Chopper Base - Atollon
Mara POV...
A part of me still wants to believe that this is fake; another illusion crafted by the Emperor.
The more rational and optimistic side of my mind is telling me otherwise, along with the presence of Zenna constantly nudging me and crooning with happy trills. I keep a hand on her neck, a small, relieved and joyful smile on my face as I watch everybody mingle with each other. I've gotten my chance to say a few words with each of hem, finding myself overjoyed to know how many friends I have.
Hiccup and I exchanged words, Astrid and I had some girl talk, Boil joked around a little bit with me, and Sabine actually had a sincere, heartfelt wish that I would get better, and that I'm ok now. I guess she no longer has any bad feelings about my dad or something?
And my dad... I wish he was with me right now, since I desperately want to stay by his side and let him take care of all my problems for me, but for now this is enough. I've got plenty of friends who care about me.
At the moment they're all chatting with each other; Astrid and Sabine are happily discussing warrior techniques, Ezra seems to be having a friendly conversation with Hiccup and Fishlegs, Boil and Zeb are talking to Gobber and joking over a few war stories, while Snotlout and the twins are trying to poke and prod at Zeb, who growls angrily and seats them away every so often. Calder is mostly by himself, but he was inevitably drawn into a reluctant comversation with Astrid and Sabine, the former having brought up how they fought each other, and talked about his sword. Stoick later came in and joined up with Gobber, his glare warding off the twins from Zeb.
"I don't know what I'd do without these guys," I tell Zenna, and she squawks at me, prompting me to giggle. "And you of course!"
I wonder how the dragons are doing right now, considering they can't exactly fit in this room...
*
Toothless sniffs the ground curiously, investigating a few dokma's which scatter away in fright. He then perks his head up, sensing something approaching.
Nearby, Hookfang was having a small dispute with Barf and Belch, when both dragons stop what they were doing to look to the side curiously. A trio of krykna spiders were approaching them, hissing at the sight of the new and unfamiliar creatures in their territory.
One krykna hisses at them, it's legs scuttling forwards slowly in a threatening manner. Hookfang retaliates with a growl, raising himself up to appear larger. When the krykna gets to close, he roars and shoots a small burst of fire right in front of it.
Frightened, the krykna all scuttle away while Hookfang growls triumphantly, a smug look on his face. Toothless growls with an expression that shows a small amount of discomfort at the spiders.
*
"Meh, I'm sure they're doing well enough," I shrug.
I scratch Zenna's neck, and she purrs happily in response, leaning into my touch.
As I look out at the assembled crowd again, I focus my gaze on Ezra and frown thoughtfully, mulling over my thoughts. I'm still irritated with what he once said to my Dad and accused him of: at least I was. Now though as I think about it, I feel like I was being a little bit unfair. He was influenced by the Sith holocron at the time, although that was technically his fault, but he willingly offered to help rescue me from Palpatine, and has been nothing but a loyal, If impulsive, friend.
"Hey Ezra?" I call out, and he looks at me curiously. "Could I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure," he replies, separating from the others. "What's up?"
"Well..." I trail of hesitantly, unsure of what to say. "I just want to say thank you for helping rescue me... and I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" he asks, confused.
"I've been kind of a punk to you, and it wasn't really fair," I explain.
"You don't have to apologize for that, I'm the one who said that dumb stuff," he replies reassuringly.
"Yeah, but that was more the fault of the Sith holocron," I remind him. "I know you wouldn't really mean those things yourself."
"Ok, well... thanks," Ezra says, managing a small smile, and I smile back.
"ALRIGHT KIDDOS!"
I jump at the sudden sound of my Dad, flinching inwards out of fright for a moment before forcing myself to relax. A few of the others were startled as well, and Fishlegs even let out a quick scream before covering his mouth. I look over to see Dad walking into the room, followed by Rylla and Shaak Ti.
"It's time to get all of you Vikings back home!" he declares.
"Already?" Snotlout asks in disappointment. "We just got here!"
"Now you're leaving pighead," Zeb mutters in relief.
"Yeah, there's still so much we need to do!" Tuffnut exclaims. "Like blowing up some fancy stuff!"
"You already blew up plenty of stuff in that city place," Calder states irritably.
"So? There's still so much more-" Ruffnut retorts.
"Not for you two," Stoick books loudly, glaring at the twins and causing them to concede reluctantly.
"I'll keep an eye on 'em," Gobber mutters to him.
"Get your dragons back here, and then Rylla's going to take you to a freighter that they'll be transported in," Dad says. "Stoick, you or Hiccup should lead that."
"No problem," Hiccup says, turning towards Ezra. "Well, nice getting to know you."
"Sure thing," Ezra replies with a small grin.
"Kick some stormtrooper butt will ya?" Astrid says to Sabine.
"You bet. You better keep your guys in shape too," Sabine replies, grinning.
The two warrior girls bump fists with each other in farewell, and everyone begins departing from the room. Rylla leads them out as they leave, while Dad and Shaak Ti come over to me.
"How are you feeling Mara?" he asks me.
"Alright, I guess," I say with a shrug, wincing slightly. "I still feel a little sore."
"Well, you're recovering better than I could've hoped for," he replies with a bright smile. "You think you can walk?"
"...haven't tried-" I start to say.
"You're riding Zenna then, perfect," he interrupts, practically ignoring me, and I stare at him in familiar annoyance.
"Before you both depart Jarik, I have something I feel you should have," Shaak says.
"No, I'm not taking the holocron back," he replies with a frown.
"Huh?" I ask, a little confused. I knew we were keeping it, but did I miss something important?
"I wasn't referring to you Jarik," she replies with a small smile, and he blinks in surprise. She then turns to look at me. "It's something I think you should have Mara."
"I'm so confused," I admit cluelessly.
Dad looks just as confused as well.
Shaak then reaches under her robes and pulls out a lightsaber, and we both take a moment to realize that was her lightsaber, and what she was suggesting. I blink in surprise.
"I understand that the past week being captured has left you without a lightsaber of your own," she tells me.
"You still have your lightsaber?" Dad asks in surprise. "I thought you lost it on Naboo!"
"Fortunately not," she replies. "I want you to have it Mara."
"Me?" I ask, a little overwhelmed. "I can't take that, it's yours. It should be yours!"
"I insist Mara. You need a lightsaber more than I do, seeing as I will no longer be capable of wielding one myself," she urges, holding it out. "At the very least, use my saber until you find he chance to construct another one for yourself."
"I still don't know," I reply uncertainly.
"Are you sure about this Shaak?" Dad asks.
"I am. Like I said, I am no longer capable of battle," she says calmly.
I remain silence, eyeing both her and the lightsaber for a while. Eventually, I slowly reach out a hand and take the lightsaber into my hands, pulling it over to me. I look at it for a moment, getting a few of the hilt in my hands and then ignite it. A long, azure blue blade shoots out of the hilt, glowing brilliantly with a quiet hum. I stare at the blue lightsaber a few seconds more before turning it off, looking back at Shaak.
"Thank you, Master Ti," I reply gratefully.
"You're welcome Mara," she replies with a smile. "Use it well."
"Real shame though, I thought your previous lightsaber was pretty cool," Dad admits with a shrug.
"Dad," I sigh in exasperation.
"What?" he asks innocently.
"It certainly was special. Master Windu was the only other Jedi in recent history to possess a purple blade," Shaak comments.
"I heard he was kind of a jerk," I admit, widening my eyes slightly before offering a sheepish smile.
Dad grimaces at my remark and looks away innocently, but Shaak merely smiles in quiet amusement.
"I can understand where you're coming from," she replies, assuring us that she wasn't insulted. "Mace was a dear friend, and I mourn his passing along with all other fellow Jedi. In the end though, I feel that there is something to be learned from them, to perhaps make way for a better Order of Jedi."
Dad nods slowly.
"The more I think about it, the more sad it gets for me. The Jedi Order as a whole had good intentions, but the first mistake was believing that we could become perfect individuals," Dad says with a sigh. "The truth is though, no one can be perfect, and no one can have all of the answers. Not even Master Yoda."
"A wise statement indeed Jarik," Shaak says in agreement. "If things were different, I have no doubt you would achieve a place on the Council."
"I don't know if sitting in a chair all day is... really my thing," he admits with wry humor.
"No kidding. That sounds like the complete opposite of you Dad," I scoff.
"Thank you, Mara," he sighs in exasperation.
We all get a good bit of laughter from that, and I have a wide grin on my face.
"Alright, time to go," he states.
Dad moves up beside my bed and, after checking the medics machines or whatever, disconnects me from them and lifts me up from the bed. I yelp in surprise at the unexpected movement, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck to avoid falling.
"Dad!" I exclaim in protest.
Through the whole ordeal Shaak just watches with a soft smile on her face.
He carries me bridal-style over to Zenna, who chirps curiously, and then effortlessly lifts me up to sit me on her back. I grasp the saddle tightly with one hand, holding my newly acquired lightsaber in the other while Dad straps my legs into the saddle.
"Did you really have to do that?" I whine.
"How else were you expecting to get on Zenna's back?" he asks rhetorically.
"I could try and walk, I haven't attempted that yet," I point out.
"You could, but you're already up there," he replies, tightening the last strap. "At least I didn't do that in front of everyone else."
"Fine," I groan, sulking in the saddle.
Zenna squawks in her own form of amused laughter, and I gape at her incredulously.
"Don't laugh!" I exclaim.
Smirking in amusement, Dad starts making his way out of the room, Shaak right beside him in her hoverchair. Zenna then stomps her way after them, crouching low to squeeze her way through the doorway. I have to flatten myself to her back to get through as well, but luckily we come out without any trouble. She ruffles her wings for a moment with a satisfied chirp, and I pet her neck.
We then make our way through the base over towards the landing field, where I'm sure the ships are waiting. A few rebels passing by give me and Zenna the occasional odd look as we walk, mostly because they've never seen a dragon before. Once the ships are in sight however, we're brought to a stop as someone approaches my Dad.
If I'm correct that's Fenn Rau, the rebels Mandalorian 'friend,' although I suppose he is fully on our side now. The fact that he's Mandalorian is quite obvious from the blue armor he's wearing.
Oh this should be good...
"Shan, if I could have a word with you for a moment?" he asks.
Dad is obviously cautious, much like how I am, but he neverthess nods his head before turning to me.
"I'll catch up in a moment, you two go ahead," he says.
"Ok," I reply, still unsure but nonetheless trusting him. "Come on Zenna."
Zenna chirps, giving Rau a suspicious and exploratory sniff as she passes by, which he shies away from. As we approach the Knight Hawk I glance back to see him and Dad getting into conversation with each other, with Shaak observing.
Jarik POV...
"Is there something you feel like saying?" I start off with a cautious look.
"Relax, I'm not here to get mad or pick a fight with you, I simply which to talk," he reassures me. "I think what I have to say is very important for you to hear."
I raise an eyebrow at him, but nevertheless concede his point and relax a little.
"Ok, shoot," I tell him, crossing my arms. "I suppose I should start off by saying thank you for supporting me back there. I wasn't expecting that."
"Understandable," he replies, and I think I catch a hint of a smirk on his face before it disappears. "To be quite honest, I never had as much of a grudge against you as most Mandalorians."
"Oh?" I ask, intrigued.
"The hate was still there, but after your actions on Coruscant, I can see first hand how honorable you are as a warrior. You were willing to protect your loved ones at any cost, much like any respectable Mandalorian would," Rau tells me sincerely.
"Thank you, I guess," I reply, still a bit surprised.
"Do all Mandalorian's possess a dislike of you Jarik?" Shaak asks me.
"It's because of Revan," I inform her.
"Ah," she says thoughtfully, thinking about it.
"Most of them anyways," Fenn Rau corrects me. "As a matter of fact, there's a big reason I wanted to speak to you, and I think it's very important. Something you would appreciate knowing."
"What's that?" I ask, a little curious.
He hesitates for a moment before responding. "It's about your father."
I stiffen up, eyes going wide in complete surprise and bafflement, and Shaak also stares at him in surprise as well. I take a moment to comprehend what exactly Fenn Rau just said, suspicious and in disbelief at the same time.
"My who now? My father?" I ask incredulously. "As in birth father?"
"Yes," he confirms with a nod.
"How in the universe would you have any idea of who he is?" I demand suspiciously, narrowing my eyes at him.
"You father's name was Marcus Sohl. And he was a Mandalorian warrior," Rau states, matching my gaze.
If I was baffled before, now my head is exploding. I can't help but just laugh at the thought, finding it ridiculous.
"My father, a Mandalorian, marrying a Shan?" I ask doubtfully. "Considering how much you guys hate us?"
"I know it seems ridiculous to believe, but that is the truth. You father was Marcus Sohl, a Mandalorian who grew up with Clan Ordo. My father once knew him, which is how I know about him," he explains calmly. "I already told Sabine and Ezra, just before Mara was captured.
The idea is completely laughable, but... I can sense nothing but truth and absolute certainty from him. I'm stunned into silence, unsure of how to take this.
"How... just how...?" I ask, not knowing of what to say.
"I don't know precisely how it happened, and I believe the full story is something only your parents would know, which means it's lost to us," Rau admits, and I can't help but grimace sadly at the comment. "From my understanding though, Marcus met your mother when he was on a mission as a mercenary. He'd fought in the Mandalorian Civil War beforehand, but turned to the life of a mercenary after Duchess Satine exiled all of our warriors. Somehow, Marcus found himself losing his hate towards your mother, and ended up falling in love. Then they had you."
"My father was from Clan Ordo, you said?" I ask quietly.
"He was. After it was discovered he married a Shan however, he was exiled from the Clan, and all the others shamed Clan Ordo for allowing one of their own to commit such an act of betrayal," Fenn Rau explains.
"Act of betrayal?" Shaak asks, confused. "Simply because the woman he married was related to Revan?"
"It's really complicated," I sigh, not wanting to go into the details right now.
"After Marcus was exiled, he and his wife left to continue their lives. And that was the last we ever heard of them," he explains.
"For good reason. Maul killed them both in an attempt to get me when I was a child," I explain bitterly.
"Darth Maul is the one behind that?" Shaak asks, murmuring to herself. "So Qui-Gon was right in his assumption..."
"I am, sorry to hear that," Rau says regretfully. "For as much as he turned against his clan and his family, Marcus was a skilled and honorable warrior from what I know of him."
"And Clan Ordo?" I ask.
"After we were all exiled by Duchess Satine we went our separate ways, although everyone kept their distance from Clan Ordo. Because of Marcus' marriage to a Shan, they were shamed by the rest of the clans. They retreated to the jungle moon of Onderon, Dxun, and have remained there ever since, making a life for themselves," Rau explains. "As I understand it, Marcus's brother Raman has risen to become the new Clan Leader."
"I have an uncle..." I murmur to myself.
I never even considered the possibility, and a stray thought has me wondering if Ahsoka ever had any siblings or other family as well.
"Rau... I'll be honest when I tell you that this is a lot to think about," I admit uneasily, glancing at him. "Do you think I could possibly visit them on Dxun?"
Rau makes a face as he thinks about it, not entirely confident in his response.
"I'm not sure how that would end. Clan Ordo has more reason to hate you than any other, considering what happened as a result of Marcus's actions," he informs me.
"And Raman? Do you know him?" I ask.
"Not well. I've heard he is respectable enough, but I wouldn't advise attempting to make contact. The response could be very hostile," he advises.
"Okay..." I say with a nod, taking that into account. "Thank you, for telling me this."
"Of course," Rau replies with a nod.
I know he advised against me going to see Clan Ordo, but I'm already determined to do so at some point. My only remaining blood relatives are with them, and while I'm perfectly aware of how much they will probably hate me, I still feel like I have to try. Just not now. Right now, I want to spend some time away from the fight to be with Mara while she recovers, and stay out of the Emperor's range of sight for the time being. I've done enough crazy to last a lifetime.
"Well, I best be off then," I tell them, managing a small smile.
"What do you plan to do?" Shaak asks me.
"For now I'm planning to rest. Mara needs time to recover, and I want to keep her as close as possible so that this doesn't happen again. Not to mention I'd be smart to stay out of the Emperor's sight for the time being," I explain.
"Very well then. I wish you safe travels Jarik, and I hope you, Mara and your friends will recover quickly from this," she replies.
She turns away, and Fenn Rau gives me a quick nod before also turning away as well. I watch them go before facing back towards the ships, making my way over. Everyone is gathered there, with Rylla at the front of a small freighter we're borrowing for the moment in order to fly the dragons back to Ahch-To. Since she knows the way now, she'll be the one flying that ship. The dragons have all been gathered now, and Hiccup is helping Rylla to get them all into the freighter, although some let out groans of disappointment.
"Isn't Zenna going with the other dragons?" Hiccup asks Mara.
"I don't know if she's willing to get away from me anytime soon," Mara replies with a helpless shrug, and Zenna squawks as if to confirm the statement.
"It's a real shame we couldn't stay longer. There are so many new things to discover here!" Fishlegs says mourningly, gazing at the surrounding landscape in disappointment.
"Maybe some other time Fishlegs," Gobber remarks, patting him on the back with his hook.
"Aside from the obvious close calls with death, I have to admit... this was kind of fun," Astrid remarks.
"Really? Fun?" Hiccup asks dryly, and she shrugs in response.
"Heh, speak for yourself!" Tuffnut scoffs. "I had a blast! Literally!"
"Yeah, that was awesome when we blew up that metal tower thing," Ruffnut snickers.
"And everything turned out successful, all thanks to me of course," Snotlout declares wth a smug grin on his face.
Everyone rolls their eyes at him.
"Yeah, you were very successful in charging the Emperor," Calder drawls sarcastically.
"Hey!" Snotlout protests.
I pull out my comlink and contact R5, who is inside the Knight Hawk's cockpit right now.
"Hey R5, do me a favor and seal up any door that contains something important alright? I don't want some of the Viking kids messing with things, especially Snotlout and the Twins," I tell him. He responds with a few beeps of confirmation, adding a few choice words to describe those three, which I ignore with an eye roll before pocketing my comlink. "Alright everyone, into the ship!"
"Uh, what ship?" Tuffnut asks.
"What do you mean, what ship?" Calder questions with a frown.
"There aren't any ships here genius, those are just flying metal houses," Ruffnut states, as if the answer was obvious.
"Those are the ships you muttonheads!" Astrid growls in annoyance.
"Oh... well which one are we getting into then?" Tuffnut asks, giving them a look.
"Jarik's ship," Hiccup sighs in exasperation. "The one on the left."
I shake my head at their stupidity, still finding myself baffled by them. I feel like that kind of behavior is never going to be any less surprising, no matter how much it occurs.
"Alright gang, let's head out!" Hiccup calls out.
He starts leading the Viking teens into the Knight Hawk while Stoick comes over to stop beside me, Gobber chaperoning the kids in his place.
"This was quite an extraordinary moment Jarik. Tales of this rescue will be told on Berk for generations to come," he says with a hint of pride.
"Hopefully we won't have to do this again," I reply.
"Aye," he says in agreement. "But it'll be a wonder to remember. And I'm glad we got the chance to finally help repay you for all of the support you've given us back on Berk, without ever asking for anything in return."
"It's no trouble Stoick. Friends and allies help each other, right?" I ask him with a small smile.
"That they do. I'm thinking of holding a feast with the village once we get back to celebrate our success," he says with a smile before looking at the ship. "I suppose should probably head inside now, make sure they don't make a mess of things."
"It's just the three that I'm worried about. I had R5 lock the rooms I don't want them getting in, so there shouldn't be much trouble," I tell him.
Stoick starts making his way into the Knight Hawk himself, and I follow after him for a second, glancing at Mara as she and Zenna wait next to the ramp. Probably for everyone to clear out of the way first. Before I could say anything to her, the sound of metal footsteps gets our attention, and I look over to see Elita approaching, coming to crouch down beside us.
"I'm assuming we're heading back to Ahch-To now?" she asks.
"Do you want to come back?" I ask her.
"Just for now, at least. I feel like this would be a good time to figure out my whole 'returning home' problem," she explains with a shrug. "At the very least Ahch-To is a good vantage point into space beyond the Andromeda galaxy. Plus, I need to refill on energon now, I'm starting to get a bit low."
"Fair enough," I remark.
"The more the merrier, right?" Mara asks, smiling.
Elita smiles back at her, and then her whole body begins to shift as she transforms, parts and machinery moving around and compacting to form her vehicle mode. Once finished she carefully drives her way forward and then moves up the ramp and into the Knight Hawk's cargo bay. She and Zenna may have to compete a little bit for space, but there should still be enough room for them both.
Ahch-To system - Unknown Regions
A long while later, I was sitting in the cockpit of the Knight Hawk as it traveled through hyperspace, not too far now from Ahch-To. I lean back in my chair and pull out Ahsoka's lightsaber, turning it around in my hands. I stop once I see the crack in the hilt from when I angrily threw it against the wall. I run a finger over the crack, sighing to myself.
"I got her back Soka... you'd be proud of how I did it. I used one of your tricks," I say with a small laugh. "I'm also not going to turn to the dark side. Shaak and the others will take care of the holocron."
The kyber crystal inside the hilt pulses lightly in response to my presence, and I let its warmth and energy flow over me, feeling a hint of Ahsoka's presence from it. I close my eyes and hold onto that feeling longingly.
After sitting quietly in my chair, I place the lightsaber back on my belt and stand up, making my way to the common room. The sound of the Vikings chattering with each other grows louder, and when I enter I find them all sitting around a game of dejarik. Hiccup was sitting down as one of the players, and his opponent was Mara, while everyone else watched on. I stop in the doorway and lean against the wall, smiling at the sight with crossed arms.
"Come on Hic, don't screw up!" Tuffnut declares.
"Doing my best Tuffnut," he replies dryly.
"Ready to lose?" Mara asks with a grin.
"Oh, she's calling you out Hiccup," Astrid says, laughing.
"Is that right?" Hiccup demands in response.
"Ah give it a rest, I've got faith in ye Hiccup!" Gobber says.
"When he loses, I'm next in line to show you all who's the boss!" Snotlout declares.
Hiccup narrows his eyes at the holographic board, looking at his pieces intently. He then moves his Monnok over a few spaces, which attacks two of Mara's characters, taking them out of the game. Mara widens her eyes in surprise with a slight frown forming on her face, while those on Hiccup's side cheer, the young viking himself leaning back in his chair with a smile.
"Not bad, huh?" he asks calmly.
"Yeah, not bad..." she admits.
Mara then goes her turn, and moves her Mantellian Savrip over towards his Monnok. Hiccup's calm and satisfied expression turns to one of alarm as the Mantellian Savrip lifts his Monnok into the air and then slams it onto the ground, 'killing' it. Now it's Mara's turn to lean back in her chair with a smug grin on her face while Hiccup looks on in bewilderment.
"...but not good enough," she states triumphantly. "I win!"
"What?!" Tuffnut exclaims incredulously, while Ruffnut laughs at him.
"Oh, that's tough," Gobber says sympathetically.
Hiccup groans in defeat, comically hitting his head on the table while Mara snickers at him, high-fiving Astrid. Stoick sighs, disappointed in the outcome but understanding of the fact that Mara knows the game better than he does, even with all of his smarts to back him up. Calder on the other hand just rolls his eyes.
"I saw that outcome coming from a mile away," he remarks. "Face it Hiccup, you just aren't ruthless enough."
"Thanks Calder," he replies sarcastically.
I chuckle to myself at the friendly game, happy to see that Mara seems to be recovering from her traumatic experience very well, definitely a lot faster than I originally expected.
Temple Island - Ahch-To
When the familiar sight of Ahch-To came into view, coming out of hyperspace, I allowed a small smile to drift across my face. Without the influence of Darth Traya's Sith holocron, I can now feel a better appreciation of the Force around the planet, sensing the vibes of tranquility and balance. It just goes to show how even though I thought I understood and could resist the dark side, I still have a lot to learn.
The freighter that Rylla is flying booms out of hyperspace beside me, and I start leading us both down into the planets atmosphere, quickly finding myself passing through the cloud layer. The first sun is just breaking the horizon, signifying the dawn of a new day. I direct the ship in the direction of the island, and soon come in for a landing on the rocky outcropping that we've always used. Rylla moves her freighter around to another part of the island nearby so that she has room to land herself.
Turning off the ship, I get up from my chair and make my way out of the cockpit. I find Mara still sitting in the common room, pushing herself to her feet while R5, Hiccup and Astrid walks.
"Thanks you guys," she says in response to the two helping her up.
"Anytime Mara," Hiccup replies.
R5 beeps up at her, for once sounding more happy than sarcastic or scornful, and Mara smiles down at him.
"You good Mara?" I ask her.
"Yeah, I think I'm alright," she replies, taking a few experimental steps. She stiffens up slightly with a frown, and I quickly reach out to grab her arm before she could fall.
"I... guess I need some practice," she admits sheepishly.
Smiling, I allow her to hold onto me for support while we make our way out of the common room and to the cargo bay, where everyone else is waiting. R5 opens the ramp for me, and we all file out of the Knight Hawk, the Vikings eagerly returning to stand on familiar soil. Zenna makes her way over to us, standing beside me and Mara and chirping at her happily.
"Ahh... sweet relief!" Fishlegs cries out, making a kissing motion to the area.
"What, are you kidding? This whole experience wasn't so tough," Snotlout scoffs in apparent disinterest, crossing his arms.
"It was very explosive though!" Tuffnut cheers.
"As fun as that was, it's nice to be back on Ahch-To," Gobber comments.
"That it is, Gobber," Stoick says in agreement.
Once we're all outside of the Knight Hawk, Mara steps away from me for a moment to get a feel of her legs, still feeling a little bit stiff and bruised. Elita is also standing a few feet away, having driven out first and then transformed out of view. I catch her gaze, and she gestures over with a finger towards the other side of the island in the direction of the Mirror Cave. I take a moment to understand her meaning and then nod my head, and she starts making her way over and out of sight. The dragons then come out of the freighter, some of them letting out happy roars at being on familiar ground. Rylla comes out after them and then starts walking over to the rest of us.
"Dude, I'm so ready to tell everyone about this!" Ruffnut exclaims. "They'll be so jealous we got to go to another planet!"
"And impressed that I saved the day of course," Snotlout boasts.
"Really? I thought you were blown up by that freaky-Emperor-guy," Tuffnut says, frowning in confusion.
"I still can't believe we actually made it," Hiccup admits, sounding awed and amazed.
"I can't believe you guys really risked all of that to come for me," Mara admits with a smile.
"Without a doubt, we were ready to come help," Astrid says with a grin on her face.
I smile at them and then turn away as Rylla approaches, Stoick and Gobber walking up to me as well.
"Well, looks like your crazy plan came up successful," she remarks, smiling.
"Couldn't have done it without you guys," I say gratefully, giving her and the other two a meaningful look.
"As a matter of fact, I'm considering throwing a feast tonight in order to celebrate this occasion," Stoick informs us.
"Really?" I ask him.
"Aye. This is a tale worthy of legend!" he declares proudly, turning to look at Rylla. "You're welcome to join us for it."
"Thank you Stoick, but I'm afraid I can't stay," she replies regretfully. "Hayden and I risked a lot of our bounty hunting career for this rescue, so I need to get back to him so we can straighten things out, make sure we're still good."
"Understandable. I wish you the best on your travels," Stoick tells her with a nod.
"I don't know about you all, but I'm looking forward to this feast!" Gobber declares. "I need to eat some real food!"
The three of us roll our eyes at his declaration, before Rylla and I separate from them to share private words with each other. Stoick and Gobber move on to mingle with the other Vikings and their dragons, preparing for their flight back to Berk.
"Thank you Rylla... for everything," I say gratefully.
She was definitely a real help for me in this. If it wasn't for her input and suggestions, this whole rescue mission could've turned out a whole lot differently. Or I could've just broken down emotionally and lost it without her guidance. She's a real life saver for sure.
"Anytime Jarik," she replies with a smile. "So you're going to stay here for a while?"
"Yeah. I think it's best for both of us to stay out of the picture for the while. This was definitely a traumatic experience for Mara, even though she's hiding it pretty well," I tell her, glancing at where Mara was hanging out with the others. "I think it'd be good for me too, not having to worry about the Sith for a while. The Emperor will definitely want me dead more than ever now."
"Ok. Well, I probably won't see you for a while either. Hayden and I have a lot to work out after this. He definitely won't be happy about us having to get a new ship," she tells me.
"I can send you some credits for it," I offer her.
"No, you don't have to-" she starts to refuse.
"I insist, I've got more than enough thanks to the Empire," I tell her.
"You're siphoning from them, aren't you?" she deduces knowingly.
"I may have set u a system that secretly takes from their military funding," I admit with an innocent shrug, grinning. "In all seriousness, you deserve it. It's the least I could do to repay you."
"Thank you Jarik," she replies with a smile of gratitude.
We both share a tight hug with each other, not knowing the next time we'll see each other after this.
"Take care of yourself Rylla," I say.
"You too Jarik," she replies.
Isle of Berk - Ahch-To
3rd person POV...
With the twin suns rising above the horizon, the forest came to life as animals awoke from their nightly slumber, birds chirping in the air. On the backside of the Isle of Berk however, any animals nearby would hear a strange sound interrupting the usual calls as it breaks through the atmosphere at a low hum, slowly increasing in volume until it's a loud whooshing noise.
The cliff ledge that the statue of Morai rests in is covered in shadow momentarily, making way for three figures to come flying out of the jets and one helicopter hover over the ground for a moment before transforming with a flip, landing squarely on their pedes with loud thuds. Onslaught looks around at the tree line analytically, while the other pair carry their own varying looks of disgust and contempt.
"I certainly don't miss this place," Blast Off grunts, lifting his pedes to shake off the dirt that clung to the metal. "It's disgusting."
"Maybe that's the point Blast Off. Organics are weird," Vortex replies.
Onslaught takes a step forward and then looks around, spotting the statue of Morai. He makes his way over to it with heavy stomps and gazes down at the small statue with contempt in his gaze.
"I imagine this holds some significance to Elita's Jedi friends," he remarks with a scoff. "But no more."
Growling like a predator, Onslaught brings out his plasma cannon and aims it at the statue, letting the weapon charge up with a whine. He then shoots a single shot, which completely obliterates the statue in an explosion of rock and dust. When the wind blows it all away, all that remains are the foundations of the statue, and part of Morai's face among the otherwise unrecognizable rubble in the grass, her eye staring back up at them. Onslaught nods to himself in satisfaction and then transforms his cannon back into his arm, marching for the forest.
"Now lets find these cowards," he declares.
3rd person POV...
After the Vikings departed from Temple Island on their dragons, Mara and Jarik headed up to the Jedi village where they found the caretakers waiting for them. They all cheered at the sight of Mara and happily came up to greet her, Alcida-Auka even having created a new fur cape for Mara in anticipation of her return. The cape reached to about mid-thigh on her, and was crafted out of a tan-colored fur that was both thick enough to provide warmth, and yet thin enough to not be a hinderance in battle. Needless to say Mara loved it, now able to replace her previous cape that she lost at some point.
After the reunion with the caretakers they both spent some time together in the Jedi Village, just being a typical father-daughter pair, chatting and laughing with each other. Zenna was also with them, anxiously sticking herself to Mara's side at all times in the fear of somehow losing her again. Elita soon returned from collecting energon for herself, having processed it with the same device she made for using on the Resolute and is now at full 'power.' She stayed out of the Jedi Village so as to not damage any of the structures, so the went wth her up to the saddle to spend some time together there instead.
Throughout the day Jarik could sense Mara was still having plenty of anxiety and fear about Darth Sidious and memories of her capture, but she was doing her best to try and keep that hidden.
Eventually they found ourselves traveling to Berk so that they could be on time for the feast in her honor, which left Mara kind of flustered. Upon their arrival, the Vikings all came out to cheer joyously at her return, all excited and happy to find out she's okay. Mara was a bit sheepish and stayed close to Jarik's side, still a little bit anxious as well and sensitive to it all because of her experiences during her capture. She nonetheless ignored it and did her best to show how happy and grateful she was that everyone was thinking of her.
The feast itself was held in the Great Hall, with plenty of food for everyone to choose from. Mara got to spend some time with the Viking teens while Jarik chatted with Stoick and the other adults.
At some point in the meeting, Stoick gets up and moves forwards to stand at the head of the Hall, raised up on the 'stage' of the room to get everyone's attention.
"Everyone! Could I have your attention please!" he calls out.
Slowly but surely the Vikings all quiet down and turn to look at Stoick, curious of what he has to say. With his usual Chieftain fur cape on, the light of the torches on him, he looks as mighty as ever amidst his fellow Vikings. Jarik knows what he's going to talk about, finding himself a bit grateful and also content.
"As I'm sure you all know, today is a special occasion for us! For we have accomplished what only until recently would've been considered the impossible!" he declares.
There are a few whoops and hollers.
"Yesterday we not only rescued our friend Mara from the forces of evil, but also showed that even with their advantage in numbers, weaponry, and machines, that we and others like us will not bow down to a tyrannical Empire!"
Everyone roars in approval, and Stoick continues on with his speech.
"This accomplishment will be told through generations to come!" he says, as then gestures out to Jarik and Mara. "None of this would have been possible without the support of our trustworthy allies, and loyal friends, Jarik and Mara. They have fought for us and stood beside us through the years, and now we had the chance to showcase our gratitude. And I'm sure I speak for everyone when I wish a swift recovery for Mara!"
Mara smiles sheepishly and shrinks inwards a little, her face red from embarrassment as shouts of approval echo around the room. While everyone is cheering and roaring and congratulating each other, Jarik's comlink began to beep. He frowns curiously but shrugs, pulling away from the table and moving to a less rowdy area while Stoick finishes his speech.
"Yeah?" he asks.
"Hi Jarik," Elita's voice responds. "I'm just outside of the Great Hall. Would you be alright if I got to chat with Mara for a little bit?"
He raises an eyebrow in curiosity. "Any reason?"
"Not really, I just felt it would be nice to talk, see if she's doing alright, simple stuff. I don't get that normally," she says.
Jarik blinks at the statement, both surprised and amused as to how such a simple thing seems to strange for him.
"Uh, yeah sure. I'll send her out," he says, ending the call.
Spotting her quickly, he makes his way over to where Mara is sitting, squeezing past Zenna who is hovering anxiously over her constantly, and taps her shoulder.
"Hey Mara, Elita wants to talk to you outside," he says.
"Why?" she asks curiously.
"No reason, just wants to chat," he shrugs, a hint of a smile on his face. "Strange that something so simple seems right huh?"
"Yeah, guess so," she admits sheepishly, and then turns to the others. "See you guys soon?"
"Sure thing Mara," Astrid says.
"Yeah, no problem," Hiccup adds.
Mara pushes herself to her feet and then walks with Jarik, his hand on her shoulder to help with her balance. Zenna follows after them the whole way, still hovering protectively around her. Jarik opens the door of the Great Hall, and outside they find Elita waiting for them a few feet away, crouching low to the ground.
"Hey," Mara greets.
"Hi Mara," she replies.
"So... what's up?" she asks her.
"Just thought it'd be nice to have a conversation with each other," Elita says.
"Oh, alright," Mara replies in acceptance. "Could we go into the forest though? It's kind of chaotic here... and more quiet there."
"Of course. Would you like to walk, or drive?" she asks.
"Walk," she replies stubbornly.
"You're getting on her shoulder," Jarik states.
"Seriously?" Mara asks in exasperation.
"You're still recovering, and walking a huge distance through the woods isn't the best kind of therapy," he says, turning to Zenna. "And you're not going, you need to eat!"
Zenna growls in disagreement, not pleased at he idea, but Mara lays a hand on her snout with a smile.
"He's right, you do need to eat," she says. "I'll be fine."
Zenna whines in disappointment but reluctantly presses her snout against her palm before taking flight. Elita then holds out her hand to let Mara get on, and stands up fully before depositing her on her shoulder.
"Be careful Mara," Jarik says.
"Oh pish posh," she replies dismissively.
Jarik rolls his eyes but smiles to himself as they head off towards the forest, Elita's footsteps fading.
After the feast was over, Vikings left the Great Hall and returned to their homes to continue their daily activities. Jarik walked out slowly after the teens, alongside Stoick and Gobber.
"I'm telling you, I'd have no problem taking on an army of those stormpoopers," Snotlout was saying.
"Storm troopers," Fishlegs corrects.
"Whatever Fishface," he scoffs.
"Yeah, without getting shot first," Astrid comments in disagreement.
"That'd be really awesome to see. Being riddled with flying red lights!" Tuffnut exclaims.
Jarik shakes his head in amusement at their chatter, however his expression then falls from his face as warnings are shoved at him through the Force. He furrows his brow, confused and alarmed by it all, and looks around the village anxiously to try and determined the disturbance. After a few more seconds his eyes slowly go wide with a sense of horror and disbelief, which the others take notice of.
"Uh, Jarik? Are you alright?" Hiccup asks, being the first to notice.
"No... oh no you can't be serious!" Jarik anxiously says to himself.
The echo of heavy stomping fills the air, and he looks over at the edge of the village next to the forest, despair filling him as he spots the form of the Decepticon, Onslaught, stomping his way out of the tree line and raising his arm. The foreboding whine of Onslaught's plasma cannon charging up breaks through the regular sounds of the village, attracting everyone's attention. Vikings start looking over, gasping as soon as they see Onslaught standing there, his plasma cannon glowing.
"HOLY-" Tuffnut starts to scream.
Before anyone could react the Decepticon fires his cannon, obliterating one home in a tremendous explosion. Dragons nearby all let out roars of alarm and flap their wings in fright, some stumbling away while Vikings near the explosion go flying with pained screams. Many more flinch heavily from the explosion, confused and starting to panic as they struggle to understand what's going on.
"Everybody run!" Jarik yells.
"What in Thor's name?!" Gobber shouts.
Onslaught fires his plasma cannon a few more times, destroying more houses and killing unsuspecting Vikings close to the explosions or in the houses themselves. Everyone finally starts to understand what is happening and all move to get as far away from him as possible, some dragons taking to the air. Jarik is frozen with horror for a moment, coming to terms with the fact that a hostile enemy has found Ahch-To, before shaking himself out of it to leap into action.
"Hiccup, get everyone to their dragons now!" Stoick roars.
"O-ok Dad!" he replies, still shaken.
Growling with anxious fury about the citizens of Berk being attacked and killed, Jarik sprints forwards past several Vikings and then jumps into the air, pulling out both of his lightsabers. He lands on top of a house and then starts making his way over towards Onslaught at a face pace. Onslaught notices and shifts his aim for Jarik, firing his cannon in a casual, almost unconcerned manner.
Jarik jumps over the shot and then lands on another house, using the Force to leap all the way towards the direction of Onslaught himself. Before he could reach him however, Blast Off suddenly appears out of nowhere from the air and swings his arm with a shout. Jarik notices too late with wide eyes, and shifts his body to try and react. The full force of Blast Off's arm slams into Jarik just as he's bringing up a protective Force shield around himself, and he's sent flying through the air. He hits the ground hard with a pained yell and tumbles across the dirt, coming to a stop with a groan in agonizing pain.
He slowly looks up to see Onslaught calmly stomping his way towards him, Blast Off by his side. Vortex then walks out of the woods as well, holding some sort of device in his hand. Jarik tries to move but groans, feeling a sharp pain in his torso. He spots his lightsabers and moves to grab them before a massive sword, bigger than him, is suddenly stabbed into the ground in front of him to block his reach. He jumps away from it to land on his back, letting out another grunt of pain, gritting his teeth. Onslaught then crouches low to the ground in front of him, glaring with a cold, thoughtful expression in his optics.
"Jarik Shan, is it?" he says slowly. "You've made quite the name for yourself Jedi."
"Nice of you to notice," Jarik responds with a glare, wincing again as his ribs ache with pain.
"While I don't care for you organics one bit, I'll admit your actions have been quite extraordinary for beings as insignificant as you," he replies calmly. "But that's not why I'm here. Tell me where Elita One is, or you will watch your friends die."
Blast Off activates his weapons to pull out a rocket on both arms and aims them at the village. A clear threat. Jarik's gaze fills with worry and helplessness, but he nevertheless glares right back at Onslaught with determined anger. Onslaught frowns, his red optics gleaming, and he brings his hand forwards to rest it beside Jarik.
"I know you would rather die yourself Jedi, so harming you would prove pointless. But if I must invoke pain on you then I will, starting with emotional suffering," he states.
Blast Off fires one rocket, which shoots off into the village and takes out three houses with one explosion. Screams fill the air, prompting Jarik to growl with anger and worry, struggling to get up before he's shoved down effortlessly by Onslaught's hand.
"I know Elita is here on this planet Jedi, so you're only delaying the inevitable," he states. "At the very least Elita is more capable of fighting us than your worthless friends. Perhaps that would motivate you to tell me?"
Jarik grits his teeth in frustration and anger, still refusing to tell him. Either scenario is infuriating for him, as it's either the Vikings who will be killed, or Elita and his own daughter Mara.
"My, aren't you hard to break," Onslaught chuckles, standing to his feet. "Perhaps this will convince you."
Onslaught transforms his arm back into his plasma cannon and starts aiming for the village, Blast Off eagerly pulling out his blasters in favor of his rocket in preparation to unleash a furious barrage on Berk. Just as they begin charging up their weapons, Vortex moves forwards to interrupt.
"Onslaught, as much as I enjoy watching your interrogation of the organic, I think you would be more pleased to know that I've located Elita's signal," he states, holding up his device. "She's in the forest."
Onslaught pauses in his actions and looks at the device with a thoughtful expression. He then puts away his plasma cannon and yanks his sword out of the ground, giving Jarik a look.
"It seems you friends will live after all," he comments.
"Real shame. I was looking forward to exterminating these filthy insects," Blast Off grumbles, also putting away his weapons.
"It is highly unlikely we shall meet again, Jarik Shan. I'll try giving your daughter the chance to run away while we finish off Elita, but there's not guarantee she'll survive either," Onslaught says.
"No..." Jarik growls furiously, struggling to get back to his feet.
Onslaught, Blast Off and Vortex then begin marching away from the village and over to the forest, following after Elita's signal. All the while Jarik is helpless and in pain, forced to lie there with the knowledge that several Berkians have died, and he was unable to stop it. And now Mara and Elita were next.