Chapter 9: Exile
` Master General Ahsoka Tano-Eon has just issued an all-points bulletin on General Petra Eon and Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila. Eon is suffering from a Force-related disorder and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. They are wanted explicitly alive. If they are found dead, then their murderer will be subject to expulsion and the full extent of the law.
-Order issued by Grand Master Luke Skywalker to all members of the Jedi Order
Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Neutral Zone
31 ABY
Jagged Fel tried to keep his attention off the X-wings stationed in the Jedi Temple hangar, reminding him of the time he spent flying them during the Second Mandalorian War. He missed belonging to something…to a band of comrades. He thought he had grasped that once again months ago during his mission to Corellia, but it had only proved to be a one-time thing.
"Thank you for coming, Commander," Luke Skywalker greeted, and shook hands with him. "I'm sure you've heard the news."
"Mostly rumors," Jag admitted. "I've received a spectrum of interpretations."
"Most of them are true, unfortunately," Luke grimaced. "We believe Petra is suffering from some kind of affliction…and now she's on the loose. With what she's capable of, we can't risk this getting out of hand."
"Of course," Jag nodded. He was one of the only people in the galaxy who had seen what she could do first-hand. Her ferocity was second to none, and he couldn't image it getting any worse, but with an "affliction", she could murder a lot of people in one night.
"Long story short, we need her found and returned to us," Luke revealed. "I want you to lead the search. Your mission will be completely funded and supported by the Jedi Order, meaning you will have the jurisdiction to go where you wish in Alliance and Revanite territories."
Jag raised an eyebrow. "If I may ask, Master Jedi, why me?"
His question seemed to catch Luke off guard, or at least stir up emotions he didn't wish to jostle yet. "From what we have available, you know her best. You understand how she operates…and you're less likely to shoot her dead when you first see her."
He considered it. While he thought Petra was borderline insane at times, it didn't mean he didn't respect her. She was a courageous warrior and inspiring leader, and whether he would ever admit it or not, a friend. He couldn't even begin to count the times she had stuck her neck out for him, so he felt it as an obligation to do the same.
"I accept," he said.
"Good," Luke reached into his pocket. "Here's a few things. An ID card, which will identify you as an associate to the Jedi Order. The second is a cred card, giving you access to the resources your task force will have available. The last gives you access to the X-wing in this hangar. Sorry we don't have Revanite SF fighters available."
"An X-wing will do fine."
"I also want to assign a couple Jedi with you. From what we can gather, Tahiri Veila is with her, so you'll need all the help you can get."
"I agree."
Luke's eyes glanced towards a door leading into the hangar. "Speaking of which."
It must've been an impulse in the Force, because all Jag saw was a closed door. When it opened, a woman dressed in brown Jedi robes walked through. "Uncle Luke, you wanted to…oh."
Jag tried not to grimace. It was Jaina Solo.
"I'm putting together a task force to track down Petra and bring her home," Luke said. "Commander Fel is in charge. I'm assigning you to it, and Zekk once he's fit to fly."
Jaina looked as if she expected it to be a joke. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not sure I'm comfortable operating as this man's subordinate."
Luke deadpanned. "That didn't seem to be an issue when he was your subordinate only a few months ago."
"Things are…," she trailed off, and looked genuinely uncomfortable. "…different now."
"I'm sure you two can be adults and get over your personal squabble," Luke said. "You're the best choices for this mission, and as far as I'm concerned, it's settled," he glanced in between them. "I'll leave you two to catch up. Jag, at your earliest convenience, I'd like an outline of your strategy." He turned and headed for the door.
Once Luke was out of earshot, Jag spoke. "He knew I didn't want to work with you, and yet he assigned us anyway. Interesting. Alright, let's do some strategic planning."
"Why wouldn't you want to?" Jaina was clearly confused, and he detected a measure of hurt in her voice as well. "Working together on Corellia didn't change anything?"
"It doesn't matter, we have work to do," he headed for the door.
"Jag…I-," Jaina felt words catching themselves in her throat as Jag reached for the door control to force it open, and before she allowed tears to flow, she shouted, "I'm sorry!"
He froze in place, his finger hovering over the control, not looking her way. Jaina continued, not allowing herself to cry, "I never meant to hurt you. It was stupid, what I did, and I know that may not mean much, but I just can't stand this any longer. I'm sorry Jag…I really am."
Jag didn't move but turned his head to reveal one eye looking into hers. "Why now?"
"Why?" she asked, as if it was obvious. "My best friend has run from her home because she doesn't feel safe anymore…and that's my fault. I didn't take the time to realize she was hurting inside…and instead I drove her away because she upset me one day," her hand rushed to her face to hide the one tear that had seeped through her eyelids. "I'm tired of losing the people I care about."
He hesitated with his response, and he couldn't deny the crack in his durasteel demeanor. Jaina had always been his weakness, his soft spot; the one thing he didn't wish anyone to know about him. It reminded of him of Corellia, when she lay writhing on the ground with a dislocated shoulder, and the despair he felt seeing her in such pain. Whether he admitted it or not, he still loved her.
Jag finally turned to her. "It's going to take time."
Jaina seemed to be gathering herself, but eventually nodded. "Ok."
Once the situation settled down after a few moments, he flicked his head towards the door as it opened. "Come on General, we have work to do."
Jaina followed him through the door, reasserting her military discipline. "Any initial ideas of where we might find them?"
"Not really," he admitted, shaking his head. "Only a few theories. If she's really afflicted, then that puts predictability out the viewport," he stopped in the hallway, thinking.
"I'd need to reanalyze the footage of our…incident. Maybe I could pull something out of that," Jaina offered, feeling embarrassed.
"Good idea," he approved. "I think I'll be expanding the team as well; call in a favor."
"Who did you have in mind?"
Keldabe, Mandalore
Mandalorian DMZ, Order of Revan
31 ABY
Xiso kept his patience as he watched Boba Fett and Supreme Commander Vorchenko discussed the last few details of the agreement that would finally allow Mandalore to fight again. After the end of the Mandalorian War, in which they had lost to the Revanites, they were forced to demilitarize entirely. Their warships had been confiscated, even if their capital ships were stolen Interdictor-classes anyway, and they were entirely forbidden from forming a military.
Not that it mattered. The disastrous reign of Mandalore the Conqueror had nearly wiped out their people, leaving their planet stricken and depopulated. Only the smartest remained, and for his efforts to kill their mad leader, Boba Fett had been named the new Mand'alor. He didn't want it, but Xiso figured he took it out of necessity for his people.
But everything was stagnant. Fett was rarely on Mandalore, engaging in who knows what, and the only progress being made was in farming, where veterans of the war had retired to solitude. Their spirit was sapped from the war, handed such a disastrous defeat when their armies had reached the core worlds. Telos and Ord Mantell were nearly devoid of life by now, their civilizations destroyed by the sieges that took place there.
Mandalore was going to be different, and Xiso had his claim to make it so.
The Darksaber wasn't enough. He needed to accomplish something to prove his worth as the new Mand'alor. Mandalorians appreciated symbols of power, but they loved action.
Exactly what was the question.
Going after Xur Eon was out of the question. House Ordo was millennia-bound to the disciples of Revan, and to go against them was to betray the oath of his family, hence why he supplied the Revanites with intel during the war.
Jacen Solo was another matter. The sudden despot had already murdered Boba Fett's daughter under interrogation a few months ago, putting a death mark on the Jedi's back among the Mandalorian people. If he killed him…
No, he needed allies. Jacen Solo was far above his league as a combatant, and he was smart to admit it. Taking him on alone was suicide.
Then a golden opportunity arose in form of a transmission later that day from an old friend.
Jagged Fel.
Osarian Tapcaf, Coruscant
Neutral Zone
31 ABY
"I wasn't sure who to tell," Ben admitted as he finished his story. "Or who would believe me if I did."
Mara grimaced at the broken sight of her only son, his eyes red from the tears he had unleashed before he had called for her.
"I believe you," she soothed.
"Maybe I did imagine it."
"No, you didn't," she insisted. Imagining Jacen having a friendly chat with her old rival Lumiya was out of the question. It was too unexpected for him to even fathom it, along with the bits of Jacen discussing his plans for an Alliance coup and murder of someone "old, male, and more powerful than Jacen", which narrowed it down to either her husband or Xur Eon. If this accomplice of Jacen and Lumiya was Xur Eon, then that would explain his odd behavior and complete change of character.
"I haven't told Dad or anyone else, and I don't want to," Ben whispered. "You can tell him if you think it's necessary, but I just can't bear to see the look on his face when he finds out what an idiot I've been."
"No less than anyone else has, Ben," Mara corrected. She had defended Jacen all along, shouting down her husband, ripping their family apart, ignoring every sign that Jacen was the real problem. Because of her lack of vision, she now felt the need to rectify her mistake, just as she did when she was the Hand.
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't need you to do anything. I think you've experienced enough grief for now," she grasped his hand. "I think you know how serious this is."
It was beyond just serious. Lumiya and Jacen were talking about disposing her only child, and from what she could tell, Xur was in on it as well. No one threatened her family.
She was going to do it. She would confront Jacen one last time before killing Lumiya, and then her family would be safe.
"Ben, I need you to listen to me when I tell you this. I may have to do some questionable things in the coming days, and in that time, please keep yourself away. The danger you're in is far too great. Lie low until I fix this problem, and know that no matter what, I love you, and that will never change."
Ben nodded. "I believe you."
Mara smiled. "Come on, let's go find something fun to do for a change."
It was the best she could do for her son, because she knew what would come next. The galaxy, her family, would never be the same once she was finished.
She knew what had to be done.
Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Neutral Zone
31 ABY
Jaina leaned back in her chair as she tried to drown out the sound of fists pounding into a sparring dummy, as well as the smell of sweat from the two men partaking in a chin-up competition. While they weren't actively comparing their count to each other, it was a competition, and she knew it.
Jag and Zekk were both shirtless as they vaulted their heads over each of their bars, and Xiso was still in full armor minus his helmet, pounding his fists into the dummy with a somewhat unnecessary ferocity. She chalked it up to him being a Mandalorian.
Her eyes paced surreptitiously to Jag and Zekk as she ran through the footage of her fight with Petra on her datapad, and it was getting to the point that she couldn't watch it anymore. She wasn't easily repulsed, but the embarrassment of the incident was just as bad as the fact that she felt this entire ordeal was her fault.
She pushed the thought away. All it did was distract her from solving the problem.
"So, we've stretched out feelers across the Order of Revan, extrapolated her ship's path across possible hyperlanes," Jag grunted in between each chin-up. "Best we can tell, her ship is on the rimward side of Revanite space."
Xiso threw a knockout punch, making the dummy shake violently until stopping. "Doesn't narrow it down much," he cracked his knuckles and rolled out his neck and shoulders.
"Agreed. Zekk, we're doing this wrong," Jag said.
"We should be doing sit-ups instead?"
Xiso dropped to the floor and started rolling out some push-ups. "So, he's the funny guy?"
Jag scoffed. "It's just Jedi humor, Zee," calling Xiso by his short name. "That's not what I meant."
"I see," Xiso noticed. "You're saying we need to be looking from different angles," he stopped at the top of his push-up. "General, let's say you had a di'kut father, and everyone thinks you're crazy. Where would you run to?"
It took a moment for Jaina to realize he was talking to her. "Um…what does di'kut mean?"
"Useless, waste of space," Xiso translated. "Or something bad."
"Right," Jaina lost herself in thought. "Well, I'd probably run off to some place where there aren't a lot of people to think I'm crazy; a place where my father couldn't find me."
Xiso smirked, and then started doing push-ups again. "You hear that Fel?"
"We need to find a place where Xur Eon wouldn't go," Jag pieced together as he continued his workout. "Which does narrow it down for us."
"But is there a place he wouldn't go?" Zekk asked.
"That's the billion-credit question," Jaina pointed. "As long as I've known him, he's never been shy of heading to a new world or revisiting old ones."
"He's the architect of the galaxy we're living in now," Xiso pointed out. "Wherever this place is, it has to scare him. I mean really scare him."
Jaina raised a finger. "I could ask Master Tano about that."
"Done deal," Jag approved. "Do it. We'll be here."
She couldn't help but smile to herself. Despite Jag's military upbringing, he'd run the task force as informally as he could, something she appreciated very much.
Things were already looking better.
Outer Rim Territories
Order of Revan
31 ABY
"I am not your enemy."
Petra tried not to blow her own brains out just so she would never have to hear Valkorian's voice again. Instead, she resorted to grit teeth and the most frightening face she could muster at him.
"Go to hell."
He was getting frustrated, and she could feel it. One of the perks of him residing inside her body gave her direct access into his consciousness. Every emotion he was feeling, she could detect, and she felt the sweet pride of infuriating her tormentor.
She sat with her legs crossed in the most open area of the Revanite shuttle she and Tahiri had stolen, the rectangular holocron resting just in front of her. For the last hour she had tried to will it open, but to no avail. Its intricacy was different than that of a Sith, which meant she was starting from scratch, without the help of her father.
"Why must you be so difficult?" Valkorian's voice returned in her head.
"Because you're an old man living inside my head without my permission, Creep. Why else?" Petra mocked, maintaining focus on the holocron, only to fail once again.
He chuckled, and she grimaced with discomfort. "Then allow me to afford you a token of goodwill."
Her focus intensified, so much that she was blinded by the sudden amount of power that flowed through her. Once again, she could feel herself slipping back into Valkorian's grasp as his power tempted her.
No.
With the force of sheer will, she let go of the power he was feeding her and felt a recoil in retaliation. Valkorian's shimmering figure was thrown from her body, showing him stumbling from her effort.
"Leave me alone, you monster! You almost made me kill Luke Skywalker!" she shouted, springing to her feet. "Now, thanks to you, I'm on the run, and I want nothing more than you out of my head for good!"
"You asked me to be free, and I obliged. It was your own will that had you attack Skywalker," Valkorian corrected, flashing back to a stance of majesty. "I am not your enemy."
"Then what do you want?!" Petra closed her fist, trying to reign in her emotions. "If you want me to trust you, then I need to know who you are."
Valkorian turned away, and for a moment, she thought he would lash out at her, but no attack came. "I have been given many names over my lifetime: Tenebrae, Vitiate, Valkorian. I am under simplest terms a Sith Lord, but far more powerful than one could ever hope to be."
"Vitiate," Petra repeated, delving into her memory. "I know that name!" her lightsaber was then in her hand and ignited, preparing to swing. "You're Revan's ancient enemy…our ancient enemy!"
"Yes, but I am nothing more than a spirit now. Death itself has never conquered me, no matter how long my enemies tried. I commanded an Empire that was to span eternity, but my plans were foiled by your ancestor, the Hero of Tython. You, Petra Eon, have the most potent bloodlines of both the light and the dark, a conduit in which the entirety of the Force flows. With that power, your abilities are limitless," Valkorian explained. "And you will need them more than ever soon enough."
Petra continued to listen, oddly intrigued. "Why is that?"
He leaned forward. "Jacen Solo has turned to the Dark Side, and his reign as Sith will tear the galaxy asunder. Only you have the power to stop him."
Her eyes widened. She knew something was wrong with Jacen, but a Sith Lord? It was impossible. It had to be. Jacen was the closest being to the light that she knew, and to hear him turning to the Dark Side…
"I don't believe you," she denied.
"It matters not," he raised his hand and the holocron opened on cue. "This will show you the truth, and where you must go to achieve your destiny."
Petra fell to her knees and picked up the open holocron, admittedly impressed. "I'm guessing you'll be in touch?"
"Indeed. As one last token of goodwill, I offer you this: keep an eye on your companion. She is not here for the same reasons you are."
Petra shrugged dismissively, knowing he was just trying to divide her in Tahiri in each other's time of need. "Whatever."
Valkorian faded away, leaving only Petra with the holocron in her hands. She sensed Tahiri enter the area in which she had chosen as soon as he was gone.
"I disabled all the tracking beacons. We're off the grid," she said, looking down at Petra. "Any idea where we're going?"
The togruta-zabrak drank in the information that the holocron presented, and she opened her eyes.
"Malachor. Set a course for Malachor."
Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Neutral Zone
31 ABY
Jaina raced across the Temple grounds as her eyes finally locked on to her target, feeling pressed for time. While Jag didn't give her an expected timetable of return, she felt the need to move as fast as possible, for Petra's sake.
"Master!" she called out. "Master Eon!"
Ahsoka turned, who looked somewhat in a rush herself, dressed in regular Jedi robes. "Jaina, what is it?"
She skidded to a halt just in front of the togruta. "I need some information. It's about…," her eyes paced around, noticing the many Knights and Padawans passing by, and Ahsoka got the hint that it was confidential.
"This way," she pointed towards the military division, which housed the war room. After a two-minute walk, they secured themselves inside, and Ahsoka locked everything down into privacy mode.
Jaina didn't waste any time. "We may have a lead on Petra, but we need some information on…," she tried to find the best way to refer to him. "Director Eon."
Ahsoka crossed her arms and looked away uncomfortably. "What do you need to know?"
"Is there any place in the outer rim where he would never go, and Petra knows about it?" Jaina asked.
"Is that where you think she went?"
"It's very possible, yes."
Ahsoka paused for a moment, delving into her memories. Jaina only watched her close her eyes and felt her relive painful memories in the past; friends lost, horrific battles, but also moments of bliss and happiness.
Her thought process halted. "Malachor. He would never go back to Malachor."
Jaina knew the planet, but she also knew how powerful it was in the Dark Side of the Force. "Why not?"
Ahsoka sighed, leaning up against the non-functional holo-map. "Too many ghosts," she said. "With Revan's memories, he sees the Mass Shadow Generator explosion every time he steps foot on that planet…you remember your history, right?"
Jaina teetered her head. "Mostly. I know it ended the First Mandalorian Wars."
Ahsoka nodded. "It's also where Xur found his holocron…and where he fought your grandfather. He tries not to think about Vader anymore, clinging to the hope that his old friend Anakin was always there. Malachor would only remind him what a monster he was."
Jaina considered it. While she wasn't overly fond of heading to the planet, it seemed the most logical for the leads they had. In the end, ultimately, it was Jag's decision.
"Be careful," Ahsoka warned. "Malachor is a place of nothing but pain, despair, and death. During the days of the Old Republic, Malachor was forbidden for Jedi to travel there, and as much as I want you to find my daughter, I don't want to lose you either."
"We'll be fine, Ahsoka, I promise."
RSR Director's Office, Coruscant
Neutral Zone
31 ABY
"Our daughter is missing," Ahsoka said, her hands folded together as she sat across from her husband, whose mask covered his facial expressions and where his eyes truly were wandering. "I want to know if you had anything to do with it."
Imperius shook his head without hesitation. "Of course not."
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. She couldn't pry into him through their bond, which he had shut off on his end, but she could still sense the emotions that radiated from him. There was anxiety more than anything else present.
"There's something wrong with her."
"Is that why she tried to kill Luke Skywalker?"
Ahsoka shrugged, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her distressed. "They think she was afflicted by something."
"But you don't think that."
"No," she shook her head, letting rage show in her expression now. "I think what you're doing is making her unstable, so she's hurting, and doesn't know where to put it."
She did think something was afflicting her, but she needed to see how Xur would react; feel how he felt when she accused him.
He shook his head. "Master Tano, look I-,"
Ahsoka exploded again. "Do not call me that!" she shouted, rising to her feet and throwing her chair aside with the Force. "I am not your subordinate, or constituent…I am your wife, and I won't tolerate this anymore!"
She saw his fists clench together as they rested on his desk, and his voice came in bristling with agitation. "What you can or cannot tolerate is not my concern, Master Tano. There are more important matters to attend to then chasing after a rogue combatant."
"A rogue combatant?! Listen to what you're saying!" she spat, tears unable to break past the wall of pure rage that she had built. "If you really care so little for our daughter, then just say it."
Imperius kept his emotions in check, but deep inside, Xur was clawing to be free. He loved his daughter more than anything in the galaxy. He would burn half the galaxy scouring the depths for her, and he would regret nothing…but there was something far larger at stake.
This was the price he had to pay.
Imperius shook Xur's head. "I don't."
Ahsoka grimaced, and the tears flowed. She didn't sob or scream…she just let them roll down her face. "Then my husband is dead."
Xur clawed at Imperious like a savage beast, but he remained.
She turned away with the stance of a strong woman, but her presence in the Force was broken. Then, he felt the bond from both ends sever completely…her will to cling to him had been lost.
Before she left, she turned with the face of fierce determination. "And I will avenge him."
Ahsoka left Imperious alone in his office, and he slouched back in his chair with relief. He could feel Xur fading away; his will broke when Ahsoka could no longer fuel it, and his Sith persona felt finally whole. Without the help of corruption, he had forced himself to change, to psychically separate his thoughts into a new entity.
Losing her was the last step, and now, Imperius was truly born.
As Ahsoka wiped the tears away from her face once she exited the RSR building into the Coruscant night, her commlink beeped with a transmission. She wasn't in the mood to talk now, but once she saw it was Mara, she activated it nonetheless.
"Ahsoka," she greeted, her arms crossed, and face filled with malice. "We need to talk about Jacen and Xur. Can you meet me?"
Alliance Senate Lobby, Coruscant
Neutral Zone
31 ABY
"There you are," Mara ambushed Jacen as he stepped out of the turbolift. "Glad I caught you."
His face rendered genuine surprise, and she relished in the satisfaction of catching him off guard. She had Ben to thank for the vanishing-in-the-Force trick.
"Hi Aunt Mara," he greeted, collecting himself expertly. "I'd love to catch up over a drink, but I must get back to the Anakin Solo before we depart. Can we schedule for another time?"
"Oh, this won't take long," Mara insisted. "But it has to be now."
Jacen was admittedly intrigued, so he stopped his walk and turned to face her. "Alright, what is it?"
If you weren't Han and Leia's son I would've killed you already, but I must try this, for their sake.
She steered him away from the center of the room to an alcove, where she felt safe enough from the prying eyes of others. "You don't fool me, not anymore."
Jacen slowly grinned as if he was baffled. "Is there something I've done?"
"Remember what I was?"
"You've lost me, Mara…"
"This is about Lumiya and whatever you and Xur are up to. It stops now. You've turned into something vile, and you're too smart to be conned into it, so I know it's all been genuine."
"Well, I don't know what you mean. I really don't."
"Wrong answer," someone else warned, and Jacen turned to see Ahsoka join Mara in front of him, once again caught off guard. "Think harder."
That's right you cocky son of a bitch. I brought the trump card.
His grin didn't disappear. "Listen, I know things have been a little rough lately, so are you sure you two are alright?"
"Don't even think about trying that one," Mara stopped him. "If you can acknowledge the terrible things you've done. If there's still a speck of Leia's son left in you, then come with us right now to the Temple, and we'll help get Lumiya out of your head."
Jacen dug his hands into his pockets and looked down at the floor, maintaining his grin. "Mara…Ahsoka…as you can see, I have a blockade to coordinate, and I don't have time for this emotional breakdown you're both having because of whatever fight you've engaged with your husband, Master Eon, or whatever Ben has been telling you-,"
Mara pointed her finger just before she jabbed it into his chest. "This has nothing to do with Ben. Leave him out of this. If you so much as breathe on him, I'll skin you alive, and that's not a euphemism. Last chance. Drop this Sith garbage now, or you'll take what's coming."
She said it. Sith. Jacen's grin was wiped from his face, and he looked like a stranger. Mara knew Sith had yellow eyes, and she could only imagine if his had turned that sickly color right in front of her. He would be unrecognizable.
"Good night, Aunt Mara, Master Tano," he corrected, and then walked away without another word.
"Tread carefully, Colonel Solo," Ahsoka warned, making sure he heard. "I've killed serpents far deadlier than you."
Her comment gave Mara a chill down her spine, even if Jacen had never acknowledged it as he vanished into the night…because she believed her. Angered, Ahsoka was the single deadliest combatant in the galaxy, and her daughter was missing. She…they…were mothers with everything to lose.
Jacen Solo was a dead man.