Hey, all you Star Wars fans and fanatics! How are you doing on this warm day of January 23, 2018? I'm doing well, as I've gotten back from school and just did a little homework, which means that I have a couple of hours to write my latest chapter, which should take at least two days to write, as I won't have as much free time on my hands as yesterday. Well, I'd better get started, as I've got to go back to school in a few hours for a night class, and I do not want to waste such precious time. Oh, before I forget, by the time that I've finished writing for today, I'll have surpassed over 50,000 words, which is a record for me.
As Ventis was in a fitful sleep, he found himself alone in a room where he never expected to return to: The torture chambers where his mind was broken by Darth Tenebrous and his apprentice, Darth Plagueis, and then forged into the notorious Dark Side Adept criminal known as Gallies, who committed countless crimes across the galaxy before he was recruited into the Galactic Empire's Inquisitorious program, and captured by his son, Daniel Valo, and his mind was healed of its trauma by him and his friends, including his Jedi teacher, Tau Palpatine.
Desperate to avoid recalling all of the horrendous experiments that the two Sith Lords put him through, Ventis struggled in vain to awaken from his slumber, only to hear the voice of one of the two of his tormentors, who gloatingly said, "Do you really think that you can escape your past so easily, Ventis Uriel? If you do, then you're even dumber than when my master and I found you." The phantom of Darth Plagueis, also known by his public personae of Hego Damask II, a high-ranking member of the Intergalactic Banking Clan before his murder at his apprentice's hands just before his election as the final Chancellor of the Old Republic, appeared in his full Sith garb.
"Plagueis." Ventis whispered out in fear as he prepared his frightened defenses for whatever other nightmarish images the Muun Sith Lord would conjure up.
Meanwhile, In the Force-Imbued Cave on Mortis
"Well, who didn't see this coming?" Tau sarcastically said to no one in particular as the ghost of Sharad Hett hovered next to his son, who looked befuddled at the appearance of the Howlrunner.
"Father, how are you here right now?" A'Sharad numbly said as he assembled his thoughts enough to speak to Sharad.
"I was drawn from the Netherworld of the Force through your pain and grief, my son. It has been a long time since I saw you, and I am sorry that I could not be there for you during the loss of Xiann." Sharad explained as he consoled his son over the loss of his love.
"It is not your fault, father. It was mine and the Sith's fault, as I failed you and all of my teachers when I fell to the Dark Side after the fall of the Jedi, and the Sith for orchestrating the Clone War to take over the entire galaxy." A'Shrarad said as Rahm began to notice Ventis shiver in his sleep, which made him grow concerned for his fellow Jedi, and with a motion of his head, indicated Ahsoka and Tau to follow him to their sole sleeping friend, leaving the two former leaders of the Sand People alone to speak.
"We each share a portion of the blame for what happened, my love." Said a gentle but firm female voice that belonged to the spectral form of a cyan-colored Twi'lek Jedi that A'Sharad immediately recognized as the woman that he loved before her death at the climax of the Siege of Saleucami during the closing days of the Outer Rim Sieges. She then continued, saying, "If we had looked deeper into the mysteries of the origins of the Clone War, and believed Dooku when he told Master Kenobi of Darth Sidious controlling the Senate at Geonosis, then the losses of the Clone War might have been avoided, or at the very least, mitigated, and the Dark Side of the Force would not control the galaxy." She then smiled at her former lover, and sympathetically said, "You've had to endure so much, A'Sharad. And for that, I am truly sorry that I could not be there for you when you were at your lowest."
"The fault is mine, Xiann. I chose to exact vengeance on the settlers of Tatooine when I should have been keeping hope alive throughout the galaxy, which cost me my home and my arm. If it weren't for Tau and his friends, I would have become what I despised most of all." A'Sharad countered, not willing to have the blame taken away from him when he deserved it.
"That is true, A'Sharad. But you are now back on the path of light, and you will not fall to the Dark Side again. Trust in yourself, your friends, and the dark ally who you will help redeem on this planet. May Iluvatar guide your steps, my son." Sharad said as his spectral form faded away, despite his son's vocal protests.
Immediately afterwards, Xiann's spirit began to dissipate. But, before her form fully returned to the Netherworld of the Force, she tenderly said, "Do not despair over me, A'Sharad. You will find love again, and it will heal the wounds in your heart. Now, go help your friends, as Ventis is in dire need of your aid. Good-bye, my love." With those final words said, her spirit fully vanished, leaving a brokenhearted and teary-eyed A'Sharad alone with his thoughts before he remembered what his deceased lover told him, and he immediately went over to his four friends, three of whom were trying in vain to wake their oldest fellow Jedi.
"What is wrong with Ventis? I can sense a pall of darkness over his mind." A'Sharad said as he struggled to rein in his chaotic emotions.
"We don't know. All I can sense is past pain, and images of a Muun and Bith, which could…" Tau said as he immediately recognized the two individuals, and fearfully cursed out, "Oh, KRIFF! Guys, I think that Ventis is being mentally assaulted by the two Banite Sith Lords who tortured him."
"WHAT?!" The three other Jedi horrifyingly said as Nagme quickly woke up over the shouting.
She quickly saw Ventis violently shaking in his sleep, and, fearing the worst, said, "Tau, is Ventis having another Force nightmare?"
"Worse, Nagme. He's being assaulted by Darths Tenebrous and Plagueis's spirits." Tau grimly said before he said, "Get Jarael up, and have her prep the life-support equipment for Ventis at once! And get Celebion ready for the song!"
Nodding her head in undertanding, she quickly ran into the Second Chance, leaving the four Jedi alone with their fallen friend. Ahsoka then said, "Well, Tau, he's your apprentice? How do we help him?"
"This happened to Edaan once, so I know exactly what to do. I'll go into Ventis's mind in order to help him fight off Tenebrous and Plagueis, while you guys supply us with Force energy in order to help fight off these two Sith Lords. Plan?" Tau explained, which astounded the three other Force users with his quick thinking, as well as the plan itself, as it could kill Tau if his plan failed. But, seeing as there were no alternatives that could help Ventis, as everyone but Tau assumed that the elder Jedi was a meek and quiet man who did not possess a strong connection to the Force.
Being the first to regain his bearings, Rahm nodded his head in understanding, and motioned for his two friends to prepare to supply Tau and Ventis with the energy to overcome the Sith spirits that were plauging the apprentice's mind and soul.
While Tau sat in front of Ventis in order to reach into his mind, Rahm, Ahsoka, and A'Sharad sat in a triangle in order to provide the necessary energy for this gamble to work. In a matter of moments, everything was ready, and Tau entered into the mind of his tortured apprentice, ready for whatever horrors existed within his mind.
Meanwhile, Within Ventis's Subconscious Mind
Ventis was hacking and slashing at the spectral form of Darth Plagueis, which provided no results, as all of his blows passed right through the Muun Sith Lord. This only increased the desperation in the human's mind, as he was deathly afraid of facing one of the Sith who corrupted him and set him on a path of self-destruction and mayhem.
Through all of this, Plagueis simply smirked in amusement at the human's franticness, and then said, "Really, Ventis? You really think that a lightsaber can stop me? I was drawn here through your grief over Gallies's sins, and I will see my experiment rise again, even if I have to detroy your mind yet again. After all, you will be my instrument of vengeance agaisnt my former apprentice and his Empire that I should have been ruling over." He then projected a younger version of Ventis, when he was the Dark Side Adept Gallies, into his mind, and the numerous atrocities that he had committed, to illegal arms deals, killing innocent civilians, to the worst of them all, raping then-Jedi Padawan Naomi Valo, forever scarring the innocent girl, and forcing her to carry his seed that would become Daniel Valo, the son that forgave him of his sins, and risked everything to save him when he should have killed him. The Sith Lord then said, "This is your destiny, Ventis. Give into the Dark Side, and submit to your fate."
"NEVER!" Ventis fearfully shouted, desperate to avoid becoming that monster again, and prepared to drive his lightsaber through his head in order to kill himself in an effort to prevent himself from becoming that demon again, only to be stopped by his master, Tau, who grabbed his hand and gently pushed it down, away from his head.
"T-Tau? How are you here? Are you another of Plagueis's tricks, or are you real?" Ventis hesitatingly said, not able to cope with any other illusions of any kind, be them benevolent or wicked.
"Don't worry, my apprentice. I'm real, and I'm here to help you drive back this demon back to the darkness from whence he came." Tau said, his voice full of determination as he spoke, which bolstered the greatly-diminished resolve of his friend.
Plagueis then laughed in mockery of this turn of events, and said, "So, the future scion of my treacherous ward shows himself to me. Well, this will work to my favor even further, for now I will have two servants in one sitting."
Tau viciously smiled at Plagueis, and said to rile up the Sith's ghost, "Sorry, Sithspawn, but that's not in the cards for either of us. We're going to walk out of here, and you're going back to Chaos, where you belong.
Plagueis then snarled at the young Jedi's mockery of his great heritage, and lunged at the adolescent Palpatine, only to be blocked by a blinding shield of light that protected the two Jedi from the Sith's attacks. He then looked at Tau, who then triumphantly said, "As Master Vodo-Siosk Baas said to the first Jedi students of my Order when they faced Exar Kun's spirit, 'The way to destroy the darkness is to increase the light'!" He then poured all of the gathered energy from himself, Rahm, A'Sharad, and Ahsoka into his shield, which all but drove the deceased Dark Lord of the Sith from Ventis's mind, which baffled the older Jedi, as he thought that Tau could expell the spirit of one of his tormentors.
As if Tau could read Ventis's mind, and said, "Ventis, I don't have enough power to expel Plagueis on my own. We can only do it if we work as a team."
Shocked beyond belief that Tau would want his help for such an important task, Ventis tried to protest this astounding leap of faith, but Tau would have none of it, and said, "Look, Ventis, you have a choice to make right here and now. You can either die here with me while wallowing in self-pity, allowing Plagueis to carry out his insane schemes, or, you can become the great man that your own son knows that you can be, and rise above your sins as Gallies. The choice is yours, but know that, if no one else, the two of us believe in you."
Realizing that nothing that he could say would deter Tau from trusting in him, and remembering all that his illegitimate son had done to save him from his dark prison, he began to channel his Force energy into Tau's shield, and began to fully expel Plagueis from his mind, only for the Dark Lord of the Sith to hang on by the skin of his teeth, and shout as he attempted one last attack on Ventis, only to be rebuffed by a determined Ventis, who drew on his deep affection and love of Daniel and his daughter, as well as the friendships that he formed with Daniel and Tau's friends, and fully expanded the shield to illuminate the dank prison that he was trapped in for so long, which drove Plagueis back into Chaos as he let out a final blood-curdling scream.
Once the two Jedi could sense that they were safe, Tau took in several deep breaths in order to steady himself, and optimistically said to his student, "Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would. You okay, Venits?"
"I am. Thanks to you, my master." Ventis said in complete gratitude as he let silent tears fall from his face at this victory against his past ghosts, which caused Tau to pat his apprentice on his back in comfort to his friend.
"Don't thank me alone, Ventis. Ahsoka and Masters Kota and Hett helped us by reinforcing the Force Shield. But, don't forget to feel proud of your acomplishment, as you made the choice to move forward with your life, and you made the choice to choose hope instead of fear, and that's a deed that few beings can say that they've done in their lives." Tau said in correction and praise of his learner, and then said, "Now, let's get out of this madhouse, and head back to the ship. I asked Jarael to prepare the medical bay for your treatment, and Celebion to help sing your favorite song."
Upon hearing those last two words in Tau's last sentence, Ventis perked up at having the chance to sing his favorite song that he and Tau's crew learned from Celebion, and said, "Gladly, Tau." With that said, the two Jedi left this dream and returned to the realm of the living.
Ventis awoke with a great gasp of breath, and then sat up and inhaled several deep breaths of oxygen in order to regain his bearings after that confrontation with the apprentice of his Sith torturer. He then saw the concerned faces of Tau, Ahsoka, Rahm, and A'Sharad appear in his fielf of vision, and the Togruta female said in worry, "Ventis, are you okay?"
"Don't worry about me, Ahsoka. I'll survive." Ventis gratefully said to his friend before his face turned deathly serious, and he stumbled up to his feet, and said to everyone, "Let's get back to the ship, as I have some terrible things to tell you about me, and I have a song to sing for you guys."
Tau then grew concerned at Ventis's first declaration, and said, "Ventis? Are you sure about this? If you do this, there's no going back."
"I'm sure, Tau. These guys helped save my soul from Plagueis, and they deserve to know the truth about me, even if it results in them trying to kill me." Ventis honestly said to his master, and he led the way back to the Second Chance, who's boarding ramp was opened to let the five warriors in, and revealed a hard-working Jarael preparing the life-support equipment in case Ventis went into shock, and Nagme and Celebion were at her side to assist her with anything that the cyborg medic said.
Each of the three crewmembers of Tau's ship nearly dropped everything that they carried upon seeing a calm and unharmed Ventis walking up to them with a content smile on his face, and he said, "Don't worry, guys. I'm all right."
"But-but…" Jarael stuttered out before she saw Tau and the rest of his friends, and sighed in frustration and said, "What did you guys do that made my services not needed here?"
"They just went into my mind and expelled Darth Plagueis's ghost from him in order to prevent the return of Gallies." Ventis said in a calm but shameful manner, which made the three temporary crew members of the Second Chance stop dead in their tracks and pull out their lightsabers, which made Tau facepalm himself at his apprentice's lack of tact.
"You mean to tell me that you've been training a former Inquisitor, Dark Side Adept, and criminal of so many charges that he should be execulted right now, not to mention that he raped a Padawan and never got punished for it, in the ways of the Jedi Order?! Just what kind of drugs are you on in order to make such a monumental idiotic decision, Tau?" Rahm said as he readied his ligthsaber to attack, with Ahsoka and A'Sharad close behind, as they too knew of Gallies's many crimes.
"If you would kindly put down the lightsabers, and listen to what we have to tell you, we'll be more than happy to explain Ventis's very tragic past." Tau said with as much calmness as he could muster with three highly-trained Force-Sensitives ready to attack at a moment's notice.
Ahsoka, looking into the minds of both Tau and Ventis for any indication of treachery or deceit, decided to take a leap of faith in the man who she had formed a unique friendship with, deactivated her lightsabers and reluctantly said, "Fine. But, if I don't like the explanation, then all bets are off."
Following Ahsoka's lead, as he knew that she was an excellent judge of character, A'Sharad followed suit, and said, "Agreed."
Seeing that he was outnumbered and outmatched for now, Rahm relented, and said, "All right. I'll back off for now."
"Good. Trust me, you'll understand why Ventis deserves this chance to turn his life around."
Tau gratefully said. He then added, "Oh, can someone wake up Akuu and ask him to prep the ship to take the ship to the Mortis Monastery once the storm lets up in a couple of hours?"
Two Hours Later
Ahsoka, A'Sharad, and Rahm could hardly believe what Ventis and Tau had told them about the former's terrible suffering at the hands of the Bith legendary starship designer Rugess Nome, also known as Darth Tenebrous; and his apprentice, Darth Plagueis, better known as Hego Damask II, a high-ranking leader of the Intergalactic Banking Clan before his death at then-Senator Palpatine's hands the night prior to his ascension to Supreme Chancellor of the Old Republic, had captured the young Ventis from his home on a remote world near the Unknown Regions, and experimented on him in order to try and discover the secrets behind Midi-chlorians, and broke his mind. What truly disgusted them, however, was how when they discovered that he had a powerful connection to the Force, he was reshaped into an experiment that they called "Gallies", and set loose on the galaxy as a distraction for the Jedi to focus on. He then committed countless crimes in his own selfish aims, and the one good thing that came of his transgressions was the birth of Daniel Valo, who grew up to be a Jedi Knight, a resistance leader of the Shadow Alliance, and a loving husband and father who, after discovering Ventis's horrific past, fought tooth and limb to save him, and eventually destroyed Gallies and brought a guilt-wracked Ventis back into control, who then became Tau's apprentice in order to discover how he could atone for his crimes as Gallies.
"So, now you know all about me." Ventis said as he fearfully looked at his three crewmembers, and continued, saying, "What are you going to do with this newfound knowledge?"
After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, A'Sharad said, "It was not your fault that you were corrupted by two Sith that the Jedi should have stopped, Ventis. And, you are owning up to what Gellies did, which takes true character and courage to do so. So, I am willing to help you on your journey of atonement, if you help me on mine."
Ahsoka followed her older Clone War in encouragement, saying, "We've all done things that we regret. But what happened to you wasn't your doing, and you don't have to cling to the guilt of what Gallies did while he was in control. I would be proud to call you a friend, Ventis."
Rahm, who was the most reluctant of his three Force-senstitive friends, said, "I'll admit that I have more than a few doubts on Ventis's fitness due to his guilt, but he does seem repentant over his sins, so I'll give him one chance to prove himself. But, I'll be watching him closely, and don't be calling me paranoid, because I'm giving him more creidit than Master Windu would have." He hten felt the heated glares that everyone sent him, which, if he was being honest with himelf, he could not blame them due to his caution, but he would not apologize for considering all possible angles. Dismissing the glares that everyone was giving the Jedi General, in an effort to deflect attention from his suspicousness, and to look for hope in this dreadful situation, as he heard a name of a Jedi that he did not expect to hear again, he then asked, "So, speaking of Naomi, is she still alive, as we hadn't heard from her for over five years, and you mentioned her name in passing, so I hoped that she was all right?"
"She's doing well. She's actually helping the Shadow Alliance's army/empire building in the Unknown Regions." Tau said. He prepared to check up on Akuu's preparations on the Second Chance, but Rahm stopped him with a lighthearted question.
"So, what's the song that Celebion knows that you, Ventis, and him were going to sing?"
Glad that Celebion had a chance to move the converstaion onto something more pleasant, the Dunedain Ranger said, "Well, it's an old song from the destoryed island of Númenor, and it's called 'Fires of War'. I think that you guys will enjoy it." He began to sing, accompanied by Tau and Ventis, who knew the song inside and out, and they sang in perfect harmony,
"Stone by stone
Cracked, crushed, fallen
Beauty burned, erased
But not forgotten
I'll take your melodies
May your last breath
Fill the air with embers
I inhale
In their blood I will stand
Let the waning light of man
Cast my shadow on the fires of war
Till our time burns away
Till our embers fade to grey
Cast my shadow on the fires of war
My grief is swollen
In rusty chains
Tethered to the killing wheel
Sun up, sun down, sun up, sun down, again
One burning candle
One wind whipped flame
I carry in my teeth like an animal
Vengeance my strength
In their blood I will stand
Let the waning light of man
Cast my shadow on the fires of war
Till our time burns away
Till our embers fade to grey
Cast my shadow on the fires of war!"
Once the approximately four minute song ended, everyone clapped in amazement of the beautiful, but tragic, song, and Ahsoka whistled at the brilliant performance by the three men.
Once the cheering died down, Akuu took this moment to appear, and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt this beautiful moment, but the storms have died down, and the sky is as bright as a sun, so we'd better get going if we're going to beat the Empire's minions to the Dagger."
"Right. Thank's for the head-up, Akuu." Tau gratefully said as he stood up from his seat, and walked with his friend to the ship's cockpit, with the rest of the ship's crew heading to their assigned stations in order to prepare for battle against three of Sidious's deadliest servants. In five minutes, the Second Chance lifted off and blasted its way to the Father's monastery, where the Jedi and their allies would face off agianst two powerful threats, one of which had a great grudge against the Jedi and all Force-Sensitives, and would stop at nothing to reshape the galaxy in their own twisted image.
Well, that ends the most disturbing chapter of my story to date. The mentions of Gallies's past crimes is the reason that I am moving this rating to "M", just in case it's too mature for any younger viewers. So, how are you guys doing on the afternoon of January 24, 2018? I'm doing well, as I've done some homework, and am going to eat dinner soon, which is always a good thing. I hope that you enjoy this story, as there will be action and surprises in the next few chapters, which I greatly enjoy in stories. Oh, before I forget, it might take a few days for me to write the next chapter, as I've got a few places to go to on Friday, which will take up a good deal of my time. May the Force and Iluvatar be with you, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!