I finally beat the game and was thinking, what if Trilla wasn't killed by Vader in the end? What if Cal managed to save her in time? Thus, the birth of this story came about XD (I blame my muse once again)
Summary: Cal Kestis managed to escape Fortress Inquisitorius with Cere and a redeemed Trilla. With the Holocron destroyed to prevent the Empire from tracking down the Force-sensitive children, Cal and his crew begin searching for alternate ways to weaken the Empire. Yet Cal is not safe, for Emperor Palpatine has tasked Darth Vader with bringing him back...with the intention of turning him into his new Inquisitor.
Rating: T
Setting: AU (divergence from main storyline in the game)
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Star Wars franchise aside from my own plot.
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Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order: Redemption
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Chapter XVIII
Trilla sat up sharply on the bed, her hair matted against the front of her forehead, her entire body drenched in a cold sweat after dreaming of Darth Vader successfully cutting her down at Fortress Inquisitorius for failing him. The pain felt too real, the sensation of her abdomen from the lightsaber piercing her body in a quick, upward motion.
Ever since she was saved by Cal Kestis at Fortress Inquisitorius, Trilla's dreams had been plagued by these constant nightmares of Vader. The Sith Lord was a scary presence to be reckoned with back when she first became an Inquisitor, and she quickly learned not to cross or fail him in missions. She had seen several other Inquisitors fall foul to Vader's lightsaber and swore she'd never be on the receiving end of his wrath.
Yet what happened in the end?
She was defeated by a mere Padawan who hadn't even finished his training, whereas she had mastery over the Force in superior ways compared to Cal. Cere's attempt at redeeming her was another blow to Trilla's ego, since the reason she kept going all this time was because of her hatred towards her former master. No matter how badly she wanted things to go back to normal, it would never be the same. There was always going to be that wedge between the two of them, a wedge that wasn't going to just disappear over one night.
"Are you alright?" a voice broke through Trilla's thoughts.
Merrin was standing by the area leading to the back of the ship where Trilla had been resting.
"Just a bad dream," Trilla replied wearily, rubbing a hand over her face.
"You and Cal both have been having bad dreams ever since the fight on Nur. Is it related in a way?" the Nightsister cocked her head to the side curiously.
"I don't know. All I know is if it weren't for him, I would already be dead. Going up against Vader is no easy feat, especially for a Padawan like Cal who didn't even complete his training."
The two sat in silence for a while after that.
"Have you ever regretted what you've done as an Inquisitor?"
"When I was one, not really. Looking back at it now...maybe I did regret a few things here and there. The Empire changes your mindset when they torture you into becoming an Inquisitor. They tormented me on a daily basis until I cracked and fell to the dark side. I didn't even think it was possible to redeem myself since I became the Second Sister."
"I can only imagine the pain you've been through," Merrin reached a hand out to rest it atop of Trilla's.
Trilla gave the Nightsister a tentative smile and gently squeezed her hand in response.
"So what about you and Cal?" she asked the unsuspecting Dathomiran.
"What about us?" Merrin was unfazed by the question as she turned to look at Trilla.
"I've seen the way you two interact with one another. I'm pretty sure you like him and he probably feels the same," Trilla teased with a smile.
The Nightsister couldn't find any excuse to rebuff Trilla's statement. The past few adventures she spent with Cal certainly felt more...intimate as opposed to when they originally met back on Dathomir. He seemed to welcome her aid whenever his wound acted up, and judging from those brief moments of tenderness they shared, maybe the Jedi Knight did harbor feelings for her after all.
She'll have to find out one way or another.
The trek back towards the port where their ships were docked was rather interesting. BD-1 was utterly fascinated with the alien child and kept running circles around the poor baby. The Mandalorian kept walking and stopping to let the baby catch up as it waddled its way over to him. Cal couldn't help but feel like the bounty hunter was acting like the child's father, based on the way the two were interacting with one another.
"Hey BD, come over here."
The little droid scuttled up Cal's back and clung there.
"Did you have fun?" he asked, patting BD on the head.
Beep-trill!
"I bet you did buddy."
Something tugged on the leg of his pants and Cal looked down to find the alien child gazing up at him in wonder.
"Hi there," Cal greeted, bending down until he was eye level with the alien baby.
Said child blinked several times and reached out towards the Knight, and Cal couldn't resist the urge to briefly pick him up for a cuddle. The Mandalorian clearly stiffened at his sudden gesture, but relaxed when he realized Cal didn't mean to harm or kidnap the child. Not wanting to become a target for the bounty hunter, Cal quickly set the child back down and gave him a pat on the head.
"Let's go buddy," Cal said to the little droid.
When their ships were in sight Cal waved goodbye to the bounty hunter and headed up the ramp.
"There you are kid! I've been waiting for you to get back so you can help me with repairs!" Greez said the moment his foot made contact inside the ship.
"You realize you owe me ten thousand credits for those parts right?" Cal countered, arching an eyebrow at the Lateron.
Greez froze in his tracks as his mouth fell open upon hearing the sum of ten thousand credits.
"T-Ten thousand?!"
Cal went to grab a bottle of water to drink from while maintaining eye contact with the Lateron the entire time.
"I wasn't expecting these few parts to cost ten thousand credits," Greez mumbled as he walked away in a daze, clearly shocked over the amount Cal had to pay for said parts to fix the engine.
"He's not going to snap out of it for a while," Cere said as she went to stand beside Cal.
"I wouldn't be surprised."
Peering over towards the back of after realizing Trilla and Merrin weren't in the front, Cal wondered what they were doing. Cere grabbed Cal's arm when he attempted to go talk to them, the look of urgency on her face alarmed the Knight. Was there something going on he wasn't aware of?
"I fear Trilla will relapse back into the dark side," she whispered for his ears alone.
Her fears weren't unwarranted since Cal felt a heaviness around the former Second Sister ever since they returned from Kashyyk. Once you tapped into the dark side for the first time, it would be very hard to completely avoid letting it consume you completely. The battle with the bounty hunters from earlier was the perfect example of what he was thinking. While he didn't mean to tap into the dark side, it just came naturally as soon as he reached out with the Force to choke one of the hunters from where he stood.
"I felt a heaviness about her ever since she returned from Kashyyk. Did something happen there?"
Cere frowned and thought about what happened on the planet during Cal's absence.
"Maybe the fight with the Sixth Brother affected her more than I thought. Trilla was always rather stubborn even when she was my Padawan. She doesn't like losing, which is evident by her former rank as the Second Sister. She most likely climbed her way up the ranks when she became an Inquisitor. Losing to the Sixth Brother most likely dredged up the influence of the dark side for her."
Looks like he'll have to keep an eye on Trilla for a while.
A cowering stormtrooper commander waited nervously for Vader's next order after reporting that another of their bases had been sabotaged by his former Padawan yet again. This was the fifth one over the course of three days that Ahsoka had destroyed with the aid of the rebels from Lothal. The rebels have gotten complacent over the liberation of Lothal, forcing the Sith Lord to put together a plan before things got out of hand.
"M-My lord?" the commander stammered nervously.
"Mobilize the 102nd and 103rd battalion to Lothal. I will send three Inquisitors to act as commanders, you and your troops are to follow their every orders am I clear?" the Sith Lord growled behind his mask.
"Right away!" the commander scrambled away from Vader while barking orders through his comms.
Reaching out through the Force to call upon his chosen Inquisitors, Vader turned around to face the giant windows overlooking the planet Tatooine. The last time he had been here was when he was still known as Anakin Skywalker. He had come with Padme to find his mother after having a vision of her suffering. This was the time he slaughtered the band of Tusken Raiders mercilessly for torturing her.
How many years has it been since?
Yet something in the Force drew him back.
"You called for us my lord?" the Sixth Brother asked, appearing behind the Sith Lord with the Fifth and Ninth Sisters.
"Yes. I have an assignment for the three of you. Put all your other missions on hold until you complete this one," Vader said, tilting his head slightly to look at the trio.
All three knelt as Vader faced them, his cape billowing around his body like a curtain.
"Go to Lothal. I have ordered the 102nd and 103rd battalions to head there to stamp out the rebel activities and reclaim the planet for the Emperor. You three will be in charge, do whatever it takes to crush them completely and mercilessly."
"And if we find any Jedi among them?" the Fifth Sister inquired.
"Kill them."
The Inquisitors bowed their heads and headed off towards the hangars to board their personal star fighters.
With the issue of Lothal being handled by his Inquisitors, Vader could return to surveying the planet of Tatooine and searching the Force for the answer as to why he was drawn back to his birthplace.
Growing up on Dathomir meant Merrin was extremely sheltered from the outside world. The only interactions she ever had were either with her fellow Sisters, Mother Talzin, or the Nightbrothers whom were subservient to the Nightsisters. Joining the Mantis and becoming a member of the crew has opened Merrin's eyes in many ways, figuratively speaking. The Nightsister has seen many things, and figuring out the emotions of another female who was not one of her Sisters was completely new to Merrin.
Trilla was an enigma.
One minute she was warm and gentle, answering any questions Merrin had.
The next, Trilla became hostile and angry, verbally lashing out at the former as her eyes were filled with hatred.
It scared Merrin.
This was the main reason why the Nightsister hurriedly excused herself so she could escape back out to the main area of the ship. She was still visibly shaken when she walked out to find Cal had returned from his excursion to Mos Espa.
"Merrin?" Cal noticed the way her hands were clutching her upper arms as she slowly made her way over to him. Her legs buckled the moment she was near the sofa, and Cal's arms shot out just in time to catch her as Merrin slumped against him.
"You're shaking," he murmured, feeling her trembling body as he held her.
"She scares me," Merrin said.
Cere and Cal shared a look upon hearing the Nightsister's comment.
"Trilla? Did she do something to you?" Cere asked, moving closer to Merrin so she could rest a hand on the latter's shoulder comfortingly.
"The dark side still torments her. It's causing her...personality to split. I'm afraid she will succumb to its allure again if this keeps up."
So what Cal and Cere were discussing earlier proved to be coming true in some way. The dark side within Trilla was struggling for dominance even after she redeemed herself like she said back at the Fortress. If Merrin could sense it as well, then Trilla was in danger of losing herself. They needed to come up with a plan and soon, lest Trilla ends up betraying them to the Empire in order to regain her Inquisitor rank.
"Recover your strength for now. I'll think of something," Cal said, getting up from the couch so he could have some peace to clear his mind.
The red hum of a lightsaber lit up the darkness as Darth Vader approached Cal from the shadows.
Reaching for his own lightsaber and igniting it, Cal swung his weapon over his head but the Sith Lord easily parried the blow, the spun around in an attempt to catch him from the side. Cal managed to block the blow after holding the hilt backwards over his shoulder, giving him a good view of what Vader would do next. Clearly impressed that the Jedi Knight could obstruct his move, Vader used the Force to momentarily knock Cal backwards.
"You've grown stronger Cal Kestis," Vader remarked, lowering his lightsaber to circle around the Knight.
Cal mirrored the Sith Lord's movements as they circled each other like predator and prey.
"Get out of my head!" Cal demanded, charging forward to engage the Sith Lord.
Vader used the Force to stop Cal in his tracks, twisting his hand in a semi-circular motion in an attempt to wrench the latter's lightsaber free from his grip. Cal struggled against the attempt, spinning and wrenching the hilt of the weapon to prevent Vader from pulling it away. The Sith Lord flicked his hand, turning the lightsaber sideways as the Jedi Knight grappled to keep the glowing blade from piercing his body yet again.
Vader scoffed behind his helmet and flicked his wrist a second time.
Cal's lightsaber flew free of his grasp and right into the Sith Lord's own. Vader then placed Cal in a Force hold before the latter could react.
"Why are you doing this?! You're Anakin Skywalker aren't you? You're the one who's supposed to bring balance back to the Force, not destroy it!" Cal said, desperately trying to twist himself free.
Hearing his former name being mentioned by a Padawan who shouldn't have knowledge of who he truly was caught the Sith Lord off-guard, but he quickly regained his composure and walked circles around the suspended human.
"I haven't heard anyone call me that name in such a long time. I've nearly forgotten if you hadn't reminded me," Vader lifted his cybernetic hand and flexed it several times.
"Why are you doing this? You should help us fight the Sith!"
"The dark side has so much to offer. Why struggle against it when I could embrace it? Learn everything and anything I could from the dark side."
"The dark side is what led you down this path! You slaughtered innocent Jedi and Younglings!" Cal shouted, his anger rising by the second.
The Sith Lord sensed this and chuckled.
"Very good. Your hatred for me is strong. Let it guide your hand," Vader said.
"Why did you betray the Order?"
The heavy footsteps paused momentarily as Vader reminisced on the past.
"The Jedi Order failed me. They were terrified of change and insisted on remaining bound to the past."
While Vader was distracted talking about the past, Cal wriggled his hand free and slowly reached out for the Sith Lord's weapon. The moment his fingertips came in touch with the lightsaber hilt, Cal was besieged by Vader's memories and a small gasp escaped his lips. The Sith Lord realized what had happened and quickly yanked his weapon away, but it was enough for the Knight as Cal lowered his head to look at Vader.
"Your wife was Padme Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo who became a Senator of the Republic. You two married in secret during the Clone Wars...and you killed her with your own hands," Cal murmured in a low voice.
"No! She betrayed me! She led my former master to my location on Mustafar!" Vader roared, lashing out through the Force as he spoke.
Cal flinched when he felt the Force slam into his body, nearly knocking him unconscious in the process. Cal coughed once the shock wave subsided, and a metallic taste filled his mouth.
"Did she really though?" Cal countered.
Vader was silent as he continued walking circles around him. Cal closed his eyes, drew in a few deep breaths, and unleashed the pent up energy within his body outwards. The resulting shock wave was even stronger than Vader's and the action freed the Knight from the Force hold. Calling out through the Force for his lightsaber, Cal nearly had it back in his hand when Vader tugged on the other end like he had done back on Nur.
"Do not deem me weak, Cal Kestis."
The red glow of Vader's lightsaber was the last thing Cal saw as the Sith Lord brought the weapon down on his head.
Merrin was meditating when she felt Cal shake beside her on the sofa. Amber eyes cracked open to find the latter unconscious and blood visibly trickling down the side of his lips. She tried shaking him awake but the Jedi Knight was unresponsive. Instead the intensity of the blood flowing down Cal's lips increased until the latter unconsciously spat out a mouthful onto the metal floor.
"Cal!" Merrin frantically shook his shoulders to no avail.
"What's going on?" Cere rushed over upon noticing Cal spitting up blood.
"I don't know! I was meditating until his body started convulsing and then..." Merrin indicated to the blood on the ground and his lips.
Cere sat down beside the Knight and placed a hand on Cal's face, sensing through the Force to see what was going on.
"There's a powerful presence...it's him..."
"Cal has been telling me he's been having nightmares recently...could it be related to Darth Vader?" Merrin placed her own palm against Cal's other cheek.
She sensed the darkness through her magick and quickly retracted her hand, visibly shaken by how much power the Sith Lord exuded.
"We need to wake him before his mind is corrupted by the dark side," Cere said urgently.
"What do we need to do?" the Nightsister asked without hesitation.
"There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony."
The Nightsister knew what she had to do.
To be continued...
Well then, what's Merrin going to do? XD
I should seriously change the tag after the next chapter of this lol
See you all next chapter!
Celsius Fate~