Author Notes- Another new chapter. I hope you all like it.
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Kyp yawned as he made his way down the long sunlit hallway, which led to the Jedi Council Chamber's entrance. He continued down the hall when suddenly he heard his comlink beep. Kyp stopped then grabbed his comlink from his Jedi robe's left pocket. He switched on his comlink then spoke. "Master Durron here."
"Good morning, Master Durron." Said Tekli.
"Ah, good morning, Tekli. I'm glad you contacted me for I needed to talk to you about those probes you sent out yesterday."
"Yes, about the probes, Kyp. They have just returned from their search."
"Good. Did they find anything?"
"Unfortunately, no."
Kyp sighed then replied. "Blasted."
"I don't know, Kyp. I think we might have to face the possibility that Omega has already left the planet."
"Nah. He's still here. He's just hiding and waiting for the opportune moment to strike again. And that's usually whenever a Jedi exits the Academy."
"Hmm. Perhaps he's hiding somewhere on another continent?"
"No. If Omega were to be on any continent it would definitely be this one. Besides, probes sometimes have a tendency to not fully inspect an area. So they could've missed something along the way."
"You have a point there, Master Durron. Should I send them out on another search?"
"Yes. Only this time, I want you to order them to search every area and every corner on this entire continent more carefully. Also, tell them not to report back until they find something unusual."
"Will do, Kyp."
Kyp smiledthen switched off his comlink and placed it back into his pocket. He then immediately proceeded down the hallway to the Council Chamber's entrance.
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Ben, who was somewhat tired, exited his quarters then calmly strolled down the long hallway. Once again, he had another terrible night sleep. Although Ben's previous nightmares were pretty awful, last night, however, his nightmares seemed to be ten times worst. First, he had a terrifying nightmare about Omega, a.k.a Orion, and Lumiya brutally killing his entire family, which made Ben abruptly wake up in the middle of the night. After that, it took Ben almost an hour to recuperate and get back to sleep. As soon as Ben finally got back to sleep, his mind was immediately plagued by yet another horrible nightmare. This one, however, was a lot different than his first nightmare, for instead of it being about Omega and the Sith, it was about Keira and Valin. It didn't involve death and destruction like his first dream, but, nevertheless, his second nightmare was still quite dreadful. In his second nightmare, Ben confessed to Keira how he felt about her then she told him very hatefully that she didn't love him and that she never will love him. Right there, the dream was already terrible and depressing but it quickly became worst. For his nightmare then showed Keira and Valin sitting on a beach saying how much they love each other. Afterward, they kissed each other passionately and that's when Ben instantly woke up.
Because of his two nightmares, Ben received very little sleep and was now absolutely exhausted. Boy, sleep certainly hasn't been my best friend as of late. Thought Ben as he yawned.
He came to the end of the hall then turned right and proceeded down the next hallway, which led to the Academy's elevator. He had to get to the Academy's Hangar, which was on the 6th Floor, for his Aunt Leia and Uncle Han would soon be arriving. Although Ben was very tired at the moment, he was still quite excited to see his aunt and uncle again. Less than ten minutes ago when Ben was in his room, his mother, Mara, contacted him and told him to make sure to be at the Academy's Hangar on time because Han and Leia would be arriving at the Academy in twenty-five minutes.
Since that was ten minutes ago, I now have only fifteen more minutes left. Excellent, that's plenty of time to get to the 6th Floor on schedule. Thought Ben as he approached the elevator door. He stopped and calmly waited for the elevator doors to open up. As he stood there patiently waiting for the elevator to open, his thoughts shifted to Keira. Deep down Ben hoped with all his heart that Keira loved him more than Valin. But after yesterday watching them get closer in the garden, Ben knew now, without a doubt, that Keira didn't love him at all and was indeed in love with Valin.
Ben turned his now sad gaze to the ground and sighed. His heart sank as he remembered watching Keira in the garden affectionately caressing Valin's cheek then kissing him lovingly on the cheek. She really does love him with all her heart. Ben thought sadly. Suddenly images of his nightmare about Keira disliking him entered his head. And she really doesn't love me at all. Thought Ben. The whole thought just made him feel even more depressed and stressed.
All right enough of this. Ben thought to himself. Remember what Jacen told you; never focus on the negatives only on the positives. So now I must stop with this blasted whining and negative thinking and start acting like the Jedi I was trained to be. Besides this isn't supposed to be some sad, depressing day but a very pleasant day because my aunt and uncle are coming here to visit. Ben then took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stretched out with the Light Side. He began to allow the Light Side to enter and eliminate the sadness and stress within him. Ben slowly opened his eyes and smiled calmly. No more did he feel sadness. No more did he feel stress. He only felt peace, calmness, love, and tranquility within his soul.
Ben turned his gaze back to the elevator door, which still hadn't opened. Five minutes passed by and the elevator door still didn't open up. Ben frowned then folded his arms. The elevator was either very busy or just incredibly slow that morning. But even though it was taking a long time to open, Ben still stood there waiting calmly and very patiently.
Ben suddenly heard from behind a feminine voice say his name. "Hi, Ben."
Ben recognized the voice. It belonged to Keira's master, the very attractive 28-year old blonde-haired and green-eyed Tahiri Veila. Tahiri was a very good friend of the Skywalker/Solo family. Long time ago, she used to be the girlfriend of Ben's deceased cousin Anakin Solo, who died several years ago in the Yuuzhan Vong War. Even after Anakin's death, she still remained a close and loyal friend to Ben's family especially Leia, Han, Jaina, and Jacen.
Ben turned around and saw both Tahiri and Keira standing before him. "Oh, hello there." Ben said politely to both Tahiri and Keira then added with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you both this morning. And may I add that the two of you look very lovely today."
The two women smiled at his comment. "Thank you." Replied Keira, who was heavily blushing.
Ben's smile slightly widened as he briefly but affectionately stared into her brown eyes. No matter what, whenever Keira came around him, Ben always felt this feeling of love enter his heart. Even though she loves another and doesn't love me at all, I will always love her. Thought Ben.
"So, um, Ben?" Said Tahiri.
Ben turned his stare from Keira to Tahiri. "Hmm?" Said Ben.
"We heard your aunt and uncle are coming." Said Tahiri.
"Oh yes, they should actually be here in another ten minutes. That's why I'm hoping the elevator shows up soon so I can get up to the 6th Floor on time."
"Uh, Ben. About the elevator, it's-."
"You know, it's strange," Ben said as he folded his arms. "Today for some odd reason it's taking longer than usual."
Before Tahiri could reply Keira immediately spoke. "That's because it's broken." Said Keira.
"What?" Said Ben.
"Yeah." Said Tahiri. "The blasted thing broke down late last night. The mechanics would've fixed it, but because it was so late they decided to wait until morning."
"Oh man. Well, I guess this means I have take the stairs then."
"It certainly looks that way." Said Tahiri. "But hey, since me and Keira want to meet your aunt and uncle again as well, how about we accompany you to the hangar."
Ben smiled then replied very courteously. "It would be an honor. But if we're going to get there on time, we better get moving now."
Tahiri and Keira gave a nod in agreement then the three Jedi made their way down the left hallway and to the stairway.
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After a pretty long walk, Tahiri, Ben, and Keira finally made it to the 6th Floor. They came down a metallic hall then turned left and proceeded down the next long metallic hallway. Ben and Keira were walking side-by-side together while Tahiri was walking a few feet ahead of them.
Ben looked at Keira then spoke. "Keira."
Keira turned gaze to Ben then replied. "Yes, Ben."
"Since I'm most likely going to be spending the entire day with my family, how about we post pone our saber training session to tomorrow?"
"Hmm…okay. Besides I'm going to be really busy today, anyway. Tahiri told me that after we talk to your aunt and uncle, me and her are going to be training a lot longer and harder today."
"Hey, sounds like Tahiri took some advice from my master."
Keira giggled. "Yeah it sounds that way. But anyway, tomorrow does sound like a better day for us to do our saber training."
"Excellent. We'll begin the session tomorrow evening in the Fitness Room." Ben said with a smile. Keira smiled back then, to Ben's surprise, took his hand into hers.
Ben and Keira, who were now holding each other's hand, followed Tahiri to the end of the metallic hall. The three Jedi then turned right then made their way down the next pathway until they finally reached the Hangar's entrance. They approached the large metallic door then entered. The three Jedi took a few steps then looked around the incredibly large Hangar hoping to spot the Millennium Falcon, which was the legendary ship that belonged Han and Leia. Ben looked over at the far right side of the Hangar and spotted part of the Falcon. Ben couldn't, however, see the rest of the Falcon's structure. Nor could he see if his family was near the Falcon or not, for another ship was blocking his view.
"I see it." Ben said to Tahiri and Keira. "The Falcon is over there in the corner."
"Good. Now let's go greet that aunt and uncle of yours." Said Tahiri.
The three Jedi then proceeded on over to the Millennium Falcon. As they got closer, Ben immediately spotted his entire family, who were gathered near the Millennium Falcon. He saw his aunt, 65-year old Leia Organa Solo, who gave Jaina a hug then happily began to chat with Jaina, Luke, and Mara. Like his mother, Mara Jade, Leia had only a few strands of gray hair in her beautiful long brown hair. For her age, she still looked quite young and she was also very skilled with a lightsaber, thanks to Luke's training.
Standing next to Leia was Ben's uncle, 72-year old Han Solo, who gave Jacen a quick hug then immediately began to chat with him about something. Han still had that tough and manly look to him. His hair was no longer brown but was now gray. Although he was 72, Han was still considered as one of the best and greatest pilots in the galaxy.
Ben along with Tahiri and Keira approached the Falcon. Ben saw his family turn their stares over at him. Both Han and Leia smiled as they saw him, Tahiri, and Keira approach.
"Aunt Leia! Uncle Han!" Ben said with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Ben!" Leia said as she and Ben embraced each other in a long hug. Ben left her loving embrace then immediately gave his uncle a quick hug.
"I'm so happy to see the two of you again." Ben said to his aunt and uncle. This was the happiest Ben had felt in a long time.
"And we're glad to see you too, kid." Han said as gave Ben a hard pat on the back. "So how are feeling? Your old man told us a little bit about what happened to you a few days ago."
"Oh, I'm alright. I received only a few minor cuts from Omega's attacks. But nothing serious."
"Yeah, he got all the minor injuries. I, however, got my whole freaking arm cut off." Jaina said as she walked over next to Ben. She looked at her new arm then spoke again. "But luckily this new arm is way better."
Leia smiled briefly then looked at her daughter and nephew with a serious expression. "I'm just relieved that your both okay." Said Leia. She then gave both Ben and Jaina a hug.
"Yeah, me too." Han said as he gave Ben and Jaina a pat on the shoulder.
Just then Tahiri and Keira stepped forward and kindly greeted Han and Leia, who were very glad to meet the two female Jedi again. As Han and Leia were talking to Tahiri and Keira, Ben walked over and said 'good morning' to his parents and his other cousin, Jacen.
After talking to his mother, father, and cousins, Ben briefly looked over at the Falcon and saw the two loyal droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, coming down the Falcon's ramp. Judging from what he was hearing so far, it appeared the two droids were once again having another argument about something. Ben snickered. The golden protocol droid, C-3PO, and the small astromech droid, R2-D2, were at times quite funny especially when the two would get into one of their heated arguments. But even though they would argue sometimes, the two droids were very good friends with each other and have been loyal, kind, and helpful to Ben's entire family for years.
Ben walked over to the two droids, who had finally stopped arguing, then spoke. "Hello there, 3PO." Ben said to C-3PO with a smile then looked at R2-D2. "R2."
C-3PO immediately turned around while R2-D2 happily chirped at Ben. "Oh, Master Ben, it's so good to see you again." Said C-3PO.
"I'm very pleased to see the two of you also." Replied Ben.
"Thank the maker, that you're alright. When R2 and I heard the dreadful news from Mistress Leia, we were terribly worried."
"You two know?"
"Yes, but only a little. We don't exactly know every detail on what's going on. Except that someone who apparently goes by the name, Omega, tried to inflict serious harm on you. R2 and I are both very relieved to see that you are quite alright."
Ben nodded then heard R2 chirp again. "Well, I'm glad to be alright." Ben said with a smile as gave R2 a pat on the head. He then looked over at his aunt and uncle, who appeared to be bidding farewell to Tahiri and Keira. Ben looked back at the droids then said to them. "Anyway guys, I'm going to go over and chat with my family some more. It was a pleasure speaking with you, my friends. So long."
"Oh, so long, Master Ben." Said C-3PO. As C-3PO began to pick up Han and Leia's luggage, R2 chirped a 'goodbye' to Ben. Ben gave a nod then made his way over to his family.
When Ben got closer, he heard Tahiri and Keira say 'goodbye' to his family. Keira looked at Ben then strolled over and embraced him in an affectionate hug. They released their embrace then Ben spoke. "Good luck on your training today."
"Thanks. I'm certainly going to need it. Especially if Tahiri going to be using training methods like Jaina."
Ben smiled. "Well, um. See yah, Keira."
"Goodbye, Ben." Keira said as she looked into Ben's blue eyes.
They stared into each other's eyes for a while. Keira walked even closer to Ben then gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek, which caused him to blush. She then turned and walked back to Tahiri. Together, the two female Jedi walked away from the Falcon and made their way to the Hangar's exit.
Ben, who had big smile on his face, briefly looked over at his parents and saw that they were now chatting with his aunt and uncle. He then turned his gaze over at his cousins and saw that they were staring at him with grins on their faces. Ben immediately realized that they saw the whole thing with him and Keira. Ah, man, Thought Ben, who was now starting to feel quite embarrassed. Jacen, who had somewhat of a proud look on his face, gave Ben a thumbs up. Jaina just had a simple smile on her face and slowly shook her head at her cousin. Ben looked away with an embarrassed expression on his face.
"Hey, you three." Mara said to Ben, Jaina, and Jacen. "Come along, we're all going to go to me and Luke's quarters for breakfast right now."
Ben, Jaina, and Jacen gave a nod then followed Luke, Mara, Leia, and Han, who were already walking away from the Falcon. C-3PO and R2-D2 noticed that everyone was leaving and quickly followed behind.
"Good, since we're heading to your quarters, maybe you can now finally fill me and Leia in on what's going on." Han said to Luke as they were walking. "Like for instance, I want to know exactly who the heck is this, Omega maniac, who literally tried to kill my daughter and nephew? And, I also want to you know exactly what you meant when you said 'this whole thing is complicated'? I mean, how complicated can this whole situation be."
"Umm… well. It's pretty complicated, Han." Said Luke.
"Oh, come on. So far the situation doesn't sound that complicated. It seems pretty basic to me. Some renegade dark Jedi wants to kill off my entire family. See, nothing new or out of the ordinary there."
"Don't worry, Han. Luke will soon tell us the whole story on what's going on." Said Leia.
"Yep. As soon as we reach me and Mara's quarters I'll tell you both everything. But as I said before, this entire situation is far more complicated and difficult than you think." Said Luke.
"Hey, Luke." Replied Han. "We've been through a lot weird and complicated stuff over the years. Heck, we've even seen some things that are pretty out of the ordinary. Whatever it is you're going to tell Leia and I, it probably isn't going to shock me one bit. I mean, like I said. How complicated can this whole thing be?"
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While Jaina, Jacen, and Ben were peacefully eating breakfast in Luke and Mara's dining room, Luke along with Mara told Han and Leia everything about what had happened over past couple of days. When Luke and Mara were finished, Han and Leia just stared at them with expressions of shock and disbelief on their faces.
"Alright. So let me get this straight." Han said to Luke. "You're telling me that, that maniac who tried to kill my daughter and nephew. The same one who also successfully killed off everyone including the Sebatynes in a science facility… is you and Callista's son, whose real name is Orion. And he just so happens to be a full fledged Sith Lord trained by Lumiya."
"Yep." Replied Luke.
"And you didn't once go out and have a glass of Corellian ale after finding all that out?"
Luke laughed a little. "I told you it was complicated."
"No kidding." Said Han.
Leia folded her arms. "If Lumiya is the one behind all this, I bet all my credits that she's using some type of lie to make Orion do all this."
"Oh, she's using a lie alright." Mara replied. "That lousy witch has warped Orion into believing that Luke and Callista abandoned him in some forest and left him out to die."
"Hmm." Leia said thoughtfully. "If only there was a way that we could prove to Orion that everything Lumiya is telling him is a lie. Then maybe we could turn him from this dark path that he's currently on."
Luke sighed. "That's unfortunately the dilemma we face. So far there appears to be no way to prove that to him. The only possible way we could accomplish such a task is to find Lumiya and somehow get the truth out of her. But the problem is no one knows where she might be hiding."
"Yeah, she could be half way across the galaxy for all we know." Said Mara.
"Ah, don't worry, she'll slip up eventually." Said Han. "She always does. And then once we find out where she is, we can take care of her once and for all. Now as for Omeg…Orion, you got me on that one. Personally, judging from what I've been hearing about him, I don't know if he can be saved. It sounds like Lumiya has got his mind so warped up that saving the guy is going to be harder than trying to blow up a death star."
"Oh, no doubt, it will be hard to turn him to the Light." Said Luke. "But I'm positive that it can be accomplished. All we have to do is somehow prove to him that Lumiya is lying. Then, and only then, can we turn Orion from the Dark Side of the Force."
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Omega, who was sitting on a large chair sized rock, stared blankly down at the ground. Last night, he received the worst night sleep in his entire life. Nightmares don't often trouble Omega but the one he had last night, however, was a lot different. In his nightmare, he saw his master, Lumiya, brutally kill his mother, Callista. Then the dream got even stranger when he was suddenly transported to this room surrounded by light. In the room of light he had a little chat with his mother, who oddly kept calling him Orion. After telling her to leave him alone, he then saw a black vortex appear behind him. He tried to fight its power but eventually it sucked him in. Omega felt himself falling down an endless abyss while hearing his mother constantly shout the name 'Orion' and that's when he woke up. Several times during the night he tried to get back to sleep but it was futile. Because of the dream, so many thoughts and questions filled his mind that he just couldn't go back to sleep. So all-night, he stood up thinking about his strange but puzzling nightmare.
Omega folded his arms then looked up at the sky. It was now approaching nighttime and here he was still thinking about the cursed dream he had the previous night. But Omega couldn't help it; no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get the images of his dream out of his head.
Omega sighed angrily then stood up and began to pace. This is ridiculous; it was just a freaking dream. Thought Omega. Omega frowned as he began to remember his conversation through the Force with his mother. Why did she keep calling me Orion? Is that my real name? Is my name really Orion? No. No. My name is…Omega. She was just lying that's all. Besides my master told me that my mother and father hated me so much that they didn't even name me. So there's the proof that mother was lying to me. Thought Omega. Omega paced for a while then suddenly stopped. Wait a minute. How does my master know all this? How does she know they didn't give me a name? And she never really did tell me how my mother, Callista, died so how would she-. Omega suddenly shook his head. No! I got to stop thinking like this. My master has been honest and loyal to me for years. I should be ashamed of myself for thinking such things about her, all because of some stupid dream that probably wasn't even a vision of the past. And why should I believe my mother since she and father are the ones who abandoned me and left me out to die.
Omega gritted his teeth then clenched his fist and allowed the anger to just swell up inside him as he thought about his mother and father. His anger lessoned and then he immediately began to pace again. Suddenly the image of Lumiya striking down his mother popped up in his head. Omega once again stopped pacing. He then began to remember what Lumiya said in his dream: 'you're Orion no more. You are now Omega. Darth Omega.' Hmm. Mother told me that what I saw was a vision of the past. Mother showed me an image, whether it's false or not, but my master, however, just tells me things and doesn't really present much proof that what she's saying is true. Hmm. I wonder. Thought Omega with a frown as he folded his arms. Maybe I should have a little chat with my master about this after all.
He then heard the roaring sound of a ship. Omega turned around and saw a very shiny blackish shuttle preparing to land near his ship. Omega automatically knew that the shuttle belonged to his master, Lumiya. The shiny black shuttle slowly and gently landed on the rocky ground beside Omega's ship.
Omega took a deep breath then slowly approached the shuttle. He then stopped a few meters away from the shuttle and patiently waited for his master to exit the ship. After 2 minutes of waiting, Omega finally saw the shuttle's ramp lower to the ground. The first ones to exit the shuttle were Lumiya's two sinister guard droids, Exar and Naga. Exar, the guard droid with the blue painted metallic face, was the smartest and most cunning of the two droids. Although he and Naga were both very skilled with wielding their duel-sided lightsabers, Exar, however, was a slightly better saber wielder than Naga.
Naga, the droid with the orange face paint, was basically Exar's sidekick. He wasn't as smart or intelligent as Exar but he was still quite vicious. He was good with duel sided lightsaber but not as well as Exar. All in all, the two droids together were such a lethal fighting force that even the best of Jedi would have problems fighting them.
Exar and Naga stepped to the side then stood side by side waiting for their mistress to exit. Omega immediately bowed as he saw Lumiya walking down the ramp. Lumiya approached Omega then looked down at him. "Rise." She said in her usual dark tone.
Omega obeyed and rose to his feet. He looked at her with a blank expression on his face then spoke. "I am honored to see you, master."
"It's good to see you too, my apprentice." Lumiya replied as she bitterly looked around the environment.
Lumiya continued to look around then said. "Don't you sense it?"
Omega frowned. "What?"
"Life. Life is an essence of the Light. This planet is swelling with the essences of the Light. Peace, love, tranquility, and Life." Lumiya smirked then added venomously. "How sickening. The very feeling makes me nauseous. But very soon my apprentice, we will turn this haven of life into a graveyard of death. Filled with the dead bodies of every single Jedi."
Omega, who still had a blank look on his face, replied. "And I presume that this new plan of yours is going to help us accomplish such a task?"
"Oh, it will. It will, indeed."
"Well, as long as I'm the one who gets the honor of killing Benjamin and my father, I'll be happy. They are the two that I want to eliminate the most." Omega said darkly. "Especially Benjamin."
Omega had now developed a deep hatred towards his brother. Twice he fought Ben and in both fights, Ben fought him to a stand still. Omega smiled evilly as he began to imagine striking Ben down with every bit of anger and hatred he had. Some day brother, some day soon you will fall to my blade. And after I strike you down, I will smile as I watch your lousy dead carcass fall to the ground. Omega thought evilly to himself.
Lumiya placed her hand on Omega's shoulder. "Don't worry, my apprentice. You will get your revenge, soon enough. Come. Let us discuss…the 'plan'."
Lumiya laughed evilly as she and Omega entered her ship.