15 years earlier, Dathomir…
"A girl, and a boy," Nova said, looking down at Freya her facial markings slick with sweat. Nova got nervous when Mother Talzin strode in to see her holding a baby girl and baby boy. She hoped that the boy could be returned to his father, instead of being slaughtered. Mother Talzin gave a squeeze to an exhausted Freya's hand, as she smiled, dazed. She stared down at the squirming children in Nova's arms,
"Have you chosen names yet sister?" Talzin asked. Freya nodded,
"For the girl, Jade, for the boy, Xavier," she said, Nova handing Jade to her, clutching Xavier tightly. The baby cooed, stretching a red tattooed hand towards her face. The baby gently clasped her finger. Talzin continued to stare at Xavier, paying little attention to Jade, trying to decide what to do with him.
"Return the boy to his father," Nova let out an internal silent sigh of relief, they wouldn't have to kill him. "Nova, can you get the boy to his father?"
"Yes Mother," she replied, Xavier cooed again, reaching up for Mother Talzin. Nova quickly moved the baby's arm back into his blanket, Freya hadn't even looked at Xavier, but that's what happened in the clan when a woman birthed a male. They were shunned and shamed for not bringing another girl into the clan, but since Freya was one of their best warriors, and had birthed a girl, Mother Talzin didn't seem to care. Nova carried Xavier away, "Don't worry little one, you'll be with your father soon." she whispered,
Present-day, the Triumph…
Wolffe held the wires of the broken starfighter with one hand, holding the other one out for a tool Xavier was supposed to hand him.
"Kid, can you hand me the hydrospanner?" he scrunched his hand a couple times trying to get his attention. "Commander," Xavier continued to ignore him. Wolffe sighed, finally rolling out from under the fighter, "Galaxy to Wolffe pup," he saw Xavier slumped over the toolbox, flinching in a dream. "Commander," he shook him gently, he mumbled in his sleep, flinching away from his touch.
"Dad," he mumbled, "I don't wanna leave him," Wolffe shook him a little harder,
"Kid, wake up," Wolffe shook him a little harder and Xavier finally shot up, "You ok?" Xavier looked around panickedly before calming down seeing he was in the hanger,
"Uh- yeah, bad dream, sorry," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. Wolffe grabbed the hydrospanner from the toolbox, Xavier had been having a lot of nightmares lately. He wondered what was going on in that kid's head sometimes.
"You wanna talk about it?" he asked, rolling back under the fighter.
"It's ok, I've been having that one since I was little. It's been coming up more frequently," he replied, tucking his knees underneath his chin.
"Well, I'm no Jedi, if it's really a problem you should probably talk to General Plo about it." Xavier nodded, he knew he should talk to Master Plo about it, but he didn't want to talk about it, but he wasn't gonna get any answers if he didn't ask.
A few hours later…
"Master Plo, are Jedi allowed to look for their birth family?" Xavier asked. Plo looked up from the chart of Sullust.
"Why do you ask?"
"I dunno, I have to come from somewhere, right? I know my dad's dead, but I've wondered about my mom. The nightsisters didn't kill me for a reason… I just want to know where I come from."
"Jedi are not really supposed to look for their birth family, besides, we wouldn't know where to look for them."
"How come Esinon gets to know her parents? If she gets to know hers, then why can't I go looking for mine?" he asked, sitting up a little straighter, feeling frustrated,
"Esinon is a special case, Xavier," Master Plo replied, trying to diffuse the situation. "Since her parents live on the same planet as her, she can't exactly help it."
"So my parents have to live on Coruscant for me to see them? To know who I am?"
"Xavier-"
"I'm going to my room, call me when we get to Sullust," he said, stalking out of the control room. Most of the troopers he passed shrunk back into the rooms they came from when their angry zabrak Commander stormed down the halls. It was unfair that Esinon got to know her home, her parents, and he was left in the dark. Was his childhood perfect? No, it was terrible, and traumatizing, frankly- but, he was kept alive for a reason… and he was going to find out why.
A few hours later…
Xavier fired at a pair of vulture droids as he pulled up over the bridge. He managed to hit the first, he flew through the explosion and fired, taking out the second. He pulled around the cruiser to fall in sync with Master Plo, he felt his ship jolt, he glanced behind him to see Ventress.
"Ventress," he growled,
"Split up," Master Plo commanded, the two fighters split apart, Ventress trailing Xavier.
"Looks like I'm Ventress's favorite!" Master Plo didn't respond. Of course, Ventress would trail him. Ever since the beginning of his padawan ship, he had always been Ventress's favorite, he guessed some things from their home planet couldn't be overcome. Xavier knew he couldn't do a ton while his ship was trailing smoke, but at least he didn't have eight droids trailing him as Master Plo did. He accelerated as they raced over the Republic cruiser, he dodged more fire from Ventress as the night sister drew closer and closer. Another blast almost hit his ship, he sighed, he needed help. "Master Plo! I'm gonna need some help!"
"Where are you?" He dove underneath the cruiser, heading towards a Separatist frigate; if she was gonna shoot at him, at least she would destroy her ship. POW!
"I'm hit!" he shouted, "I'm heading towards the Separatist flagship."
"I see you," Master Plo said, "I've got her," Xavier had completely lost control of his ship as he streaked into the hangar of the Separatist flagship. He came to a bumpy stop, most of the ship now on fire, and the cockpit starting to flood with smoke.
Xavier sucked in a quick breath, trying to pry open the hatch. He spotted Master Plo's ship entering the hangar, his Master quickly coming to his padawan's aid.
He helped Xavier pull the canopy off, and R7 came over, spraying him with a fire extinguisher,
"Thank you! Thank you R7, that's enough," Xavier coughed, waving extinguisher smoke from his face. He climbed out of his fighter, they both ignited their lightsabers as they started towards Ventress's fighter. She heaved herself out of her fighter, gripping her ribs.
"You're not looking well Ventress," Master Plo remarked,
"She never does," Xavier mumbled, but his Master decided to ignore his off-handed comments for the time being.
"Surrender Ventress, you have failed," he commanded,
"Never," she snarled, drawing her sabers and smashing them down upon the two Jedi. She flipped behind them, beginning to savagely attack, before beginning to back away, swinging her sabers defensively. Xavier wasn't willing to wait for her to attack, so he took matters into his own hands.
He lunged forward smashing his saber down upon Ventress's, she used the force to shove him back, and then it was Master Plo's turn. He leaped towards Ventress, one, two, jump, she used the force to throw him halfway across the hanger. Xavier lunged forward, teeth bared, "Your thoughts betray you," she cooed, as he pressed his saber harder against hers, shoving her towards the wall. He tried to push all thoughts of his family out of his mind, "You think of our home,"
"You don't know what goes on in my head," Xavier growled, throwing a kick to her chest. She pulled herself to her feet, breathing heavily, "You will never understand."
"You want to know where you come from, Xavier Grerum, I can help with that." He gripped his saber tightly, he should attack while her defenses were down,
"How?" he growled,
"I know who your mother is," she said, lowering her sabers slightly, he did the same, "Her name is Freya. Fifteen years ago, today, your mother gave birth to two children. Fifteen years ago today, your mother gave birth to you, and your sister." He froze, he had a sister? A twin sister? No, no, Ventress was lying, she had to be. How could she know his family, and did the Jedi know?
"Xavier!" Master Plo shouted, Xavier listened this time and slammed his saber down against Ventress's, using the force to throw her around him. She crashed into her fighter, she pulled herself up from her knees, clutching both arms around her ribs.
She screamed in rage, using the force to choke both of them. Xavier grappled at the invisible hands closing around his windpipe, a loud booming sounded from outside the ship and it shook and shuddered. It was enough to make Ventress drop both of them.
The flagship was being shot to pieces, and it was dipping to the right. The two Jedi crept forward towards Ventress, before taking turns lunging towards the night sister. The ship shook again, the two Jedi turned their heads to see a vulture droid streaking towards them.
They leapt out of the way as the ship dived downward. "Xavier! We have to go," Master Plo said, he struggled to his feet staring at Ventress.
"Are you telling the truth? About my mother?" he asked, clenching his teeth, Ventress didn't answer, "Tell me NOW!"
"Every word of it is true. Go to Dathomir if you don't believe me." she panted,
"Xavier! We have to go now!" Plo shouted, the padawan finally conceded, running to his fighter and escaping with his Master.
A few days later…
He had dug into his file, it was true. Every word. He had a twin sister, and his mother was still alive and well on Dathomir.
Why had the Jedi lied to him?
He threw another angry punch into the bag, repeatedly kicking and punching it.
He had been avoiding Master Plo all day, had he known? If he had known and denied him all the times that he had asked about his family, Xavier didn't know if he could forgive the Jedi.
"The bag is not a worthy opponent," he heard a voice say, he looked over to see Barriss standing in the doorway. She had probably noticed he had been gone from the apartment all day when he hadn't been sparring, he had been hunkering down in Esinon and Ahsoka's apartment.
"What else am I supposed to spar?" Xavier asked, throwing another punch to the bag, which missed and he stumbled forward. He wouldn't have missed if the senior Mirialan padawan hadn't used the force to remove his punching bag.
"You can spar me," she replied, folding her hands after placing the punching bag in the corner. Xavier doesn't exactly want to spar Barriss, since he wanted to punch something, and Barriss was more of a lightsaber and force use kind of gal, rather than a hand to hand.
"Are you sure? Don't you have a med check-in, in an hour?" he asked, tightening the wrappings on his hands.
"Positive," she replied, drawing her saber, Xavier drew his saber, igniting his emerald blade. He lunged at her, but she swiftly dodged it, Bariss was an excellent swordsman. Their sabers clashed sending sparks flying, Xavier flipped over Barriss, trying to land a kick, she spun out of the way, he stumbled forward, giving Barriss enough time to shove him to the ground and send him sprawling. "You're distracted,"
"Look who just caught up," he grumbled, jumping to his feet. He threw a couple of jabs at Barriss which she easily dodged,
"You won't get anywhere distracted, so tell me what's on your mind," she said, catching his fist. She was a lot stronger than she looked, he tried to pull free, but she twisted his arm behind him. "Tell me." She let go, Xavier put his hands on the back of his head pacing the room frustratedly.
"I found out that I have a twin sister," he said, running his hands down his face. "After all the times I asked Master Plo if I had any other family, any at all. He said no, and here I find out from Ventress that I have a twin sister. Not the way I was hoping to find out," He sat down on the training mats, resting his elbows on his knees. Barriss sat down next to him,
"And you're angry?" she asked,
"You could say that," he mumbled,
"At least you know where you come from. That's half of knowing who you are, and half as much as most of us will know," she said, getting up and leaving the training room.
A few days later…
"Double whammy," Echo mumbled, noticing Esinon hanging upside down from his bunk, her brow furrowed in her signature crinkle. "What's wrong?"
"Hmm?" she asked, "Oh, nothing's wrong, why would you think anything's wro-" he tapped the center of her forehead,
"Crinkle, you can't hide from me vod'ika." he said, "So what's wrong?" She pulled herself up from her upside-down position and sat cross-legged on his bed.
"Well, Xavier just told me he found out he has a twin sister."
"A sister?" Esinon nodded,
"A night sister,"
"Who told him?" Echo asked,
"Ventress,"
"And he believed her?" he asked in shock, she nodded,
"Well, he dug up his file in the temple, and he has a mother, sister, and father… when Master Plo and the other Jedi told him otherwise. He's understandably angry." she said, twirling a wispy around her finger.
"I would be too if I had a sister that I didn't know about," Echo replied, she nodded, her brow furrowing. "Why didn't the Jedi tell him? Wolffe said that Commander Grerum always wanted to know more about his family." She shrugged her shoulders,
"Something about a rule of attachments I don't understand the way I should. Jedi aren't really supposed to know their birth families. I'm a special case." she mumbled, "I just don't know what to do, he's upset and at odds with Master Plo and Master Kenobi."
"Well where has Xavier been while you've dealt with all the stuff with your parents?" he asked, she sighed smiling,
"Right by my side,"
"So I would suggest that you stay by his side," he replied, patting her knee. She got a big grin on her face, jumping off the bunk,
"You're right,"
"I usually am," he smirked, she rolled her eyes fondly,
"I'm gonna go see him now, thanks Echo." she said, running towards the exit, her comlink buzzed and she stopped in her tracks. "Windcaster," Xavier's voice came over the comlink,
"Esinon," he paused, sucking in a harsh breath, his voice choked with tears. Her stomach flipped,
"Xavier, what's wrong?" she asked slowly,
"It's Knox- he's dead," the comlink went dark, no… no, no, no, not Knox. He couldn't be dead, not her clan member, not the sweet little nautolan who had been the first to talk to her when she finally got assigned.
"No, no, no," she whispered, shaking her head and backing towards the door. Echo reached out an arm towards her, "He can't be dead, he can't be," she murmured, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Esinon…"
"He can't be dead!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face. Echo pulled her to a tight hug, one hand on her head,
"It's ok," he whispered, her whole body shaking with sobs,
"He can't be dead," she whimpered,
"It's ok, it's gonna be ok," Echo looked up to see Fives entering the barracks. He looked confusedly and worriedly down at the trembling padawan in his arms. Echo quickly signed to him,
'Her clan member Knox died,' Fives nodded and walked over and pulled Echo into a hug, smushing Esinon in the middle.
"He can't be dead," she whispered,
"It'll be alright Taz, I promise," Fives whispered,
The next day…
Esinon gripped Xavier's hand tightly as a shuttle pulled down to the landing bay, a group of clone commandos came down the catwalk, flanked by two coffins.
"There were no survivors on Devaron," Boss reported, Esinon placed her hand on Knox's casket, she leaned in close,
"Say hello to Qui-Gon for me," she whispered,
"Everyone was killed, including Master Halsey and his padawan."
"In the past, only Dooku's assassin was capable of such efforts but she was presumed dead at the battle of Sullust." Master Gallia remarked, Obi-Wan glanced at her,
'How are you holding up?' he asked through their bond. She hadn't had much time to talk to Knox after the war started, but before, they had been almost inseparable.
'I'll be alright, I want to find whoever killed them before they hurt anyone else.' she replied, he nodded, turning his attention back to Delta and the coffins. The funeral probably wouldn't be a few days.
"Not everything is not what it seems." Master Plo said she heard Xavier scoff. Everything surrounding his family right now was still tender, and Knox's death wasn't helping. "There may be a new threat. Something or someone has eluded us… perhaps a newly appointed Sith lord." Esinon's stomach dropped, they did not need another Sith lord, not after only just killing Ventress… unless she was still alive.
"This is not the work of a Sith Lord or a Jedi." Obi-Wan began, "But a reckless, impulsive, animal." She felt Xavier's hand flinch, she knew how many people had looked at him like that. A zabrak from Dathomir, his red skin, so many people only saw him as an animal. She squeezed his hand reassuringly, Master Kenobi hadn't meant to hurt Xavier's feelings, there was a lot that the young zabrak liked to keep to himself.
Despite Xavier being a generally loud person, he was quiet about his past and didn't like it when people brought up Ventress and the nightsisters. It must have been weird to know he has a sister of the people who murdered his father. They all made their way back inside, getting out of the rain that pounded over their heads.
A few days later…
Esinon was shocked when she received her briefing. She was being sent to Dathomir to investigate the massacre on Devaron, which was going to be difficult in of itself because of Knox's death which was still fresh, but they figured out who killed Master Halsey and Knox.
A massive zabrak… from Xavier's village on Dathomir. Let's just say Xavier didn't take that well, especially all the looks he had been getting in the temple recently. It had taken a long sparring session with Wolffe to keep him from snapping.
Xavier got quiet when he was angry, what shocked her more was the fact that he was being sent with her to Dathomir.
Yes, it wasn't a good idea to send her alone to a planet full of witches and aggressive men, but sending Xavier with her?
Could the council be more insensitive? To be honest ever since the war had started, the council seemed out of touch with their fellow Jedi. Some of their methods she had questions about, some of the parts of the code she had questions about. But oftentimes, she was just a kid with a lot of questions, and she didn't get a lot of answers.
What further shocked her is that their respective Master's weren't coming with them. Cody was not gonna be happy. Esinon pulled the ship down through the atmosphere, she needed to heed Echo's advice and be there for Xavier right now. She pulled down over towards the mountains,
"There's my village," Xavier mumbled, as they flew towards the village tucked into the mountains,
"Do you think they'll remember you?" she asked tentatively,
"I'm not sure, my father was considered sort of a maverick," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. They walked out of the ship, starting into the village, "I would be on guard, just in case they don't." She nodded, hopefully, the men wouldn't attack them. She knew that females were dominant on this planet, so the males might be afraid of her. "Let me handle the negotiations." They finally reached the village center and a bunch of zabraks jumped down from the surrounding roofs pointing large spears at the two Jedi padawans. Xavier shifted his eyes calmly among his people, "My name is Xavier Grerum, son of Aziel Grerum. I have returned." He put a hand on Esinon's shoulder, noticing her fingers were tingling over her lightsaber. The chief of the village stepped out from his hiding spot on a roof,
"Xavier? Is that really you?"
"Yes brother Viscus, it is me." Viscus jumped down from his spot, slowly approaching Xavier as the brothers parted. He placed a hand on Xavier's cheek, studying his deep amethyst eyes.
"It really is you," he whispered, he glanced at Esinon who was shifting her eyes warily among the muscular men. "Who is this," he growled,
"My friend brother, we have come here for answers."
"What could Jedi want from us?" he asked, still keeping one eye on Esinon.
"We need information," she said, stepping forward, her negotiator upbringing taking over. "A man from this village murdered two Jedi. We need to know where he is."
"What makes you think he's one of ours?" Viscus asked Xavier sighed,
"The Jedi council knows he's from our village. We've seen him," he explained, Viscus sighed, running a tired hand down his face.
"Mother Talzin should know of his whereabouts. One of her women took him as a mate," he replied,
"We are sorry for the intrusion," Esinon said, "Thank you for not attacking us." All of the men looked around at each other, the crowd parting as the strong female walked amongst them. She strode towards the ship, "Are you coming, Xavier?" He nodded,
"I'll be there in a second," he replied, she nodded, giving him some space and reentering the ship. Xavier turned back to Viscus,
"You came here for answers, I hope you find what you're looking for Xavier," he said, resting a hand on his shoulder. Xavier nodded, "Your father was a good man, he would be very proud of you."
"I know," he whispered, "Thank you Viscus." He nodded and watched Xavier enter the ship and the two Jedi take off.
"Who's Mother Talzin?" Esinon asked,
"She's the leader of an ancient order of witches that live here called the nightsisters."
"Your planet is all kind of fun, warrior-like men, witches," she mumbled,
"I'm glad you think so," Xavier teased,
A few minutes later…
The fact that they were about to see Mother Talzin and the night sister, along with possibly his mother and sister was certainly enough to get both of his hearts pumping into his throat. Esinon pulled the ship down for a smooth landing,
"I don't know a ton about Mother Talzin, but don't expect to be welcome here," Xavier said,
"I can always have a little girl to girl talk with her if things don't work out," Esinon replied, tossing her lightsaber up and catching it.
"I'm not gonna count on your negotiating skills," he grumbled,
"I am the Negotiator's padawan, I got his."
"Mother Talzin and the nightsisters are more of a kill now, ask questions later."
"It'll be fine," Esinon reassured him, 'probably.' She was concerned about running into Xavier's family here. Viscus hadn't seemed very happy when he had had to leave. They got off the ship walking through the mist and red bare-boned trees. Esinon could sense life all around her, she took a deep breath, sensing Xavier's anxiety. He suddenly put a hand out in front of her, glancing up at a bare tree branch where two red-cloaked heads disappeared,
"Careful, we've got company," he whispered, several night sister leapt down from the trees, aiming knives and bow and arrows at the two Jedi. They both held up their hands in a placating gesture as the nightsisters snatched their lightsabers. She could see Xavier's eyes shifting, he was trying hard not to let fear creep up into his throat while surrounded by the people who had murdered his father. A sister behind them, proded their backs with her knives,
"Come with us Jedi," she said, her voice slightly echoing. They were led up a set of stairs into a large temple, bow and arrows growing increasingly closer to them as they entered a small room where Mother Talzin was seated at a table.
"Padawan Windcaster, welcome." she greeted, how she knew Esinon's name, she didn't know.
"Mother Talzin, thank you for your hospitality," Esinon replied, putting a hand on Xavier's shoulder, he hadn't said a word since they entered.
"I believe you have a question for me." Mother Talzin said, rising from her chair, her red robes fluttering around her.
"Yes, you're right. We have reports of a Dathomir male on the loose. He already killed two Jedi, perhaps you know who he is?"
"Master Jedi, we have no control over the males-"
"That is NOT true," Xavier snarled, leaping out of his chair. Instantly every weapon in the room was trained on him. "You reigned supreme over my village for years. You killed my father,"
"Our clan has been in exile for years," Esinon pushed Xavier back into his chair, rising out of her own. She placed her hands on the table, leaning towards the regal night sister,
"Don't play innocent with me Mother. We know that females are dominant on this planet. I know that nothing here happens without your clan knowing about it." she said,
"To think Jedi collect their facts from mere rumors."
"So all our years of study at the temple and my friend's first-hand accounts of your reign of terror are just rumors Mother? And you call two dead Jedi rumors? One of them was our friend. We don't wish to quarrel with you, just tell us where the male is and we'll be on our way." Mother Talzin made her way back to her seat, where a crystal ball was waiting, she waved her hands over it, closing her eyes and falling into some sort of trance.
"Savage." she murmured, the yellow-skinned zabrak appeared, "Savage Opress."
"Mother?" Talzin opened her eyes looking at Esinon,
"You will find him on Toydaria."
"Thank you," Esinon said, calling her saber to her hand.
"I have another question," Xavier said, this wasn't the best time, every second they wasted they could lose Savage!
"You have many questions and too little time," Mother Talzin replied, Esinon's mind was racing, how could she get Savage and get Xavier the answers he needed.
"Xavier, stay here, I'll come back and get you soon as I have custody of Savage."
"Esinon, are you sure?" she nodded,
"Positive, Mother, may I have a quick word?" Esinon asked, Mother Talzin nodded, they went off to a secluded corner. "If you even so much as touch him, trust me, there is no place in the galaxy you can hide from me." Talzin smiled softly,
"You have a great fire in you little one, it will serve you well." Esinon glared at her for a moment and sprinted out of the temple and onto the ship. To Toydaria.
Xavier shifted in his seat uncomfortably in his chair as Mother Talzin returned,
"Child, what do you seek?" she asked, Xavier sat up a little straighter.
"Fifteen years ago, twins were born to a woman of this clan. My intel says her name is Freya, she mated with a man named Aziel Grerum. I want to see my mother and sister." he demanded,
"Grerum… I remember you." she said, "Come with me, I will bring you to your mother and sister." Mother Talzin rose to her feet, walking out the room with Xavier close on her tail. He felt bad for leaving Esinon to take Savage, but he knew that she could handle herself. Xavier followed Mother Talzin through the opening cavern, past different nightsisters, and green swirling pools. "Why do you wish to find your family now?"
"I recently discovered about my sister, from one of your own actually," he said, his eyes still shifting warily among the nightsisters that surrounded him.
"Do you remember her name?"
"Ventress, she was presumed dead at the battle of Sullust." Talzin nodded thoughtfully, they finally reached a pair of red-clad night sister. The first was visibly older with a long red train surrounding her legs, and her face was visible with no hood covering it like the latter.
"Xavier, this is your mother Freya, and your sister Jade." Jade gave him a slight nod, but Freya just glared at him. Mother Talzin nodded to them both before leaving,
"It's nice-"
"Don't start." Freya growled, "You bring shame on me, you bring shame on your sister, you bring shame on this clan with your incompetent filth." She snarled, storming away. Xavier hung his head,
"I've always wanted to meet you," Jade said quietly, Xavier looked up at her. She removed the hood from her head, she blinked her amethyst eyes a few times.
"Really?" She nodded slowly, her eyes shifted around the room noticing the number of eyes that had fallen on them.
"Come on," she grabbed his wrist and pulled him through the cavern until they reached a secluded section. "Sorry about Mom, things are… different here." She said, sitting down in front of a swirling green pool, Xavier sat down next to her. "When one of us gives birth to a male, it brings shame down upon the mother and the clan. That's why mom got upset."
"I get it, I spent a long time being upset about…" he motioned around him, "all of this."
"Mom never talked about you, I found out from Nova when I kept having visions of you."
"You're force sensitive?" he asked, surprised that both he and his sister hadn't been taken. Jade nodded,
"Makes sense since we're twins, the Jedi never came to collect me though." She took a deep breath, drawing her knees to her chest, "How'd you find out about me?"
"I started asking around at the temple, I found out from Ventress. She's dead now, but… I did some digging at the temple and found my file where they had both you and our mom recorded when they told me otherwise." He sighed, he could tell she was sensing his anger, "Sorry,"
"It's alright when I asked about other family, mom would get angry, and when I'd ask mother, she'd shush me and send me on my way. It's… strict here."
"You don't like it?" he asked,
"We don't get to leave Dathomir. I doubt that in all the time I'll exist in the galaxy, I'll ever leave Dathomir. Your ship, it's actually one of the few I've ever seen." she said, she looked over at him, "What's it like out there? In the galaxy? How many planets have you been to? How many kinds of people are there? Are they nice?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down," he teased, smiling at his curious sister. "Well, when I'm not fighting in the war… the galaxy is incredible. There are so many people and places, and some people are mean, but there are a lot of great people in the galaxy. It's incredible,"
"What's been your favorite place?" she asked, her amethyst eyes wide with wonder.
"Ilum, it's where Jedi younglings go to get their kyber crystals. Most people think the planet is a barren wasteland of cold and ice, and it is, but the kyber crystal cave is incredible. I've never seen anything like it, or felt the force so strong yet peaceful."
"Wow… the sounds incredible. I always secretly wanted the Jedi to come and take me so I could actually get out of here." As they continued to talk Xavier began to realize that Jade's life was far from perfect, but so was his. They continued to talk until they were interrupted by Mother Talzin,
"Xavier, your friend has returned." Behind Mother Talzin's fluttering robes was Esinon, clutching her ribs and walking with a slight limp. Her whole body was tattooed with bruises including a nasty hand shaped one circling her neck. Xavier jumped to his feet rushing to Esinon,
"Esinon! What happened?"
"Savage, he got away," she mumbled, he could sense there was more to it,
"Esinon, is there something more?"
"I'll tell you on the ship," she said, turning and starting her slow walk towards their ship. Mother Talzin strode away as well, Xavier turned back to Jade,
"I'm really sorry, but I have to go," he said softly,
"It was nice to meet you though," she said, with a melancholy smile, Xavier pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear,
"I'll come back for you," She nodded as they parted and watched her twin brother sprint away.
Esinon flicked a few switches prepping the ship for takeoff. Right now everything felt empty and cold. After the news she received. She just wanted to sleep, and never wake back up. Xavier came sprinting into the ship,
"Esinon, what's going on?" he asked,
"My mom, she's dead," she whispered,
"Esinon I'm-"
"Can you fly? I want to sleep for a while," Xavier nodded and let his friend leave. He knew that she needed space, and he was gonna give it to her. He pulled the ship up towards the atmosphere and they were off. Esinon pulled back the covers of the meager bed on the Toydarian ship she had taken, she slipped into bed, clasping her crystal tightly. She let herself succumb to the darkness, welcoming it in fact.
In the dreamscape, her body didn't hurt like it did while she was awake, but every bruise and scrape was still present, and it was the first thing Qui-Gon noticed when she found him. They were out by a lake, it looked like they were still on Mandalore, and she could tell because she could sense her Master and the Duchess in the cave behind them.
"Little runner? Are you ok?" he asked, eyeing the bruise around her neck. Esinon shook her head, sitting down beside him on the shore of the lake. "What happened?"
"Don't you know these things?" she mumbled, tucking her knees under her chin.
"Just tell me, before I go grab a medkit," he grumbled, Esinon rolled her eyes,
"This is a dream 'member? It doesn't hurt."
"Tell me anyway," he replied,
"Dooku has a new assassin, a zabrak from Dathomir. I thought I could take him on my own, I was wrong," she said,
"And you did it for Xavier?" She nodded,
"He deserves to know his family as much as I do," she replied, squeezing her arms a little tighter around her legs.
"Did something else happen?" he asked slowly, she nodded,
"My mom… she died in a speeder crash today," she mumbled,
"And you don't seem overly bothered by this…" Qui-Gon said, choosing his words carefully.
"Why should I be? Mom wasn't around until I was thirteen, and she seemed pretty content on dumping me on a planet where I almost died. So why should I waste tears on missing someone who never missed me."
"Esinon, despite your reservations, your mother loved you. And it tore her apart inside when she had to leave you," he said softly,
"I can't let it out Master," She whispered, her voice choked with unshed tears. "What will the council think?"
"Sometimes the council may fail us, I find it more beneficial to trust in the force above all things." She chuckled softly,
"You're dead though,"
"And thus, wiser than you," he replied, pulling her closer, she chuckled to herself and watched the moon reflect on the rippling water.
A few hours later, the Jedi Temple…
"That was extremely reckless, you could have been killed!" Master Windu reprimanded, as the two padawans stood in front of him in the high council chamber. Both of them refused to meet the eyes of their masters, "We sent you in a pair for a reason, this assassin killed two Jedi."
"Perhaps we should give the padawans a chance to explain themselves." Master Mundi suggested Master Windu ran a tired hand down his face.
"Alright, what spurred this on?" he asked, Esinon stepped forward before Xavier could speak.
"It was my idea Masters, Xavier was seeking answers about his family. I thought I could handle Opress on my own." She paused, her eyes refocusing on her war-scuffed boots. "I was wrong,"
"Esinon wouldn't have had to leave me if I hadn't gotten curious. I let feelings get in the way of purpose and duty, I'm truly sorry," Xavier said,
"We both are,"
"Troubling this is," Master Yoda, folding his claws in his lap. "A fickle thing, curiosity is. Time away from the battlefield is what you two need, reflect on your actions in archive security you can Padawan Windcaster, and in the creche, you can Padawan Grerum."
"Yes Master," both of them replied, bowing to their Grand-master,
"Both of you are dismissed," Master Windu said, the two Padwan's bowed and left the high council room.
One day later, the Senate building…
Palpatine took a slow deep breath, a smile creeping onto his face. He could feel the anger, the grief, the pain, the ever-growing darkness. His plan was working. He could feel Esinon's pain that she was trying to and failing, to shove away. The blast door opened and Mas Amedda coming striding in,
"My Lord, the Jedi Council is not permitting Windcaster to attend her mother's funeral as you predicted." He announced,
"Good," Palpatine said, closing his eyes and soaking in the darkness,
"She, Kenobi, Skywalker, and Tano depart to investigate an old distress call tomorrow afternoon," Mas informed him,
"The conflict is strong within her," he murmured, 'because if I cannot have Skywalker, I will have Windcaster.'
Well that was fun, I've been interested in the nightsisters and night brother's dynamics ever since I saw Monster.
That moment when you draw a random nightsister and all of a sudden Xavier has a twin sister? *Clap, clap, clap* hooray for accidental character development!
and I'm probably doing a chapter later where we get a little bit more into Esinon's clan, it's members and their dynamic.
Next up on let's make this canon corner: order 66 never happens. how bout that? (I wrote this chapter right after "shattered" aired, so the feels are still raw for past me)
Another thing I feel is important you know. Esinon has two aesthetics. Sometimes she's black widow and other times she Oh from Home. She can kick your butt but will also dance around you yelling BADA! If you've never seen Home, do yourself and favor and watch it. It's one of my favorites.
Another movie yall should watch if you're as bored as I am is Atlantis. Watch it for the sole line of "I got your four food groups. Beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard!"
Thank you for reading and make sure to leave a review!