctive. He smiled easily as evinced by the laugh lines framing his generous mouth. Windrider felt himself warm to the younger man almost instantly. It was familiar to say the least.
"I wanted to ask for one thing…before I commit further to the Imperial cause."
"What is that?"
Jade, the old man who had begun all this, had pulled a seat around for himself. The stool had walked with a gesture of his slightly curled gloved hand. He didn't offer a seat to anyone else, he merely sat there and watched the meeting as it unfolded.
"I need proof you can take the First Order down." He felt the need to explain himself after Rose shot him a quick look of disbelief. "I'm not operating on hope like you. As a ship's captain you know the lives of my men are on the line with my actions." He felt sick. A mix of nausea and terrible excitement clenched his stomach. Windrider was glad he had chosen to forgo lunch. The thought of anything passing his lips beyond vitamin-enhanced water made him queasy. "I'll do whatever it is you ask of me to restore the Empire. But, there's a price," Nash hesitated. Jagged Fel stared at his holo projection steadily. "Name it."
"I would ask for Armitage Hux's life - but, that is impossible at the moment." Nash said heatedly, thinking of Ciena. "Symbols, Captain Fel. You know what symbols are. I want the Tarkin destroyed."
-TBC
AN: Have a Happy New Year, better than mine - working, urgh.
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