Actually keeping up with a schedule this time! I might move the releases to Wednesday from now one because it's easier for me, but here's this week's chapter on time anyway. One of the sections in this chapter is... unique, so be warned. It's not something I've done before nor something I'm going to do again, but it needs to be done here. It's quite a long chapter too, though there's a bit author's note at the end to explain some of the stuff that goes down.
This time: Thrawn gathers his allies, the Fourth Sister gets a warning, Luke has a vision, and Ezra takes Jacen for a lesson.
Pellaeon and his entourage of officers marched up to Thrawn's office amidst hushed whispers and chatter. Over the years, some of the others might have been to Thrawn's office once, if that, and always in Pellaeon's company. For all of them to be summoned together said only one thing: something big was happening. Pellaeon was in the unfortunate position of being able to guess what that 'something' was.
Walking beside him was his First Officer, Senior Lieutenant Handel, who had been silent for most of the walk. The man was similar in age to Pellaeon but bald as a Bith and the two had become good friends over the last few years aboard the Myrmidon. Also with them were the Sensor Officer Lieutenant Yara, a young prodigy of a woman whose 'lucky' appointment at a young age to the Myrmidon had proved to be anything but that. The Helm Officer Commander Kenic, a short pale man with thick ginger hair had come too, as had Lieutenant Henri, his weapons officer. At least a dozen others from the Myrmidon's highest ranks had come with Pellaeon, not knowing what they were about to walk in to.
Thrawn's door Sergeant didn't bother checking code cylinders and Pellaeon couldn't blame the man. The Captain led the way into Thrawn's office to find the expected crowd of officers from the Chimaera too. Commodore Faro was closest to Thrawn's desk, waiting patiently for everyone to join them. Pellaeon recognised Chief Engineer Torbal, - a familiar enough face from the last few days of his visits - as well as old Lieutenant Xoxtin, Helm Officer Agral, Weapons Officer Pyrondi, and several other faces from the ship's crew. Almost every face Pellaeon would know was there, save for Commander Hammerly and the Grand Admiral himself.
He made his way to Commodore Faro as the rest of his officers spread out around the office to talk and gawk at the trinkets Thrawn kept there.
"Does this mean what I think it means, Commodore?", he asked, quietly joining her in front of Thrawn's desk.
Faro nodded, "Yes. Thrawn thinks it's time."
"Shame, I was almost starting to like this planet."
The door to the office hissed open making conversations stop and every one in the room spring to attention. Thrawn walked in with a datapad in his hand and Commander Hammerly following closely behind, the woman looking as uncertain as everyone else.
"My apologies for the wait, officers", Thrawn announced as he entered the room.
Everything was silent as Thrawn made his way towards his desk. He gave Pellaeon and Faro a cursory nod as he went between them. However, instead of going to his seat like usual, the Grand Admiral turned around and stood in front of his desk in full view of everyone.
"Let's not waste any time", he began. "You are all wondering why I have summoned you here. The fact of the matter is that our situation is far more significant than many of you might believe. In our hands are decisions that can and will shape the future of the galaxy unlike any we've previously made before."
Silence still hung over the room. Pellaeon could feel the uncomfortable jostling of some of the other officers.
"You are the most trusted officers aboard the Chimaera and the Myrmidon, and what I am about to tell you must be kept in the utmost secrecy", Thrawn commanded.
There were several murmurs of agreement in response.
"Thank you", Thrawn bowed his head respectfully. "Now, I do not need to tell you that our mission is focused on finding something potentially significant. It was powerful enough for the Emperor to sense its presence, and it is almost certainly linked to the many scenes of carnage and destruction we have found over our years here. Based on the evidence we've recovere however, , I do not believe that we are looking for something as simple as a weapon or a location. I believe we are looking for a being; one that is ancient, powerful, and a threat to everyone in the galaxy."
Pellaeon had heard this theory before, but it didn't sound any less unsettling now. The others in the room however weren't as used to Thrawn's more outlandish claims.
A nervous and uncomfortable Lieutenant Xoxtin cleared her throat from the back of the room. "G-Grand Admiral? I don't think I understand."
"The finer details are too numerous to explain. Suffice it to say that the scale of the destruction seen at Sites Two and Three, the nature of the threat the Emperor sensed out here, our prior experience with creatures such as the Bendu on Atollon, and the increasingly unexplainable behaviour of the Fourth Sister all point to a single explanation. Whatever is below on this planet is a being powerful in the force and a threat to every living thing in the galaxy. It is imperative that we destroy it, by any means necessary."
One of the Chimaera officers Pellaeon didn't recognise cleared his throat, "Uh, isn't this something for the Inquisitor to hear?"
Through everything, it was easy to forget that very few people in the fleet knew much of anything about the Inquisitor. Pellaeon, Faro, and Thrawn were uniquely aware of what she was like and, other than one or two public confrontations with Thrawn, most never saw the woman. Granted, most of them knew enough to be fearful of her, but few understood how little she could be trusted.
"No", the Chiss answered bluntly. "She cannot be trusted. I believe that the Fourth Sister is, willingly or unwillingly, in league with this being."
Some whispers came from around the room. Most of those were sceptical, Pellaeon could tell. He'd expect nothing less from such a ridiculous theory, and he'd had the same reaction at first too.
Thrawn continued, no doubt aware of how ridiculous all of this sounded.
"Force users have the ability to forge connections between each other to communicate and coordinate. The Fourth Sister's unusual behaviour and ability to know things she should not suggest that she is somehow involved with this being. For those reasons, and the already difficult relationship between us, she cannot be trusted", Thrawn explained.
Another few murmurs were the response. That last part was a far easier thing to sell to them. The Fourth Sister had won very few friends with her behaviour over the last few years and most of the officers he knew were scared of her. Getting them to turn against her wasn't just going to be easy, it was already done.
"However, if I accuse the Fourth Sister of being untrustworthy, then I must prove myself to be more deserving of that trust." Thrawn set the datapad down on his desk and gave the room his full attention. "To that end, I do need to be honest about several things."
Pellaeon exchanged a brief look with Commodore Faro. They both knew what he was talking about.
"I believe that, during his time in exile and on the run from us, Ezra Bridger also became convinced of the dangers that lurk out here. Bridger is a Jedi and they are predictable in their actions. If he senses something dangerous is out here, he will return to confront it", Thrawn explained. "I came to believe this long before we caught him, and it is time I tell you all the truth: I fully intended for him to escape us."
The words hung in the air for a long few seconds. Many here had spent years of their lives facing Bridger and the Lothal rebels even before Bridger caused them to be stuck out here.
"You let him escape?", Commander Hammerly was the first to voice what everyone was thinking, "Why?!"
"You all read the report of the Emperor's defeat at Endor, did you not? You may recall the name of the one who defeated him: Luke Skywalker. This Luke Skywalker is clearly a Jedi of significant power if he was able to defeat both the Emperor and Lord Vader. Therefore, he would stand as the best hope for defeating this new powerful threat. I predicted that Ezra Bridger would come in to contact with Luke Skywalker and they would work together to confront this new danger in the Unknown Regions."
Thrawn's cold, methodical explanations must have been a lot to take in for the others.
Lieutenant Handel stuttered behind Pellaeon, "Well- I... You want the Jedi to come back?"
"Yes", Thrawn confirmed. "They have proven to be capable warriors alone, even apart from the other allies like Sabine Wren or General Syndulla that they might bring with them. If they, like us, are convinced of the scale of this threat then we can hope that they set aside old grudges and stand with us for the greater good."
"Why are you telling us this? Why now?", Chief Engineer Torbal asked. Despite the meetings Pellaeon kept seeing him have with Thrawn, the Chief Engineer clearly wasn't in the loop either.
Thrawn picked up the datapad from the desk and tapped it with his finger. "Many of you will be aware that Commander Hammerly here was dispatched on a private mission recently, ostensibly to pursue pirates. That too was a deception. The Commander was sent, on my orders, to Site Two. Her and her team's work there confirmed my suspicions about this threat and the Fourth Sister's actions, but more importantly she set down a perimeter of sensors to let us know if anyone set foot in the temple on the planet's surface." Thrawn turned the datapad around to show them the notification on the screen, "Less than an hour ago, someone did."
They're here. At last. Pellaeon let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Bridger and Skywalker were here.
Poor Commander Hammerly looked just as shocked as everyone else. "Wait... Bridger and Skywalker were who you wanted to catch?!"
Thrawn nodded, "Correct. I believed, as any logical person would, that Bridger would stick to familiar paths if he returned here. Site Two seemed like the obvious place to monitor, something I am very grateful for your work on, Commander."
"How do you know they'll work with you?", Lieutenant Agral asked, "And what will the Fourth Sister say?"
"I suspect they will see the urgency of the situation, and we shall give them ample reason to believe us", Thrawn didn't explain how he was going to do that last part. "As for the Fourth Sister, that is why I stress secrecy. She will not work with Skywalker and Bridger, and so she will openly oppose us. I strongly believe that Commandant Hux and Captain Canady will find cause with her. Working with the Jedi, the sworn enemies of the Empire, will almost certainly turn Grand Admiral Sloane and many others against us too. I have already set in motion a plan to deny the Fourth Sister the use of Captain Sarlis and the Imperator, but we will still be significantly outnumbered."
The silence was palpable.
"W-what are you saying?", a terrified officer asked from the back.
"It's us or them", Pellaeon said grimly.
"Captain Pellaeon is right", Thrawn said, "If we wish to confront this danger, we will inevitably have to confront the Fourth Sister, Commandant Hux, Captain Canady, and whatever other forces they and their allies can muster."
Silence had become the defining feature of this whole meeting. The officers exchanged looks of fear, uncertainty, confusion, and more. What Thrawn was asking of them was not to be taken lightly. He wanted them to join with people they'd spent years fighting to fight a threat they didn't understand, and turn their weapons on people they'd served besides for years - all on his word and scraps of inconclusive evidence from almost a decade of time out here.
"I understand that I have brought you a lot of difficult information. For this reason, I will offer you a choice: you can stand with me against this threat, or you can choose to step aside. There is no shame in the latter; you have far exceeded your mandate and have endured years of immensely difficult service. For security reasons I would place you under guard for the next several hours, but at the earliest chance you will be given a ship, coordinates, and fuel to return home. The choice is yours."
There was no debate for Pellaeon. "I'm at your service, Grand Admiral", he affirmed loudly.
"As am I", Commodore Faro added, "To the end."
With their two expected support announced, they were left with uncertainty. For a long time, no one moved or uttered a word.
Thankfully, Commander Hammerly joined them. "I stand by you, Grand Admiral."
"Thank you", Thrawn told her.
The next silence was longer than Pellaeon liked, but it was a difficult choice.
Finally, another person cleared their throat.
"I-I'm with you, sir", Lieutenant Xoxtin said shakily.
"As am I", said Lieutenant Agral.
Behind him, Pellaeon's First Officer Handel piped up, "I am ready to serve, Grand Admiral."
"Aye." Agral.
"Count me in." Pyrondi.
"You can count on me, sir." Yara.
They were followed by two dozen more people throwing in their support. When it came down to it, Pellaeon wasn't that surprised. He trusted the Myrmidon's and Chimaera's crew completely, and had every faith they'd rally behind them. When the shouts finally stopped, not a man or woman in the room had declined their support. They were in this together, no matter what.
"I appreciate your loyalty. All of you", Thrawn's gratitude was as sincere as Pellaeon had ever seen it.
"Just tell us what to do, sir", the Commodore said.
Thrawn turned back to his desk and pressed the holoprojector on it. A map appeared, showing several planets including Site Two.
"Time is of the essence. You are all to return to your ships and make immediate preparations for departure. We will go to Site Two, meet with Bridger and his allies, and then coordinate what to do from there."
"What about the Fourth Sister?", Pellaeon asked.
Thrawn looked over his shoulder, "She will notice something is wrong, I'm sure of it. I will meet with her one last time while you all make your preparations. I will do everything I can to make sure she plays into our hands."
Pellaeon sighed and nodded to Faro. She returned it with a cautious smile. They'd been waiting for this moment for months and now it was upon them. All they could do was hope that Thrawn's plans would see them through this minefield too.
"The warrior's path lies before us", Thrawn dragged out that old favourite aphorism of his before he sent them away, "Let us see where it leads."
The Fourth Sister mused over recent events as she meditated in her private quarters on the planet's surface. The last few days had been busy and the next few promised to be even busier.
Hux had been easy to manipulate. Showing her strength and playing on the man's snivelling loyalty to the Empire had put him in her pocket. Canady was smart enough to align with her after the meeting a few days ago, her Master's help regarding Hammerly helping to show how Thrawn simply couldn't be trusted. Lastly, Sarlis was probably the easiest of them all. The pampered little politician would take whatever path got her what she wanted. The Fourth Sister was indifferent about whether Sarlis would actually get the advancement and prestige from her Master or Sloane, but as long as it was useful to her own ends Sarlis could believe what she wanted.
What a useful tool Sarlis had proven to be, too. Thrawn thought too little of the Captain to think she had a mind of her own. The Chiss had supposedly trusted her with a secret mission, one to catch Bridger no less, and hinged his future plans on Sarlis' loyalty. However, she saw right through that. Sarlis might not have, but she did. Sarlis was being used as a distraction to hide Thrawn's real goals. He really is a fool... or was.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar feeling of something stirring below.
"Ah, my worthy apprentice. You have something for me."
"Yes, my Master", she told him. "There's something you should know."
"The Jedi?"
She paused. "Y-you knew?"
"Mhmm, I sensed their coming."
"T-then what do I do? Thrawn wants to catch Bridger for himself and use him against us. We can't let that happen."
"Oh, it shan't."
"Then what do I do, Master?"
"Bring the Jedi to me. I will... have uses for them."
Bring them? How would she do that?
She knew better than to ask such a menial question. She could figure it out herself. With all the others on her side, all they'd have to do was swoop and drag Bridger kicking and screaming to her Master. She clenched her fists at the mere thought of seeing Bridger again. How satisfying it'd be to end his life once and for all. Whatever her Master needed from the Jedi, she hoped he'd give her the gift of taking his life.
"I will do as you command, Master. Soon, nothing will stand in our way."
His voice rumbled, "Hmmm, don't be so certain."
"Master?", she asked curiously.
"There is something else. Something powerful."
"What do you mean, Master?"
"I do not know", He replied. "It matters not. The end is near, my apprentice. Soon nothing will stand in my way."
Our way."Of course, My Mas-"
"Careful, apprentice", He interrupted, "If Bridger is here, he must be brought to me. Unlike the Chiss, I will not tolerate your failures."
She swallowed hard. "I- I won't fail you, Master."
"Hmm, we shall see", the connection started to break, "We shall see."
The Fourth Sister was left alone again with her Master's warning drilled into her mind. She could not fail. She would not fail. After all, Thrawn had played right into their hands.
A knock on the door interrupted her.
"What?!", she got to her feet and smashed the door control.
A terrified officer stood shaking at the door. "F-f-forgive the interruption, Inquis-"
"What do you want?", she asked impatiently.
"The Grand Admiral sent me", he said quickly, "He wants to see you. Down at the dig site."
Interesting. "Fine", she barged past the officer without waiting for his response.
The Chiss probably wanted to gloat before his presumed victory. Thrawn was always arrogant and eager to wallow in his success, what little of that there was. She'd happily oblige him, knowing that he'd fallen perfectly into her trap, and remember his smug confidence when she choked the life from his body.
Thrawn wasn't half as clever as he thought he was. He thought he could distract her by sending Sarlis away, but she was smarter than that. She knew exactly what Thrawn was trying to do. In his arrogance though, he'd overlooked one tiny crucial detail. That detail would be his undoing.
Luke picked the corridor on his right after heading back into the centre room. It would be as good a place as any to try and reach out for advice. It too was a plain circular corridor like the last one, but it didn't slope downwards or go on for very long. Luke grabbed his small flashlight from his utility belt and shone it in front of him to light the way. The small light couldn't reach the end of the corridor until he was a few metres in. I really need a staff like Ahsoka's.
It fed into a much smaller circular room with a smooth slab of stone - some sort or altar of table - set in the middle. There was enough room between the entrance and the stone for him to work with, so he placed the flashlight on the flat grey stone and got down onto his knees. All of the walls were plain and empty with nothing to give away the history of this place. Wanting to cut off any other distractions, Luke turned off the light and put it back on his belt.
"Well this isn't creepy...", he muttered to himself.
The darkness, the isolation, combined with the powerful sensations in the force were enough to put him on edge. Focus, Luke.
Luke remembered every lesson he'd been taught by Yoda and Ben. Placing his hands on his knees, Luke steadied his breath and slowed his mind. One by one, Luke focused on every errant thought in his head and plucked them away. Slowly, he sank back into his trance.
Once more, he felt the hard stone around him. He felt the thin layer of dust beneath his knees, the stagnant air flowing through his nose, the scattering of heat on the rock beyond.
It didn't take long for the material sensations to give way to the immaterial. Luke felt the history of this place pulling him in. For whatever reason, meditating here seemed much better than it had in the other room with Ahsoka. The feelings of peace, silence, and serenity faded quickly and were replaced with far more intense sensations of pain, fear, and death. The ruin almost seemed to come to life around him as centuries, millennia even, of this place's past flooded into him.
"Now... reach out."
Luke's focus shattered. "Hello?"
That was a voice. It had come with warning but it was definitely a voice, but whose voice?
He turned back over his shoulder, "Ahsoka?"
There was no answer. It hadn't sounded like Ahsoka's voice if he was honest. It sounded like a man, an older but strangely familiar man.
"Focus, Luke. Focus."
Luke shut his eyes before his focus completely left him. Once more, he centred himself and opened up to the force.
"The force is trying to tell you something. Listen to it."
Luke looked around again. It was so sudden. This voice was different and not one he recognised. It was coming from around him but within him too. What's going on here?
"I see him... in my mind's eye..."
That one was deeper, angrier, more intense. Whatever was happening, Luke started to think it was something much more than just meditating.
"Follow the light, the light will be your guide."
Luke was about to get up and go when he remembered something Ahsoka had told him. The World Between Worlds connected everything, and its gateways could never be destroyed. This might be some sort of residue left over from it. Ezra had mentioned hearing voices when he travelled through there, was this the same thing?
"Luke... Luke"
That voice he recognised. "Ben?"
The stone alter in front of him started to draw his attention. What... is this? Luke couldn't help but focus on the altar, feeling himself drawn inexplicably to it. The force seemed to compel him to reach out. He brought up his left hand and stretched it out slowly towards the altar. His fingers just brushed the stone and-
"They're here!"
The room was flooded with light and the force twisted and turned on itself for a few seconds. Luke's vision cleared and he saw that he was in the same place at the altar but everything else was different. It was brighter, cleaner, purer. Like a different place entirely.
The biggest different was the person standing before him on the other side of the altar. A tall Cerean man with a long white beard down to his chest looked at the air above Luke with a grim face. His arms were together and tucked into the sleeves of his plain white robe.
"The time has come. Warn the Grandmaster. We will not let them have it", he said urgently.
"At once", a voice replied from behind Luke's ear.
Luke looked up and almost jumped at the sight of another person standing over him. No... not over... in. A grey-haired human woman in an identical white robe was standing right where he was... and she didn't notice him. What was going on here?
She bowed her head, "Father give us resolve."
The woman turned and hurried back up the corridor. Looking down it, Luke saw that it was bright and lit by small white flames in tiny wooden braziers along the walls. It was all so familiar and yet all so new.
Luke got to his feet and looked back at the Cerean man. His eyes were shut and his hand was resting on the altar as he quietly whispered some sort of prayer or chant to himself. Then, with new resolve, the Cerean opened his eyes and moved around the altar. Again, the man passed through Luke without any reaction.
This was some sort of vision, Luke was sure of it. But why? And of what? Who were these people? What are they worried about?
Before he lost sight of the man, Luke followed him back up the corridor into the central circular room. The Cerean had stopped in the centre next to another individual in another identical white robe, this time an Ithorian. Luke slowly walked to stand in front of the centre corridor to the gateway room, listening to the two people talking.
"They are on their way", the Cerean told the Ithorian.
The Ithorian shut its eyes and uttered something in its own language.
"And Son give you strength, sister", the Cerean replied, seeming to understand what was being said.
Like the small altar room, this centre room was clean and bright. There was no dust, no darkness, no decay - only plain smooth circular walls and tiny white flames. This wasn't just any vision, Luke realised, this was a vision of the past.
The sound of footsteps from behind made him turn around. The woman from before was hurrying back up from the centre corridor. She passed right through Luke and stood with the other two people in the centre of the room.
"He is ready", she told them, "We will not let them have it."
Who was 'them'? What won't they have? The gateway? Any answers were cut off as a figure appeared in the temple's entrance, cutting off the stream of bright light from the outside. That figure was followed by three more. The lead one filed into the room and two others fanned out to the side, with the fourth lurking back near the entrance and shrouded in shadow.
The leader was a Zabrak with long thick black hair and a forehead of sharp horns. Her burning yellow eyes gave away what her presence in the force already confirmed: she was a Sith. A lightsaber hung on the belt around her black robes, her hand hovering over it. On her left was a man with the same yellow eyes and aura of darkness. He was bald, his skin dark, and he wore a similar set of black robes to the Zabrak. Lastly, there was a blue Twi'lek. The same darkness showed with him, but he didn't look the part. Instead of black robes he wore long white-brown ones more like Ben used to wear. Luke couldn't get a good look at the figure in the back.
"Where is your Grandmaster?", the Zabrak spat.
"Here."
An old and frail voice answered from the corridor beside Luke. Walking slowly up the corridor from the altar room, resting on a cane, was another old man in another white robe. His face was gaunt and wrinkled, his hands visibly old, and he moved in pain and discomfort.
Wait a second... where did he come from? The man was coming from the same corridor Luke and the Cerean had exited, but no one else was down there. Besides, the woman had gone into the gateway room to fetch him, not back to the altar. What in the force was going on?
The three monks stepped aside to let their Grandmaster through to meet the intruders. Luke moved around the side to get a better look at the confrontation.
"Why are you here?", the Grandmaster asked in a strained voice, "We are not Jedi. The Sith have no business here."
"Hmph", the Twi'lek wearing the Jedi-looking robes laughed, "You are not Jedi, and we are not Sith."
Luke saw the Grandmaster shut his eyes and hang his head. "So, it is true."
"You cannot stand against Him. Join us and we shall bring the galaxy to heel", the Zabrak said.
The Grandmaster sighed and looked at the other monks. They didn't say anything, only nodding solemnly.
"We will not serve your foul master", the old man tapped his cane silently on the ground, "He should have died at Malachor."
Malachor? Luke's heart stopped when he heard it. What has Malachor got to do with any of this? He'd have to ask Ahsoka when he got out of whatever this was.
The Zabrak's mouth twisted into a smirk. "Then you will be destroyed."
Her lightsaber flew up from her belt and entered her hand. She ignited its red blade and the dark-robed man beside her did the same. In an instant, she lunged forward in a sweeping motion with her saber, only for it to stop mid-swing as the old female monk caught it in her hand.
The dark-siders stared in awe for a moment as the old woman pushed the blade aside as if it was nothing. The old woman then thrust out her hand and sent the Zabrak flying back towards the entrance. As she did, the Twi'lek dark-sider ignited his own cyan blade and threw it across the room.
"Sister!", the Cerean monk cried in vain.
They watched helplessly as the Twi'lek's blade flew into her chest, sending the woman down to her knees.
"Kill them all!", the Zabrak shouted as she scrambled to her feet.
The Twi'lek pulled his blade back with the force as the woman's body slumped dead on the ground and brandished it at the three remaining monks. Then he charged at the Ithorian, who also caught the blade in her hands. However, the other dark side man took the opportunity and closed the gap in seconds before slicing the Ithorian across the chest with his red blade, ending her life.
"No!", the Grandmaster shouted in horror.
Luke took the briefest second to look at the entrance. Still, the mysterious fourth intruder remained shrouded in the corridor's shadows.
The Cerean pulled the Grandmaster back and stood in front of him, hands raised at the attackers. By now, the Zabrak was on her feet and glaring at the two remaining monks with a seething hatred.
Briefly, Luke could swear things were getting just a bit quieter. He blinked his eyes a few times as well, feeling as if his vision was just a little off.
"Rargh!", the Zabrak's hand erupted with a torrent of Sith lightning towards the two men.
Reacting instantly, the Cerean moved his hands and caught the bolts as they flew. Luke watched in amazement as the Cerean's hands glowed a bright blue as the last of the lightning dissipated harmlessly into his palms. The Zabrak looked as surprised as Luke was, stopping her onslaught for a moment. Then, a bolt of lightning shot back out from the Cerean. It went straight for the man with the red lightsaber, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying back with a sickening thud into the wall.
"You'll pay for that, monk!", the Twi'lek spat as the last sizzles of lightning ebbed away from his friend's body.
The Grandmaster had backed up almost to the corridor by now, apparently helpless to stop his friends being slaughtered. It was just the Cerean against the Zabrak and the Twi'lek now, as well as the mysterious figure that was hiding in the shadows by the entrance.
Simultaneously, the Zabrak and the Twi'lek swung at the man. Miraculously he caught both of their blades in separate hands with the same strange power his fallen friends had used. Luke watched in suspense as the man's strength struggled against the attackers. The Cerean held onto his opponent's weapons with all his strength, unscathed by the power of the lightsaber blades.
Then, Luke saw movement in the corner of his eye. Out of the shadows by the entrance stepped the final figure. It was no human. It had a tall elongated neck and head buried beneath its long purple robe. The only place not covered by the robe was its face - or rather its mask - and its hands. A black metallic mask with glowing blue eyes covered where its face should be. It walked slowly and silently from the entrance towards the Cerean, carrying in its chitinous hands a red crystalline orb. The orb felt... wrong. Horrible. Unnatural. Whatever it was, Luke knew it was important, and purely evil.
Both the Zabrak and the Twi'lek raised their lightsabers up, pulling the Cerean's arms with them as he clung onto the blades. They both seized an arm each before he could let go and restrained him as the purple-robed thing walked up to him. The Cerean's passive face now became one of fear as this mysterious figure stared down at him through the mask, the orb clutched safely in one hand. Without warning, the thing's hand shot out and grabbed the Cerean's face. It's chitinous fingers dug harshly into his skin while the other hand raised the orb and held it in front of the Cerean's face.
Luke felt something terrible in the force before it started to happen. The orb started to glow. Then, the Cerean started to scream. The thing's grip held firm as the Cerean screamed in pain and terror. A faint red mist started to form around the thing's hand that then drifted into the orb. All the while, the Cerean kept screaming.
Then the screaming stopped as suddenly as it began. The thing released its grip and Luke was mortified by the face left behind. The man's skin was black and dry, shrivelled as if it was a corpse left to rot, sucked dry of any life and warmth he may have had. The Zabrak and the Twi'lek let the emaciated body drop unceremoniously to the ground, and turned to the Grandmaster standing alone by the gateway room corridor.
Luke felt another shift in the force. The vision before him got a little bit quieter and he felt like his eyes were starting to go out of focus. The vision might have been fading ever so slowly, but Luke didn't know why.
"Last chance, old man. Join us, or die", the Zabrak stepped a pace closer.
He looked down at what was left of his friend, but his resolve remained unshaken. "I will never serve Him."
The Zabrak stepped forward and raised her lightsaber for a final blow. "So be it."
The Grandmaster didn't flinch as she took in a deep breath and steadied her footing, before finally thrusting it forward through his chest.
He also didn't flinch as it passed harmlessly through him.
"What?!", the Zabrak stepped back, stunned.
The old man smiled, "You have failed."
The Grandmaster's form disappeared before their eyes, leaving no trace behind. Luke was overwhelmed with questions, far too many to answer on the fly.
"No...", the Zabrak stared at the empty space where he'd been, "No!"
She broke into a run down the corridor and the Twi'lek followed behind. Luke ran after them, passing the silent and motionless thing in purple standing over the corpse. The Zabrak and the Twi'lek stopped in their tracks as they entered the gateway room. Luke did the same when he saw what was in there. The far wall was shimmering brightly - the gateway was open. Even more shocking was the sight of the Grandmaster on his knees before the gateway, clutching his chest and gasping for air.
The vision seemed to keep getting quieter and more out of focus every second. What in the-?
"No! What have you done!", the Zabrak screamed.
The Grandmaster raised his hand shakily towards the gateway. "You... have... failed."
His hand tightened and one of the bronze rings on the wall moved. The shimmering portal faded away and all that remained was a plain wall.
"No! NO!", the Zabrak screamed.
The Grandmaster's hand dropped, a few final gasps for air echoing around the room. Then, he too faded away, leaving behind just his simple white robe as Ben and Yoda had when they passed.
"What do we do?", the Twi'lek asked desperately.
The vision started to fade completely and every sound became muffled.
"Dammit...", the Zabrak's voice sounded distant, "Prepare the weapon. Then... tell Him we failed."
"Ahhh!"
Luke screamed and fell back from the altar. It was dark again and the odd sensations of the vision were gone. He looked around quickly for any sign of what just happened but saw nothing.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes, breathing fast with sweat dripping from his forehead. "What... what in the galaxy was that?"
Ezra felt Jacen cling tighter to him in the backseat of the speeder as they flew low over Lothal's open plains.
"When will I get to fly a speeder?", the boy whined.
"When you're older", Ezra chuckled. He really is like his mother.
Jacen buried his head into his Master's back. "I want to be a pilot", he mumbled against Ezra's clothes.
Ezra rolled his eyes, "I thought you wanted to be a Jedi?"
The young boy scoffed. "Ugh, I can be a pilot and a Jedi", he said adamantly, "... right?"
"Of course you can, Jac." Ezra started to remember some of the things Ahsoka had given him about the Jedi. "You know, Ahsoka's Master was a great pilot, 'best in the galaxy' they called him."
He felt Jacen wiggle about in excitement, "Oooh, I want to be like him."
Ezra winced a bit. Obviously, Jacen didn't know everything about Ahsoka's old Master. The truth that the guy who once taught Ahsoka was also the Sith Lord that terrorised the galaxy wasn't something a six year old needed to know.
"How about Master Plo Koon?", Ezra offered instead, "He was one of Ahsoka's friends too. A Jedi Master, a good diplomat, Council Member, and an amazing pilot."
"He sounds pretty cool too", Jacen held on a bit tighter as they cleared the last small incline before their destination. "Where are we going?"
He smiled over his shoulder as he went down the final hill, "I'm glad you finally asked."
Ezra brought the speeder to a halt at the base of the tiny hill. The area in front of them was flat and featureless, without trees, rocks, or buildings. The distant horizon was covered in a thin fog that seemed to be there every time Ezra visited since he came home. Hopping off the speeder and helping Jacen down too, he checked the ground for the spot he wanted. Sure enough, it was still there, as he knew it would be. A perfectly circular patch of clear ground, connected by a thin strip of more clear ground to the web of lines and circles that covered the site. It was the same place he and Kanan had stood to open the Temple all those years ago.
He lay a hand on his apprentice's shoulder and waved out at the view with the other, "Jacen, this is Lothal's old Jedi Temple."
Jacen looked around with a curious look on his face. "Uhh, where?"
Ezra chuckled, Jacen wasn't exactly wrong to be confused. "Well, it was the Temple. That's gone, but it was here once", he explained. "Your father took me here years ago when he wanted to see if I'd really be ready for the next steps."
Jacen tilted his head to him, "What next steps?"
"Important ones, one you'll take too one day. That's still a few years away though." Ezra turned his back to the old Temple site and got on his knees. "Kneel", he motioned to the ground in front of him.
The boy obliged and fell to his knees, doing his best to copy Ezra's exact pose. "O-okay", he said.
Ezra let him settle for a moment before continuing. "The Temple is gone, but the force remains. You've been training with me for about a year now. I want to see how far you've come, and how far we still have to go together."
"What do I do?", Jacen asked.
"Calm your mind and focus. Stretch out with your feelings, just like we practiced."
Jacen breathed in deeply and then shut his eyes, just like they'd practiced. For several minutes, Ezra was silent as he let his apprentice focus and quiet his mind. The occasional twitch of his mouth or wrinkling of his nose showed Jacen slowly calming down and letting out any last bit of tension.
Ezra waited until he could see that Jacen was ready. "Now, what do you feel?"
"I... see...", Jacen furrowed his brow and crinkled his mouth, "I see... the sun, and the sky, and the grass."
"Good", Ezra gently encouraged him, "What else?"
His apprentice went quiet again and the concentration showed on his face. "There's... hmm", a tiny smile appeared, "Loth-cats!"
"Somewhere, yes." The little balls of cuteness were never far on this planet. Jacen had always loved them, Ezra had too, and even Sabine had opened herself to their charms.
"And I... I feel you. You're happy!", Jacen started to grin some more.
Ezra couldn't help but smile, "Yes, I am happy." Still, Ezra knew what was happening and gently nudged Jacen back on task, "Don't just feel what you want to feel, tell me what you do feel. Open yourself, listen to what the force is saying to you."
Jacen went quiet for longer this time. His face showed concentration as he worked hard to focus his mind. This must have been difficult for him at such a young age, Ezra had struggled with this when he was more than twice as old, but Jacen was doing really well all things considered. Ezra left him alone for a minute, then two, then five more. They weren't in a rush, and this deserved all the time they had.
"If it helps, recite the Code we learned", he suggested.
Jacen nodded and started to recite it. "There is no emotion, there is peace."
"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge", Ezra continued.
"There is no passion, there is... ser- ser-"
"Serenity", Ezra finished the word for him.
He didn't want to say anything about that passion line right now. Ezra'd made his stance on that clear yesterday with the older group, and it didn't need to be repeated again just yet.
"Serenity", Jacen repeated.
"There is no chaos, there is harmony."
Jacen finished the last line, "There is no death, there is the force."
"Now, do you feel anything?", Ezra asked, hoping that reciting the mantra would help him focus.
Again, his apprentice was quiet. This time though, his lips moved ever so slightly as he started to sense something.
"The force is... really strong here", Jacen said finally.
"Good, what else?"
His face was calm and it seemed to be coming easily to him. "This place is old. Really old. Years and years."
"Thousands of years old, maybe older", Ezra explained.
Ezra didn't know how old exactly the Temple had been. Maybe no one knew. Kanan mentioned that it had been abandoned by the Jedi for centuries by the time of the Clone Wars. In the last year, he'd spoken to Ahsoka about this place many times. Ahsoka was quick to remind him that the Jedi were only a few thousand years old in a galaxy hundreds of times older than that. It was entirely possible that the gateway to the World Between Worlds within the Temple had attracted people long before the Jedi came to it. It was a shame that it was gone now. A necessary sacrifice, but unfortunate.
"Master?", Jacen said suddenly, "I-I think I see something?"
Ezra was surprised. "You see something? What?"
He nodded slowly, concentrating on whatever he was seeing. "I can't... I can't see what..."
"That's alright, take your time", Ezra assured him.
Feeling something was one thing, seeing it was another. Jacen's powers were growing faster than expected if he was starting to see things already, especially given the slower pace of Jacen's training compared to Ezra's own. This was encouraging and a good sign that things were going well, so long as they could manage it properly.
Understandably, Jacen was struggling to make out what the force was telling him. Ezra knew his apprentice could do it if he tried, and tried his best to encourage him.
Ezra began to recite a shorter version of the code, "No emotion, but peace. No ignorance, but knowledge. No passion, but serenity. No chaos, but harmony. No death, only the force."
The mantra seemed to help Jacen focus his mind. His apprentice's face softened as things appeared to be getting clearer.
"I see... someone", he started, "Someone... familiar."
Ezra nodded and started to push him gently, "Can you see who?"
"I...", Jacen paused, "You."
"Me?", Ezra was surprised, "What about me?"
Jacen's brow furrowed again and Ezra could feel Jacen pushing himself to go deeper. "I-I think it's you but you're... different. I... you're smaller? Younger!", he said it a bit louder and with more confidence.
Younger? Jacen must have been seeing one of his earlier visits to the Temple. It was an impressive achievement for him to be able to see something like that.
"That's great, Jac!", Ezra told him.
"There's someone else there... older... a girl", Jacen breathed in and then out heavily again, "A-Ahsoka? It's Ahsoka! She's excited but... sad. Like she's... sorry?"
Jacen must have been seeing their visit to the Temple before Malachor. It was the only time Ahsoka went there as far as Ezra knew, certainly the only time he remembered her being with them. Jacen had even managed to sense her emotions. It was here, on this very spot in fact, that Ezra found out that Ahsoka wasn't technically still a Jedi. She'd left the Order for reasons Ezra only found out years later. That would explain the sadness, and Ezra knew Ahsoka still regretted parts of the decision. That Jacen was able to sense so much was unprecedented. Something was really helping him connect with this place.
"There's something else..."
Ezra's attention went right back to Jacen. "Something else?"
Jacen didn't move or answer. His face strained and his breathing started to become more rapid. "It's... I'm almost...", his words dropped off into almost a whisper.
"Jacen?", Ezra straightened up, sensing something wasn't quite right, "Jacen? What-"
"Dad?!"
Ezra's heart froze.
Jacen's mouth fell open. "D-dad? I... I can see him!"
Oh no... Ezra leant down to him. "Jacen? Jacen, come on back it's just a-"
"Dad?!", he repeated again, "I see him, Ezra! I see him!"
Ezra dropped any pretense of training and put both of his hands on Jacen's shoulder. "Jacen? Listen to me, it's just a vision. Come back to me."
"No!", he yelled. "I...", Jacen's hand twitched, "I... I think I can reach him!"
"Jacen!", Ezra pleaded, "It's not real, it's just-"
"I... Dad...", Jacen's shaking hand reached out and Ezra could feel the boy's heart racing.
Ezra quickly cupped his face, "Jac, come back. It's not-"
"Dad!"
Jacen's hand grabbed Ezra's side and his eyes shot open. The boy's eyes locked on Ezra's as he tried to catch his breath, but seemed to be seeing right through him. Ezra could feel Jacen shaking. Jacen looked at his hand, and then back at Ezra, then to his hand again. Ezra covered it with his own.
"Jac? You there?"
Jacen blinked a few times and at last really saw Ezra in front of him.
Ezra squeezed his hand a bit tighter, "Jac?"
Jacen's lip trembled, and then the tears came. Ezra pulled him straight into a hug as Jacen's sobs became louder. The boy buried his head into his Master's chest, and all Ezra could do was hold him. Every sob tore into Ezra's heart like knife.
This is my fault... all my fault. He wasn't ready. Ezra should have known better. This place was powerful. He should have known Jacen wasn't ready for this, he should have known this was a mistake. He should have known better, and he'd let Jacen down and done... this, made him see that.
"It's not fair!", Jacen screamed into his chest, "It's not fair!"
Ezra knew his pain all too well. "I know, Jac. I know it's not", he whispered into his ear. "It's just a vision. It's all over now."
Jacen kept crying and it was all Ezra could do to try and comfort him.
This was a mistake. You let him down. Ezra regretted ever bringing Jacen here today. Maybe it was okay for the Jedi before, but not now. 'There is no death, only the force' - the words couldn't have felt more hollow than they did now. That might have been fine for the philosophers of old, but not them. There was death, and both he and Jacen had been forced to know it far younger than most.
Ezra wasn't counting how long they were there for after that. It was a long time before Jacen started to calm down and even longer before Ezra even suggested moving him and taking him home. After what Jacen had just seen and been through, he needed rest. The sun was starting to set before he helped Jacen back to the speeder and started the journey. Jacen was out cold for most of it, secured safely in his seat with his arms tightly around his Master's waist. The vision might be over, but Jacen would take a long time to process it and come to terms with what he saw. Doing that was going to be a long and difficult thing to manage. And it's all your fault, Ezra.
Many, many things to talk about here. I'll leave the discussion of Thrawn's and the Fourth Sister's sections for next chapter because they're quite simple and there's so much else to discuss.
The Luke section is one of the most unique I've ever done, and is obviously going to raise a ton of questions. I have to be careful not to give too much away too early on this. First of all, it's obviously a vision of the past and what happened at the Temple all those years ago. The defenders are a sect of force monks, not Jedi or Sith. They're neutral in the force, hence the white robes, and are sort of guardians for the World Between Worlds and the gateway there. Every force power they use is established in canon somewhere: catching lightsabers is done by the Father and the Son in the Mortis but also Satele Shan in Legends; absorbing and reflecting lightning is seen in Attack of the Clones; lastly, force projection is obviously in The Last Jedi. That last one is particularly important since it's the first time Luke sees it in my mind, and it's obviously a power that ends up becoming important to him later on. I've been conscious of only doing things in this story with a canon precedent, or a not-so-crazy Legends one. I want this story to line up with what we already know as much as possible. I'll also explain that the Grandmaster (not the same Master the Fourth Sister is talking to) manages to seal the gateway to the WBW, denying the attackers what they want and breaking the connection that was letting Luke see such a powerful vision.
The question remains: what about the dark siders? Firstly, the Twi'lek with his blue saber and Jedi robes was once a Jedi. Long-term readers might remember Ezra's discovery of blue and red blade wielders dying side-by-side at Site Three back in Chapter 13. These aren't the same people, but the point is that some Jedi and Sith (or ex-Jedi/Sith) were working together. This section also quite clearly implies some sort of conflict. I feel like I can say that, yes, there is a conflict thousands of years in the past of this story, but it's not a simple Jedi vs Sith one. There's both Jedi and Sith on both sides of that conflict. Why? That's a bit more than I'm willing to say right now. Finally, there's that mention of Malachor. I can only say that it too will be explained later, but there was a reason for its inclusion here and also the discussion Luke and Ahsoka had a few chapters ago. As I've always said, I've had this story planned for a long time. That includes a pretty hefty chunk of stuff that connects the ancient stuff in this story and from elsewhere in the canon. Somewhere, either in the story or in these author's notes, that whole side of things will be explained too.
The other question that last scene might leave is about the purple robed figure. That's something I won't answer directly, but someone who digs hard enough can answer a lot of that question. Maybe not all of it, but a lot of it. It's not the Being that the Fourth Sister is communing with, I will say that. I did take some liberties with the orb and some other stuff, but let's just say that the bulk of 'it' isn't my own creation. That's all I'll say on that.
Skipping to the last section, Ezra and Jacen's visit to the Temple is the first proper lesson we've seen for the two of them, and it's one that ends in what Ezra considers to be failure. Even though it's physically gone, the place where the Temple was is still powerful in the force and is still linked to the World Between Worlds. It's mainly through that link that Jacen can look back and see the visit Ezra, Ahsoka, and Kanan make in Season 2's Legacy of the Force. The Jedi always insist on letting go of attachments, but even a glimpse of his father shows Jacen how difficult that can be. It's not just that Jacen is seeing Kanan but feeling his presence too in a way he never has before. Jacen is only a small child still and feeling something like that is going to seriously overwhelm him. When things start going wrong, Ezra drops the formal training talk and becomes 'Uncle Ezra' again. I've mentioned many times that family is important to Ezra, and in that moment comforting Jacen is infinitely more important to him than training his apprentice. Despite what the Jedi say about letting go, Ezra understands how difficult or even impossible that can be. It's a difficult line to walk and Ezra can't keep brushing off the huge incompatibility there forever.
Next time: Thrawn has a final talk with the Inquisitor, Ahsoka has a vision, the Fourth Sister prepares to act, and Ezra confides in Sabine.
