Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the property created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm LTD. Celeste and Faei are my own creations.
Chapter 10
Journey
She landed on the plaza floor and began to run away from the temple, dodging blaster bolts as best she could.
Swinging the lightsaber, she managed to deflect a few bolts here and there, trying not to let her luck get to her head.
She picked up a blaster from a fallen trooper and began shooting back, taking cover behind whatever she could find.
Managing to score several direct hits, she moved along. She picked up a thermal detonator and tossed it at a group of troopers. The explosion threw many of them into the air. During the chaos she jumped over the crates and ran towards the only exit she could see, blasting away with her aquired rifle.
She slid out the exit, troopers hot on her trail. Tossing another detonator, she tried to collapse the hallway behind her. The device exploded, damaging the durasteel hallway, but not destroying it as she had hoped.
xxxx
The hallways exited into a larger plaza stretch. With Stormtroopers hot on her tail, Celeste wasted no time in continuing to move.
When she turned and saw no troopers on her tail, she ducked into a small clothing shop.
Looking over at the shopkeeper, she said quietly
"I'm not here to hurt you"
"Are you one of the Sith?" the person asked, looking at the lightsaber on Celeste's belt
"No. I just escaped from the temple" Celeste replied. The person ushered Celeste into one of the changing rooms and tossed some clothes over the door.
Celeste heard the clatter of boots as the troopers went by.
"They are gone" the shopkeeper said
"Why did you help me?" Celeste asked, coming out of the changing room
"Because I do not like the Sith. Whoever is against them is a friend of mine" the shopkeeper replied. Celeste grinned.
Ripping into her torn pants, she pulled out a small credit card from a hidden pocket
"There isn't much on here, it's a private account, but take it" Celeste said, as she grabbed some new clothes
Running out of the store in new cargo pants and a short sleeved t-shirt with a jacket overtop, Celeste walked down the walkway, sliding Talon's lightsaber into the inside of the jacket and carrying the blaster by it's barrel.
She slipped in to a nearby cantina. Sitting up at the bar, she looked at the bartender
"Hey, you got a Holonet terminal in here?" she asked. He nodded and pointed to a small computer in the corner.
Celeste walked over to it. Taking a quick look to make sure no one was looking, she reached under her jacket and tore a piece of skin off of her shoulder.
Attaching it to the terminal input, the patch began to glow. Information began to pop up on the screen. Locational data. "CORUSCANT" was what was displayed.
"Well that's good. I see Faei didn't waste any time" Celeste smirked
xxxx
With a yawn, Faei began to wake up.
Realizing that she had fallen asleep in the engineer's chair, she looked at the ships chronomiter, then began to wonder what that beeping noise was.
Then it hit her. She began to type on the ships Holonet tranceiver terminal. Locational data began to be displayed. "LEVEL 2607. CAFE UNDERLIGHT. SECTOR AUREK" it displayed with a map accompanying it. Faei smiled and got up from her chair.
Cade was pacing around the cargo bay.
"Your mother didn't leave a way to contact her, did she?" Faei asked. Cade held up a comm unit
"Tell her to get back here pronto" Faei said
"Why?" Cade asked
"I found Celeste" Faei replied. Cade pressed a few buttons on the device as Faei ran to the airlock.
Corde touched down a few moments later
"You found her?" she demanded to know
"Yes" Faei replied, punching in her code to the bike rack
"How?" Cade asked, standing near the ramp
"After the incident on Cato Nemodia, which I'm sure Cel would love to tell you about, we both decided it would be best if we each carried a tranceiver patch linked to the Legacy through the Holonet and another short range patch. I got a signal from hers" Faei informed them
"So where is she?" Corde asked
"The undercity" Faei replied "Level 2610 was what I got. Either of you know a place called Cafe Underlight?"
"Yes. It was famous for it's reputation as a place to arrange for the hiding of people who didn't like the government under Krayt. Though it was never proven" Corde said
"That's where the signal came from" Faei said as the bikes dropped to the landing pad "So she's escaped"
"If I remember my layouts correctly, Cafe Underlight is almost directly underneath the Sith Temple" Corde said
"Doesn't matter. She's there now" Faei said and looked at Cade "You wanna take her bike?". Cade didn't reply as he climbed on
"I'll meet you there. I have my own way in" Corde said and took off with her jetpack.
xxxx
Celeste stood in the shadows across the cafe. She figured that she'd wait another hour or so for Faei to show.
Stormtroopers kept running by, but none of them noticing her.
She let out a yawn. Realizing just how long it had been since she'd had a decent night of sleep.
She watched as a woman with blonde and slightly grey hair walked into the cafe. No one of interest she told herself.
Shortly after, Faei walked in. Celeste smiled and stepped out of the shadows, walking across the bridge to the cafe
"CEL!" Faei exclaimed, giving her partner an embrace
"Nice to see you too, Faei" Celeste replied "Cade" she said
"Good to see you alive" Cade said as blonde woman approached "Mom, meet your granddaughter"
"Mom?" Celeste inquired
"Morrigan Corde" the woman replied, extending a hand
"Nice to meet you. Shall we go?" Celeste suggested
"Bikes are this way" Faei said, walking out of the cafe.
xxxx xxxx
Celeste breathed a sigh of relief as the bike touched down on the landing pad.
"Let's get moving" Celest said as she locked up her bike
"So where are we going?" Corde asked
"Lehon. I want answers" Celeste replied
"You sure that's a good idea?" Faei asked "I mean now that the Sith are on your trail"
"And where is Lehon located?" Celeste asked
"The unknown regions, why?" Faei replied
"I don't think they'll be looking for us there" Celeste said, walking up the ramp.
As Celeste walked into the main cargo hold of the Legacy, she put the stolen blaster down on the table and then realized she had the lightsaber in her pocket. She pulled it out and Cade reacted
"Is that what I think it is?" he asked with gritted teeth
"You mean my mother, I mean Talon's lightsaber, then yes. I grabbed it when I escaped" Celeste said, cradling the weapon.
"So what was the temple like? Faei asked as they walked to the cockpit
"I don't think I was in the temple" Celeste said "It was made to look like thet temple, but when I jumped out the window, I emerged in the undercity"
"So they use a base under the temple then?" Corde inquired
"Seems that way" Celeste said as she sat in the pilot's seat "Let's get underway"
xxxx xxxx
"Coordinates for Lehon locked in" Faei reported
"Let's kick this" Celeste said with a grin, throttling the hyperdrive to full power.
The stars elongated as the ship accelerated into hyperspace. Celeste always loved the look of the hyper jump.
"I'll take the first shift if you want to get some rack time, Cel" Faei said. Celeste smiled and nodded
"Sounds like a plan" Celeste said, getting out of her chair "I'll see you in twelve"
"We're in hyperspace" Celeste said, entering the main hold where Cade and Corde were sitting "Navicomputer says it should be about two days"
"So why are we going there? Lehon is a dead world" Corde inquired
"I had a vision that included Lehon. And the Jedi Council thought they should conceal some information about it. Those are enough reason to go" Celeste replied
"Makes sense. What are you hoping to find?" Corde asked
"I don't know. Something to help me explain everything" Celeste replied, taking a drink from a bottle that was on top of a crate.
Sitting down at the engineer's station, Celeste stretched her legs out
"So Celeste" Corde began "How did you come to learn of your lineage?"
"Funny story. It was just after I encountered a Sith on Atzerri, say two weeks ago or so. After I got back to the ship, some ghosts appeared to me and said that I was the heir to Skywalker line and that I should seek out my father" Celeste replied "That's it"
"And you always do what ghosts tell you to do?" Corde asked
"Can't say it's ever happened before. But my guardian and my mentor both taught me respect for those who have earned it. As tarnished as the legacy may be..." Celeste said, eyeing Cade, who responded with an annoyed
"Tarnished?"
"You do death sticks and drink yourself to the point of stupidity. You ignored your legacy for years and fought against who you are every step of the way" Celeste shot at him
"She has a point" Corde said "Continue, Celeste"
"Anyway, the legacy of the Skywalkers is legendary. They are names and voices to be respected, so I believe. I wasn't amused by their appearance at all. But they offered me something I long desired"
"And that is?" Corde inquired
"Purpose. I was on Iego for almost five years. Then spent the next eight flying the hyperlanes. I wanted my life to have a purpose and mean something. I wanted to do something for the Galaxy"
"You really are Kol's granddaughter" Corde said with a rare smile "So what happened after Atzerri?"
"We set course for Ossus" Celeste said, stretching back in her chair
xxxx xxxx
"Ah nothing like a shower after days in a Sith temple" Celeste said, stepping out the refresher.
After stopping by her bunk to pick up a couple items, she headed to the cockpit.
Cade was slouched on the bench, passed out. Corde was no where to be seen.
Celeste entered the cockpit to find Faei reading from a datapad
"Oh hey" Faei said, putting her legs down
"Hey. Switch time" Celeste said
"Then I stand relieved, O Captain" Faei mocked. Celeste just rolled her eyes as Faei walked out.
Checking the instruments, Celeste made sure everything was in working order before she put her legs up on the co-pilot's chair and pulled out Talon's lightsaber.
Cradling it in her hands, she felt every part of it. It felt alive. The Yorik coral brought a uniqueness to it that didn't exist in the lightsaber she had previously handled.
She put it down on the main console and picked a datapad out of the storage cabinet. Munching on a snack, she scrolled down the screen, trying the find the last spot in her reading.
xxxx
Celeste managed to relax for a couple hours before Corde walked in.
"I didn't think anyone would be in here" she said
"Huh? Oh. Me and Faei have a thing if we're travelling uncharted, rarely used or non standard hyperlanes, one of us is always in the cockpit. Just a precaution" Celeste replied
"Ah, I see" Corde replied
"Did you need something?" Celeste inquired
"No. I just like the look of hyperspace" Corde replied
"It is beautiful" Celeste agreed
"You planning on using that?" Corde asked, nodding towards the lightsaber on the console
"I was planning on keeping it" Celeste replied
"Why?" Corde asked, sitting down in a passenger chair
"As a reminder. A reminder of where I came from and where I could end up if I'm not careful" Celeste replied "It is a very elegant weapon, but capable of such amazing power and destruction if not controlled"
"Like you?" Corde asked
"Yes. Like me" Celeste replied "It'll be my reminder"
"Sounds like you have some demons" Corde said
"I do" Celeste said, looking out the viewport, then turing back to Corde "Don't you?"
"We all have demons, child" Corde replied
"As an Imp agent, I bet you do" Celeste said, her eyes back on the stars
"More than that. I was an Imperial Agent, a Moff and a mother twice over. As an agent, I killed and instigated chaos. As a Moff I instigated a war that ended with the twist of Kol being killed. I betrayed two Emperors" Corde said, looking down "As a mother, I had two children and ended up leaving both of them with their fathers to pursue my own life" she turned back to Celeste "We all have demons and we all have emotional baggage"
"But how do you deal with it? How do you live with what you have done?" Celeste asked
"I move on. What's in the past is in the past and nothing can change that" Corde replied "You can't go through life dwelling on your demons"
"Even when they cause so much pain?" Celeste asked
"Especially when they cause so much pain" Corde insisted "Keep them in your mind, never forget them, but don't let them stop you from living. Just learn from them"
"I guess. I'm just afraid of letting my demons control me again" Celeste admitted
"If you dwell on them, they will always control you" Corde said
"I suppose that's true" Celeste admitted
"What are these demons that bug you?" Corde inquired
"You hear about Iego, about twelve years back?" Celeste asked. Corde nodded. Celeste sighed and pointed at herself.
"That was you?" Corde exclaimed
"Partly" Celeste replied, looking down
"I couldn't believe that report when I heard it" Corde said "It sounded impossible with the given circumstances"
"Yeah, I read the reports on the HoloNet" Celeste sighed "But it's actually worse than the reports made it out to be"
"How so?" Corde inquired
"Well..." Celeste started as the door opened
"Hey Cel" Faei popped her head in "I'm making some chow. Want any?"
"What are you making?" Celeste asked
"Nerf steak" Faei replied
"Sure" Celeste said and looked at Corde, who nodded
"Coming up!" Faei said and walked off
"I didn't realize freighter ships had such food available" Corde said. Celeste shrugged
"We normally just have ration packs, but Faei likes to cook and every so often come across a decent deal on foods, so we stock up. That and Arek gets regular shipments that we usually run so we get a smaller cut of the profits in exchange for a bit of the stock"
"So who is this Arek?" Corde asked
"He's my mentor. He found me on Iego all those years ago and took me under his wing as a freighter captain. Four years ago he retired to owning a cafe on Nar Shaddaa. I went back to Iego to reclaim my guardian's ship and start my own career. But Arek taught me everything he knew about bartering, diplomacy, everything"
"You sound like you really respect him" Corde said
"I do. He saved me from darkness. He also trained me to not use my Force abilities" Celeste finished
"For someone who has had no training and actively suppressed her Force abilities, what I hear is that you are a natural" Corde said, looking out into space
"I am. It just comes to me. To be honest, I haven't strictly followed Arek's training. I still used the Force, but only when I needed to. Like when I needed to stay alive in a firefight" Celeste said
"I see. So have you decided what you are going to do after Lehon?" Corde asked
"I don't know. If I find something I can use to get clear of all this, I'll probably just go back to running my routes. If not then I might just find some place to hide out in the Outer Rim" Celeste replied "But I really don't know"
"And you're going to keep the lightsaber as a trinket? Hang it around your neck like a ball and chain until one day you wake up and realize that you've carried that weight around with you for more years than you realize that it's weighed you down for most of your life?" Corde asked
"I hadn't thought about it that way" Celeste said
"No. The Sith want you. You've survived all these years because you were not on their sensors. Now you are" Corde said
"And they want to kill me" Celeste admitted
"Kill you?" Corde inquired
"I'm a threat to them. They called me the Harvester" Celeste said "Maladi burst into the throne room and said I was a being from Sith lore, the Harvester. Nihl ordered my mother to kill me. If Talon hadn't hesitated for that split second, I'd most likely be dead. They don't want me to join them, they want me dead"
"What did they mean by the Harvester?" Corde inquired
"Apparently I absord dark Force energy. I drain Sith of their power" Celeste replied "But I don't know how or why"
"Maybe it's time you stopped running and started fighting" Corde said. Celeste looked to be in deep thought for a time.
She finally looked up
"Agent, could you take the controls until Faei returns at thirteen-hundred?"
"Of course" Corde replied
"Thank you. There are protein snack bars and reading material in the locker at the rear of the cockpit" Celeste said as she got up "I think I have some training to do"
Celeste walked out of the cockpit and into the lounge area where Cade was sleeping. She walked up to him and pushed on his shoulder
"Wake up" she said and pushed him again
"Huhh. Blue. Where are you Blue" he said, still asleep. Celeste rolled her eyes and smacked his face with her palm. He woke with a shock
"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. Celeste loomed over him
"Train me" she demanded, holding out Talon's lightsaber
"What?" he asked
"Train me to use this" she repeated, holding it out
"You're crazy" he groaned. She ignited the blade. The crimson red hue light up the darkened lounge. Cade rolled back over. Celeste grinned
"Changed your mind" she asked
"You gonna try and kill me?" he inquired
"No, just figured seeing this blade might move you a bit" she replied
"I can't just train you to use a lightsaber" Cade said
"Why not?" she asked
"Because you lack discipline" he said. Celeste chuckled. Cade glared at her
"You, who was found lying in the sand at an abandoned moisture farm surrounded by booze and death sticks, are telling me that I lack discipline?" Celeste snickered
"It takes years of training to get to the point where you can even build your own lightsaber" Cade said
"I know how to use a sword, I have a lightsaber, I meditate often and I can move stuff with my mind" Celeste said, calling a cup from the work desk to her hand "What more do I need?"
Celeste deactivated the blade and sat cross legged on the deck with the lightsaber right in front of her. Cade sighed and stood up
"Alright" he said "But you have to follow my instructions to the letter, understand?" Celeste nodded. Cade took the same position in front of her, cross legged on the deck plating
xxxx xxxx
"Good, but your attacks lack power" Cade said, backing off from attacking Celeste "You won't break Sith defenses with light parries and retreats" He stepped forward and took another swing. Celeste deactivated the lightsaber, dodged Cade's attack and elbowing him in the back before reactivating her blade and standing over him.
"I'll admit, I'm impressed" Cade said, standing back up. Celeste smiled.
Before either could say anything, Faei came over the comm
"We're coming up on Lehon" she said. Celeste started heading towards the cockpit.
"How are we looking?" Celeste asked, sitting down at her seat
"Very good. All systems check out and we are ready to deccelerate" Faei replied
"Good to hear" Celeste said. She pulled back on the throttle and the ship exited hyperspace.
Debris flooded the viewport. Wreckage of ships Celeste didn't recognize. She manuvered as best she could to avoid it. Even with the shields raised some damage was done to the hull
"Strap in" Celeste said "It's gonna be a bumpy landing!"
Flames shot across the viewport as atmosphereic entry began
"It's not usually this bumpy" Faei said
"Faei, we don't usually have this much debris in orbit clogging the sensors" Celeste replied
"True" Faei said, adjusting her own controls "Landing sequence set. Stabalizers at maximum. Landing gear locked"
"Retract landing gear. Divert all power to repulsors and shields" Celeste said
"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Faei responded
"We're going in over water. Landing gear isn't going to do anything if we break up" Celeste said. Faei sighed and flipped a couple switches
"Landing gear retracted. All power diverted to repulsors and shields" Faei said
"Cut life support everywhere but the cockpit. Disable main engines. Transfer all power to repulsors" Celeste ordered
"You're insane" Faei replied as she made the transfer
"No question, but hopefully we'll survive" Celeste said "Kicking in planetary replulsors...now!"
The Legacy began to slow as it came over the ocean. Celeste still gripped the controls
"Repulsors at two hundred percent power. I'm diverting bleed off energy to the primary engine so they don't explode" Faei said, tapping her console
"Ten seconds till impact" Celeste said.
Water hit the viewport with tremendous force and Celeste felt everything go dark.