Disclaimer: I do not own any of Star Wars, the right of ownership of Star Wars belong to Lucasfilm and I guess Disney too. The only thing I own is the characters you do not notice and the plot.
Chapter 36: Going Home
Whoever says that finding out the truth about things were easy to take in should put take a blaster into their mouth and pull the trigger. This is exactly how Jedi Knight Rachelle Hunter feels as she wakes up in a hospital room for the last time. It was exactly a week ago, that she found out her first mentor, the person she consider a mother figure in her life, was alive. You would think finding out someone you are close to is alive when you thought they were dead would be a good thing. For Rachelle it is not. She have not only found out her first mentor was alive, but also was the Sith named Darth Destria that she had faced a couple times before.
It has been a week since both Lillian Hunter and Rachelle Hunter was put into a hospital on Corellia due to their experiences with Darth Destria and her gang of criminals and Dark Jedi. It was due to both of their work that they manage to bring down the crime gang and the person who was giving them information from inside of Corellian Engineering Corporation.
Normally after a successful mission as the one they are on Rachelle Hunter would feel excited that they had made it through it. Finding out her first mentor is Darth Destria was a blow to her. She still cannot believe it; even through she was Force Choke by her a week ago. No wonder why Darth Destria's fighting techniques seems so familiar to her.
Even through knowing that the first person she ever feel so closed to have turned to the Dark Side, she still manages to see that there is still hope of returning her first mentor to the Light Side. Even knowing that, she wonders if it will be possible of redeeming her. She remembers how much her first mentor hated the Dark Side. Always told her that the last thing she will ever do was to join the Dark Side.
It is obvious to Rachelle that Darth Vader managed to twist the pure soul that was once considered a mother to her into a monster. Still not entirely like a monster himself. She remembers Leia was telling her about Darth Destria and how she seems a bit nicer than Darth Vader and one time she sensed that she pity Leia due to her being torture. Even through every time she is reminded of her face it sends her into rage. Like when Leia told her that she told Darth Destria had good inside of her.
Her memories flashed back to the battle, how Rachelle addressed Darth Destria as Master Aluna, her hatred and anger erupted as if a planet full of volcanoes all erupted at once. Must be one of Darth Vader's darkness that is controlling her and preventing her to truly realize who she is.
Darth Vader is a monster; he taken a warm hearted Jedi Knight and turned her into an agent of darkness. It makes her sick to think that someone could do something like that to her first mentor. She was very nice and gotten along with everyone at the Jedi Temple.
From the bed beside Rachelle, she heard someone groaning in pain. Rachelle sits up and looks at her sister. Her sister was in the Bacta Tank for half of the week. At least one good thing about this mission to Corellia, Rachelle had found and learned that she have an older sister who cares a lot about her.
Lillian cares so much about Rachelle that she even put her own life on the line to protect her from Darth Destria, who she knows that she would not stand a chance against. If it wasn't for her and Obi-wan's timely arrival, Rachelle wouldn't have been having these thoughts right now. She would be one with the Force.
Obi-wan walks into the hospital room. Rachelle senses someone else with him. She turns to look at the door and see Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi along with her final mentor, Jedi Master Mark Alan Zane.
Through just merely seconds ago, Rachelle felt so hurt, but one her eyes meet those of her last mentor, she smiles. She got off from the bed and rushes to him. "Master!" shout Rachelle as she engulfs her final mentor tightly.
"Obi-wan told me that you have been acting off since your fight with Destria." say Mark. Mark had arrived this morning. Apparently when the Providence-class Destroyers went out of the planet they went by the spaceport and laid fire to the whole spaceport, destroying Obi-wan and Rachelle's only ride off the planet.
"I really do not want to talk about right now." say Rachelle barely above a mumble. Mark nods, even when he had not have all the experience he has right now, right away, he sensed that something about Darth Destria have impacted his former Padawan. Obi-wan was right, usually Rachelle will be happy for a successful mission. This Rachelle is much different.
Mark eyes darted over to Lillian. "Who's that, I sense some connection between her and you." say Mark. "She is my older sister. If it was not for her putting her life on the line, I would be dead. She shot Ma…Darth Destria in the back which gave Obi-wan enough time to showed up and knock her out." say Rachelle as Mark let her go.
Mark approaches the slipping Lillian and notice she was in pain greatly. Mark pulls a chair over to the bed. He closes his eyes and hold out his hands above the injured Lillian. He notices that she was in Bacta Tank and healed most of the way. It just some bones needs some more healing that the Bacta did not provide enough. It happens; sometimes the Bacta does not heal someone 100 percent of the time, but healed them greatly.
Those who are not Force Sensitive or who is not aware of there sensitivity to the Force, would thought Mark was just holding his hand above Lillian. As a fact, he is focusing the Force into Lillian and healing the small factures she has in her bones and muscles injures. He is not good with using the Force as a healing agent as those who were trained, but due to the Bacta healing her great, there was hardly he had to do.
Lillian who was slightly asleep during this eyes widen when she no longer feel pain. "Rachelle, did you do… who the hell are you?" say Lillian did not notice Mark sitting near her until halfway through the sentence. He looks familiar, maybe she saw him on the news or something.
"Let me introduce myself to a fine lady that has saved my former Padawan. My name is Jedi Master Mark Alan Zane… well Jedi Master is my title, so do not just called me Jedi Master. That will be a bit strange, if I do say so myself." say Mark break into a smile slightly. Rachelle rolls her eyes as she crosses her arms. He always tries to lighten the mood, even when it does not need to be lighten that much. It is one of the many qualities about him that she loved.
Lillian eyes widen as she heard this. So this is the famous Jedi Master Zane. The one who appeared to come back from the dead, but in all reality came from a different universe. He was on the news a lot in 19 BBY over his defeat of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine who was in fact a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. She remember every time she turns on to the HoloNews around that time in 19 BBY, all she heard about was Jedi Master Mark Alan Zane and about his plan that became known to the public few months after the death of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine or Darth Sidious.
That was one of the main reasons why she contacts Master Zane, because she figures he will easy figure out the problem. Also during the few times that she and Rachelle have some personal conversations, Rachelle has a lot of great things to say about him.
"So this is the great Jedi Master Zane that Rachelle could not keep her mouth shut about during our conversations. Pleasure to meet you, I'm former CorSec Inspector Lillian Hunter and soon will be a Republic Security Force Inspector." say Lillian holding out her arm and was amaze she did not feel in pain. "Pleasure to meet you too." say Mark shaking her hand. As Mark was shaking her hand, he look over at Rachelle with slightly narrow eyes and mouthed the words, great Jedi Master Zane.
"What it is true. You are great. Come on you were the only one who know who Palpatine truly was. You manage to best him without making it look like the Jedi is trying to betray the Republic, which what Palpatine wanted. That not all you manage to get the Jedi Order to change it code on marriage and love. Add to the fact that you manage to train me for 5 years without a lot of problem like my past 2 mentors." say Rachelle.
"Yeah, I think I had enough of you Corellians as my Padawan. Drives me insane." say Mark. "Hey watch your tongue! I am a Corellian." say Lillian. Mark eyes widen in mock fear. "Oh, please Force strike me down. I do not care if it is not my time!" say Mark.
Everyone burst out laughing at this. "But seriously, what is with you Corellians and I am not raciest or speciesism type of person, you just drive me insane sometimes. You guys seem to pretend to not be interest into stuff, well Rachelle changed a bit. I am still trying to figure that one out. You are reckless, which Rachelle, you still are. Well the independent nature is not too bad, but sometimes it could be bad." say Mark. "We cannot help it. We are who we are." say Rachelle. Plus the true reason why she does not seem not be interest in anything that he does was for the fact that she loves him. When him or his family or friends are in danger it impacts her in ways she never let it impacted her before.
Then her mind backtracked a bit. For someone so well connected to the Force as him, he still does not know her true feelings for her. Now that is something funny and ironic, because he is able to sense when other people are in love, but he cannot sense that she is in love with him. Oh that is a good one.
"Hey Master Zane, you are forgetting we are loyal to those that we hold dear to. Look at me, I gave my only good sister away so she can have a better life, and what you know 24 years later I still have her back even when she does not remember me." say Lillian.
Mark have to admit that was one good thing, but also it could be a problem. That is what makes him so difficult on outmaneuvering him in a battle of brains. Given enough time, he could find the good and bad about everything. "True, so true. But let's not forget that blind loyalty could be bad. Take Palpatine, he had a lot of support. Some of them still believe that he was right. My father, Maxus Zane, heard of him, well in 19 BBY, due to his blind loyalty he refused to see Palpatine as the evil monster that he is. He killed two members of Chancellor Skywalker's family. Not only that, he also commented terrorist acts against Naboo. He threatens to kill my mother, Bakura Galactic Senator, Amelia Zane and take the queen out with explosives while it killed of my mother. Due to him following Palpatine blindly, he hated the Jedi, mostly me for killing Palpatine and trying to overthrow the Republic as Palpatine put it. He joined up with Darth Vader sometime between then and this year. This year, he aided in the kidnapping of Luke and Leia Skywalker." say Mark as he counted the things that his father did out of blind loyalty to Palpatine.
Lillian eyes widen, just as famous as Mark is his father was infamous. She heard all about Maxus Zane in the news in 19 BBY. He was a General in the Bakuran Military who turned bad. The news was on fire about him, but she never knew the reason why he did that stuff. The news called him a highly respectable military official gone crazy to all the action he saw.
"How do you know this?" ask Lillian. "Because, I am friends with Chancellor Skywalker, her children call me uncle and I am not related to them. I was the one who lead the attack on Kashyyyk to save Leia. Matter of fact, he left me a message stating why he did what he did in 19 BBY. In 19 BBY I tried to capture him or kill him whichever happens. He was going to kill not just me but everyone who was involved in my plan for taking down Palpatine. Two innocent lives that only connection with my plan was they are related to the person who help me died. He is a monster. Ask Senator Zane if you ever see her. That is what blind loyalty can cause you. It makes you stop and think doesn't it. Make you look at the galaxy with whole new look. I am not saying loyalty is bad, but too much of it could be a bad thing." say Mark lowly and serious.
Lillian nods to this. She understand that well, she had someone who betrayed her in CorSec when she was undercover. She almost got killed five times on that mission because of her cover being blown and the person who blown it was one of her greatest friends.
"So you do not trust everyone 100 percent?" ask Lillian. "I tried to, but I have the Force on my side to know who I can trust and who I cannot. I never trust anyone blindly. Never had, never will. That could be the Bakuran in me. Bakuran does trust but we are smart enough to know that is possible that those we trust so much could betray us in a bad way." say Mark. "So do you trust your mother completely?" ask Lillian. Mark looks down to the floor. "Somewhat. She never gave me a reason to not trust her. Usually family members are the ones you can trust a lot to protect you and help, that is if they are any good. My mother is the type of person who put her family on the line for her family. She did it bunch of times before." say Mark as he got up from his seat.
Rachelle helps her sister up as they made there way to the door. Lillian is still questioning Mark as they walk down to the lift that will take them down to the main lobby of the hospital. She feels bad for her former mentor. He walks into something that he shouldn't have start. She knows what he says is true. Anyone can betray you, but that does not mean you cannot trust someone. All you have to do is not to let that trust blind you. He is not saying to expect those you care about or close to betray you.
After checking out of the hospital, they walk to CorSec Headquarters, which Mark manage convince the director to let him park a T-6 shuttle. The ship is a semi-circle ship that when it is flying the wings goes vertical through the air and when it lands the wings are horizontal. It is another ship that is common used by the Jedi Order. Rachelle was always like how the ship looks while traveling. You can look straight on it at space but due to the wings being vertical instead of horizontal it makes it harder to see straight on.
As they walk to the open area where Mark parked the T-6 Shuttle, they walk underneath the wings which lay horizontally due to it being landed. Mark press a button on his Comlink and the ramp opens up. Rachelle and Lillian was the first to get on. Obi-wan was next to the last.
Mark sits in the pilot seat and turns the ship on. The ship lifted up and once the ship was far enough off the ground the wings spins around so they are vertical. Mark flies the ship out of the atmosphere and flies away from the planet. Once he was far enough away he have the ship jump into Hyperspace.
Okay just to let you know that there will be another story in the series after this one. Once again how many that will be in the series, I have no clue. People often says I have a problem with letting go of stories. I plan on doing spin off of this series when I am done, or something along that line, since personally I think this is most likely the best story I have typed, even through it is my first Star Wars.
As with any ships or objects that appears in my story, if you want to look up more information on those subjects, please do go to Wookieepedia to read the information. All the ships that are mention in my story are those that exists and on Wookieepedia.
I think there are a couple more chapters of this story. I will let you know when it is the last one and what the next story is titled.
Till next time, enjoy.