Chapter 7

"Ha!" Callista shouted with glee as she poked her toy lightsaber into the chest of a holographic Tusken Raider. The image let out a bellow of pain as the fake weapon's blade pierced through its heart, and it slowly disintegrated into the air. Callista flashed a look over at her pet mooka, Jeebie, who was sprawled lazily on her bed, watching as she played with her new holo-game. "So, what do you think of my new combat skills, Jeebie?" she asked with a hint of pride in her voice.
Jeebie merely cooed and ruffled his white feathers, apparently unimpressed with Callista's mastery of the fake lightsaber. Callista grinned as she programmed the simulator game to conjure up another holographic opponent. She and her family had just finished celebrating her seventh life day, and it had been one of the best parties of her life. Everyone was there: her parents, her uncle, her brother and sisters, her friends from school, and most of her relatives who lived on Chad. Everyone had given her presents, more than she had ever received on a life day. The best present of all was the new holo-game Uncle Clain had given her, which came equipped with a toy lightsaber. He knew Callista's dream to be a Jedi and, though she had no actual Force talent, he indulged her fantasies, against her parent's will.
The group had gone outside to resume the party on the beach. Callista and her mother had remained behind (it had been her father's idea to lead all the guests away, so Callista and her mother could have some time to themselves). Her mother was in the refresher right now, and would be out in a few minutes. That was when Callista would give her the seashell bracelet. I hope Mama likes my bracelet, Callista thought as she brought her toy lightsaber crashing through the head of the holographic rancor that stood before her, roaring in pain as the blade tore through its flesh.
I'm sure she will. I mean, after all, she's my mother. How can she not like anything I make for her? Callista continued practicing with the weapon, and the minutes slowly passed by. A thin layer of impatience started showing itself as she waited for her mother to come out of the refresher. What's taking so long? Callista wondered. After waiting for ten more minutes, the little girl began to realize that something was wrong. She couldn't explain it, but she felt as if something horrible had just happened. She looked around her room--at her bed, at her pet mooka, at the mound of presents that laid in one corner, at the window that showed the guests mingling near the beach--and felt a cold iciness tear through her heart.
"Mama?" she said, weakly, as she headed over to open her door. She looked out the hallway--the refresher was right across from her room--and shouted, "Mama? Are you all right? What's taking so long?" She waited impatiently, but there was no answer. Callista groaned, trying without much success to let her fear overcome her, and tried once again. "Mama, it's me! Are you okay?" Again, there was no answer. "Mama!" As Callista shouted, she dashed out of her room, and straight for the refresher door. It was only five or six steps from her doorway, and yet it felt like an eternity as Callista ran. She could feel her movement slow down, the hallway surrounding her starting to blur, as she opened the refresher door. And what she saw was a sight that would forever haunt her. Her mother was laying, almost lifelessly, on the refresher floor, sprawled in a crumpled heap. Her skin was as pallid as that of a ghost, and her breathing came out of her nose in shallow, faint gasps. In her hand Callista saw a bottle of arsenic, and half of it was gone, the rest spilled across the white tile. Her mother's eyes slowly fluttered open as they found her daughter.
"L-Lissy..."
"MAMA!" Callista somehow found the ability to speak again as she rushed to her mother's side. She gathered her head in both arms, unable to control the sobs that tore apart her body. "Mama, why? WHY?"
"Lissy..." she gasped weakly as she grasped Callista's hand. It felt so fragile and limp. "I'm sorry..."
"No!" Callista begged, ignoring the river of tears she shed. "Mama, please, please don't die!"
"It...It is too late, Lissy," her mother rasped. "It's too late for me." "No!" the little girl shouted again, suffocating her mother with kisses, as if hoping that would cure her dying mother. "No! No! No! No! There's still time. We can call for help! We--"
"You can't, darling," her mother whispered, her voice growing fainter and fainter. "The poison kills fast. I won't survive..."
"Why did you do it, Mama?" Callista sobbed, gripping her head even tighter. "Why?"
"Because...Because I love you, Callista," she said. Somehow, a small bit of her strength returned as she held her daughter's hand. "Lissy...I'll be there, when you come. Come to me, when it's your turn to pass."
Callista nodded, her face masked by her hot tears. "I will, Mama. I promise, I promise..." She kept saying those words, over and over again, and she watched as the poison killed her mother, the woman who had given her life, the woman she had always taken for granted, and now would never be able to tell her how sorry she was, that she wished she could be given a second chance... Her mother nodded one last time, still holding Callista's hand, and breathed her last.
Callista's screams shattered the dreamscape as she awoke and returned to the inside of the small ship. Cold sweat dotted her body, and she quickly realized that she was trembling. As she tried to control herself, Callista took a moment to remember where she was. In her personal quarters on board her ship, the Shapeshifter. The lights were off, and she could barely see ahead of her. Not that it mattered to her, after the nightmare she had just had. Callista wrapped the covers tightly around her body, the dream still fresh in her mind. She could still see herself when she was seven years old, on her life day, holding her mother's dying body, a flood of tears blurring her vision as she wept. She could still see her mother struggling vainly to breathe, her final words, her final gasp for air before the cold hands of death grasped her and took her away...
The death of her mother had been a turning point for Callista in her life. It had forever changed her--though not for the best--and left her a shattered, frightened little girl without a mother. The tragedy had affected the rest of her family as well, more than anyone could ever expect, but none more so than Callista. For she could never get rid of the guilt she had. It was her fault her mother had committed suicide. As far back as she could remember, her mother had done her best to care for Callista, to protect her from the horrors of the galaxy, to give her a home, to make sure she got a good education, to love her. And all she had ever asked for in return was for Callista to love her back.
And she had never gotten that.
Callista always held her father in higher regard than her mother. Her older sister, Arkna, had once said that it was because when Callista was born, her father was the first thing in the world she ever laid her newborn eyes on. Her father was her best friend. Callista would always spend the most time with her father. Any time Callista needed help with something- -whether it be about school, or boys, or Jedi lore--she would always come to her father first. Never her mother. Her mother was expendable to her. Callista knew that she was crying, but she made no move to wipe the tears.
"It should have been me," she said hoarsely, the trembling starting to return again, as if an internal earthquake was raging inside her. And in a sense, it was. "It should have been me who took that poison. I deserved it." Callista remembered the last time she had seen her mother.
First, it had been at her wedding, shortly after the defeat of Admiral Daala. Her mother had been a ghost, wishing for Callista to join her in the afterlife. And Callista had refused, saying that it was not her time yet.
Then on Dathomir, when she and Luke had been crucified by the Nightsisters, on the brink of death, preparing to cross over to the other side. Her mother had been there, a beautiful smile on her face, welcoming her daughter with open arms. And still...Callista decided to go back. Said that it was not her time to cross over. How she wished she could have taken that back. What are you doing to yourself? her mind demanded harshly. This is crazy! My mother's death was not my fault! She made her decision, and had to pay the consequences.
 Callista violently shook her head, her eyes darting around the room, as if someone was actually speaking to her. "What is happening to me?" she said aloud. "Am I going crazy?" Finally deciding that she needed some fresh air, Callista got up off her cot and slipped into her jumpsuit and boots.
The Shapeshifter was on autopilot, still heading for Anasazi. Callista had never heard of the planet before until today, and had no idea of how to get there. And yet, somehow, she knew. "This is getting really weird," Callista muttered as she left her room and headed for the quarters next door to her, where she had left Cray. The HRD had been bound to her bed, so that she would not make an attempt at changing the ship's course. Callista may have been going insane, but she was not stupid. Callista opened the door to Cray's room, and stepped inside. The lights immediately flashed on, and she stepped back in shock. Cray lay sprawled on the floor, at least five feet away from the cot. Somehow, she had managed to break free from the stun-ropes Callista had used to bind her to the bed--Of course, she thought. She's a droid.--but made no attempt to escape. And she had slashed her neck with a broken piece of glass. Callista looked up and saw that Cray had smashed the mirror on the wall into millions of sharp, jagged pieces. There was glass scatted around the entire floor, and Callista was grateful that she had decided to wear boots before entering the room. She ran over to the woman's side, fearing the worst.
"Cray," she said as she lifted the droid's chin to inspect the wound. She could see wires and sparking circuits through the broken skin. Had Cray been human, she would have died within seconds. She had cut herself deep enough to almost pierce her Central Processing Unit. "Cray, are you all right?"
Cray's eyes snapped open, and she let out a bitter laugh. "No blood," she observed, as she rose to her knees. "Not a drop, Callista." She sniffed as she picked up a piece of glass as large as Callista's arm. "Funny. In all the years I've been ali...I mean, running, I never knew the truth of who I was. I never knew that I was a...a tin can. Basically, my whole life has been a big lie." There was sadness in her voice as she spoke.
Callista bit her lower lip, unknowing of what to say. She let her hand gently on Cray's arm, her eyes glassy with sympathetic tears. "Cray, I'm sorry."
Cray chuckled again, and jabbed the glass through her chest. Callista grimaced as the pointy edge bore right through Cray's left breast. She let out a small grunt as the blow connected, but again no blood spilled out. "See?" she said, pulling the glass out as if it was no more than a feather. "Droids don't bleed. And I didn't even feel a thing."
Her eyes suddenly flew over to Callista, and she pressed the weapon against her jugular. "What about you, Callista? Do you bleed?"
Callista immediately drew back without an answer, glaring at the other woman. "Don't even think about it, Cray," she snapped.
The droid scoffed as she threw the glass against the wall. "Don't call me that," she said. "I'm not Cray. I never was. I just look like her." "Please, you need to listen to me," Callista begged. "What you're doing to yourself...it's not good. You're just destroying yourself."
"And your point being?" she shot back. Callista sighed, on the verge of just giving up. "Look, you may not be the real Cray, but that doesn't mean you're worthless. You still have some purpose in life. You can help me stop the Kerash and Xizor before it's too late. You can be a real hero."
"Oh, please, don't even start with that sanctimonious bantha crap," Cray said in disgust. "If you have nothing important to say, then I don't wanna see your face. Get out." Callista opened her mouth, as if to say something else, but then stopped. There was no point to it. It would only make Cray more bitter.
"You know something?" she finally said after a few moments of silence. "You aren't Cray. Cray was a real hero. She gave up her life to save others. You're nothing like her."
Cray narrowed her eyes at her for a long time, as if Callista had finally struck a nerve, and the comment had actually hurt. Finally, something in her seemed to give in, and she looked away, heaving a heavy sigh. Without waiting for an answer, Callista turned and stormed out of the room.

As Hope ran down the dull, metallic corridor--practically out of breath, and a sharp needle of pain tearing in her side due to too much exercise-- she felt a great sense of relief that she had not felt in a long time. She was now so close to leaving this stupid place and returning back home. And then we'll teach that meanie-butt Xizor a lesson... she thought with a wicked grin. Her footsteps thudded in a repetitive pattern as her feet--one without a shoe--hit the floor noisily, and from beind, Hope could barely hear Llia's footsteps as the older girl tried to catch up with her.
Hope still wasn't a hundred percent sure she could still trust this strange girl, but as long as she helped her escape, she was fine having her tag along. "Are we close to the docking bay?" Hope shouted from behind her shoulder.
"It's not far now!" Llia yelled back, sounding practically out of breath from all the running. "Hope, shouldn't we stop to take a rest? I'm getting really tired!"
"Sorry, no time for that," Hope said as she doubled her speed. "Keep running!"
Llia mumbled something under her breath that Hope didn't quite get, but she ignored it and continued her sprint until she reached a pair of steel doors at the end of the dark hallway. She finally paused to catch her breath, barely able to even gasp for air. "Is this it?" she asked as Llia finally caught up with her.
Llia nodded, apparently as winded as Hope was. "But you'll need the password in order to open the doors."
"Password schmassword," Hope scoffed. "Who's needs a password when you got a Jedi on your side?" Hope motioned for Llia to step back. The older girl obliged, and she took a few steps forward, her eyes half-closed in concentration. Within seconds, an invisible hammer smashed against the twin doors, ripping them apart as if they were made out of paper. The metal bent inward, and the doors caved in as the Force pressed down upon them. They collapsed to the floor, all in a matter of seconds. Leaving nothing between Hope and freedom. Llia assessed the sight, looking down at Hope with quite a bit of surprise-- and perhaps even fear--in her eyes.
"That was amazing," she said.
Hope beamed with pride. "You ain't seen nothing yet," she said, then took Llia by the hand. "Come on, let's go." Just then, she felt a pair of strong hands grab her from behind.

"Are you sure you know how to fly this thing?" Jacen asked as he helped seat Jaina in the pilot's chair, which was obviously too big for the young eight year old girl.
"Trust me," Jaina said as she reached to grasp the controls. "I'm an expert when it comes to flying pieces of junk. Just ask Dad." The two kids had snuck on board an old Alderaanian freighter, which bore a certain resemblance to the Millennium Falcon. It was shaped like a saucer, with two wings protruding from both sides, and mounted with powerful blaster cannons. The hull had been painted with a blackish-silver hue, giving it a very shiny appearance, almost looking brand-new. No one had seen them board the ship. And with the stampede of ships leaving Coruscant, no one would notice them leave.
"Okay, let's see," Jaina said as she pulled back a red lever. "I think this is what starts the engine." Seconds later, the ship hummed to life.
Jacen could feel a slight vibration running through the floor under his feet as the sublight engines roared. He quickly strapped himself in the copilot's chair and gave his sister a grin. "Hey, Jaina," he said. "What do you call a crystal snake with a sense of humor?" Jaina rolled her eyes.
"Jacen, can we please just go through one day without having to hear one of your lame jokes?"
"Come on, just guess!" Jacen pleaded, his grin growing ever so wider.
Jaina heaved a huge, exasperated sigh before saying, "Gee, Jacen, I don't know. What do you call a crystal snake with a sense of humor?"
"Hiss-terical! Get it?" Jacen erupted in a series of unintelligible guffaws and snorts. Jaina shook her head. "There is no hope for you, is there?"
"Oh, come on. You have to admit, that was pretty funny."
"Jacen, if you tell another joke while we're on this mission, I'm afraid I'll have to hurt you," Jaina warned as the Alderaanian ship lifted off the landing pad and headed through the docking bay entrance. Jacen sighed. "One of these days, Jaina, I'm gonna tell you a joke that you will find funny."
"Ha! Wyrwulfs will fly first," Jaina said as the freighter soared through the metropolis. "You ready?"
Jacen nodded. "Let's kick some butt!" "Then what are we waiting for?" Jaina said as she took the controls. "Hope, Annie...here we come!"

"Mistress Jaina! Master Jacen!" Threepio said as he headed for their hospital room. "It is urgent that we leave as soon as possible! The doctor will be here with your hover-chair in a few minutes, Mistress Jaina, and then we can head for your apartment to pack your things--"
As he entered the room, he stopped when he realized that no one was there. Jaina's bed was vacant, the white sheets sprawled on the clean, sterile floor. Jacen was also gone. "Um...Master Jacen?" Threepio weakly called out, immediately fearing the worst. "Mistress Jaina?" There was no answer. "Oh, no," the protocol droid groaned as he left to find Doctor Poshkal. "Not again."

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Luke asked Leia as he prepared to board the Millennium Falcon with Leanna Kai. The two stood in the cavernous docking bay of the Imperial Palace, where people were still getting on board transports to leave Coruscant. Already, three-hundred million people had left for the outer edges of the system. Within a few more hours, Coruscant would be a ghost planet. Brother and sister stood side by side for a moment. Both would soon be going their separate ways; Luke to Yavin 4, and Leia and Han to the Verpine System. It was time to say goodbye. Leia nodded, trying to mask her feelings. Luke knew that his sister was feeling the burden of a thousand bricks weighing upon her shoulders, and he admired her strength to hide it.
"I'll be fine, Luke. I just...I hope we find our children in time, before..." She choked on her own words before she could finish her sentence. Luke reached out and gave Leia a hug. He, too, had been through so much in the past week. His daughter was missing, his wife had disappeared as well-- and was extremely vulnerable to the dark side now. He had never felt so helpless before, at least not since he had stood over his father's dying body on board the Death Star. He had been unable to do anything at that time. Would history repeat itself again?
"I'm more worried about you," Leia said, breaking into Luke's thoughts. "And Callista. Luke, I'm scared of what's become of her. Could she have really fallen to the dark side?"
Luke didn't know how to answer that. He had been down that path before, as had many of his friends and family. His father, Brakiss, Kyp Durron, Kam Solusar...the list was endless. "I honestly don't know, Leia," he said, straining to keep from crying. "But if she has, then I swear by the Force that I will do everything in my power to bring her back. And my daughter too." He sighed as he looked away from her. "I've just...I have never felt so alone before."
He felt Leia's hands lay upon his shoulders, and when he turned to face her, she smiled. "You're not alone, brother," she said. As she spoke those words, Luke felt a gentle hand life some of the burden off his shoulders.
Leia was right; he wasn't alone. He still had her, and Han, and the rest of the New Republic on his side. "Thank you," he whispered. "Good luck to you, Leia."
"And to you," Leia replied. "May the Force be with you."

The journey to Yavin 4 was a strangely quiet one. Luke guided the Millennium Falcon through hyperspace, with Leanna Kai sitting beside him in the copilot's seat. The white-skinned woman was not much of a conversationalist, for she kept to herself and rarely spoke to the Jedi Master. Luke wondered who exactly this woman was, and what her past with Boba Fett was about. He considered probing her mind, but he knew better than to tamper with someone like that. "So..." Luke said in a vain attempt to start a conversation. "Do you have any friends or family, Leanna?"
Much to his surprise, Leanna glared daggers at him, as if he had just challenged her to a fight. "I have no family," she said in a very venomous voice. Chagrined, Luke focused on the viewscreen. Obviously, he had struck a nerve by saying that, and he began to wonder if Leanna's family had anything to do with her hatred toward Boba Fett. He tried not to think about it.
"Are you Jedi really as tough as people say you are?" Leanna suddenly asked, cold and business-like.
Luke was surprised by the unexpected query. He regained his composure seconds later and replied, "It depends, Leanna. Some people are born with great potential. Others are not so lucky, and have only the faintest connections with the Force." He briefly thought of Tionne as he said that. The silver-haired historian, though brilliant in Jedi lore, was one of the weaker students he had in terms of Force potential.
"So the Force is the only thing that makes you able to fight," Leanna observed. "Take that away, and you're nothing."
Luke shook his head. "Not necessarily. Most of my students are also being taught the importances of hand-to-hand combat, which helps just as much as the Force when it comes to fighting." His voice dropped as he added, "In some instances, it helpes even better."
"How are you born with the Force?" the woman asked. "I mean, how come some people have it and some don't? What creates the Force?"
Luke shrugged and answered honestly. "If you want the actual truth, I don't know. In all my years as a Jedi, I never quite learned the true origins of the Force. The Jedi of the Old Republic may have known it, but any data concerning it was destroyed by the Emperor during the rise of the New Order..."
Leanna nodded. "Interesting," she said.
The two remained silent for the rest of the journey, until they reached Yavin 4. The jungle moon was almost eclipsed by the orange gas ball that was Yavin, meaning that it was nightfall. The Falcon dropped out of hyperspace and sailed for Yavin 4.
Luke send out a transmission toward the Jedi Academy, and waited until Tionne's beautifully exotic face appeared on the screen. "Master Skywalker," she said in a relieved tone. "Thank the Force you're all right. We heard about what's happening on Coruscant--"
"And that's exactly why I've come here," Luke said. "Wake Kyp and the others. We're going to do some hunting."

Hope shrieked as the strong hands snatched her roughly by the shoulders and spun her around. Her vision became blurred as the world spun around her, and when she came to, she stared right into the face of Xizor. "Where do you think you're going, Hope?" the evil man sneered. "Have you not enjoyed my hospitality?"
"Let me go!" Hope shouted as she tried to run away. The docking bay door was only a few feet away from her; she was so close to freedom, and now this had happened. "Let go of me, you big, green--"
"Enough!" rang a voice from behind. Hope craned her head behind her shoulder to see a tall woman emerge from the docking bay entrance, draped in her black robes, looking far scarier than anything Hope had ever seen before. Was this what it had been like for Daddy when he had to face Vader?
"Well, well, well," the woman said, an unpleasant smile stretching across her white-skinned face. "If it isn't the daughter of Skywalker. I've been looking for you for a long time."
"What do you want with me?" Hope demanded, trying to sound tough, but with Xizor grabbing her by the arms, and more cloaked warriors surrounding her, she certainly didn't feel tough.
"My name is Armenia, of the Kerash Order," the scary woman said menacingly. "And you're coming with us to Anasazi."
"No!" Hope screamed and struggled with all her might, but the man holding her was strong, and wouldn't let go of her anytime soon. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"
"Oh, but you are," someone else said, and Hope turned in horror to see Llia standing before her, her smile mirroring Armenia's. "What--?"
Hope felt as if a great anvil had fallen upon her, robbing her of the last shred of resistance she had. She looked into Llia's eyes, realization quickly sinking in. "You...lied to me? Why?"
"It sure took you long enough to figure it out," the older girl said with a chuckle. "I can't believe you actually bought my story about me trying to help you out." She scoffed as she smiled up at Armenia. "Jedi will believe anything, won't they?"
Hope suddenly felt very tired, the energy drained from her body. She didn't even bother fighting as Xizor, still holding her by the arms, led her into the hangar bay, toward the one ship left. The ship Llia had said would be leaving the planet. She betrayed me...
 The words echoed in Hope's ears, but she still couldn't bring herself to believe it. She thought she could trust Llia, had thought they would escape this horrid place together. For a brief moment, she had thought she had found someone who could understand her predicament. And now she knew the truth.
Armenia headed over to the ship--Hope saw that the words Fallen Moon were stenciled in the hull--and opened the ramp leading inside. Xizor and Hope were the first ones on board, followed by Armenia, and then the remaining Kerash warriors, at least two dozen of them in all.
"What are you gonna do to me?" Hope finally asked, her voice a frightened squeak.
"You'll find out when we reach Anasazi," Armenia said as she led Hope to the rear of the ship. "But for now, I don't want to spoil the surprise."
The little girl was brought into a small, cramped room at the back of the Fallen Moon, a place where prisoners were probably kept--which was exactly what Hope was at that moment. As Xizor brutally shoved her inside, she looked up and saw Anakin lying on one of the cots, a faraway look in his eyes.
"Anakin!" she shouted, running over to the older boy. Life suddenly flashed into Anakin's eyes at the sound of her voice, and he looked up, relief flooding upon his face.
"Hope?" he weakly said. Just when she was arm's length from him, Armenia grabbed her and pulled her away.
"I don't think so," she said. "You two aren't going anywhere near each other until we've reached out destination."
"You leave us alone, you bi--" The woman backhanded Hope so hard that she was thrown against the wall.
"Mind your tongue, you little brat. It'd do you well to respect your superiors." Her eyes slowly trailed over to Anakin, who shrank back in fear. "It would be terrible if I would be forced to use your friend as an example."
Hope's entire face burned from the slap, and she almost started to cry. But not here, not in front of these terrible people. She would not give Armenia the satisfaction. She looked over at her cousin and sent a brief thought to him, letting him know that she wouldn't let anything happen to him.
"I'll be good," she finally said as she looked back at the cloaked woman. Armenia nodded and left the room, while Xizor stayed behind to watch over them. The man who had betrayed her most of all. Hope silently vowed that when she had the chance, she would make all of these evil people pay.

Callista sat alone in the cockpit, watching the ever-expanding starlines as the Shapeshifter coursed through hyperspace. The journey to Anasazi was not even halfway finished, not even close. It would take at least another day or two before they arrived in the Unknown Regions. Callista still wondered how she knew the location of this strange planet. Perhaps it was Kara's doing, and she was guiding her through the darkness of space...
Callista grimaced as she thought of her firstborn daughter. And of the last three years. She remembered the morning she realized she had regained her Force powers, and accidentally destroyed one of Luke's vases. She remembered laying eyes upon Kara for the first time in decades as she entered the ancient Kerash temple. She remembered seeing Kyp's lightsaber cutting through Kara's flesh, remembered hearing her daughter's anguished scream as she felt to the floor in a dying heap. She remembered her dream on Dathomir, her struggle with Kara on the mountain cliff. She is coming...
Everything that had happened in the past three years was slowly but steadily building up to something, something that no one in the universe would see until it was too late. And Callista had never realized it before. Kara's words resonated in her mind, reminding her of how she got her powers back, and of the consequences that would arise if she should defeat her daughter. If Callista won, she would lose her powers once again. Was it a price worth paying? In the long run, yes. Callista knew that she was afraid to lose her powers, to lose her connection to the Force, to never share that special connection with Luke ever again. She also knew that she was being selfish.
The lives of billions upon billions of people hung in the balance should the Kerash succeed. Surely losing her powers was nothing compared to losing the lives of all those people. Callista sighed as she relaxed in her seat. It would be a few more days before she reached Anasazi. She decided to stop thinking about it so much until she found Hope and Kara.
She felt a faint stirring deep within her belly, a soft, almost gentle tickle. The infant was in its earliest stages, meaning that it was only a few weeks--perhaps even days--old. When Callista had been pregnant with Hope, she had been so happy. And now...all she felt was a deep fear for her newborn, as well as fear for her other daughter, Hope. And then she thought of the family she had left behind on Coruscant. What was she going to tell Luke?
"Callista?"
Callista felt the droid's presence long before she heard her speak. She turned to see Cray standing behind her, her wounds now bandaged up, and managed a smile. "What is it, Cray?"
"I just wanted to talk with you," the droid said, her features softening.
Callista nodded, and watched as Cray sat behind her in the copilot's seat. She could feel that Cray was being sincere, and sensed far less hosility emanating from her than before. Perhaps things were looking up after all. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.
The droid sighed before answering. "I'm just so confused," she said. Callista chuckled. "Join the club," she said. She heard the droid sigh behind her.
"I feel so lost," she said. "All this time, I thought I was human. And now...I see that it was all just a lie." She hesitated and took a deep breath before continuing. "Callista?"
"Yes?"
"How did the real Cray die?" Callista straightened up at the question. Even to this day, she could still remember everything that had happened on the Eye of Palpatine as if it had occurred yesterday. She should have known that the droid would ask this sooner or later.
As she clutched the controls to keep her hands from shaking, she said, "I had been trapped in the the Eye's computer for decades. When Luke, Cray, and Nichos arrived, I was on the brink of completely losing my memory. But the arrival of Luke reawakened my connections with the Force. I fell in love with him, and he fell in love with me.
"Luke and his friends had come to destroy the Eye of Palpatine once and for all. I had managed to disable it for a long time, but it wouldn't last for long. It would only be a matter of time before it would reawaken and continue its mission to eliminate the Jedi. So I communicated with Luke through the Eye's computer system, and we teamed up to destroy the battle station."
She paused a moment to catch her breath, seeing the events transpire before her eyes as she described them.
"And...you succeeded," Cray asked.
Callista nodded. "Nichos, who was a droid, much like you are now, volunteered to detonate the ship. Cray was his fiancee, and she couldn't bear to leave him behind. I knew that staying behind would mean death for both of them. So...I switched bodies with Cray.
"We managed to complete the transfer before the destruction of the Eye. I managed to reach safety on board the Hunter's Luck, but Cray and Nichos both perished. They died side by side, as they had lived."
Cray remained silent for a long time. "And...that's why you look so much like her," she said. "Same nose, same chin..."
"But different hair and eye color," Callista pointed out. The droid sighed.
"So, that's how it happened."
"Yes. Cray died a true hero. She gave up her life for the greater good, so that she could be with the man she loved the most...and so that I could be with the man I loved the most." She smiled as she remembered the shock and joy on Luke's face as he realized that she had survived the explosion...which was soon tainted by the memories of how she had been treating him ever since the disappearance of their daughter.
"And you can be a hero, too, Cray, if you help me defeat these Kerash."
"They lied to me," Cray said in a cold, bitter tone. "I trusted them with my life, and they lied to me. They implanted these fake memories into my mind. They still feel real to me, even after what you've told me. And it's horrible." She hung her head, the faintest glimmer of tears shining in her eyes. "They are going to pay for this."
"If you help me, Cray, we can defeat them together," Callista said. "Can you tell me everything you know about Arak?"
The droid sighed for perhaps the hundredth time today and straightened up in her seat. "I only know a few things about this ritual," she said. "Most of it is kept secret amongst the Kerash priests. They call it the Ritual of the Coming, for obvious reasons."
"What does this ritual involve?" Callista asked.
"It involves the drawing of blood from two beings who share a powerful connection, one so great that it cannot be broken, even by death," Cray continued. "Once their blood is spilled, a third vessel opens a gateway leading into another dimension...the dimension where the goddess Arak supposedly resides. Once the portal is opened, she will enter our universe."
Callista listened to the details with dread. "What's the third vessel?" she asked.
"A child," she answered. "A child whose only purpose in life is to bring about the arrival of Arak. He or she is chosen from one of the Anasazi villages and brought to the Temple of Arak, where the priests 'purify' them."
"Purify? As in--?"
"Soaking the child in a pool of blood from previous sacrifices," Cray said. "Beatings, whippings, tortures. The priests believe that these will cleanse the child of the goodness inside him or her. If a trace of goodness is left, the ritual will not work. This lasts for years until the child has reached adolescence."
Callista was horrified by this new revelation. To hear of a child going through such treachery and pain--it made her hate the Kerash even more. "And then what?" she asked, her voice slightly above a whisper.
"I don't know," the droid shrugged. "They then perform the ritual, and if everything has been done right, Arak comes into the world."
"And what happens then?" Callista asked, already fearing the answer.
"And then everyone will die."

Deep in the Unknown Regions, on the distant jungle world of Anasazi, the High Priest, a torch in hand, strolled down the poorly lit corridor leading into the small chamber room of the Third Vessel. He was dressed in his finest ceremonial robes--reds, blues, and purples--and was almost ready for the Coming. He had been preparing for this event for all his life.
He and his fellow priests had kept this child in the bowels of the temple since his birth, had worked hard to purify him of his light. It had been a long and strenuous task, but in the end, victory had at last been achieved. All they needed now were the First and Second Vessel. Which Armenia hopefully had found by now, and would return to Anasazi as soon as possible.
By the time of the next eclipse, the goddess Arak would be reborn.
The High Priest reached the room and opened the door. He stepped inside and found himself in a small chamber lit by several torches mounted on pedestals. Bright orange-red flames flickered from the torches, illuminating the priest's pale skin. And there, laying almost lifelessly on a small bed in the center of the room, was the Third Vessel. He was a boy, around the age of thirteen or fourteen. He had been chosen from his village because he was the strongest baby, the most likely to survive the purification that would last throughout his childhood.
And indeed he had--just barely.
His face was horribly scarred from the endless beatings he had received, the bones in his arms and legs had been broken several times over and healed, to the point where he looked like a crippled old man. And still he had survived. The High Priest stood over the young boy--his name was Kinshur, he believed- -and nodded.
"Congratulations, my boy," he said. "At last, you are ready for the Ritual of the Coming."
Despite his scars, Kinshur smiled. "For Arak, my Lord," he whispered.
The High Priest laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "For Arak," he
repeated.

Isolder had not felt this nervous since his wedding. With his wife, Queen Mother Teneniel Djo, on Dathomir at the moment with their daughter, Tenel Ka, he was left alone to address the Council, which consisted of women who shared a mutual dislike for men. Since before the Clone Wars, Hapes had been a strongly feminist system. Men were held in low regards and had little power in the monarchy. Isolder himself was King of the sixy-three worlds in the cluster, but should anything happen to his wife, the throne would go to his daughter rather than to him...simply because he was a man.
And now, here he was, having to face the Hapan Council, hoping that they would provide him with the firepower he needed in order to help the New Republic when it needed help the most. "Thank you, for having the time to hear me out," he said, trying his best to hide his anxiety, and only half-succeeding.
The leader of the Hapan Council, Grenalda, stood from her chair and nodded in acknowledgement. "King Isolder, the Council is well aware of what is happening on Coruscant. You wish for us to grant you permission to personally lead the entire Hapan fleet in the fight against Xizor and Black Sun." Her voice matched her appearance: old, harsh, dangerous, manipulative, and ill-tempered, which constituted ninety percent of the women in the Hapan government--including Isolder's own mother, former Queen Ta'a Chume.
"You realize, Isolder," the Council leader continued, "that sending out our fleet will mean heavy losses on both sides. Should we lose, the Hapes Cluster is left vulnerable to outside attacks."
"Maybe," Isolder said, "but our Hapan Battle Dragons are among the most powerful warships the galaxy has ever seen. Surely, they are more than a match for anything this Xizor has." He briefly recalled the great battle fought between the Hapans and Imperial warlord Zsinj in the Quelii Sector all those years ago.
Shiropo Kadri, one of the more softer-spoken members of the Council, and one of the oldest, stood up as well and nodded in Isolder's direction. "I cannot see why we could not sent our fleet to the Republic's aid, Grenalda," she said.
"I assure you that we can defeat Black Sun," Isolder said. "We've taken on the Empire before. I'm sure that this new Black Sun would not pose much of a threat to our mighty battleships. And as king of the Hapes Cluster, I swear that I will not fail you, or the rest of the people."
"You'd better be right about that," the Council leader said.
"Then it's settled, then," Isolder said, then offered a small bow in respect to the Hapan Royal Council. "I promise to return with as minimal losses as possible. Thank you."
Grenalda nodded and waved dismissively in Isolder's direction, as if warding off an annoying fly. Isolder took the hint and strode out of the Council room. The most difficult step had been accomplished. Now it was time for him to fight.

Llia watched, her emerald eyes soft as Hope disappeared into the ship. The young child's words echoing in her mind.
You ... lied to me? Why?
 Desperately, she shook her head to clear her mind of the incident, but the disbelief and pain that came with those words kept it's firm grip on her mind. She began to walk towards the ship, her eyes downcast in thought.
You shouldn't have trusted me, munchkin, you just shouldn't have. Closing her eyes, she sighed, the evil smile on her face long gone. Again the child's plea whispered across her mind. Miserably, Llia thought, It's not like I don't know how she feels, I do, in a way. After all I was in a similar situation. Armenia thinks I've forgotten that...
Making a rather unlady like snort she continued. But one does not forget losing your family easily. Sliding her pale hand into her pocket, she slowly drew out a smooth silver braclet. Looking at it, a small flame of anger welled up behind the wall of sadness in her heart. I wonder if you really are looking for me. You promised you would. Armenia told me it was you who hired the bounty hunter to capture me because you wanted me gone. But is even that true?
Slipping the bracelet back into her pocket she thought, I always doubted that. After all, Armenia never knew of nor did she understood how deep the bond between Lea and I was. But why would my cousin lie to me?
Llia's eyes visibly hardened. Then again, there are plenty of reasons why she would want to get back at my sister. After all, Armenia is still angry over all the times she lost to her when they were younger. It didn't help at all that Lea was younger then Armenia by a few years and still managed to always defeat her in hand to hand combat. Well, according to my brother at least. He also said Armenia disappeared acouple years before I was born. Which makes me wonder. I'm not as naive as Armenia thinks I am. Not by a long shot.
Looking straight ahead, Llia squared her shoulders, pushed her waist-length black hair behind her ears, mindful of the silver strip that ran along it's length near her right temple. She straighten her cloak, and strolled into the ship.
As soon as she had entered, her sharp hearing picked up a slap and a thunk in that back of the Fallen Moon. Pursing her lips together, her emerald eyes burned like embers in her anger. She strolled to her seat and leaned against the armrest as she thought furiously at the room in the back of the ship, Leave them alone, Armenia! They are just kids. Crossing her arms she leaned back, and had closed her eyes to calm herself when suddenly she heard Hope's pain filled voice enter head. 'You ... lied to me? Why?' Mentally she growled, ENOUGH! I get the hint, you stupid conscience of mine!
 Letting out a deep breath, her thoughts continued. Ok, if I'm going to help her ... correction, them, I going have tread very carefully. After all, Armenia can defeat me in a second at hand to hand combat, she's proven that enough times when she forced me to duel with her. I still have a feeling she did that to simply nail that fact into my head that she could beat a Kai. Might as well get this started.
 Standing up, she walked towards the back of the ship. Unfortunately, she bumped into Armenia. "What do you think you are doing?" Armenia demanded angrily, glaring coldly at Llia.
Glaring back just as coldly with what truly looked like an evil gleam in her eyes, she said with a touch of disgust, "To watch the brats." Thinking fast she added, " Or would you rather allow them to come up with some foolish plan of escape?
"They won't escape no matter what they try." Armenia scoffed. Famous last words, Llia thought before continuing out loud, "Yet that is what all the enemies of the Solo's and Skywalker's thought, and yet every time they managed to escape." Allowing that statement to linger, Llia bowed and continued, "But you would know what best of course. I'll shall return to my seat."
Llia started back when Armenia's voice stopped her. "Very well, watch the children. I might as well have you where you can be useful." After Armenia disappeared back to the cockpit, Llia eyes sparkled as she thought, Lucky I'm so use to acting like a brown-noser to Armenia that it's become second nature to me.
Slowly she walked into the sleeping quarters, more like prisoner cell, where the children were being held captive. Hope felt the floor beneath her shudder as the Fallen Moon left the docking bay and headed off into space. It was like a minor earthquake--slightly trembling, soft enough that one could hardly feel it--and was nothing compared to the trembling Hope could feel in her body. An abrupt jolt shook throughout the ship as it entered hyperspace.

For a long time, no one in the room spoke. Hope tried as hard as she could to not look into Xizor's eyes, and instead focused on her cousin. Anakin was laying flat on his stomach on his cot, the terror visible on his face. The two children locked eyes with each other for a brief second, sharing their fears with each other.
Don't worry, Hope heard as Anakin's voice whispered softly through the Force. We'll be okay. Despite what she was feeling, Hope managed a smile of encouragement and nodded.
"How sweet," Xizor said from the doorway of the cell, and Hope cringed with disgust at the sound of the Falleen's voice. "Cousin and cousin, together once more. Pardon me while I wipe the tears from my eyes."
"Stay away from us," Hope said through clenched teeth.
"Now, now, Hope, no need for threats," Xizor said as he inched closer to the little girl. "I know that you must be terribly upset with me right now, but I assure you that this wasn't easy for me. Since our time together, I have grown...quite attached to you. The thought of giving you away to these people saddens me to no end."
Hope knew fully well that this evil man was lying, and had been ever since she had first met him. She finally risked a glance toward Xizor and gave him her best glare. "You're never gonna get away with this, Xizor," she said. "My Mommy and Daddy will find us sooner or later. They're gonna rescue us, and make you pay big time for what you've done."
Rather than look concerned--as Hope had been aiming for--Xizor chose to chuckle. "My dear, sweet Hope," he said as he towered over her. Slowly, he petted the crown of her head with once scaly, clawed hand. It felt warm and gross on Hope's head. "Such rage in you. You have a tenacious passion in you that I find very familiar. Your grandfather, Vader, had that within him."
"What do you know about my grandfather?" Hope demanded. Daddy had told her so many frightening stories about Darth Vader, about all the evils he had committed, and how he eventually saved himself from the dark side.
"I knew him very well," Xizor replied in that calm, self-assured voice that sickened Hope to no end. "He was one of the most powerful men I had ever met in my life. And I see the same power in your eyes...a burning rage just waiting to get out."
Hope drew away from the Dark Price, scowling at him. "Why did you come here with those people?" she asked. "Don't you have an empire to run on Coruscant?"
Xizor nodded. "Indeed, you are correct. But my most trusted advisors are handling that while I am gone."
"So, why are you here?" Hope repeated. "Your mother," Xizor said, a dark gleam in his orange reptilian eyes. "I have seen her, and have become starstruck by her beauty. She has the same fire and spirit you possess, my child, which I have rarely seen in any women in my life. It glows brighter than all the stars in the universe. She is almost perfect...and I want her. I want her so much that I can taste it with my tongue. And I hear that she is heading for Anasazi as well. So I intend to find her there and ask her to become my queen."
Hope was off the bed faster than the blink of an eye. She ran to the opposite end of the wall, determined to get as far away from this horrid person as possible. She pressed her back against the cold, dull wall, a frightening grimace on her face.
"You're disgusting!" she shouted, so loud that the echo reverberated in her eardrums. "My Mommy will never marry you!"
"I highly doubt that," Xizor said, unperturbed by her outburst. "I can force her to marry me, against her will if I have to. It is a gift I have, much like this mysterious Force you Jedi possess." The Dark Price glided--almost floated, with his purple robes rippling around him like waves, concealing his feet--over to her, his shadow completely dwarfing the angered child. "I would be honored to have you as my daughter."
Hope spat on Xizor's robe, the fury now tangible. She couldn't believe it, but this man made her more and more angry every time he opened his mouth. "I only have one Daddy," she said. "And you're not him! You'll never be my father! Ever."
"We shall see," Xizor said in a low, ominous voice.
"Xizor." Both Xizor and Hope turned to see Llia enter the small cell, her hands on her hips. "Armenia wishes to see you. I'll watch the little brats while you're gone."
Xizor nodded, flashed one more glare down at Hope, and quietly left the room. Leaving Hope and Anakin alone with Llia.

The Verpine System was mostly a collection of asteroid belts merged into one gigantic wave of shattered planetoids. The Verpines called it "Gringahgfln", which loosely translated into "The Belt of God". According to Admiral Ackbar, it was next to impossible to navigate through the asteroids without getting hit. Leia, Han, and Ackbar had arrived in the Verpine System on board the Mon Calamari cruiser, the Galactic Voyager. It was Ackbar's personal favorite ship, for he had commanded it several times already in battle--namely in the fierce battle with Admiral Daala when she attacked the Jedi Academy, and when they had to save Anakin from Furgan on Anoth.
This time, though, there would be no battle. Just talking--which, from a certain point of view, was, in fact, a battle.
Leia paced nervously on the bridge deck of the starship, unintentionally wringing her hands together. She felt uneasy about having to speak with both the Verpines and the Barabels, who were even at this moment busy ripping each other to shreds. Their war had lasted for more than two decades, and they most likely didn't even know why they were fighting. And now it had to stop once for all. As Leia walked, Han went over to her and clasped her hands into his. "You're shaking," he said. "Are you all right?"
Leia nodded. "I'll be fine as soon as we're finished with this." She looked over at the viewscreen, which displayed the ocean of asteroids that bordered the Verpine System. "Han, I can't believe how scared I am. I mean, I was able to convince the Senate to evacuate Coruscant without breaking a sweat, but here--"
She couldn't finish her sentence. Han smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Hey, don't sweat it. All you have to do is get both sides together, and before you know it, we'll all be one big happy family."
"And maybe the Barabels will stop making a feast out of Verpine body parts," Leia added, and they both laughed.
"Madame President," one of the officers said from below the platform they were standing on. "A pair of B-wings have entered our vicinity."
Leia nodded. The B-wing fighters were the Verpines's favorite weapons in battle. "They've detected us," she said.
"They're hailing," the officer continued. Barely a second had passed after he spoken before a Verpine's voice poured from the speakers. It was barely decipherable, and very insect-like.
"New Republic ship, identify yourself and your purpose for intruding our system."
"This is President Organa Solo, Chief of State of the New Republic," Leia replied, knowing that the Verpine pilot would pick her voice up. "Our intentions are not hostile. As you probably know, the Republic is in an uproar with the return of Black Sun. We wish to speak with the Hive Queen as soon as possible."
The pilot didn't respond immediately, most likely transmitting the information back to the Hive Queen herself with use of his antennae. Almost five minutes passed before he responded, "The Hive Queen has heard of the evacuation of Coruscant, and, with our war with the Barabels growing more heated, is concerned that the events transpiring there will affect our own world. You are allowed to pass. Follow our path, so you will avoid being crushed by the asteroids."
As the B-wings took off, with the Galactic Voyager not far behind, Leia felt the burden she had been carrying lifted from her shoulders. Hopefully, the rest would go just as well.