Disclaimer: I am not George Lucas or Rick Riordan.
Enter Luke, Tahiri, Jag, and Qwi, on the Tydirium.
As Luke steers the shuttle, Tahiri and Jag share food.
Jag. It's okay, Tahiri. My mother used to say you shouldn't try to carry a problem alone. But if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay.
Tahiri. You were right when you guessed I came back from the Netherworld. I'm . . . I'm an escapee. I shouldn't be alive.
Tahiri describes her entire life story: her curse, how she and Cassa moved from Tatooine to Hoth, how Abeloth manipulated her into raising Shedao Shai, and finally her sacrifice at Echo Base.
Jag. You sacrificed yourself to stop the Yuuzhan Vong from waking. I could never be that brave.
Tahiri. It wasn't bravery. I let my mother die. I cooperated with Abeloth too long. I almost let her win.
Luke. Tahiri. You stood up to a goddess all by yourself. You did the right . . . [with realization] What happened in the Netherworld . . . I mean, after you died? You should have gone to Alderaan. But if Kyp brought you back . . .
Tahiri. I didn't go to Alderaan. Please don't ask. . . .
Tahiri and Jag flow-walk back to the Great Galactic War, standing at the shore of the Pool of Knowledge beyond shadows.
Exit Luke and Qwi.
Jag. Wh-where are we?
Tahiri. It's my past. It's just an echo. Don't worry.
Enter Scourge, ferrying Tahiri across the Pool of Knowledge and the Font of Power.
Scourge. Of course you shouldn't worry. Told you I'd take you across, didn't I? It's all right you don't have a credcoin. It wouldn't be proper, leaving Lord Vitiate's daughter on the wrong side of the Font.
Scourge's skimmer reaches the Netherworld of the Force.
Exit Scourge.
Tahiri and Jag move through the entrance to the Netherworld.
Enter the tuk'ata, who growls at them but lets them pass.
Tahiri stands at the Judgment Circle.
Enter the judges: Exar Kun; Borsk Fey'lya, the ghost of a Bothan with cream-colored fur and violet eyes; and Elegos A'Kla, the ghost of a Caamasi with golden fur and violet eyes.
Jag. Who . . . ?
Tahiri. They'll decide my fate. Watch.
The judges scan Tahiri through the Force.
Elegos. Thwarted Abeloth. Prevented Shedao Shai from waking.
Fey'lya. But she raised the Yuuzhan Vong in the first place. Guilty of cowardice, weakness.
Kun. She is young. Her mother's life hung in the balance.
Tahiri. My mother. Where is she? What is her fate?
The judges regard Tahiri coldly.
All. Your mother . . .
The judges show Tahiri an image of Cassa Veila's death.
Fey'lya. An interesting question. The division of fault.
Elegos. Yes. The child died for a noble cause. She prevented many deaths by delaying the Yuuzhan Vong's rise. She had courage to stand against the might of Abeloth.
Kun. But she acted too late. She is guilty of aiding and abetting an enemy of the Je'daii.
Elegos. The mother influenced her. The child can have Alderaan. Chaos for Cassa Veila.
Tahiri. No. No, please. That's not fair.
The judges round on Tahiri.
Elegos. Beware, Tahiri Veila. Would you take full responsibility? You could lay this guilt on your mother's soul. That would be reasonable. You were destined for great things. Your mother diverted your path. See what you might have been. . . .
Through the Force, Elegos shows Tahiri images of herself growing old with Anakin Solo.
You lost this life. Special circumstances. Alderaan for you. Chaos for your mother.
Tahiri. No. No, it wasn't all her fault. She was misled. She loved me. At the end, she tried to protect me.
Jag. Tahiri. What are you doing?
Tahiri takes Jag's hand.
Fey'lya. No resolution. Not enough good. Not enough evil.
Elegos. The blame must be divided. Both souls will be consigned to the Lake of Apparitions. I'm sorry, Tahiri Veila. You could have been a hero.
Exit the judges.
Tahiri and Jag walk forward, standing among the lost souls within the Lake of Apparitions.
Jag. You gave up Alderaan, so your mother wouldn't suffer?
Tahiri. She didn't deserve Chaos.
Jag. But . . . what happens now?
Tahiri. Nothing. Nothing . . . for all eternity. Remembering made my afterlife harder. So many times I tried to walk to my father's palace. . . . I could never reach it. I can't leave the Lake of Apparitions.
Jag. Did you ever see your mother again?
Tahiri. [shakes her head] She wouldn't know me, even if I could find her. These spirits . . . It's like an eternal dream for them, an endless trance. This is the best I could do for her.
Jag. You didn't deserve the Lake of Apparitions. You should be with the heroes.
Tahiri. This is just an echo. We'll wake up, Jag. It only seems like forever.
Jag. That's not the point. Your life was taken from you. You were going to grow up to be a beautiful woman. You . . . you were going to marry someone. You would have had a good life. You lost all that.
Tahiri chokes back a sob.
Tahiri. I'm sorry, Jag. I think your mother was wrong. Sometimes sharing a problem doesn't make it easier to carry.
Jag. But it does. In fact . . . since we've got eternity to talk, there's something I want to tell you.
Jag removes his firewood.
Tahiri. [frowns] What is . . . [with realization] Q'Anilia said your life depends on a burned stick . . .
Jag. It's true. This is my lifeline literally. Lumiya appeared to my mother and grandmother when I was a baby. She warned them that my life was tied to this piece of firewood. My grandmother snatched it from the fire, and my mother protected it until her death. Then Grandmother entrusted it to me. [sighs] Grandmother said I had gifts, some talent we got from our ancestor, the Revanchist. That, and my father's being Yammosk . . . I'm supposed to be too powerful or something. That's why my life can burn up so easily. Tionne said I would die holding this, watching it burn.
Tahiri. Jag. How can you carry it around with you? Aren't you terrified something will happen to it?
Jag. That's why I'm telling you. I know it's a lot to ask, but would you keep it for me?
Tahiri. Jag. You know who I am. I'm Vitiate's daughter. Everything I touch goes wrong. Why would you trust me?
Jag. You're my best friend. I trust you more than anybody.
Jag places the firewood in Tahiri's hands.
Enter Kyp.
Our ride is here.
Kyp summons Tahiri's spirit from the Lake of Apparitions.
Kyp. You're different. A child of Vitiate. You remember your past.
Tahiri. Yes. And you're alive.
Kyp. I'm Kyp Durron. I came looking for my sister. Death has gone missing, so I thought . . . I thought I could bring her back and no one would notice.
Tahiri. Back to life? Is that possible?
Kyp. It should have been. [sighs] But she's gone. She chose to be reborn into a new life. I'm too late.
Tahiri. I'm sorry.
Kyp takes Tahiri's hand.
Kyp. You're my sister, too. You deserve another chance. Come with me.
As Kyp brings Tahiri back to life, the present-day Tahiri and Jag flow-walk back to present.
Exit all.
