Author Notes- Here's a another chapter. Storywise this chapter is quite important. There is a little bit of mush but not a lot. The chapters after this one are going to be very dramatic. In fact, expect the whole story to become darker after this chapter. But anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
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Ben, who had just finished his session with Jaina in the Courtyard, slowly walked down the dimly lit hallway. It was now noon and he was currently heading to the cafeteria for lunch.
While walking down the hall, Ben began to think about his brother Orion. In a matter of hours, he was going to come face-to-face with him once more. Problem was that he just didn't want to fight him. But Ben knew that once his brother saw him again that he would attack to kill without hesitation. Suddenly the harsh words that his brother told him on the beach echoed through Ben's mind. 'This isn't over, Benjamin. I vow with all my heart, I will strike you down.'
Ben sighed as those words just kept repeating in his brain. Sadly, like Jaina said earlier, Ben knew that the only way to start helping Orion was to fight and defeat him in combat. Suddenly as Ben was slowly continuing down the hall, horrifying images of a nightmare that he had a few days ago entered his mind. It wasn't as frightening as the others, but it definitely affected him.
In the nightmare, Orion didn't turn back to the Light Side even after Ben showed him evidence of Lumiya's deception. Instead, Orion ignited his lightsaber and shouted at Ben that he hated him. Then like a vicious predator, he charged Ben at full force ready to strike. And that's when it happened. In the nightmare, Ben ignited his saber and all of a sudden, Orion charged straight into it. Ben watched in horror as his brother, who had an expression that was mixed with shock and sadness, fell slowly to the ground dead.
Ben stopped to the side then covered his face with his right hand. He knew the nightmare probably didn't mean anything. But nevertheless, it was still terrifying to see. And now because he was going to confront his brother later the images from that nightmare were resurfacing in his mind. It made part of him think: What if it isn't nonsense? What if during the mission, he accidentally kills-. No! Thought Ben. I mustn't think of such things. I cannot let these negative thoughts overpower me. I must focus only on the positives.
Ben took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stretched out to the Light Side. Suddenly Ben frowned. There was something wrong with the Light. Although he did feel its essences enter him, the Light Side for some reason wasn't as strong as it was earlier. Usually when he tapped into the Light Side, it was very vibrant and filled with life and energy. But now it was…dimmer. Like as if it was slowly disappearing from existence.
Ben opened his eyes then rubbed his chin thoughtfully. What could this mean? Is it possible that the Dark Side really is draining the Light literally? Thought Ben. He didn't know what was going on, but it certainly wasn't good.
Ben sighed then continued on forward. He came to the hall's end then turned the corner and started down the next hallway. A smile formed on his face as he saw ahead of him Keira and her 59-year-old mother, Jan Ors Katarn, talking happily with one another.
Jan, who had brown eyes and short dark brown hair with a few strands of gray, was once an agent for the New Republic. Years ago, Jan and Kyle Katarn always used to work together on several dangerous missions against the Imperial Remnant. As time went on, the two fell in love. But it wasn't until the early days of the Yuuzhan Vong War when the two decided to get married. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Jan conducted only a few missions. But after giving birth to Keira, she decided to retire from being an agent. Now Jan Ors Katarn lives peacefully in the Academy with her husband and daughter.
Keira and Jan turned their gazes to Ben and smiled. "Ben." Keira said with a hint of excitement.
"Hey, Keira, Mrs. Katarn." Ben said courteously as he stopped before them.
"It's good to see you, Ben." Said Jan. "So how's your Jedi training coming along these days?"
"Quite excellent, actually. Today, Jaina gave me a quick review of things that I've learned over the past couple of weeks. Plus she also assigned me some twenty-minute bonus training." Replied Ben.
"Bonus training?" asked Jan.
"Yep. Basically in the bonus training, she taught me how to strengthen my force defense. Which is something I've always been a little weak at."
"Ah, does this mean you can now use it to perfection?"
"Um…not quite yet. I will say that I am slightly stronger in Force defense than I was before. But I'm definitely nowhere near a Rank 3. I still got a lot to learn before I reach that status. However, everything that I did learn today is definitely going to come in handy especially later on this evening."
"Oh yeah." Jan said with a look of understanding. "I know what it is you're talking about it."
"You know about the mission?" Ben asked with a frown.
"Yep. Kyle told me all about it a few hours ago."
"What mission?" Keira asked with a confused look. "What are you guys talking about?"
"I'll, um, let Ben explain the whole thing to you." Said Jan. She then added with a smile. "Besides, I bet you two probably want to be…'alone' for a while. So I'll see you both later."
"Okay. Take care, mom." Keira said as she gave her mother a quick hug.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Katarn." Ben said with a short bow.
Jan walked past the two then stopped a few meters away from them. She turned around then said. "Oh, by the way."
Ben and Keira immediately turned around and looked at her.
"I just wanted to say that I am extremely happy for the two of you." Said Jan.
"Thanks, mom." Keira replied with a smile.
Jan smiled then winked at her daughter. She then turned and made her way down the hallway.
Ben looked at Keira and said. "You told her?"
"Uh, huh. I also told my father early this morning. He too was very happy about us." Keira said as she and Ben began walking side by side.
"That's good news. I, unfortunately, haven't told my parents yet. But I bet your father probably informed them already. Either way, I know they're reaction will be the same as your parents, which is one of joy. And as for my cousins, well, they're definitely pleased about this news." Said Ben.
"I knew they would be." Said Keira. She then took Ben's hand into hers and spoke in a loving tone. "As for me. I'm just pleased to be here with you right now."
"And you know how I feel, Keira. I'm always pleased to be with you." Ben said affectionately as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Keira and Ben smiled at each other then Ben gave Keira a quick but soft kiss on her lips.
Keira looked into Ben's eyes then said. "Now about this mission."
"Oh…yeah." Replied Ben. "Um…sadly, Keira, it looks like we'll have to post pone our saber session as well as our date in the Lounging Hall. You see something very important has come up. The probes found my brother at the Atroculus Trench last night."
Keira stopped which made Ben also stop. She looked at Ben with a startled expression on her face and said. "They did!"
"Yep. In fact, my father and the Council believe he's still hiding there at this very moment. Because this is such a huge opportunity and the fact that we might not get a chance like this again. The Council wants something to be done immediately. So later this evening, my parents, my aunt, and myself are going to go to the Trench and find my brother." Said Ben.
A look of pure worry appeared on Keira's face. "You…you're actually going to go on this mission?" she said in a concerned tone.
"Of course. Even though I'm not really looking forward to fighting my brother. I will obey the Council's wishes and do the best I can to assist my family on this mission."
"But…couldn't you…couldn't you maybe let someone else take your place. I mean…you don't have to go."
Ben could see the worry in her eyes. He took both her hands into his then spoke softly. "I know that you're worried, Keira. But I assure you; I will come back to you. I promise."
Keira looked into his eyes then removed her hands out of his and said. "Morque also made a promise to me right before he left." She paused for a second then added. "And I never saw him again."
She then turned and walked toward one of the halls long, rectangular windows. She stopped and stared out the window. Ben walked over to her then gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Keira reached up to her shoulder and held his hand.
"I don't want to lose you, Ben." Keira said in almost a whisper. "I've already lost one of my best friends. I don't want to also lose the man that I love."
Ben wrapped her into an embrace then said. "You're not going to lose me, Keira. Like I said. I will come back to you. And hopefully when I do return, my brother will no longer be one with the Dark Side."
Keira left his embrace then looked at him with a frown and said. "What if he doesn't turn? Every time we talk about Orion, you keep saying that he will turn to the Light, like as if you know for sure. But what if he doesn't turn to the Light Side? What then?"
Ben stared at her for a second then sighed and looked away. He then turned his gaze back to Keira and spoke. "I don't know. But what I do know is, is that we must have confidence that such a negative outcome does not occur. And that once my brother does learn the truth, he will come to the Light. In fact, I'm positive that he will."
Keira shook her head. "Ben. I know you don't want to see evil in him and that you want him to become a good person. But let's look at it. Orion has been under the influence of the Dark Side since he was a young boy. That's around thirty something years. The Dark Side is basically part of his life now, just like the Light Side is part of ours. Even if he does learn the truth, do you really think he's going to drop the Dark Side? A power that has been part of his life for almost thirty years."
"Remember, Keira. The only reason he's using the Dark Side is for means of revenge. He thinks my family hates him and left him for dead. When I faced him on the beach, I felt deep within him a glimmer of Light surrounded by darkness. Though it was very small, it was still there nonetheless. So you see, the main thing my brother is under the influence of is Lumiya's deception. This treacherous lie that she has created about my family is causing him to give into all his anger and hate to the point that he's become a weapon of the Dark Side. She's painted a false picture in front of his eyes. And today…my family and I intend to erase it."
Keira sighed then replied. "I just hope that in the process of erasing this picture that nothing tragic happens to you or to your family. There's been enough death and tragedy as it is. And I just don't want to see, you or anyone in your family suffer the same horrible fate that Morque and his family met."
"Don't worry, Keira." Ben said as he began to gently rub her arm. "If everything goes right, nothing too terrible should happen on this mission. But what I do ask is, is that when I do leave that you be extra alert with the Force. The reason I say this is because the Council believes that there might be some sort of plot to eliminate the Academy. So just in case, I want you to be ready."
"Oh, I will be. You can count on that." Said Keira.
The two then stared into each other's eyes lovingly. After a minute of silence, Keira softly spoke again. "Ben. I know I can't convince you out of going. So I just want you to know that I do have faith in you."
She then rested her head on Ben's chest. As Ben wrapped his arms around her, she continued with a sincere tone. "Despite all my concern and worry. I feel deep down that you will succeed and end this nightmare once and for all."
"If me and my family do succeed today, it will only end part of the nightmare." Ben said as he gently and slowly rubbed her long dark brown hair. "Sadly, it won't officially end, until Lumiya and the Dark Side are brought to justice."
"Well then. Let's just hope that the day when they are finally brought to justice comes very soon."
"Yeah." Ben said as he slowly turned his gaze to the window. The once clear blue skies of Mon Calamari were now becoming covered by dark, threatening looking cumulonimbus clouds. So today is that day. Thought Ben. It will either be a day of pure light. Or a day of pure darkness.
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Leia, who had a very thoughtful look on her face, looked out the large, circular window in her and Han's quarters. At the moment, many thoughts were circling in her mind. Most of them were about her nephew, Orion, and the coming mission to the Trench.
While she was mostly optimistic about the mission, there was, however, one thing that had her concerned. It was also the same thing that had her husband, Han, concerned. Would her nephew turn away from the Dark Side even if they did somehow prove the truth to him? Or would he remain a Sith?
Leia sighed then folded her arms. She tried really hard not to think of such questions or of the answers to them. But as the hours were ticking down, she just couldn't help it. The fact was they didn't have any solid evidence to show Orion that Lumiya was pulling his leg. Callista was now dead so she couldn't give them anything except a few words of wisdom. And she never had a journal or any form of memoirs, so that ruled out that possibility for evidence. Basically the only thing they could do was to have faith and confidence that Orion would make the right choice in the end. But still, Leia had to admit, if they had just a little bit of evidence it would give them an even greater advantage.
Leia briefly looked down at the ground then turned her stare to the window. There was one other thing that bothered her. It had nothing to do with the mission or Orion. It was about the current state of the Light Side. For some odd reason the Light Side was growing weaker by the hour. Like as if something was draining its energy. Leia didn't know what was going on, but she had feeling that Lumiya probably had something to do with it. Either way, she made a note in her head to tell Luke all about it as soon as she saw him again.
Leia walked away from the window then made her way to the couch and sat herself down. Leia took a deep breath then closed her eyes and stretched out to the Force. After a few seconds of meditating, she suddenly heard a voice sound in her head.
Well, well. I didn't expect you to be here as well. This is turning out better than I could've ever hoped.
Leia frowned. She recognized that dark, feminine voice. It belonged to the Dark Lady of the Sith.
Lumiya, replied Leia.
Yes, dear Leia, it's me. I must say, though, I'm quite surprised of what you've become. I would've thought that someone like you would've became some wretched, weak-minded senator. But instead I sense that you've become a Jedi. Most unexpected indeed, Lumiya replied evilly.
You know, I too am surprised, Lumiya. I'm surprised someone as sick as you haven't gotten therapy yet. But I guess you wouldn't want to, since you actually enjoy being the sickest and craziest broad in the galaxy.
You always did have a big mouth. But no matter, your words and your amateur Light Side powers mean absolutely nothing. For soon, the inevitable downfall of your brother's new Jedi order will come to pass.
The only thing that's going to come to pass…is your downfall.
Not likely, my little Jedi princess. You can say what you want, but deep down even you can feel the Light slipping into oblivion. Slowly being drained by the Dark Side. It's happening just like it did years ago, when Palpatine brought about the Jedi Purge. However, I must admit. His only true mistake was that he kept your foolish father alive. Instead of using him for what he was worth then killing him in the end, Palpatine felt that he could use your father as a permanent tool and weapon for fear. It was that very mistake that led to Palpatine's demise. Despite all his anger and hate, the problem with your father, and even I sensed it when he trained me, was that he had too much love within him. Love for his dear family. Palpatine thought he could use that love to his advantage and keep Anakin as a Sith. But what he didn't realize is, is that you don't control love. You destroy it. As soon as your father was finished killing all the Jedi, Palpatine should've walked up behind him and stabbed him in the back…which is exactly what I intend to do to my apprentice.
What!
You didn't actually think I was going to keep him alive, did you? While Omega is strong and powerful with the Dark Side, he still has a small glimmer of Light in him. So as soon as he fulfills the Dark Side's needs. I'm going to put him out of his misery. The same way I put his mother out of hers.
You're not going to get the chance. We, Jedi, won't let you.
You don't get it, Leia. There's nothing you or anyone can do about it now. All is going according to plan. Tonight, your father's sacrifice and everything that your brother worked hard to build…will all be in vain.
Well, Lumiya, looks like you have a weakness as well: over arrogance. And that's exactly what's going to bring you down. So far, you've been all talk. If you're so powerful, then prove it. Reveal where you are so we can end this face-to-face.
You want to know where I am? Right at the same location my apprentice is at.
So you're here.
Yes, my little Jedi princess. I'm here. Here to bring about the fall of this new Jedi order.
You're delusional fantasies aren't going to come true. When evening comes, we're coming for you, Lumiya…I'm coming for you.
I'll be waiting, Leia. I'll be waiting.
Leia then awoke from the trance and stood up. Suddenly the quarter's entrance opened and Han entered with a cup of caf in his hands. He shook his head and said. "Sheez. You know, sometimes I just keep forgetting how big this place really is."
Han took a sip of his caf then noticed a look of distress on his wife's face.
"What?" Han asked her with a concerned frown.
"She's here." Leia replied.
"Who?"
"Lumiya…Lumiya is here."