Jaden knew her return to the temple in the Valley of the Jedi wouldn't be a welcoming one, and she was ready for the immediate attack that came from the dark masters. They wasted no time in taking her out at the knees as soon as she materialized within the energy of the Force. The shear strength of their assault threw her out of the flame and slammed her into the opposite wall where they held her immobile before slamming her to the ground and applying crushing pressure to her chest. What she hadn't been ready for was the light masters taking the darks side and adding their power to the attack.
~~ Child, we cannot allow you to write the final accord. ~~
~~ A foolish little girl thinking herself stronger than those that created her. ~~
The light masters caressed her cheek as the dark side increased their pressure on her chest. ~~ You are not the first one to think they could write the final accord, ~~ they cooed.
~~ Nor are you strong enough to defeat us both. ~~
~~ And you won't be the last to think they can succeed. Child stop this foolish thinking right now! ~~
Jaden didn't answer them and endured the tortures they devised, swallowing back the unspeakable pain they caused as they held her prisoner within the flame of energy at the center of the temple. Nightmares played through her mind every moment of her imprisonment; her mother's brutal repeated rapes and death that she was unable to prevent. The nightmare where her friends had been tortured and brutalized only this time, she felt every chain that cut skin, every burn, and every lash mark across her back. She could feel her blood boil and flow freely as they held her suspended in the flame of energy that served as prison and enhancer of their power and her pain. And every day, the light would tell her to stop foolishly thinking she could defeat them and every day she refused to answer.
As she endured months of torture, healing herself the best she could between their bouts of cruelty, she had planned the future of the Jedi. She would lock herself away in her mind and think about what could be. She would have Atton train a new group of Force users to wield both sides of the Force. The light and the dark so they would be stronger and pass on what they learned. It wouldn't be some stuffy lesson plan, but she envisioned something more organic, more real than ancient Jedi texts, holocrons, and demonstrations by Jedi Masters too comfortable in their own thoughts. She wanted the real world, the down and dirty, the tricks only those that walked the legal line many times in their life knew and understood how to survive. That's what Atton would do.
And, when he was ready, Dustil would join him. He would provide the history of the Jedi, because, like it or not, it was important that history be taught as the best way to avoid repeating. Dustil would also bring military experience to the future Jedi order. Not on the level of his father but it would be enough to teach tactics that they could use to protect themselves and others and act when appropriate and not wait until it was too late to do any good. When she was ready, she had visited both at different times and places and sowed the seed of the future she wanted.
Her visit with Dustil upset her simply for the reason he hadn't yet realized he was his own man and should act accordingly. She understood Carth's need to keep his son close, but it wasn't helping either of them, that's why she had told him to leave the order and finish his military service so he could move on. That he thought he had to do those things for her, because she asked, is what upset her. He would get there, be who he should be, how the Force envisioned him to be, but it would take time and a few bumps along the way. That's why she had encoded the data pad as she had before the next round of torture pulled her back from her projection.
That visit and the suffering she was enduring also showed her that she had to let go of Carth. At some point, the masters would discover he still held a part of her Force energy and they would use it against her and that just might break her. So, she made the arrangements, broke the rules, and infused that tiny bit of her Carth held in his heart, to Morgana. It hurt, losing even that small connection, but it was for the best, a last gift to Carth for all the pain and suffering she had caused him over the years. In time, he wouldn't even miss that they were no longer connected.
With all the tasks done she wanted to complete it was time to end this.
~~ Child, why do you continue to fight us? We are eternal - ~~ It was the same mantra over and over again.
~~ Then why don't you kill me? I will never yield to you again! ~~
The light masters sighed and in the white wraith form they had taken they shook their head.
~~ Oh wait, ~~ Jaden hissed, ~~ You're forbidden from harming the embodier or should that rule in the accord be killing the embodier? You are chained to my welfare that's why you haven't killed me yet. ~~ She felt their frustration grow and heard the dark side growl deep in its own dark shape. ~~ It must kill you knowing you can torture me to the edge of death but not complete the task. What's wrong, don't want to die as well? ~~ She taunted and braced herself for the razors edge of the whip the dark master cracked across her chest. She bit back the scream and let her eyes grow dark with hatred.
~~ You are nothing, have always been nothing, we created you, raped that whore you call your mother. She was a useful vessel, nothing more. ~~ Jaden's breathing became harsh as they went on. ~~ The only reason you're here is because the other was too weak and selfish to give up the welp she spawned. ~~ They were talking about Aeden, she was certain of it. Still, Jaden said nothing, endured the lightning as it raced through her, singeing her hair, and boiling her blood. They were taunting her, and she refused to rise to the bait.
She didn't know how long their torment went on and she outlasted every evil and despicable thing they could do. They violated her, raped her mind with images no one should have to endure yet she did. At some point it would have to end, either through her giving up, or because they had expended more Force energy than they possessed.
~~ Enough! ~~ The light masters cried out. ~~ This grows wearisome. ~~ The dark masters ceased their abuse and stepped back.
~~ She is breaking ~~ the dark ones snapped.
~~ Never, ~~ she panted out. Her breathing was harsh, and every breath hurt, ~~ You're weak. Too weak to let a little girl get the best of you. ~~
They growled low in their throat and moved forward again. The light masters stepped between them.
~~ Child - ~~
It was the last words they would ever say. Jaden gathered everything she was, every lesson, every pain, every hateful thought and concentrated it into a power stronger than she had ever gathered and shattered the prison they had created within the temple flame. The silver blade of her saber sprang to life and she beheaded the wraith of the light side, setting both pieces on fire with a flame so strong, so hot, their screams of dying pain lasted only a moment and echoed throughout the galaxy.
She saw the dark wraith come out of its stunned stupor and move to attack, but she was ready. Jaden turned and unleashed a torrent of lightning through her blade which caught them off guard enough that she was able to imprison them in a cage of energy that constantly flowed around and through them. When she was certain they wouldn't escape she stepped out of her attack stance and flipped off her saber.
~~ I told you years ago not to underestimate my power if you ever tried to push me again. ~~ She repeatedly flipped the saber in her hand as she circled them. She was ready to collapse but knew she couldn't show any weakness. ~~ Good news for you, you're no longer worth my time; the apprentice has become the Master. Bad news for you, they won't be coming back anytime soon to help you. ~~
Jaden walked to the small pile of ash that had been the Midiclorians of the light. Waving her right hand, she swept them away into oblivion as the dark masters screamed behind her. When she climbed the dais to the flame that was the energy of the Force, now no longer a prison, she raised her left hand and quickly created a fist. Behind her the lightning cage holding the dark side contracted even tighter.
~~ The more you struggle the tighter it becomes. ~~ Hoping to disprove the point they tried gathering their power only to have it ripped away as the lightning intensified and contracted even further.
Jaden turned, gave them a jaunty two finger salute before she stepped into the Force.
"Where's HK?"
"He's not here," Aeden answered after an infinitesimal pause before he threw the shovel of dirt off to the side.
"I can see that. Where is he?"
"Gone."
"It was one job, Cupcake. One fracking job!"
Aeden took a slow deep breath when he felt the pressure of the dark side ease in his chest. He hadn't bothered to turn around, he knew when she arrived and when she left with a huffy sigh. He shook off the last of her darkness and put the blade of the shovel to dirt and using his foot rammed it home with more force than necessary. When a small furry squirrel like animal emerged from the underbrush where he had been digging it laid into him with a chattering monologue that had him stopping and frowning at the creature.
"What the hell are you yelling at me for? It's not my fault. She shouldn't have left Revan's homicidal assassin droid behind." He did pull back the childish urge to stick his tongue out in a petulant manner.
The critter continued to scold him.
"Beat it, you furry vermin!" He snapped with a quick wave of his hand before he glanced over at the bag he had left off to the side.
Six Months Prior
It wasn't long after Jaden had left him in the clinic of the Jedi temple when he felt the power and energy of the Force begin to swirl around the hidden sanctuary on Naboo where he had been contemplating what to do and recovering from the damage she and the dark masters had inflicted on him. Conflicted about what she had said and his own feelings for her had him pacing the stone patio as the intensity of the energy began to permeate his mind and body. His breath backed up in his lungs as he closed his eyes against the brilliant flash of light. Unsure of what would happen he hunched his shoulders in a defensive move as wave after wave of energy rolled through him. Ok, probably not the best place to be, he thought.
~~ I won't leave you defenseless. ~~ whispered through his mind so softly he wasn't sure he heard it.
When the sensations bombarding him passed, he slowly opened his eyes to find himself still in the sanctuary on Naboo, but now it felt empty, the light a little dimmer and as he looked around, his surroundings seemed less clear as if a filter of opaqueness had been spread across the landscape.
"Well damn, I guess this is my hint to make up my mind, huh?" He asked himself.
There was no guarantee what he faced if he returned to the Force. Legions of those he had killed during the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil Wars could be waiting for him, assaulting him at every turn with nightmares he'd rather not relive. He could also find himself in an empty existence, banished into nothingness.
Or, he could follow what his grandfather had taught him about facing his problems, that they never really went away until you did. I won't leave you defenseless, echoed within him. The question was, what did he need to defend himself from, or rather whom, the Republic or the Jedi.
Aeden followed the two Republic soldiers alternating his thoughts between escape routes and accepting he was on his way to the gallows. He had woken in the Jedi med center three days ago, was told he was being transferred to the Republic, and that was that. Apparently, exile wasn't going to be an option since it seemed the Jedi Council decided to expunge any existence of Aeden Zared, General and Master Jedi. He heard some snot nosed little Padawan, one of the ones sent to the Sojourn who thought to bring him to justice, tell one of the other Jedi in the med center. The snide remark didn't even hurt his feelings, and in fact, Aeden saw it as a reprieve, as a clean slate he would no longer have to acknowledge his part in the Jedi Order and the wars that had brought so much suffering to the galaxy. Master Jedi or Sith'ari, as far as the history of the Jedi was concerned, didn't happen. Hadn't Jaden insinuated the history of the Force was riddled with gaps and inconsistencies?
When the Republic soldiers came to take him into custody, he was surprised to find Vandar with them.
"I wish this could have ended differently," he told Aeden.
He only looked at the old Master, keeping his face noncommittal before he nodded to the guards and followed them out of the clinic. He was thankful for Vandar's support over the years and perhaps the old Master understood what had happened with him and Jaden, but he didn't have it in him to acknowledge that.
When they turned away from the detention center and reached one of the hangers at the military base, his thoughts turned more toward a possible escape route as an uncomfortable feeling began to creep through him. Based on the gossip and other comments he had heard over the past few days, being strapped to an engine, or shoved out an airlock wouldn't be out of the question for the Republic to do. He hadn't seen anyone, except the guards so the idea there would be no trial or even a hearing wasn't impossible. The Republic, or some in the Republic taking matters into their own hands was a very real possibility. Seeing Admiral Onasi waiting for him didn't settle his nerves.
"You're dismissed," Carth said when the two soldiers approached with Aeden between them. They hesitated then turned on their heels and left. When they were alone, Carth pointed his blaster at Aeden. "Come with me."
Aeden looked around the hanger to find it was only the two of them and a small shuttle. He was still alive as long as he was talking. "I didn't figure you for the bolt in the back kind of guy," he mentioned as he headed in the direction Carth indicated.
"Don't push it. Easy solutions have their appeal, trust me." He pushed Aeden forward with the barrel. "The Jedi, in typical fashion, deferred to the Republic to solve this, not wanting to get involved. But they are involved, just as the Sith are involved. Or maybe that should be a combined singular tense of those two labels."
A fierce wave of protectiveness rolled through him and Aeden wanted to stop and demand to know what Carth meant by that statement, and to find out what had happened, but something told him he should let it slide. But not entirely, when he said, "So you blame . . .?" He let the question hang in the air.
"Stop here," Carth said indicating the shuttle. Still aiming at Aeden, he stepped around and pressed the button to open the shuttle. "The Republic has suffered enough, the Sith and you can rot in hell for all I care. Your death won't bring back the men you slaughtered – "
"Don't you mean Jaden?"
"Get in," Carth demanded waving at Aeden to board the shuttle.
"So, what? I tried to escape, and the Sojourn destroys the shuttle in my failed attempt? It explodes shortly after leaving the hanger due to," he air-quoted, the shackles on his wrists jingling, "'mechanical' failure? Thanks, but I just assume you shoot me now if you're going to kill me."
"Again, an easy solution to be sure, and as much as I would be celebrated by some for that, I'll pay my debt for Dustil's life and everyone gets what they want." He lowered the blaster and stepped away from the shuttle. "It's a limited time offer and about to run out."
Aeden put his arms out, "Hard to fly in shackles."
"Not my problem," Carth said and watched as Aeden entered the shuttle. "If I see you again, by accident," he paused, "or design, I'm likely to shoot you myself."
Aeden used his elbow to close the shuttle door. "I'll keep that in mind," he muttered when the door closed, and he looked around. It seemed to be space worthy even though it was stripped down to the bare minimum of the pilot's chair, flight panel, and one droid.
"Greetings: It is good to see you again, Master!"
Aeden sighed as he turned his back on HK-47. Great, he thought, you couldn't be nice and give me T3.
"What's the matter Admiral, not willing to pull the trigger yourself after all, huh?" He asked as he moved to the front of the shuttle and sat. "Send the assassin droid, keep your hands clean and Jaden happy," he continued to mutter as he tried to reach the controls with his hands still in restraints. He sat back hard, held out his hands and took a deep breath. "Do you think you can at least fly the shuttle before you shoot me in the back?"
"Statement: Oh Master, I'm not here to shoot you. I have been forbidden to murder you, much to my disappointment." Aeden rolled his eyes before HK went on, "It's maddening that I no longer know my true purpose. Or the purpose my original master built me for." HK moved toward the navigation panel and plugged in.
"Just, get us out of here." Torture, he thought. This was Onasi's form of torture.
"Inquiry: To where are we going?"
"Anywhere!" He snapped. "Anywhere but here."
As the engines roared to life and the shuttle began to lift off HK asked, "I'm curious why you haven't asked me to remove the shackles, it's easy enough for me to do."
Aeden didn't answer, simply closed his eyes, and waited for the kill shot from the Sojourn as they passed the huge capital ship, or the engines to overload as they reached escape velocity from Coruscant, or the strike from HK's disruptor.
When he no longer felt the pull from the planet, he opened his eyes and concentrated on his wrists. When the clasps opened, and the shackles fell away he turned to the droid, "Thanks for the offer, but as you can see, it's not needed." I won't leave you defenseless.
In the weeks that followed, Aeden never stayed in one place for more than 48 hours. At each port he stopped he sent HK to the local bounty office both official and those that proliferated in the underside of each city.
"Query: What is this?" The droid asked when he was handed a small drive.
"Every name I ever used. Make sure to check every one of them on that list"
"Surprised response: Perhaps I misjudged you. Your creative use of subterfuge warms my heart."
Aeden shook his head and set off on his own mission; one he had undertaken at each port. Approaching the financial district, he found the office he was looking for and produced the appropriate ID needed to transfer funds he had stashed here decades ago.
Maybe there had been a part of him that knew something of his future that he didn't, that had him stashing away any money that he collected during his early years with the Jedi and even more so during his exile. Even when he followed Revan during the Mandalorian Wars, he withheld the truth about his financial standing, scoffing when she would ask, or demand to know, if he had any available funds to put toward the war effort.
Now, because he had stashed away funds, he was able to live comfortably for the rest of his life. He didn't know what the future was going to hold, but it would be his.
It took months to finalize the movement of money and making sure his future wouldn't be interrupted by someone looking to cash in on a bounty. He may have killed hundreds if not thousands of people during the war and as the Sith'ari, but that didn't mean he wanted to continue that senseless killing. Jaden left him with his connection to the Force, perhaps stronger that it had been, but it was just there, years ago he had learned to live without it, and he was perfectly happy to live without using it again.
It was about 4 months into his new life when he began to feel restless. He couldn't quite pin down what was making him so antsy, but he knew something was wrong. He would wake up at night in a cold sweat, unsettled, his body aching as if it had been abused, beaten, and scraped raw. He also found he was more heightened to the Force and the energy from others around him. Mostly it didn't bother him, but there were times the sheer strength of the negative energy, the dark side, threatened to overwhelm him. He became ruthless in keeping his barriers against the Force in place almost to the detriment of all else. There were several times when HK would make some comment that brought his goal back into focus. When he was satisfied, he wasn't going to wake up with a blaster at his head or some idiot after a bounty chasing him, he went home.
"Observation: - "
"Zip it, rust bucket," he snapped knowing the droid would make some disparaging comment. They stood at the end of a dirt road, looking at the home that had belonged to his grandfather. He bought the old place as a private buyer when his mother was selling it after the old man had died. Memories flooded through him of the time he spent with the only father figure he had known. His grandfather taught him to fish, hunt, fix a boat and fire a blaster. He had told story after story about brave and daring deeds of adventurers. As a young boy his mind was filled with exciting tales and when Kavar had shown up to take him to the temple that's what he pictured his life as a Jedi would be.
Setting aside the childish beliefs, he took a deep breath and savored the scent of the ocean filling his nostrils and let the sound of the crashing waves wash over him. The house itself wasn't spectacular but it was livable for now and he had the funds to turn it into what he wanted. He was surprised that many of the ideas he had as a child still fit the grown man. When he walked through the front door, he immediately knew he would replace the back windows with a wall of doors, ones that would open to the view of the cliff the house sat on and the ocean beyond. The deck needed repair and the stairs to the beach rebuilt, having crumbled over the years. As he moved through the rooms, he made mental notes of things that needed to be done and quickly decided it would be better to write it down. He had someone look after the place, but only the bare maintenance had been done to keep it standing. It was daunting, but he smiled looking forward to the hard work ahead of him.
And it was hard work, from finding the locals to help him to the tough manual labor that had him falling into the old bed of his grandfather half asleep before his head hit the pillow. Some things would have gone faster if he used the Force, but he wanted the satisfaction knowing he had done the work himself. The only time he did use the Force, was to rebuild the staircase to the beach. Being able to hold the structure in place while he worked on it was invaluable. He may have decided to not use the Force on a daily basis, but he wasn't stubborn enough to not use it when it made the most sense, and this was that time. It took four days of his time, but when he reached the top and placed the last board on the stair frame, he felt good. It was progress, not just on the house, but for himself as well. The feelings of restlessness had abated, the dull throbbing ache he had been carrying around now felt like his own due to the hard work he was doing, and not the nebulous pain that would spike through him off and on through the Force. As he had over the past few months, when he felt that spike of pain, he ruthlessly shoved his thoughts aside and redoubled his barriers.
What may have made all this possible was the fact that he had sent HK out on various errands, which the droid complained about, or sent HK to go check on other bounties that may be out there, which the droid complained about because he wasn't cashing in on any of them, but Aeden ignored the complaints and the whines and often wondered where that part of the droids personality had come from. He knew Revan had programed the sarcastic responses and insults which could be as lethal as HK's assassination protocols, but he hadn't remembered complaints. Or the increasingly erratic behavior.
It happened on one of the rare days off he allowed himself. He had sent the workers home and spent some time sitting on the beach, drowning a worm or two and watching boats go by. He was at the end of the road, but the small town was still close enough that he could easily walk and get what he needed. When he returned to the house, HK was wandering in a circle on the deck mumbling something in a language he reluctantly recognized.
"What the hell," he muttered as he put down the bag he carried and went to the droid and demanded to know what was going on. HK continued to mumble as he wandered in a circle. Aeden reached out to stop the momentum and felt a surge of electricity spark from HK into his palm. Swearing he shook away the pain. "HK, shut down!" When that didn't work and the droid continued to wander in a circle, Aeden sighed. "HK, Dún síos."
HK stopped wandering and became rigid, straighter than a soldier at attention. When the droid began to vibrate and shake, Aeden began to step back. "Systems failing, Master!"
"Well, shit!" Aeden muttered before raising a barrier around HK to contain the explosion. Even with the shield, Aeden found himself tossed from his feet, his head hitting a low table before he finally came to rest on the pile of splintered wood. Waving away the dust and coughing, he slowly sat up and looked toward the sparking orb where HK once stood. He collapsed the barrier, once again coughing against the smoke and burnt metal odor emanating from the pile of what was now, orange scrap metal. He wasn't hurt, just sore from being tossed back, but he was slow to stand and approach the remains of the droid. His arms akimbo, he began to wonder what the hell had happened. A myriad of ideas snapped through his head. Was this a trap set by the Republic? He didn't think so, it didn't make sense to have HK self-destruct months after Onasi released him. Someone from a bounty office setting a trap for him, but it was doubtful considering HK wouldn't let anyone near enough to tamper with his programming. "Damnit," he whispered. He couldn't worry about it now.
Still waving away the last of the dust and smoke dancing on the air, he grabbed a bottle of ale, flipped the top off and downed half of it in one swallow. As he headed out to the deck, he noticed a small data pad among the wreckage of the droid, a green light pulsing on and off. Kicking away some of the still smoldering pieces of metal he bent down and picked up the smaller than usual pad. Sitting down, studying the blank screen, a feeling of foreboding crept over him.
"Maybe you're the answer as to why HK just self-destructed." He set the bottle aside and thumbed on the switch.
I am Jaden. The living representation of millennia of Force embodiers . . .
Aeden dropped the pad as if it struck out and bit him, scrambled out of the chair and stepped away. "Shit," he whispered looking between the rubble that was HK and the data pad now resting on the deck. "Shit, shit, shit."
That had been a few weeks ago and a day since Jaden popped in looking for HK. Now Aeden sat on the deck and waited. She'd be back, and he was ready. After everything his life had been, he was surprised he had to gain some discipline to not read the rest of the data pad. He thought he had worked through the conflict he felt about what it represented but after Jaden's appearance yesterday, he realized all he had done was deny the conflict was still there. So now he waited.
Aeden kept his eyes closed when he felt her appear and sit in the chair near his.
"Where is HK?"
"Gone," he said casually as he quietly pushed back against the maelstrom that was surrounding her. Anger, fear, pain, overwhelming pain, and a bone deep sadness threatened to swamp him.
"Aeden…please," she whispered.
Unable to stand the emotion battering at him he stood up and went in the house. When he reached the kitchen, he took several shallow breaths and shored up any defenses he had. There was more here, the question was did he want to know. He poured two glasses of wine and slid the data pad that had sat on the counter for weeks, in his back pocket.
Jaden, fully immersed in the dark side now that she had destroyed the light masters, fought against the urge to lay waste to Aeden and everything around him. She needed the data pad and every moment he didn't turn it over brought her, the Force, to the brink. She hadn't spent the last year trying to restore balance just for him to be contrary and petty. The dark masters were straining against the prison she had built for them and while she was confident, they wouldn't escape, their efforts were exhausting, and she still had one last thing to do.
When Aeden set the glass down she unconsciously reached for it and found her wrist in a vice like grip.
"What the hell?"
Awareness flashed into her mind, and she tried to pulled back her arm, but his grip was too strong. "It's nothing," she told him. "I need HK!"
"Nothing?" he asked as he watched the spider-like red welts move under her skin. He recognized what it was; the same poison the dark side had infused him with. "What did they do?" he demanded.
"Let me go!"
Aeden raised his hand and pushed back against her attempt to shove him away. "What. Did. They. Do?"
Her eyes narrowed as she told him, "They tortured me, they ambushed me when I returned to the Valley of the Jedi, they imprisoned me and forced me to endure unspeakable pain and anguish. What did you expect?"
"Darling…" he began as he let go of her arm and sat down.
"Don't!" Jaden snapped looking away as she rubbed her arm. This wasn't the worse of what was screaming through her system and where it would have been lethal to him, it only fueled her need to finish what she started.
"What happened?" he asked softly.
"It doesn't – "
"Darling, stupid isn't a good look for you," he snapped.
Hearing his favorite phrase when it came to her was what she needed, as an overwhelming sense of the ridiculous flooded through her. Her chuckle caught them both off guard as she looked over at him. My soul belongs to you, whispered through her mind. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back and told him every excruciating detail. "– And once again, they underestimated me. The light masters are finished, banished to an unknowable history, the dark? Well, they're in a prison of their own design." She shrugged, "There's no turning back."
"You've made sure of that," he accused as he stared straight ahead a myriad of thoughts zipping through his mind.
Recognizing his tone, she said, "I don't want to argue with you about this. You of all people understand the damage that has been done, the damage that I have done as the Force, as their instrument of…" She let the thought die. She buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath. Her control was slipping and that wasn't a good thing. Jaden heard him get out of the chair and when she opened her eyes, he was holding the data pad. She looked up into deep blue eyes, full of understanding and sorrow.
"It doesn't mean I have to like it." He dropped the pad on the table, turned and headed for the stairs to the beach.
She watched him disappear and sighed, "You're the last thing I want to hurt," she whispered. "Or lose," she added. Jaden knew he needed time, so she sat back, turned the switch on the pad and added the last of the final accord.
Aeden stood on the shore, his hands in his pockets as he watched the moonlight shimmer off the waves as they crashed against the beach. He was confused and angry that something he was taught to respect, to use judiciously, the light side, was petty, self-serving, and cruel. Even as the Sith'ari, striking at his enemies, he didn't think he had done so with such abandon, had he? How many times had Radha accused him of letting his Jedi show? Jaden told him he would never understand the power of the dark side, that's why he failed. Maybe what she should have said was he never understood the full power of the Force. None of them had. But here he stood able to use and manipulate the one power in the galaxy that caused the most harm. Even knowing that, knowing the final accord needed to be in place to end the damage the masters caused, he still fought against losing Jaden, their weapon, and the shield they forged.
"Aeden," he stiffened when she said his name. "What happened to HK?" Jaden stepped beside him, hitching her thumb over her shoulder. "Why is he the firepit on your deck?"
A ridiculous amount of comical relief flooded through his system. He sank to his knees unable to breathe through the laughter choking him.
"What is wrong with you?" she demanded right before he pulled her down beside him and held her close.
"Ah, Darling," he said still chuckling.
"What?"
"I figured it was a fitting end after he tried to take me out with him."
"Huh?"
Aeden sobered. "For weeks, I felt on edge, that something was wrong. I thought it was just me, but now that you told what happened, well."
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "If I had known restoring your connection would have caused you harm…"
He waved away her concern. "Anyway, I came back from town. HK was walking in circles, acting strange, well, stranger than normal," he shrugged. "Once the smoke cleared, I found the data pad." Jaden let go of his hand and stood. "He was too far gone to try and salvage, so…now he's a firepit." Aeden stood as he watched her shake her head and sigh.
"He was a loose end," she muttered.
Aeden studied her, committing everything about her to memory. "Don't do this."
She closed her eyes against the emotion his quiet words caused. Steeling herself against the kernel of doubt she was doing the right thing, she turned to him, kissed his cheek, and began backing away.
"Ego non relinquam te," she told him, "Ad dominum meum."
Aeden nodded then watched her turn and fade from view. "I won't leave you," he echoed, "My soul belongs to you."
When she returned to the temple, she wasn't really surprised that the prison she had created for the dark masters was significantly smaller. They had continued to struggle against the energy and renewed their effort when they saw her approach. Jaden crossed her arms and watched for a few minutes before shaking her head and rolling her eyes.
~~ You'll regret this! ~~
~~ You're right, ~~ she answered thinking of her friends, of Carth and what they shared, of Aeden. ~~ I probably will. ~~ She produced the data pad and waved it in front of them. ~~ But I won't regret ending the reign of destruction,~~ she paused wondering if it was right to include the light and decided it was, ~~ both sides engineered for millennia for your own selfish means upon the sentient beings of the galaxy. ~~
The dark masters turned feral. Jaden could feel them trying in vain to gather whatever scraps of their dark side power was left. As their prison continued to constrict, Jaden shook her head as she turned her back on them, on everything she had ever been.
Tossing the data pad into the energy of the Force, she let the explosion of power blow through her, felt the foundation of the temple tremble, the walls begin to crumble, the death throes of the dark masters, and she whispered.
"I am Jaden. The living representation of millennia of Force embodiers before me. I am the last True Jedi. I am the last Sith'ari."
Authors Note:
Well, this is it, the end of a year's long effort. I've had this final chapter written for some time, went back and forth about it, and realized that was largely due to knowing this would be the end of Jaden and a story I've spent so much time with, seriously, years! (It'll begin to feel like an empty nest.)
For those of you have been here from the beginning and continued through the end, thank you, thank you, thank you! Your faith in me is appreciated and I hope this final chapter meets your expectations.
If you're new to Healing the Force, it's starts at Chapter One and I hope you'll take the time to read and hopefully find it enjoyable.
Thank you again, for the support and reviews that have been so helpful over the years. - Adylinj
