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Into the Dark SideChapter 3
As he walked through the Temple's hangar bay, Zekk pulled his Jedi cloak close to his body as he approached the Dragon Heart, Kirana Ti's personal shuttle. It vaguely resembled a smaller version of a Mon Calamari crusier, which was fitting since it had been given to Kirana Ti by Cilghal, who no longer needed to use it. In his mind, he tried to comprehend the nature of his latest mission. All he had been told was that there had been an assassination attempt on the Queen of Hapes, but he didn't understand why Tenel Ka was coming along for the ride.
He walked up the entrance ramp, hearing Doc yell from the cockpit, "It's about time! I swear that you'd drink my entire stock of ale dry if given the chance!"
Zekk winced at that accusation before laughing. "You do such a good job, old man!" he replied as he walked towards the cockpit. Doc was already doing some checks on the systems, having just arrived himself.
"Well, I'm glad you are proficient in Jedi healing techniques," Doc told his friend, taking a break from his checks to look at Zekk. "Because with the amount you drink, I'd hate to have a pilot with a hangover."
"What's a hangover?" Zekk teased as he took a seat in the pilot's chair.
Doc rolled his eyes. "Just wait till you get older," he said before entering the co-pilot's seat. "You'll know what they're all about."
"I'll let you know, old man," Zekk said before running a few checks on his console. "So what's the news on this little mission? Why are we taking a barely trained Dathomirian with us? I know they have a strong Force tradition, but I don't think she'd be ready to deal with a mission of this sort."
"Her family has their reasons," Doc said, not bothering to look at the pilot.
Zekk ceased what he was doing and shifted his gaze to Doc. "What the Sith is that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"She's the princess of Hapes," was Doc's revelation after a short pause.
"You're joking," Zekk said, a grin appearing on his face. "That the best you could come up with?"
Doc shook his head. "I'm not kidding," said the old Jedi. "Maybe you can ask her when she comes on board."
Zekk sighed as he leaned back into his seat. That was something he didn't expect. "I take it she had her identity guarded," he surmised.
"Yep," said Doc. "I'm just surprised that Streen wasn't invited to this little party."
Nodding knowledgeably, Zekk said, "Yeah, my master has been friends with Master Streen since they trained at the Academy. They usually worked together before I became Kirana's apprentice."
"Talking about me?" Kirana Ti asked as she entered the cockpit with Tenal Ka.
Zekk turned to see the Dathomirian duo. "No, about Master Streen," he said.
"Oh?" Kirana questioned. "I didn't get a chance to see him while we were there?"
"I didn't either," Zekk said. "Doc told me that he went out on a vision quest." Zekk knew that Dathomirian warriors sometimes went out on vision quests when they faced a questionable crossroads.
Kirana presented a visible grin before her facial features grew serious. "Are we set to go?" she asked.
"Sure, I'll take you and the princess anywhere," Zekk said, turning around before he could see Tenel Ka's shocked reaction. He didn't need to witness it, having sensed it in the Force. After closing the entrance ramp, Doc activated the engines and Zekk piloted the Dragon Heart out of the hangar bay and into space.
"Punch it, Doc," Zekk told his co-pilot after they had cleared Yavin 4's orbit.
Doc complied, pulling back the lever on his side, propelling the ship into hyperspace.
Boba Fett patted the ysalamiri on his shoulder, staring at the Dragon Heart before it entered hyperspace. His client was paying a lot of money to see Tenel Ka dead and the bounty hunter rarely questioned orders. The offer was certainly larger than the bounty that wanted her alive. The woman named Gorgon had wanted her alive, but couldn't offer more credits than his current client. Plus, she couldn't supply him with the ysalamiri he would need to neutralize the Jedi.
In Slave IV, Fett plotted the Jedi's trajectory from his quarry's ion trail. When he had safely determined the destination, he had his navicomputer plot a course for Hapes. It was not long before he followed them, entering hyperspace to pursue his target.
Zekk slumped in a seat at a round table in the large cabin of his master's ship. It was Spartan in appearance, containing only the necessary furniture and equipment. With no one there, he took the opportunity to get caught up on necessary reading. The Jedi snatched a datapad from the tabletop and accessed the holonet for information on Hapes. He wanted to brush up on Hapan customs and culture so he could minimize mistakes as well as read news on the recent assassination attempt on the Queen Mother.
"So now you know," Tenel Ka said as she took a seat across from Zekk.
Not even looking at the princess, Zekk said, "Yeah. Doc told me."
"I know we only got acquainted recently, but I had to be secretive about my identity," she explained. "There have been numerous assassination attempts on my mother over the years, but she sensed something very…malignant about the last one."
Zekk set down the datapad and studied the princess more curiously. "I just read that the Sons of Liberty claimed responsibility for the attack," he said. "What do you know about them?"
"They are an underground resistance movement to the throne that emerged before the reign of King Talos," Tenel Ka began.
"The only male to rule supreme over the Consortium?" Zekk asked for clarification.
"Correct," she said. "The laws of Hapes had grown more liberal on issues of equality of the sexes, but Talos reversed many of the reforms of his predecessors to keep the Old Guard from challenging his authority to rule. Due to his policies, a resistance group called the Sons of Liberty appeared in the fringe worlds. They enjoyed support from opportunists in the Republic, namely the Commerce Guild and the Trade Federation."
"Sounds like they wanted to expand their business to the Hapes Cluster," Zekk surmised, recalling the stories he heard about the devious behavior of the Old Republic's corporations before the Clone Wars."
"After the Clone Wars and the rise of my grandmother and grandfather to the Crystal Throne, the Sons of Liberty set matters in motion that would allow the Empire to invade the Consortium," she continued. "My grandfather was said to have been instrumental in driving the Empire out of the Consortium, though it is the popular belief that he was struck down by Darth Vader."
"Wait a minute," Zekk interrupted. "Your grandfather was a Jedi?"
"His name was Khan Mord," Tenel Ka said. "He served during the initial battles of Clone Wars before abandoning the Order to help put an end to the civil war that had engulfed the Consortium after the death of Talos."
Zekk placed his right hand on his chin and absorbed the information as best as he could. Apparently, the Sons of Liberty were heavily intertwined with the recent history of Hapes, but he could not comprehend why they would suddenly be on the rise. Teneniel Djo had been responsible for many sweeping reforms, something that would seemingly deter a terrorist organization that pushed for equality of the sexes.
"It just doesn't make any sense," Zekk said.
"What do you mean?" the princess quizzed.
"Radical terrorist groups are least likely to appear as a society grows more liberal," Zekk explained. "I would expect the terrorists to be politically reactionary, not the other way around. I suspect something else is at work here."
"Hey kids!" Doc exclaimed as he walked into the cabin, his deep voice blazing through Zekk's concentration.
"What's up, Doc?" Zekk asked, looking to the old Jedi.
Doc brushed a lock of white hair away from his chocolate brown eyes. "Well, not a lot," he said as he walked towards the table, taking a seat. "Kirana went off to meditate and I got bored in the cockpit."
"We were just talking about the assassination attempt on the Queen," Zekk said.
Nodding sagely, Doc said, "Hopefully we'll be able to get to the bottom of this."
Zekk leaned back in his seat and said, "Yeah. Something really doesn't sit right with me about this."
"Brakiss, you can't leave!" Kirana Ti exclaimed as she rushed through the hangar bay of the Great Temple in her attempt to halt his departure.
Brakiss, having been about to board a small Lambda-class shuttle, turned to look at the Dathomirian warrior clad in lizard hides. His gray flight suit was worn from years of use and his lightsaber hung from his utility belt.
"I'm sorry, but I don't belong here, Kirana," Brakiss told her. "What have you been told?"
Stopping near the entrance ramp of the shuttle, she replied, "They only said you went out on a test with Master Skywalker and got spooked by something. They said you were going to leave."
Brakiss frowned, his blue eyes conveying his sorrow. "They are going to tell you things about me that will place me in a bad light," the Jedi apprentice said. "I'm not a bad person, Kirana."
"No one ever said you were," she said. "You can't just leave, not after what has happened."
"Well, that little run-in we had with Admiral Daala is enough to make me think twice about the security of the Republic," he said with growing frustration. "I'm surprised she's even still alive, given that Kyp and Callista both had reasons to kill her."
Kirana Ti winced at the mention of Kyp. He had come to train at the academy, but came under the wing of the long deceased Sith Lord Exar Kun and incapacitated Master Skywalker for a brief time. He was still at large, which allowed many doubts to be cast on the viability of Luke's enterprise.
"Some people don't know how to do anything but hate, Brakiss," Kirana finally said after a brief pause. "That's why we're here, Brakiss. We are to be the keepers of peace and justice in the galaxy."
"But what happens when we forget what we are fighting for?" Brakiss snapped.
"Then I suppose you have to rediscover it on your own," she responded, obviously hurt.
Brakiss walked down the ramp and placed a brief kiss on his lover's lips. "I wish I could have been more open with you like you wanted me to," he told her as he stared into her emerald gaze with his warm blue eyes. "I just have to work things out."
The Dathomirian tried to think of anything that she could say to make him stay, but her mind was blank. For the first time during her stay at Yavin 4, the Force had failed to guide her to her goal.
Noticing the turmoil boiling within Kirana Ti, Brakiss unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. "I'll come back for this," he told her as he offered his weapon to her. "And I'll be back for you."
Kirana Ti took the lightsaber, gripping the black hilt tightly as she watched Brakiss ascend the entrance ramp. She stepped away as the ramp closed and the shuttle left the hangar bay. Dread filled the pit of her stomach as she knew Brakiss would forever disappear from her life.
Kirana Ti opened her eyes, taking in the familiar sight of her sleeping quarters aboard the Dragon Heart. She had decided to take the opportunity to grab a few hours of sleep so she could sort out the thoughts in her head. But dreaming about her last encounter with Brakiss shocked her.
Not knowing that Brakiss was an Imperial agent, she had managed to fall for the reclusive Jedi apprentice. Deciding not to take her planet's customs seriously, she did not pursue him like a warrior woman would her mate. However, she did try to make Brakiss open up to her.
But six months after Admiral Daala's raid on Yavin 4, Brakiss left the academy after Luke Skywalker forced his student to face the darkness in his heart. He had promised to return, leaving her his lightsaber. But he never did. He had fallen to the Dark Side.
Kirana Ti slowly rose from her pallet and walked over to the box where she kept her most cherished possessions. After opening the lid, she retrieved what she wanted: Brakiss's lightsaber.
She thumbed the activation switch and an acid yellow blade was spat from the emitter matrix. It had only been constructed days before Admiral Daala's raid. Luke had confided in her that he had instructed Brakiss on the basics of lightsaber construction with hopes that he could draw him towards the patience of a Jedi.
As she tilted her wrist, the hum of the blade cut through the air and gave of the stench of ozone. More memories came flooding back to the Dathomirian.
"So Master Skywalker finally let you construct your own lightsaber," Kirana Ti observed as Brakiss gave his weapon a few practice swings in the jungles of Yavin 4. The acid yellow blade shined brilliantly and hummed with power.
Upon hearing her words, Brakiss deactivated his energy blade and turned to face her. "I feel I could take on the Dark Lord of the Sith with this thing," he spoke confidently, throwing her a smile.
Kirana Ti could only oblige him with a warm smile of her own. "Now, you know what Master Skywalker says about going on wild adventures," she warned him playfully.
"Adventure, excitement, a Jedi craves not these things," Brakiss quoted, trying his best to make the Yoda impression that Luke could pull off with ease. The only difference was that he failed miserably.
The Dathomirian's smile quickly turned to laughter at his failed attempt. "Okay, we know you'll never have a future in voice acting!" she said.
"At least I tried," Brakiss said with a smirk.
"That is why you failed," Kirana said, trying her own hand at a Yoda impression, but ultimately sounding sillier than Brakiss did.
Brakiss joined her in laughter, his mood improving considerably. Then, his appearance grew serious, but delight still filled his voice as he asked, "How goes the progress on your lightsaber?"
"I'm still trying to assemble the components," she said. "While I've learned a lot since I've come here, I'm still not as skilled with modern machinery like everyone else is."
Nodding, Brakiss understood her handicap. "I'm sure it'll be a fine weapon when it's done," he said. "You've been using Gantoris's as a guide?"
She shook her head. "Master Skywalker didn't recommend it," she told him. "He told me that it would be best to study the technology on my own."
Brakiss slowly walked over to her. "You want to go for a walk?" he asked, changing the subject.
A smirk appeared on Kirana Ti's face. "No, I think I'd rather stay here," she said, unclipping Gantoris's lightsaber from her utility belt. With a snap-hiss, the violet-white laser sword emerged. "That's if you are up for a bit of exercise!"
After shrugging off his brown robe, Brakiss ignited his acid yellow blade. "You're on!" he told her.
The two apprentices rushed at each other to initiate the duel. Kirana Ti struck first, swinging her weapon at his head. Brakiss parried the blow with ease and force, making her take a step back as he sent his return thrust to the left of her abdomen. Being more skilled with the lightsaber with her opponent, Kirana Ti saw through his attack and expertly defended.
Brakiss focused on his exercise above the roar of the blades, trying to allow the Force to flow through him freely. He pivoted, slashing diagonally upward to break the hold Kirana Ti's sword had on his own. But in doing so, he opened his defenses.
The Dathomirian rammed her knee into Brakiss's gut, causing him to lose his breath. His shocked expression persisted as Kirana Ti turned his attack around, hooking her blade under his and hurling his acid yellow blade into the air. The blade of his weapon disengaged after it had left his hand and the hilt fell onto the jungle floor.
Brakiss backed away from her and between quick breaths, he asked, "Why did you fight so dirty?"
"Because in a real battle, you can't expect your opponent to play nice," she told him. "Did I hit you hard?"
"I'll live," Brakiss said before holding out his hand and calling his lightsaber back to him using the Force.
Kirana Ti deactivated her blade and clipped her lightsaber to her utility belt, watching Brakiss return his weapon to his belt. "I felt you open up," she told him. "You don't do that very often. You know that you could progress in the Force much faster if you just let go. I know the Empire did horrible things to you, but you can't create a wall around your spirit like that."
Brakiss frowned, his eyes betrayed the expression that he wanted to say something. His lips twitched, but he said nothing. Just as quickly as he opened himself to the Force, he erected his mental shields. "I'm just not ready to tell you everything," he finally said.
The revelation saddened her, but the Dathomirian did her best to accept the explanation. After all, it was Brakiss's mysteriousness that made her attracted to him. "Maybe later?" she asked.
"Yeah, later," Brakiss said, flashing her the perfect smile that always melted her heart before pulling her into an embrace, to which Kirana Ti promptly responded.
Brakiss played with a credit chip with his gloved fingers. His years studying ever facet of the Dark Side had taught him one thing: distraction was a weakness. In his adequately decorated office in the Shadow Academy, Brakiss felt nothing but the power of the Force. Neither the training of his Dark Jedi students nor the credit chip in his right hand disrupted his singular motive, his one true purpose.
The Force was everything. Skywalker had taught that the Force resided in all things, telling only a half-truth like all Jedi did. Brakiss had learned from Kyp Durron that the Force was not simply a tool, but a means to an end. Because of this, all things were possible through the Force, assuming the wielder was capable of realizing his ambitions.
Before realizing his true purpose as a controller of the Force, Brakiss had seen himself as weak. He had even entertained notions of love for a Dathomirian witch at Skywalker's academy. His original intentions of going back to her were never realized, for Kueller had gotten to him first and used him to fulfill his mad schemes of galactic domination.
Brakiss had been given the planetoid Telti and its factories to manufacture bomb-rigged droids for the purpose of them being used as weapons of mass destruction. During this time, Brakiss had vowed to gain more power to defeat Kueller and break away from his mad ambitions, returning to his Jedi training and building a new lightsaber to replace the one he had given to Kirana Ti.
But no actions occur without consequences. Brakiss gave into his despair, plunging him deeper into the grip of the Dark Side. After a confrontation with Luke Skywalker on Telti, Brakiss's older self emerged and he appealed to his former master, warning him not to pursue Kueller. Even then, he was weak, entertaining the notion that he could return to Kirana Ti after his work had lead to the deaths of millions.
It was not to be. Brakiss became a wanted man and he fled to one of the most hidden corners of the galaxy, the planet Rian, located on the outskirts of the Unknown Regions. It was there that Kyp Durron found him and showed him the true nature of the Force, allowing him to become strong so he could fulfill his original purpose: to use his training in the Force to further the advancement of the Empire.
Brakiss only felt a twinge of regret for leaving Kirana Ti behind, but he quickly suppressed that. She had remained at the Academy and thus was his enemy. Though he considered turning her to the Dark Side, it would work against his belief that he could have no distractions. Having her by his side would only complicate matters.
A blinking light on the small holoprojector seated on his desk drew Brakiss from his thoughts. He used the Force to activate the device and a small hologram of a tall woman with pale skin, thick wavy ebony hair and violet eyes appeared before him. She wore tight fitting leather armor, contrasting with Brakiss's choice of more comfortable silver robes, and a black cape with spines attached to it.
"Tamith Kai," he said. "What have you to report?"
"We have the Solo brats," the Nightsister said. "And one extra."
Brakiss's interest was piqued. More couldn't hurt. "Extra?" he inquired.
"A Wookiee, Lord Brakiss," she answered.
The Dark Jedi was pleased. Wookiees were known for their short tempers and with luck, Brakiss would make good use of him. "Did Skywalker interfere?"
"No," she said. "We encountered minimal resistance."
Impressed, Brakiss ordered, "Return to the Shadow Academy at once. I have foreseen that one of the Solo twins has the potential to be a powerful Dark Jedi."
A grin appeared on Tamith Kai's wine colored lips. "It shall be done," she acknowledged before cutting the connection.
Brakiss deactivated the holoprojector and relaxed in his comfortable leather seat. "Soon, all my problems will be solved," he thought aloud before playing with his credit chip again.