As the Dark Times fade.
Disclaimer: Skymaster23 does not condone violence against woman.
Carlin and Tano are on the Iraida's bridge, concentrating so as to not be overwhelmed by the excitement he's feeling from the other Chandrilans in the fleet that his "accelerated" training has now made detectable. "We're about to arrive." He thinks to her after they open their eyes as the blackness of normal space returns.
Eight tiny spheres are visible behind several light-gray shapes; but only the second closest to the sun catches his eye. After so many months, he can see Chandrila and it's two moons again.
"Yes." She replies. "But remember this; the value of moving slowly is that one can always see the path ahead."
A voice was heard infront of them, speaking into the ship's loudhailer. "Attention, we've just dropped out of hyperspace ahead of the empire's interdictors and are launching fighters. All landing forces, standby for deployment signal."
Another bridge officer looks to the pair for a second as they watch the first three carriers release their fighters. "1st wave wings, report in."
"Yellow Leader, standing by."
"Blade Leader, standing by."
"Green Leader, standing by."
While the other pilots are speaking, one bridge officer does as well. "Captain, there's a message coming in from a fighter on the Tarpals for Pvt. Deler?"
Capt. Derimoor turns toward Carlin, who indicates unawareness. "Let's hear what they have to say, crewman."
"Gray ten calling Pvt. Deler." They all hear from Samoc.
"...This is he." Carlin replies.
"Before i get reprimanded for banter... first one in the atmosphere gets the best spot for the herding." She says, causing him to roll his eyes.
"Herding, Pvt.?" Capt. Derimoor asks aloud.
"Um, it's a Chandrilan holiday, sir." Carlin replies before feeling like he should look to the side as the empire's first defense line is broken. He does so right as Rebel One begins to be visible.
"The rogue pilot is sensing us, too." Carlin thinks to Tano without looking at her.
"He is. I've foreseen you'll meet him in that theater of yours. But first thing's first." She replies as the fleet makes a micro-jump to hyperspace.
After exiting again, he watches as the Iraida and the rest of the fleet begins exchanging fire with the light cruisers arranged around the shieldgate's perimeter while the 2nd wave launches. "All carrier escorts, this is Gen. Syndulla. The bucketheads may have learned the lesson Raddus taught them, but we learned something too; target the gate's hangers, they're at the top of those sloping portions."
"Now would be a good time for you to head to the hanger." Tano tells Carlin.
He reaches the dorsal bay as he feels the internal pressure change. "Deler, over here, now!" He hears from Capt. Rey, standing next to their U-wing with one too many members of the 35th.
"Are you D'jek's replacement?" Carlin asks the extra.
"Yes i am; Jobin Mothma." He replies while waving a hand. "I can guess what you're going to say, so don't bother. My mother, and my sister Lieda can handle the debating, I'll do the shooting whenever they fail."
After takeoff, the Iraida's craft make their way past the clouds, under which is the eastern edge of the silver sea, a scene that was only ruined by blaster fire from the shore batteries, losing two transports and one fighter in the process. While thinking how bad it was that Rhiss had to stay aboard, the seco... the most beautiful sight in the universe is slowly becoming visible. Atleast it was, when he got a feeling that he should ask for macrobinoculars.
Once Vook hands them over, he finds out why. "That's not the cavalcade." He tells himself after he zooms in on where it had been. He also has a feeling that this isn't the worst discovery he'll be making.
"Pilot, set us down here." Capt. Rey says, and the ships land in a clearing full of tree stumps near an AT-OT with a tarp on it next to a logger droid. Everyone gets out for the march to Emita along with one T4-B, two AAC-1s, and eight MLC-3s.
Carlin hesitates for a second, half-certain this is only a dream, before stepping on Chandrila's soil and having it's air pass through his lungs for what felt like lifetimes. "Deler, keep moving!" He is told as Gray squadron passes overhead, having finished it's raid on Emita's ring of "defenders".
Despite this, Carlin is beyond elated.
He's home.
As they are preparing, they see a group of speeders headed towards them. It's one of the Chandrilan resistance cells. "Alliance commander, I'm Durm Harmodius; formerly one of Canna Omonda's aides. Bircher left me in charge after the empire destroyed the Mothma estate." The cell leader says to Capt. Rey.
"I see. Capt. Tamizander Rey; 35th Alliance infantry. What do you have for us?" The captain says to him, and watches him wave an arm around.
"This used to be the Gladean State park. As you can tell from the hardware, this and every other forest on the planet has recently been sold to TaggeCo lumber emporium." Harmodius explains while some of his people set fire to the logs in the AT-OT.
"Hey, didn't expect to see you again, patroller." A cell member with a darker complexion tells Carlin, but he only raises a brow at her. "...I'm the one who asked to beat you up for being condescending?" She says to him.
"Oh! You're Naughlen's daughter? I'm sorry, i didn't see your face that day; and didn't Bentesh call you Faluer?"
"Yeah, I'm Reina. Faluer is my mother's maiden name. Using it was my father's idea." She informs him. "Three other things to note are that that cell was discovered after you vanished-only four of us survived, and that the empire didn't just change your theater's staff, they teleported the whole building to Hanna." She adds glumly while pointing to her leader's map of Emita.
"I noticed the latter. What's the third?" He asks, sensing he already knows the answer.
"Our scout's beacon stopped transmitting after arriving in this area." She explains while pointing to a part of Emita.
The part where it's CCP prescint is.
"That's concerning and all, but we just ran out of time." Capt. Rey tells them as he points out four AT-STs, one 2-M Saber, and around 20 Stormtroopers in the distance.
"Aw, we're ganked." Zosid says outloud.
"Imp patrol must have traced Gray's flightpath; Goll, blast the closest walker." Capt. Rey says to the commander of Krill's T4-B. "The rest of you, keep your heads down. Wendik, get behind MLC number 7 and pick off the plastic boy's leader."
When Sate is in position, Lt. Goll motions for Krill to go ahead. "First mark, 572 and closing. Elevation factor 4. Firing!" She says as she lets out a bolt from the right-side blaster cannon.
Once the walker is down, a swarm of E-11 bolts pass over Carlin and the rest, their wielders only able to see the Alliance vehicles. "Where are they-where are they?!"/"Get your grenades, they must be hiding in the balmgrass." Two of them say as another AT-ST is destroyed.
"Sate, take the shot." Capt. Rey orders, then points to Carlin as the stormtroopers start panicking. "After you, Pvt."
Carlin stands and activates his lightsaber. "Rebel! Blast him-blast-gah!"/"Not another one..."/"Watch your sides, there has to be more of them." Some of them say as he takes a shien stance, and reflects several bolts before Capt. Rey orders everyone to start shooting. He then switched to makashi and swung away at several stormtroopers until all of them were defeated, glad to sense that Toln was not among them, yet he still felt a chill similar to the one from Yoda's cave.
The canopy of Krill's tank then opens. "Sir, while you were busy, i got a call from the command ship for you." Lt. Goll tells Capt. Rey, who picks up his comlink.
"35th-Aura here."
"Captain Rey, this is Rebel One; do not advance on Emita. The train crew at Nayli has reported that the civilians there were not sent to the shelters during Rogue Squadron's skirmish. At present, 61 bodies have been accounted for. We must assume that Moff Seerdon has done the same at Emita and Hanna." Admiral Ackbar informs them, causing Capt. Rey to slam a fist against his MLC.
"Damn that Seerdon." He says, sneering at the absent governor. Carlin struggles not to consider that Gray Squadron may have unwittingly killed his family before he, and a few others are called over. "Largetto, you and Deler take Zosid, and B'ree, and find out the situation in there." He orders, while Harmodius sends one of his men with them.
"Y-yes sir." The five all respond, and march into Emita.
As he knows the captain to have anticipated, Carlin recognizes this street as the one that the tapcafe where this all started is on. After moving nineteen yards, Vook signals that an ITT is approaching. "Head for that alley we passed, it's got a stairwell we can hide in." Carlin tells them, and they duck into it until the vehicle glides closer. "Stay here until i say otherwise." He says, and runs after it. "Let the force flow through me." He thinks to himself, and jumps further than he should have been able to, just able to grab the side of it.
Inside, the gunner looks to the drivers. "Did you two hear anything?" He asks, but they don't respond, so he makes a 360 sweep which turns up empty.
This is because Carlin is sitting on the turret, an idea he took from on a scene in a holofilm he watched years ago where a clone trooper hid from a Dwarf Spider Droid by standing on it's back leg(1).
When the turret is facing aft again, he ignites his lightsaber and stabs at it. As the speeder stops, he informs his companions that they can stop hiding so they could take care of the crew. "Largetto here, we've taken an ITT." Vook tells Capt. Rey.
He gives the order to wait for the rest of the squad. "Anybody think we should have asked them what their route was before we killed them?" Zosid asks aloud after getting in the driver's seat.
Carlin clears his throat, and once the others catch up, tells him to go straight for a quarter-mile before turning right when he feels a sudden chill, followed by a warning from Tano. "Carlin, don't even think of going to your old station."
Normally, he would have heeded this, but that same implication leads him to defy her. "Turn right up ahead, Zosid; Emita's police station is 40 klicks down that road." They reach the CCP prescint to find everyone there all dead on the parking slips. Carlin runs out towards the bodies of his former co-workers. "Pite, Keval... F... Fenla!" He says, and holds his friend's lover's body. "Who did this?!" He yells while looking around.
Carlin starts to hear Tano again, but her words gets drowned out as the building's doors open, out of which emerge several stormtroopers. Their footsteps are accompanied by the sound of artificial breath. "We are officially ganked." Capt. Rey says as Darth Vader walks down the steps.
The cell member Harmodius sent with them flinches before raising his blaster, only for one of the stormtroopers to kill him first.
"Rebel marauders, you will be charged with killing so many of this city's civilians and law enforcement personnel. Surrender The Starkiller to me, and the verdict will be reduced to a life sentence." Darth Vader says to them while pointing at Carlin, who places a hand on his lightsaber.
"Don't be an idiot, Pvt.; this is him we're facing!" Capt. Rey shouts to him.
Carlin knows well enough that the plan for this worst-case-scenario was that unlike when Jarrus and Bridger both used the same attack style, he and the Rogue pilot to rely on the inability for humans to multitask; force Vader to expose himself by having to defend against two different styles. "That plan was almost commendable, chandrilan. If only it hadn't been made by traitors." The empire's second in command tells Carlin, who is still cradling Fenla. "You will only get out of this by using that anger you have for me."
"At... at you?" Carlin asks before wiping his eyes. "I can only hate myself for this!" He says as he looks up, showing that they are one shade paler. "Unless you plan on telling me that this isn't the only place so dear to me that you've desecrated." He finishes as he lets her go.
"Ah gots me a bad feelin' 'bowt dis." Bail says as they all watch Carlin stand before raising and activating his lightsaber.
"Maybe i shouldn't add that this world would have been Tarkin's next destination." Darth Vader replies before looking to his troopers. "I will handle this alone." He says as he does the same.
"Yes, my lord." The vice-leader says, and they all lower their rifles.
And with that, Carlin vanishes into a force-augmented movement for one second. It's fast enough that only Vader can counter the head-on strike, and the other four that follow at normal speed. "You don't fear how this will end... good to know the training you got from these weaklings had some benefit." Vader tells him inbetween swatting him away with his left hand.
"You will take nothing else from me; nothing!" Carlin yells after he gets his balance back, and they trade a few more blows.
"Look at that, is he really doing this?" Jobin asks the captain, only for Jubbo to answer first.
"No, this no good. Carlin-friend sweating like me on sandy world." The two groups watch as the duel continues for nine more seconds, with Carlin barely able to defend himself, until Vader swings one arm down on his wrists, stunning him long enough to move his red blade towards them, but stops when a bolt hits the rear-edge of the dark lord's helmet.
"Who did that?'/"Over there, blast her." Geph and one stormtrooper say as Vader looks to the T4-B, where Krill is aiming a blaster pistol at the latter.
Vader is about to raise a hand towards her before a U-wing kills most of the stormtroopers. Everybody then watches Tano jump out down and punch Carlin unconscious. "So, you've found your efforts wasted yet again, Ahsoka Tano." He says flatly before looking to the shooter. "More importantly... who are you that dares to interfere, woman?" He asks Krill.
"You know damn well who i am." She replies while removing her helmet, causing something none of the rest on either side thought possible.
Darth Vader took one step back.
In an unconscious state, Carlin glimpses a scene in a vast cavern; where Vader is barely standing infront of two people and three shadowy forms of different sizes. "I surrender." He hears from Vader.
The hooded man, who the woman that must have been Bultar Swan calls Kento Marek(2), have an argument with her before he takes her lightsaber and stabs her with it.
As the smallest shadow moves to her body as though in mourning, the scene changes to a tunnel entrance where he watches two Jedi and one woman watching Bultar, now... or make that before the previous scene... in Jedi robes vainly attempt to save a child from a large spider, only for both to be incapacitated.
This changes to the younger looking of the two men asking her about dreams, and is told about colored fields with dark clouds.
This is replaced with a fiery landscape where that same man, now looking a little older than Nirame, is at a landing pad of some facility looking between two slightly older people, a different woman infront of him looking frightened, and the older man from the tunnel standing at the hatch of a chromium plated crescent-shaped ship.
The scene changes again... back to 'Kento' as his mouth moves. Carlin can't hear what he's saying, but does see him flicker like a distorted projection and be temporarily be replaced by the older man from earlier, and another with dark skin and no hair on his head. The only sound to be heard is from Vader. "You're just like him... just like all of them!" The Sith thinks furiously as his dismembered hand and the metal sword it's holding flies into the leaping Kento's chest.
It changes another time, which somehow Carlin knows to be the last time, to a room filled with items (all stolen, no doubt), where Darth Vader places Bultar's lightsaber.
At the same time, the Alliance and Imperial soldiers watch as Darth Vader looks to Tano. "This is one of your tricks, Jedi." He tells her, but she shakes her head as Krill gets out of the tank.
{What are you doing?!}/"Get back over here! Do you hear me, I'm giving you an order, soldier!" Linramkuf and Lt. Goll both tell her.
"I'm Bultar Swan!" Krill says loudly. "And you're not taking Carlin from... from us!"
After Darth Vader unnoticeably moves his cape over his left thigh, he and Ahsoka are about raise their lightsabers when the U-wing is destroyed by a Lambda-class shuttle, before it and a Sentinel-class land as the various soldiers run to avoid the debris. In the confusion, Darth Vader force-pulls Carlin's lightsaber into his hand and turns to see Seerdon at the top of the ramp. "I did not call for reinforcements, governor." He says as he walks in.
"I'm aware, but the emperor has ordered the Bormea fleet to regroup in the Jaso sector." Seerdon replies before looking to the Alliance force. "Aren't you going to-"
"No; we will let Carlin Deler live with the knowledge that he has helped the empire get closer to identifying The Starkiller." Darth Vader tells him.
"As you wish, lord Vader."
An unknown amount of time later, Carlin wakes to find himself placed horizontally, with someone stroking his hair. Before he can see who it is, he sees Tano scowling at him, and stands up. "I would never have thought one of Mothma's people even knows what irresponsible is, Carlin Deler." She tells him. "And don't tell me you weren't, because I've seen, and done, irresponsible since you were just learning how to use a refresher on your own!"
"I... i have no excuse for it, ma'am." He replies.
"I had to spend all day yesterday expelling the darkside from you. If i were half a minute late, you would be groveling infront of the emperor right now." She tells him. "And if you think this is an earful, just wait a few seconds." Tano, who is holding a bag, adds, and turns to the door, where Rhiss walks in and slams a fist into his face.
"That's what you get for thinking you could fight with Vader on your own!" She says before kicking him in the gut.
He knew she wasn't angry, she was doing this to hide how scared she was whenever it was she found out.
"Carlin!" Krill shouts as she crouches next to him.
"Rhiff? Iv y... you're infronb ob me, bhen..." He asks as best as he can. Tano takes a towel from the bag, clearly having predicted this, and hands it to Krill so she can hold back the blood running over his mouth and chin.
"What the kriff are you doing with him?!" She asks while grabbing Krill's hair.
"Rhiff, led her bo!"
"Why, so you can run off and cheat on me some more like some Zeltron? How long have you been seeing her, anyway?" Rhiss asks Carlin before Tano places a hand on her shoulder.
"Never thought I'd live long enough to say this, but you've each made your point; so lets try this again, children."
Once Carlin is presentable again, he answers her. "Nothing like that happened, my emerald. You and I haven't spoken the third verse, but that doesn't mean i don't love you." Carlin tells her.
"You... th-third verse?" She asks in a daze.
He reminds her of the lines about land and air. "It wasn't a poem, Rhiss. It's the Chandrilan rite of engagement. The last part has them movie their hands upright and lock their fingers together, and say: We will be the water that connects land and air to form a world to call our own." He explains, not sure if he should have ever taught it to her.
Rhiss's response is to scowl before grabbing his collar. "You'd better live long enough for us to do it over." She tells him before kissing him a bit differently then she did on the Tarpals.
"We'll see." He tells her.
Soon after, he's told they are in the empire's abandoned garrison complex in Hanna, and he and Krill explain as much as they can to Rhiss about who and what she is. "After we arrived here, i put in a request to have my first name changed." Krill informs him. "I am now Cpl. Bultar Ramis."
"Then, she can't use that force stuff like her... mother... donor... whichever... and Carlin can?" Rhiss asks the trio.
"Not at all." Tano tells her. "From what i can sense, Ramis's presence is low, even for a normal human. It likely means your midichlorians passed themselves onto your daughter, but that's only a theory." She adds to both Rhiss and Bultar. "That being said... Carlin, it's time." She tells him.
Carlin looks at Tano before nodding.
He heads outside and hops into an AB-1 landspeeder, driving to the asylum that Nirame is in. Inside, he sees the staff going around before one turns to him. "One of those rebels. What, you don't think we-patients and staff alike, have seen enough bloodshed... Gonna answer me, speak up?!" The doctor asks him.
"Wait, please; I'm looking for a Nirame Deler." Carlin explains.
"Nirame... droid, do we have a patient from Emita by that name?"
"Yes, doctor. That city's medical services were comparatively limited, so that person was transferred here. You will find her in room 11, floor 3. Condition level 8." The GB adminmech says (according to a monitor).
Carlin signs himself in, then goes up and searches the third floor until he finds it. He slides the viewport and see's her staring at a wall. "Nirame." He says, and she turns.
"Hmm... that construction isn't going to start again, is it, doctor?" She asks while pointing straight, showing Carlin that she has bandages on her hands.
Figuring that's what the patients were been told to keep them from stressing themselves out, he glances around. "No, they canceled the project." He tells her.
"Oh, good." She says, and gives a sigh before walking closer to the door. "You must be new here; are you here for me, or for Carlin." She says while pointing to her right.
Though Carlin doesn't need the force to tell him it's a bad idea, he steps to the left to see an outline of a person on the wall cloth.
A red outline. She's been biting herself so she "wouldn't be lonely".
He grimaces at it, inwardly kicking himself for reducing his sister to this. "This ends now." He says under his breath, and concentrates on the door. The lock soon beeps and it opens.
"Huh, is it time for dinner already?" She asks, but he walks in and grabs her shoulders. "What are y..." She starts to say, but both of them shut their eyes.
Carlin opens his to see that he's in the cavalcade's lobby. Nirame must have recreated it and hid in one of the rooms. "Nirame, where are you?"
"Who want's to know?" He hears from the loudhailers.
"It's me, Carlin." He says.
As if on cue, the blood outline walks out of his father's office. "You expect her to believe that? Nirame knows that I'm Carlin Deler."
"She knows which of us is real now, you were always just a coping mechanism. Mental defense from what she feared most." He tells the figment, and walks past it, but it stretches an arm around him.
"Nuh-uh. You will not harm my sister again."
"I came here to save my sister, you fool; from my foolishness!" He says, and the figment starts to loosen it's grip and disintegrate.
As he brushes himself off, he sees Nirame exit a viewing chamber. "What did you just do?" She asks, and runs back in when Carlin steps toward her. "Stay away, you sap-for-brains!"
"I can't do that, Nirame. We have to go home; please, listen to me." He says while following her in, only to find the chamber appears empty. He checks every row of seats, but she must have used a decoy, so he returns to the lobby to find one of her infront of every other door.
"I didn't go anywhere, you're the one who ran away!" All the Nirame's screamed in unison.
"...Yes, Nirame. I'm sorry, but i had to! I was wrong to believe in the empire... and i was wrong not to tell you, or mother and father about what i learned. But doing so was too dangerous. You know how mother is. I couldn't take the chance that she or father would report me. You must trust me when i say i did this for all of you. Please... Nirame, I'm sorry!" He admits, and a moment later, cracks form on the theater floor, walls, ceiling, and all but one of the Nirames. As the building bursts apart, Carlin and the real Nirame runs towards each other as a brightness appears.
Carlin opens his eyes to find himself back in the asylum room infront of Nirame. The two stare for who knows how many second before tears start forming in Nirame's eyes. "Ca~arl~i~n!"
After a lot of explaining to the asylum staff, a U-wing flies over a structure built around two trees on the opposite side of Emita as the LZ. "That's your house?" Rhiss asks him.
"It is. My family have lived in this area for two thousand years." He tells her, but she glares at him.
"It is not- there's no way that's a house, Carlin!" She tells him while pushing his face against the window. "I swear by the center of everything that it's bigger than every hotel i ever stayed at. I'm not talking rooms, either, i mean every frippin' building!"
"Hey, don't treat my brother like that!" Nirame says while pulling Rhiss's sleeve.
After the ship lands, Carlin straightens his uniform and walks to the gate buzzer, and presses it. He sees a curtain be pulled aside a few seconds before the door opens. Ibellia and Tab walk out, and the former slaps him. "You dare to come here before us?!" She says harshly.
"You take that hulk and leave here at once." Tab added, but Carlin says nothing. "If you don't turn around, i will call the CCP."
"That will do you no good. Stormtroopers of the 501st killed everybody there. The chief, his daughter Fenla... everyone, in an attempt to make you think the Alliance did it."
"Don't you ever say things like that to us, you traitor!" Tab tells him.
Carlin sighs before raising a hand. "Were such things impossible, would this be as well?" He asks as Nirame steps out of the ship.
"Mother! Father!"
"N... Nirame?" Ibellia asks as she holds her hands over her mouth. "Nirame!".
As the two embrace each other, Tab looks back and forth at them and him. "H-how is th... the old man's stories were true?" He asks, referring to Ibellia's father, Hilsk, who passed away when Carlin was 14.
"Yes, Mr. Deler. The Jedi survived the empire's rise. I am proof of it." He says as points to the door and closes it with the force. "I may have once considered that bringing Nirame back would be an underhanded gesture; but will it be enough to make amends?" He asks them. "To make us a family again?"
Mrs. Deler and Nirame stand, and the former speaks to her husband for a moment before looking back. "We will need time to dwell on it." His mother replied
Carlin nodded and bowed his head. "Time better spent deciding which planet to move to before the empire returns. Until then, may the force be with you."
A while later, he arrives at the real cavalcade to find several Alliance members around the concession stand. "Get your own helmet, flaps; this is mine!" One pilot with brown hair says while he and Jubbo each tug on the former's helmet as a blond man standing next to another brown haired man and a Wookiee looks at Carlin, who raises a hand, causing the helmet to float and flip over on him. "Whoa, stop it-ow!"
"What're you complaining about, Janson? It's not like there's anything in your head to worry about." A black haired man tells him.
"Yeah, you should be cramming some brains in your helmet." A brown haired woman added.
"But that'll make me all top-heavyyy." 'Janson' replied in a childish tone.
While everybody else laughs at that, the blonde man speaks. "You're Carlin Deler."
"Yes i am, Luke Skywalker." Carlin replies as the man with the Wookiee join them.
Chapter seven.
(1) Made up film.
(2) I replaced/combined Koffi Arana with the father of the main character of The Force Unleashed.