Chapter Thirty
Cargo Bay, Wild Nomad, Outer Rim Territories
Even days later, Riko was still wearing those goggles. Val related, his own armor was like a second skin to him. It was actually a little comforting to see Riko echo this tenet of Mandalorian society. Val knew that when this crisis was over, he would have to let Riko keep that darned headpiece. Val resolved to never tell Riko where he had acquired them.
The boy was sitting on his rack in his quarters, twiddling something in his hands. His expression was one of guilt, regret, his head was lowered to the floor.
Val sympathized with him. It wasn't too hard to tell from all the evidence what really happened aboard the station.
"Hey, kid," Val said. Riko looked up, looking a little startled.
"Oh, hey Val," Riko took whatever he was holding and attached it to his belt. It was cylindrical, short, and stubby, probably a lightsaber.
Val sat down next to Riko, "Feeling down?" Riko was silent. Val didn't blame him. In the boy's eyes, Val was little more than a stranger, rather than potentially being his father.
"I lost my parents when I was barely older than you," Val started, "Pirates. Wielding lightsabers, of all things. Bao picked up my distress call. He was still an apprentice, maybe younger than you. He saved my life."
Val looked around, "Sometimes I still can't believe it was aboard this very ship. Odd how life works, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Riko responded, "It is."
"I think I know what else happened aboard the station," Val changed the subject. Riko looked up in surprise.
"How?" he finally spoke.
"You're guilty about something, Jade lost her hand, you two were alone when it happened, it's pretty easy to fit the pieces together. I might not be a Jedi, and I can't use the Force, but I can still tell how you feel," Val explained, "But how did it happen?"
"Well," Riko began, "Bao told you his theory on what the Consortium did to captured Jedi, right?"
"He did," Val said, "That happened to Jade?"
"Yep, it did," Riko said sadly, "When I tried to find her, she attacked me. We fought, and I tried to just sever her lightsaber, maybe even nerves, render her hand useless until Emdee could fix it, or she could heal it. But she moved at the last second, and…"
Riko didn't say anything else.
"Okay, that's terrible," Val said. Riko lowered his head.
"First of all, you're a kid," Val stated, "You've never been on this type of mission before. I'm pretty sure most apprentices make mistakes. Second, all we can do is start looking to stop Tau. The best way to cope with this is to do something about it. Third, if years go by, we'll have time to grow as a family."
Taking a deep breath after his near-slipup, Val continued, "I don't think that it was your fault, kid. It must have been crazy in there, I'm not surprised that you made a mistake. It was the same with Bao, you were in the heat of battle and couldn't keep track of everything. You still rescued Jade. We escaped to fight another day. And that's what's important. You have to forgive yourself when you're not ready for something. It won't be easy, but you get on with life."
Riko smiled weakly. Val was sure he had set the kid on the right path. Despite his maturity, he was still a kid, few of his peers would expect him to be an adult by this point in his life.
Had he been raised Mandalorian, by that age, Riko would be old enough to be a legal adult. In two, he probably would have been encouraged to marry.
Val, whenever he recalled his teenage self, was reminded of the stupidity of that tradition. No one was ready for love at sixteen, or being an adult at thirteen.
I wouldn't have made you a warrior that young…
"Speaking of which, I noticed that I never really got to talk to you alone," Val changed the subject, "Bao, Thalia, Artoo, even that bucket of bolts you built has talked to me more than you have."
"You want to know more about me?"
"Well, I have a feeling there's a warrant on our heads in the Triumvirate. Makes sense to stay together for a while. I might as well be your friend."
Riko smiled weakly, "What would you like to know?"
"I never learned where you came from, who raised you?" Val's hopes started to rise. Maybe Miranda was his mother, maybe she had raised him. Maybe she was still alive…
"I was raised on Orîlla by a Jedi named Kali'sto," Val's heart sank, "He adopted me when I was a baby. I don't know where I was born."
Val already knew Kali'sto's name: he remembered Miranda had spent a number of years traveling with a Jedi going by that name as a scholar and an apprentice. This was strong evidence that Val was the father.
"So, Kali'sto," Val felt a little jealous, "Who was he?"
"His species are called Vie'vante. They're plant-based humanoids, and his appearance reflects it more than most. He always reminded me of a tree."
"A tree?" Val hid his emotions behind a mask of curiosity.
"Yep," Riko was smiling now, "He had grey bark skin, multicolored eyes, and his hair was styled like roots. He was tall, thin, and he always dressed like a traveler."
"What was he like?"
"He was very wise. He's very qualified to be a historian, he has a memory for history that stretches back centuries. He loved learning about other cultures, he made a point to make me learn about as many planets and species as possible, even if he never took me to see any of them. He loved cooking, he was especially great at spices."
"So you view him as your dad?" Val assumed.
"Yeah. He's the only parent I've ever known," Riko's smile faded, "He told me to leave during the coup on the Orîllan government, that's when I first met Jade. I haven't seen him since. That's one of the reasons I became a Jedi, so I could try to find him again."
"You think he's still out there?"
"He told me I'd know if he died: everything I know about the connections Force-users form supports this. I know he's still out there somewhere. And he would never help Tau."
"So if we found him, he'd help us?"
"Yep," Riko said happily, "I'm going to talk to Jade, I should clear things up with her. It was nice talking to you, Val!"
Riko walked down the corridor. Val simply sat down on Riko's rack and thought about what he had just learned.
Riko viewed Kali'sto as his father. He was the only parent I've ever known.
Even if Val was Riko's biological father, Riko wouldn't fully accept Val. No matter how close they might become, Val would never take Kali'sto's place in Riko's life.
Emdee walked by the cargo bay.
"Hello, Val," Emdee walked in, "I am making preparations for the DNA test…"
"Cancel it," Val ordered, "The results don't matter anymore."
"May I inquire as to why?"
"I'd rather you didn't."
"Very well then. I will be keeping the equipment in the medbay in case you change your mind," Emdee started to walk out of the cargo bay.
Maybe Val wouldn't be a father. But he could still do what he could to keep Riko safe.
"Emdee," the droid halted and turned around, "Just so you know, we have a bigger crew now, and now that we've got Jade...Let's just say I know how much you hate being my co-pilot."
If Emdee was flesh-and-blood, Val was sure she would smile, "Very well, Val."
Medical Bay
Jade had spent the last few days lying on her medical bed. Most of the crew had come to see her: Niner, Artoo, even Val. However, Riko had not come yet.
Jade supposed he felt guilty about what had happened inside the station.
After examining how the duel might have gone over and over again, she had concluded that the temporary loss of her hand was an accident, something Riko attempted to avoid but had done via some miscalculated move or even an attack on her part that put his blade into her wrist. Even though she cringed and shook at the memory, she knew that Riko would never have done something like this intentionally. As for the cut on her belly, it had merely been a flesh wound, leaving only a faint scar. Jade was sure that the cut there had occurred under the same circumstances.
The more Jade though about it, she began to realize that it wasn't as if the agent had given Riko much of a choice. She had controlled Jade's body and imprisoned her mind. Jade couldn't fully recall the experience; her mind had sealed off much of it from her conscious memory. All she remembered was that she had never felt closer to complete nothingness, an aching emptiness, the sensation of imprisonment. Scars on her belly and wrist were a small price to pay. She had certainly come through all this better than Bao did.
Jade felt weary after everything that had happened in the past few days. She was just glad that the medical bed was comfortable. The reason she had to stay on the bed, though, was because her wrist was hooked up via an IV to a kolto bag, allowing the healing fluid to circulate throughout her bloodstream and regenerate any remaining damage to her nerves. Bored waiting through the process, she had spent the last few hours trying to move her fingers, as of now, with no success.
Bao had almost died, his heart had stopped twice during the surgery. But, through a coordinated effort, he had come through, and now he was affixed to the Nomad's bacta pump, which was similar to a bacta tank, though instead of submerging him in the fluid, the device pumped a large amount of bacta into his bloodstream, which circulated, and was drained, cleaned, filtered, and pumped back in. Still, it would be months before he fully recovered, if ever.
Jade heard the door open and looked to her left.
Riko stood in the doorway, an expression of guilt on his face.
"Ah, Riko," Emdee turned up behind him, "Come to check on Jade?
"Yes, how is she?" Riko responded, making room for the droid to enter her domain.
"Her injury was easy to fix. I inject her with kolto every few hours, her nerves are regenerating. While she may come to favor her left hand, within a few weeks, the only sign that her appendage was amputated will be a scar on her wrist. None of her other injuries were serious or difficult to treat. We will, however, need to restock our medical supplies on our next port of call."
"Can I talk to her?"
"That is for the patient to decide."
"It's okay, Emdee," Jade said. She did want to talk with Riko about the past few days.
"Alright."
Emdee walked over to Bao, and Jade sat up on the medical bed, keeping her healing arm on her lap.
"Hey," Riko said softly.
"Hey," Jade answered back.
"I wanted to check on how you were doing. Well, that and say I'm sorry for...everything that happened," Riko said sincerely.
"It's okay, Riko," Jade assured him, "I know you didn't mean to hurt me." She was pretty sure that he had already heard these words, but he was relieved to hear them from her.
"Besides, you went through all that to save me. I know you didn't do this to capture Asharr or Tau, you did it for me. And you saved me, in multiple ways," Jade gestured to her injured arm as she added, "This is a small price to pay."
Riko clearly didn't know what to say, only uttering, "thanks." Jade could tell that he wasn't expecting the reaction he got. He had prepared for the worst, but found the best.
Jade scooted over slightly on the biobed. Taking the hint, Riko sat down next to her.
For a moment, Jade just looked into the eyes of her best friend. Then, almost as if on cue, Riko remembered something, and took the hilt of a lightsaber from his belt and handed it out to Jade, who recognized it as her own.
"It took me a while, but I fixed it," Riko said, "I thought you might..."
"No thanks, Riko."
Over the past few hours, she had been thinking, and she was ready to tell him.
"No? Why?"
"When I was a child, my mom raised me. Her relationship with da.."Jade stopped, knowing that she could no longer bear to refer to Tau with the honor of family, "Their relationship was kept a secret, I was kept a secret. People knew that Tau had a family, but that was it."
Jade breathed in for a moment before continuing, "I loved my mother, but I rarely got to see Tau, he could only visit once or twice a year, this strained their relationship. I felt like there was an emptiness that could only be fulfilled one way: I had to become a Jedi. I rejected the life my mother lived so I could be with Tau. One day, when I was eight, when he visited, I walked up to my parents and told them I wanted to be a Jedi. I wanted to live Tau's life. They made me go to my room, but I snuck out and saw them arguing. They were shouting, they were...angrier than I ever knew was possible."
Jade felt tears welling in her eyes as the emotions flooded back. She moved closer to Riko, "I tore my family apart. I went back to the temple with Tau. I didn't really accept that I would not be able to see Mom...I guess what I really did was trade one emptiness for another. I didn't see her for years ...and now she's gone. And I learned that Tau did all these things… I thought that becoming a Jedi would fix everything, but now look at me. I've lost almost everything I've ever cared about. I couldn't save Mom, or Harkaq, or Kara, or Bao …And the agent... I felt helpless, I couldn't do anything, even knowing that I would be used to help Asharr."
"I don't," Jade found it hard to say this, "I don't think I should still be a Jedi after this. Everything I've done on that path has caused me pain. It may be for you...but it's not for me."
Jade looked at Riko, not needing the Force to tell that he was a little disappointed at her decision, though he understood it.
"Jade, I'm sure that one day, we'll find a way to get rid of that thing. Until then, I can't say I support your choice, I think you're doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. I know you've been through more trauma than anyone else I know, but I think that this is a little too much," Riko responded, "If you think it's for the best, I'll accept it. It's your choice, not mine."
"I'm glad you understand," Jade hugged Riko. They held each other for what felt like hours, Jade taking in Riko's warm embrace. She could tell he felt as vulnerable and doubtful as she did. When they stopped, Jade stared into Riko's eyes. For one second, both of them started to lean in…
"Good morning, Bao!" Emdee shouted. Apparently, he had finally regained consciousness.
"You should probably go," Jade said.
"Right," Riko responded, his ears a shade of red. He moved off the bed and stood up.
"Riko," Jade said as he started to leave, bringing his attention back to her, "You're the closest thing I have to family. I'm glad that, after losing Mom and Dad, I still have you."
Riko smiled weakly, "If there's anything about this that I actually am glad about, it's that I met you."
After Riko walked over to Bao's bed, Jade continued to try to move her fingers. As she did so, she realized that in that moment with Riko, something had changed. The dynamics of their friendship were irreversibly altered.
Surprisingly, Jade didn't find that undesirable, however intimidating it seemed.
After an hour, she almost gave up until she saw her index finger twitch. Satisfied for the day, Jade closed her eyes, resting and healing.
Galactic Federation Triumvirate Headquarters, Coruscant (Seventeen Days Later)
Tau examined himself as he finished talking with Grand Moff Arkus Itecht, Chief Ares Theron, and Qardo Vere, a Zeltron who had served as Asharr's second in command in the Consortium.
All were loyal to Tau, and they would serve as a proper means of having his will enforced throughout the Empire, Alliance, and neutral space.
"I am glad that things have worked out between the four of us," Tau said at the conclusion of their meeting.
"We shall reunite the galaxy together, Master Skywalker," Itecht agreed.
"It is time for us to address the public," Tau said, straightening his black robes, which, alongside his green lightsaber, fair skin, blonde-grey hair, and blue eyes, gave him a close resemblance to Luke Skywalker, which was good. Appearance and persona were everything in the world of politics, and it would certainly be an advantage for his public image for the new Grand Master to resemble his ancestor who had done so much for them in the past.
Tau examined his weapon. His lightsaber had been repaired and recovered, even if it showed some wear and tear from the battle. Tau felt it was appropriate that his saber remain this way.
The Grand Master fastened a device on his collar that would record his voice and broadcast it as he spoke. It was time to fulfill his duty.
He was briefly interrupted from his revere by a canine standing nearby, not moving.
Tau couldn't resist the urge. He had a few minutes.
Ignoring the Strill's pungent odor, he moved to his knees and rubbed Lulu under the chin, only for them to tilt their head away.
Tau stood up, took a deep breath, and walked towards the palace's audience chamber.
Finally, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order stepped outside and greeted the press, Itecht, Hateria, and Qardo at his side. Tau felt a strange presence in the crowd, a ripple in the Force.
Ignoring it, confident in his ability to defend everyone from whatever it might be, Tau began, "I understand that there has been some confusion over the events of the last few weeks. There have been rumors that the high council was operating against the wishes of the Triumvirate, that they were trying to war against the Consortium in neutral space, that one of them was trying to destroy those of us who did not accept his dogma."
"I am sorry to announce that those rumors are true. For years, Grand Master K'Kruhk has been working with Asharr of the Consortium to take control of the Jedi order. Asharr aided his scheme in exchange for kidnaping Jedi and Imperial Knights to brainwash them into becoming her enforcers. A fleet stolen from the Alliance attacked the Jedi Temple, in an attempt to destroy those of us who opposed his dogma and warmongering. We managed to hold them off, though every other member of the high council was killed in their bombardment. Empress Thalia Fel found a lead and personally investigated this conspiracy following her disappearance from Valkaran. Her body was...found in the Temple's halls."
As he spoke, a terrible taste filled Tau's mouth as he uttered the lie. He was desecrating a good man in the eyes of the galaxy. K'Kruhk's, Bao's, and Thalia's faces floated in his consciousness, and guilt started to creep into his heart, though he suppressed it with a sense of duty.
"Asharr was killed resisting arrest."
Tau knew he had to keep speaking, or else his scheme might fall apart. He knew how much evil he had done, and knew that there was more to commit, but he would have to continue on.
"I would like to honor my friend, Master Vicis Libre, who was killed in the destruction of the council tower, saving my life in the process."
"The Consortium was able to trace the link, heard our distress call and saved the Temple. Qardo Vere of the Consortium has agreed to place their syndicate under our supervision, so we may shut down the black market and root out disorder and chaos on neutral planets. Moff Itecht, Chief Theron, and myself have decided that this is the best course of action."
"We will fight against this rebellion, and together restore order and peace within the borders of our new allies."
"As we fight our enemies from afar, we must not forget to look within ourselves. I am formally calling on the entire Jedi Order to look into their hearts and know the truth. We, in a united galaxy, must also change to ensure forces of injustice, if they take the form of the Sith, empires, overzealous corporates, criminals, or even ourselves, will never rise again!"
Tau spoke ever more commandingly as his speech abandoned the lies and moved into the truth, even if he couldn't completely quell his conscience.
"I know that the subsequent years will be difficult for all of us, but I promise that we will emerge with a peaceful and united galaxy."
Tau could barely believe it as the crowd cheered for him. But he did suppose that this was what he wanted, himself leading the galaxy into a brighter tomorrow.
His optimism, however, did not distract him from the ripples he felt in the crowd. For one moment, among the multitudes, he was sure he could see a tall, hooded figure with a long staff. Then the ripples faded and Kali'sto vanished.
Wild Nomad, Medical Bay
Bao had been briefed on the events of the past few weeks, and he still couldn't wrap his head around it.
It was possible that Bao, Riko, Jade, Val, Niner, Artoo, and Emdee were the only ones aware of the truth.
"Riko," Emdee said happily, catching Bao's attention. Bao recalled his surroundings. According to the droid, he had barely survived the glass shards and would have died if it were not for timing and Emdee's surgical programming. Even Trandoshans, with a notable capacity for regeneration, could not have survived injuries like that for long.
He, Emdee, and Riko were alone in the medbay, with Jade only having to return for a few hours every day for a session with the Bacta pump. Val was informally giving her physical therapy by letting her serve as the Nomad's copilot.
"Hi Emdee. I'm here to see Bao," Bao heard Riko reply.
"Let him," Bao said as soon as Riko finished.
"I'd prefer a moment alone with him," Riko added.
"I would prefer to stay," Emdee responded.
"I'll comm you if anything goes wrong."
"Very well," Emdee walked out of the room. Riko walked and stood next to Bao's biobed.
"You alright?" Riko asked.
"I wish I could move, but yes," Emdee had insisted that it would be weeks before Bao could even get out of bed. The damage to his body would take a long time to heal. Bao wondered how much of his anatomy was still organic.
"You heard about Tau's announcement?"
"Yes," Bao replied. Uneasiness crept into his gut thinking about Tau. Now he was desperate enough to put restrictions on the Order's teachings.
"We have to do something," Riko insisted.
"I agree," Bao said. Over the past few days, he had been thinking. He believed he had found a solution.
"Not all of the Jedi who didn't support him were killed. We need to find them and tell them the truth. With luck, we can recruit enough to defeat Tau."
"It'll take a long time. Possibly years," Riko commented.
"I know," Bao agreed, "All we have to do is show everyone what he has done. "
"Will that change everything he's done?"
Bao shook his head, "What Tau has done is irreversible. We can only hope to learn from it and grow."
"Alright," Riko said. He paused, then spoke again, "Bao, when I said that you were unworthy, that you weren't a proper master….I was wrong. You're the wisest Jedi I know. I'm honored to be your student."
Bao smiled, "Thank you Riko. I promise not to disappoint you as a teacher."
Cargo Bay, a few hours later
Riko was engaged in a kind of meditation, one that definitely focused his thoughts; decision-making. He had spent the last twenty minutes examining his two lightsabers, attempting to decide which one he would use as his weapon.
The saber Kali'sto had given him, clutched in his right hand, was sleeker and aesthetically pleasing, with its beautiful artistic engravings woven into the metal. On top of that, it reminded him of his old home back on Orîlla. On the other hand, his original lightsaber, which he carried in his left hand, was a standard design, while his new one had more options. In addition, Riko had built it personally and it was an achievement he was proud of.
Riko reignited both blades, cyan and fiery orange. In the ancient Jedi traditions, blue represented the Guardians, while Green represented the Consulars. Riko's original lightsaber was a blend of the two colors, which Riko felt suited him. His orange lightsaber looked less like yellow with a touch of red and more like red with a touch of yellow, forming a blade that looked like fire.
Both were good weapons, and Riko couldn't really choose.
"Riko!" Niner rolled into the cargo bay. Even though three weeks had passed since the mission, Riko decided to allow Niner to keep his combat upgrade. He might need it again one day.
"Hey Niner," Riko greeted his friend. An idea came to the front of his mind regarding his indecision.
"I'm having trouble choosing which lightsaber to use," Riko said, holding out his two weapons, "Which one do you think I should pick?"
"Why not both?"
Riko understood Niner's answer, even if his choice of words was off.
"You might lose one, why not have two?"
"That's actually a pretty good idea, Niner," Riko responded.
Riko clipped his original saber to his belt, the engraved hilt resting against his right thigh. He clipped his new weapon to the left of the buckle, within easy reach. As he did so, he began to think about all that had happened, and why.
The original Jedi beliefs were simpler, with fewer gray areas and less room for compromise. But they might have actually propagated the cycle of death and destruction that plagued the galaxy. Tau's philosophy had some truth to it, but he had killed innocents and harmed the lives of millions to achieve his goals.
Jade and Tau were right; good and evil did depend on how the user wielded the Force. There were unique abilities that could only be used via the Dark Side, and those that could only be used with the Light. Both sides were accessed by certain emotions, and it was easy to lose oneself in them. That was why the most malevolent people in history were dark side users.
The Old Jedi, the Adherents, had created their code to prevent themselves from going through this, and Riko had tried to follow the ideal they had set. In truth, he had still been ruled by one: fear. Fear of losing, fear of failing, fear of pain. Their code would never work for him. His mind was too active to ever really be silent and at peace. All he had done was hurt himself.
Riko knew now that the light side could be used for dark purposes, just as the dark could for good purposes. People could let their anger consume them, or channel it into something to benefit the world. Love, compassion, these were the greatest motivators of all, more so than duty or greed. It was how a person used their abilities, not the abilities themselves.
Riko had almost crossed that line in his duel with the agent. His intentions were good, but he would have let the end justify the means had he killed Jade. In the end, he would have lost what he was hoping to attain. He had saved Jade because he was determined; determined to protect the ones he loved, embracing his love and passion. With that motivation, he had found the key to defeat Jade through reason and evaluation, not letting emotions such as anger overwhelm him, even as they guided him.
Embracing compassion, reason, justice, curiosity, and love while drawing on anger and rage, dark and light...this was the Balance, the answer. A world where light and dark were in actions and intentions, not abilities. One where Riko stopped fearing himself. A much more difficult path, but one that left its followers in understanding of all aspects of the Force and all aspects of themselves. When Riko started allowing himself to feel again, when he had started taking initiative, when he saw the galaxy for the first time, when he had avoided the easy path, he really had taken his first real step to becoming a Jedi. He had taken on the real challenge.
Now to expose Tau's crimes…
"Niner," Riko thoughts turned as he spoke, "remember in the station, when I left you and Artoo alone?"
"Yes," Niner responded, "Is this because the data thingy was broken?"
"Yep, I...why am I even talking to you about this? Military strategy isn't your thing."
"Actually, I do have a strategy calculator. Guards spotted us four times. One guy found out how 'odd we look,'" Niner was probably quoting, "I was ninety-four percent sure someone would notice how different we was and have us examined. I was happy you had the data thingy. I was eighty-three-percent sure it was safer with you."
"Your point being?"
"Even for droids, life is weird."
Riko understood what Niner was trying to say. It was basically the same thing as Val.
"In fact, considering that it was just us, I'm amazed we got out at all. Maybe you must adjust my computer…"
"Okay, let's see what Val's up to," Riko interrupted. The droid followed him as he walked to the reserve cockpit. Though they had repaired, (most of the actual work done by Riko and Artoo) most of the serious damage to the Wild Nomad, the Vagrant still hadn't been replaced. Finding another craft to replace her wasn't out of the question, small auxiliary craft were now commonly found on Corellian ships, but finding one that could match the Vagrant's capabilities was unlikely.
"Okay, Jade," Riko heard Val's voice as he entered the cockpit, "So you need to keep us at a precise angle. I know it's a little difficult with your hand still healing, but you'll get the hang of it."
Riko saw Val in the co-pilot's seat, guiding Jade in the pilot's seat, maneuvering the ship with her left hand on the control stick as Artoo interfaced with the computer.
Val had repainted his armor; now it was a dark blue. The scarlet of his painted wound and gloves vividly stood out. Once more, he wore his helmet.
"Hello," Riko said as he entered the cockpit, "Interrupting anything?"
"Just teaching my co-pilot," Val explained.
"Val's agreed to let us stay here, thought I'd get some practice," Jade explained.
"So," Riko responded, "What's next?"
Val answered, "We get our ship fixed."
"You know what he meant, Val," Jade added.
"Right. I don't know our next move," Val responded, "We can't take on Tau alone. Bao's been talking about recruiting other rogue Jedi, but where do we start? We don't have anywhere to go."
I promise, I will see you again.
"Maybe we do," Riko said as everything began to fall into place.
"What do you mean?" Jade asked.
"Val, there are plenty of Adherents left, all of which Tau will be hunting now. Not just that, there are dozens of other Force-using groups. The Jensaarai, the Baran Do, the Aing-tii monks! Don't you get it?"
Jade understood, "You want to get them to help us out?"
"Yes! There's at least one Jedi that's out recruiting. We can get them to help us out. We'll find evidence of the truth. Eventually, we might be able to defeat him."
The cockpit was silent for a moment.
"Trill de vreet! Beet beep!" Artoo was clearly upbeat and optimistic.
"It will work!" Niner said, "He says too!"
"This is a sound decision, Riko," Bao said over the comms before explaining, "Artoo transmitted your decision to us."
"We should get going!" Emdee added.
Elated, Riko turned to Val and Jade.
Jade finally said, "What do we have to lose?"
"Alright," Val agreed, "I'll let my co-pilot and her astromech lay in the course. Where should we begin this great search?"
Riko was silent for a moment and looked out the window, attempting to think of a place to begin.
All Riko could say was, "Guess we'll have to play it by ear." All Riko could think was, I'm finally coming, Dad.
Acknowledgements:
To begin, I'd like to start with my father, who saw how much I loved creating stories of myself as a Jedi, and encouraged me to write them down and share them with the world, even though he would now like me to create my own, completely original story, free of preexisting copyright. (Don't worry Dad, I've got a few ideas.)
Next, there are my friends and family who spent years listening to me rant about this story, this idea or that, this change, that edit, occasionally gave me advice or ideas about this book when they weren't bored or disinterested, helped me find the title for this series, and, in some cases, even helped me write/edit this thing. Thanks for listening and contributing, everyone, love you!
Third, thanks to Lynwen Brennen, president of Industrial Light and Magic, and the only Star Wars film contributor I have met personally, for her company's outstanding work on my favorite films over the decades. Though she can't read this novel herself for legal reasons, I hope her husband Patrick enjoyed the rough draft I gave him.
Fourth, most of the credit for this book's setup goes to all of the authors of the original Expanded Universe, including Genndy Tartakovsky, Timothy Zahn, Karen Traviss, Michael A. Stackpole, Sean Stewart, Chris Avellone, Hayden Blackman, and many, many others. Their stories built the foundation for this one, and I am glad that they contributed their own unique ideas to enrich the story of a galaxy far far away.
Fifth, I'd like to thank prominent contributors to the Star Wars saga, such as John Williams, Ben Burtt, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Frank Oz, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDarmind, Ewan McGregor, and Liam Nelson, to name a few, who sculpted the vision of George Lucas into the work of art we know and love.
Sixth, I love the EU (and would like to see it continue as a separate Star Wars continuity), but I also enjoy a lot of Disney's Star Wars content (even if it can be incredibly over-saturating), so thank you, among many, many, many others, Jon Favreau, Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Emily Swallow, Nick Nolte, Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog, Giancarlo Esposito, Dave Filoni, Ashley Eckstein, Sam Witwer, Dee Bradley Baker, Stig Asmussen, Cameron Monaghan, Elizabeth Grullon, Debra Wilson, Tina Ivlev, Daniel Roebuck, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, Derek Connolly, Colin Treverrow, and Rian Johnson. I admit the sequel films aren't perfect; the worldbuilding is weak, some of the ideas aren't executed well, but they are well acted with great effects, they can be fun and occasionally thought-provoking. In my favorite Disney Star Wars stories, The Mandalorian, Siege of Mandalore, and The Last Jedi, it is clear that Rian Johnson, Dave Filoni, and Jon Favreau are passionate about the franchise and wanted to tell unique stories that add to it instead of repeating what's already been done. While I don't have strong feelings towards Disney the corporation, at the end of the day, the people who actually create these stories (Rian Johnson, Jon Favreau, Gareth Edwards, Dave Filoni, Colin Trevorrow) are usually fanboys like us. Whether it's the story or the themes or the effects or the worldbuilding, they all are drawn to the franchise and write their own stories based on what drew them in, just like I did with my favorite part of the franchise: the Jedi and the Sith. Hate them if you wish, but me, I like the sequel movies, except maybe The Rise of Skywalker. Besides, a massive franchise like Star Wars offers a massive variety of stories, take your pick what you like, just let people enjoy what they enjoy, this isn't politics. But…I get how you feel: I don't like Star Trek Discovery or Star Wars: The Old Republic for the exact same reasons a lot of fans hate the sequel trilogy. If any fans of SWTOR or Discovery are reading this, I'm not trying to ruin them for you, if you like them, great! This is just my opinion.
Seventh, to Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Irvin Kershner, Ralph McQuarrie, Kenny Baker, Carrie Fisher, and Peter Mayhew, to name a few: thank you. No one's ever really gone.
Eighth, thank you, George Lucas, for creating this universe that I write my story in.
Finally, to wrap this all up, to Star Wars fans reading this, be they friends or strangers, who have managed to balance out their fandom with a happy, interactive life in the real world, I'm really proud of you and aspire to find that balance. I spend way too much time online (mostly on youtube) mainly because, well, I am a perfectionist, and I have a tendency to let my fear of failure get in the way of accomplishing anything new. If anyone else here has a similar problem... If you're afraid that you can't get by in real life, think that the real world's too depressing, or are just afraid, like me...take a cue from Bao. Don't take the easy path. That's my only advice.
Time for self-promotion: This was my first novel, but not my last. It was an experiment for me; I'm using this novel to develop my skills with as a writer before I write original content. I have a history of perfectionism: I started drafting the concept in late 2014, started writing a year later, finished my first draft in early 2017, and then spent way too long editing it. What I have learned is that there is no such thing as a perfect story. If any aspiring writers are watching this, two things: first, always get a second opinion, have friends review your work to advise you on your strengths and weaknesses. And second, don't let a few imperfections get in the way of letting your work get out there! Every artist is their greatest critic, viewing minor details as glaring plotholes. Remember that not everyone will see the story the same way you do. Anyways, now that I am finally finished, I am happy to announce that this is the first novel in the Star Wars: Illumination trilogy, a story that I intend to become better and more original as it progresses. I hope you have enjoyed my debut, thank you for reading it!
I welcome any feedback you can give me. Let me know what you enjoyed, what you think I could improve on, I encourage you to express your opinions!
May the Force be with you all.