The Disciples of Exar Kun Chapter Twenty
Suggested Theme:
Main Theme- The Bloodbells Chime by Current 93
"Why are we bathing so early?" Dead-Star asks as he struggles to get his tunic over his head and onto the clothes pile. The human—Armitage—is currently smoothing out every little wrinkle as he folds his clothes.
"Kun wants us to be clean for…a treat." A treat? Perhaps, Kun is planning on springing a trap for us that our Wisties doesn't know about. He better not know about it!
"And he couldn't wait until after dinner?"
Armitage smiles as he shakes his head. He slips into the water like a snake and ducks underneath the water. He comes up again with soapy hair.
"Come in." He gently commands. Dead-Star sits at the edge and wades his feet in the pleasantly lukewarm water. Armitage draws closer, ready to catch the dragon-prince. He falls into his arms like he's home amongst the dying stars.
"I like how you keep me from drowning."
"Well, yeah, I don't want you dead." That was an admirable start. Now, try to be complimentary. What? Praise him.
"I think…" His golden eyes search desperately for something about Armitage that he finds affection for. His eyes focus on the burnt arm. "The burns on your arm are beautiful."
"….."
"I like how the burns are patterned…like… like exposed gears in a melted mechno-arm."
"…."
"And they're red like your hair."
"….."
"….."
"Dead-Star?"
"Yes?"
"Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want the soap to get into your beautiful eyes."
"And it never occurred to you to bring this book up?" Brendol watches as Luke reprimands the golden droid. The droid flails his arms as much as his limited joints can allow.
"Master Luke, I could not ascertain the validity of the document; I thought it best to defer to you."
He's so anxious and eager to please. Like Armitage if he was programmed with no backbone. He winces as the droid shrinks as though he expected the Jedi to strike him. Luke grew up free on a slave planet, but he's no slaver. If he was, I would've killed him by now.
"…Fine, next time, notify me immediately." The droid gives a short bow. "Yes, Master Luke!"
The droid shuffles off, loudly muttering about finding the astromech.
"So when are you going to the tomb?"
Luke turns to look at him; his baby blue eyes dance with youthful exuberance.
"Tonight. Han, Leia, and I will go, while you and Chewie watch over the Initiates." Brendol frowns.
"I have very little knowledge to offer the younglings."
"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself! And you are the only person that they would understand."
"What about the droid?" Luke rolls his eyes impetuously.
"Threepio knows six-million languages, yet he cannot communicate with the younglings well." Translation: he puts them to sleep.
"What about the astromech?"
"Oh, he's coming with us as backup."
"Is that all?"
"Hmm?"
"Aren't you going to bring any….armor?" Luke smiles patiently.
"The Force is my armor."
Brendol sighs through his nose.
"Our new uniforms are so cool!" His Wistie keeps putting on and taking off the hood of his long, white outer robe. Ben smiles pitifully.
"Yes….they are properly fitted."
Ben and Armitage are wearing outfits identical to that of Jedi Padawans. They both have on long-sleeved tunics with leggings and boots, but the similarities end there. Ben lacks the outer coat, while his Wistie lacks the utility belt. Ben's tunic is indigo, while his Wistie's is white. Ben's leggings are red, while his Wistie's are black. Ben's boots are yellow, hydra-leather, while his Wistie's are the near-black, dragon-leather.
His outfit is more color coordinated than mine. What possessed the Sith Spirit to believe that yellow goes with this much indigo! They're just clothes; it's not like you can eat them.
His Wistie grins, flashing his slightly crooked teeth.
"We look like Padawans!" Well, that explains the lackluster design. But I wish I could braid his hair. Curse, the Academy! Are we going to burn it down? Yes.
"Even though we are being taught by a Sith Lord."
"Dark Lord. He never received a Darth title." His Wistie waves his white hand up and down like he's trying to fan him. "Besides, there are plenty of Sith that started off as Jedi. Darth Revan, Darth Traya, Darth Zannah if you count her stint in the Army of Light, Darth Tyranus, and….Darth Vader."
"The last two shared the same Master and came from the same Line." Oddly, their Master, Darth Sidious, was a ginger just like our Wistie. But he doesn't rule over us. And he never will, we're equals.
"Yeah, but your uncle came from that very same Line and didn't succumb to Palpatine. Although by the Battle of Endor, Palpatine lost his touch."
"He nearly goaded my uncle into killing my grandfather."
"But Palpatine wasn't thinking clearly. Consider Vader's years of military service alone, Palpatine was insane for thinking that Luke, the farm boy from no-one-gives-a-shit-Tatooine and who killed millions of Imperials, could replace someone as respected and experienced as Vader! If Palpatine actually got what he wanted, then the Empire would've fell to Stormtrooper revolts!"
His hatred for my uncle is growing. But he's never even met him! Will he kill him? Maybe. Will we stop him? Depends.
"Why did Lord Kun decide to gift us with these…uniforms now?"
"Let's say it's part one in the treat."
"Then, what's part two?"
His Wistie smiles whimsically.
"Follow me."
Kanan Jarrus watches Hera scold Jacen for taking The Ghost out for a little joyride with Zeb. To be fair, Jacen is usually as serious as his mother, which is why Zeb likes trying to loosen "the kid" up by dragging him on mildly harmless adventures. Except now The Ghost is without a hyperdrive. Jacen is hanging his green-haired head in shame, while Zeb is scratching at the bites that he got from a pack of monkey-lizards.
And this is why Hera leaves him with Sabine. The worst that can happen is her dyeing his hair pink.
A soft rapping on his door, pulls him away from his holoprojector just as Chopper is thwacking Zeb on the leg. He opens the door and sees Desolous.
"I would be most appreciative if you would let me in." Translating from his formalism to Basic: he needs a place to hide. But from whom?
"Why not in your own room?"
"I let Skywalker in." Immediately, he moves aside and lets Desolous in; he then slides the door shut. He then hears Skywalker running loudly and chaotically past his door. For a moment, he listens for any more noise, but is greeted with blessed silence.
"Why exactly are you hiding from Skywalker? He's not Vader anymore." But most Jedi avoid him because how obnoxious he is. Or at least that's the reason Depa gave for Mace's avoidance of him.
"Because his insatiable greed to satisfy his own curiosity is threatening my privacy."
"Over what? As a Grand Inquisitor?"
His silver eyes hold no affirmation.
"As a Jedi?"
Those eyes bubble with dark emotion.
"Something illicit?"
"Love." Desolous finally admits.
"….You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to."
Author's Comments- No links this time.
I have seen Star Wars: Rebels series finale, but I still do not know the ultimate fate of Ahsoka, Ezra, and Sabine. Since this story was written before the finale, I believed Ahsoka died at the end of "Twilight of the Apprentice." But since Ahsoka lives at the end of the series finale, I have theorized that she will ultimately sacrifice her life to save Ezra again, or possibly Sabine, because TFA nor TLJ would've happened if she were alive by those movies' timeline. I really do hope that we'll get an answer, be it in a comic or an animated special/movie, to Ezra's and Ahsoka's ultimate fates. However, I am confident that Sabine would live through all of this.
What I am getting at is that I'm not going to say whether Ezra's dead or alive in this series for now.
The next two-chapters are going to be more jam-packed than this one, but that means they'll take longer to come out. So be patient.