The Funeral
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. This is merely a fanfiction. I gain no income from this story.
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The starts twinkled in Tatooine's night sky, but there was a newfound sadness in the air, as if the stars themselves were lamenting a great loss. A pyre had been constructed in the Dune Sea. PROXY, Kaden and Wedge were in the middle of setting up flares to keep the larger predators at bay.
PROXY's photoreceptors flared. "Oh … he's here."
Wedge and Kaden were installing the last flare into the ground and watched as Pooja and Zarbina appeared over a dune. Starkiller lingered behind them, Kota's limp body in his arms. Starkiller had insisted on being the one to carry Kota. They could have flown The Rogue Shadow to the funeral site. However, Starkiller felt that he owed Kota the final honor of personally sending him off into the beyond.
There was silence as Starkiller gently laid Kota's body on the wooden pyre, folding his arms peacefully on his chest. Pooja proffered a small cylinder, and Starkiller clutched it. Kota's lightsaber. With a simple press of a button, a green hue was cast on the proceedings. This would be the final time this blade would be activated. It hummed in the night, bathing Kota's body in its green light. With a snap-hiss, the blade retracted and Starkiller gently placed it into Kota's right hand. This is how Kota would be honored … a funeral pyre, weapon in hand. A warrior, a hero … a Jedi.
Pooja placed her hand on Starkiller's shoulder. "Someone's coming …"
The young Jedi looked up. A brown hooded figure was making its way across the dunes. The figure threw back its hood. "I'm not too late …?"
Starkiller clasped the hand of Ben Kenobi. "Thank you for coming. It's only appropriate that a Jedi be here for … " He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.
Kenobi flashed a small smile. "Not even a krayt dragon could keep me away." He sighed as he walked up to the pyre and stared down at the body. "General Kota … another of our kind, lost." He closed his eyes and turned away.
There was an awkward silence.
"So … shouldn't someone say something?" Kaden asked.
All eyes turned to Starkiller. "It's only right," Pooja said. "You were closest to him."
Starkiller stared deep into the face of Kota. "What is there to say? He died a hero."
"A hero a hundred times over," Kenobi said. "He turned the tide of more than a few battles during the Clone Wars. And he was probably the wisest of us all … to distrust the clones and train his own regiment to soldiers. General Kota, forgive the rest of us for not listening to your warnings about the clones. Forgive our arrogance. May you find eternal rest in the Force …"
Starkiller collapsed to his knees by the pyre, his face level with Kota's. "General … I don't know if you can hear me … but wherever you are, thank you. Thank you for forgiving the Original Starkiller. Thank you for taking him under your wing as an apprentice, as a friend. And thank you for all your help to me. Thank you for being my friend and master … I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry I wasn't smart enough to see through Plagueis' machinations. It's because of me, Kota. You're gone because of my own stupidity!"
Pooja and Zarbina placed their hands on his back. Starkiller shrugged them off and stood up. "… and now … now I'm cut off from the Force … I've wasted all your training. I failed to save Juno. I failed the Rebellion. Forgive me, Kota. I wasn't strong enough … I wasn't strong like you. Now … wherever you are … I need some of that strength of yours. Your fierce determination to continue on." His voice cracked. "I don't think I can carry on without you …"
He stepped back from the pyre. There were sniffles from the audience.
"Kaden," the young Jedi said simply. "It's time."
"Right." Kaden approached the pyre with a small torch. He stopped. "No … it's not right if I do it. Here." He forced the torch into Starkiller's hand. The clone stared down at it. He had hoped he wouldn't have to be the one to light the pyre, to burn all that was left of Kota away. But as he saw all eyes on him, he felt a newfound resolve. He stood over the pyre.
"Goodbye, Kota …"
He closed his eyes and dropped the torch onto the pyre. There was a moment's silence. And then the pyre instantly burst into flames.
They stood there, watching in silence as the flames consumed away Kota's final remains. The smoke ascended up into the night sky in spiral patterns, carrying with it Kota's spirit to the stars above …
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Kaden had decided to "honor" Kota with a shot of some Tarisian ale. "Just a shot," he had said. The next thing the group knew, he and Wedge were sitting, arm in arm, laughing and drunkenly recounting their memories of Kota and singing several old space shanties.
Starkiller turned to Ben Kenobi, who had drawn up the hood of his cloak. "… we could sure use a Jedi's help," the clone said. "Now more than ever …"
"I wish I could, but as I said last time, there is someone here I must watch over. I wish you luck, my young friend." He turned to leave.
"What was he like?"
Kenobi stopped. The words had issued out of Starkiller's mouth before he could stop himself. But he didn't regret the question. He wanted an answer.
Kenobi remained silent, his back to Starkiller.
Starkiller pressed the question. "Vader. Or, Anakin. What was he like as an apprentice?"
"He was a good friend. A brother to me. He saved my life more times than I can count. But I couldn't save him. From himself."
"Could there have been any hope for him?" Starkiller asked. "Anything that could have stopped him from falling?"
Ben turned and looked the boy square in the eyes. "My boy, there were a thousand and one opportunities to save him before it was too late. The Jedi – myself included – missed or ignored each and every one of them. Our arrogance was our downfall – and his. The Emperor did not lure him to the Dark Side. It was the Jedi who drove him away from the Light. Do not let the errors of the Jedi lead you down his same path, my friend."
And with that, Ben Kenobi turned and vanished into the night.
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"So … Grandma …? Care to explain yourself?"
They had returned to The Rogue Shadow, which was now in orbit over Tatooine. Starkiller was sitting the lounge of the ship with Zarbina. He had requested the rest of the crew give them some privacy.
Zarbina herself had been dreading this talk. But it wouldn't be fair to the boy now that the truth was out. "The Force is strong in my family," she started. "I turned from the Jedi path long ago … but my daughter … my Mallie … she was a brave and powerful Jedi. And, like Anakin Skywalker … like you … she did not believe the Jedi Code to be absolutely rigid. Nor your father, though he took some persuading from her. Not much, mind you."
Starkiller had never heard his mother's name before. "Mallie …" No, he reminded himself. She was Galen Marek'smother … not the mother of a Clone.
"After their deaths, I sought answers from the Force. That was when the Master – when Plagueis – came to me. He claimed to offer a middle-way … the way of the Grey Jedi. Neither light nor dark. Neither fully embracing nor rejecting one side of the Force over another. But I was deceived … Darkness is all that consumes him. And I see his plan in part now, I believe. He thinks that the Dark Apprentice – after absorbing your midichlorians - will be strong enough to challenge the Emperor directly. But Sidious is one of the most powerful Sith to have ever lived. Will it be enough, I wonder?"
"I can't stop them," Starkiller found himself saying. "Plageuis, or Sidious. Or the other Clone. I've lost all connection to the Force and that other Clone has doubled his powers." He clenched his fist. "But I will not give up on Juno. Force powers or no, I will save her! That monster still has her on Mandalore. We have to plan our next move! We have to save her!"
"Indeed," Zarbina said, leaning back. "His base on Mandalore will have increased security after your friends infiltrated it. And the Dark Apprentice will be there." She stood up. "For the moment, we will sleep on it."
"S-sleep? We don't have time -!"
"You will do Juno no good running yourself ragged. Sleep for now … we will plan tomorrow when our heads are clearer."
Starkiller folded his arms and grunted.
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Starkiller tossed and turned in his bunk. Visions of Kota on Mustafar, a red blade protruding from his gut, the look of shock and pain on his face.
Then Juno, lying on a medbay in Plagueis' base, hanging on to the last few ounces of life she had left!
And Zarbina expected him to sleep?
He stared up at the ceiling, counting the seconds. Well, his eyes were starting to feel somewhat heavier.
And the room drifted away before him.
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Lighting arced down.
There was a temple on a mountain.
Forests in the distance.
Where was he?
The temple felt alive. He could a thudding in the air, as though it had its own heartbeat. Two thrones inside.
Light and Dark.
And he saw the Dark Apprentice emerge from the temple. He was glowing. His power surging now beyond anything imaginable …
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Starkiller shot up in a cold sweat. He was panting. His eyes scanned his surroundings and he was relieved to find himself in his own quarters.
But that dream had been so vivid! A vision from the Force? But how if he was cut off from it?
Trembling, Starkiller made his way to the refresher. As he passed the lounge, a voice rang from the darkness. "You have seen it too …"
Zarbina was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, meditating.
"The dream …?"
Zarbina nodded. "A warning from the Force. A glimpse into our enemies' plans. If they are successful, nothing will be able to stop them."
Starkiller joined her on the floor. "How did I share this vision when I can't feel the Force?"
"The vision was not yours," Zarbina answered. "It was mine. I imagine the events of the day and your own exhaustion weakened your mind, allowing me to reach out to you in my sleep, to share my dream with you."
"He was in a temple … and the planet … it felt like the Force itself …"
"A place of legend," Zarbina said. "Mortis. Once again, it seems the Force is leading you to follow in Anakin Skywalker's footsteps."
"Mortis?"
"A planet that is said to be the birthplace of the Force. It is said to be the Force itself incarnate in a planet."
Starkiller felt like he received a punch to the gut as he began to put two and two together. "The Dark Apprentice … he can absorb the Force from others, add their powers to his own. Creating Jedi Clones on Mandalore would give him an infinite supply of Force energy, but the cloning process can take too long … he's going to try to absorb the Force energies of the planet itself!"
"He will be unstoppable. A god among mortals. Powerful enough to crush the life from even the strongest Force user with a mere thought. What chance will the Emperor have?"
"Will it work? Is it possible?"
The corners of Zarbina's mouth fell. "Mortis is not a world that should be tampered with lightly. I do not know. But if they succeed …"
"Where is Mortis? We have to head them off!"
Zarbina shook its head. "One does not journey to Mortis. It reveals itself to those whom it chooses. Only someone who has walked its surface before can find it."
Starkiller's eyes widened. "That's why Plagueis needs Vader! Anakin once journeyed there! Vader can give them the coordinates!"
"I am glad you appreciate the urgency of the matter. But we also have an advantage. Two, in fact. Plagueis will have a hard time extracting its coordinates. After all, Anakin's memories of Mortis were erased. No, not completely. The traces are still there, deep in the recesses of the part of his mind he dare not go. And we have another advantage. Have you not wondered, through all your journeys, how the Force has shown you events and locations in Anakin Skywalker's history? Events and places that shaped him, molded him? How you were able to reach into his past, how you relived his slaughter of the Tuskens? How you have seen his attempts to save Padme?"
Starkiller remained silent. "You have answer?"
"I have a supposition. We all thought Vader killed the original Galen Marek … but I am not convinced that is the case. I believe he survived the Death Star. I believe Vader nursed him back to health on Kamino, wiped his mind, and convinced him he was a clone …"
Starkiller's heart was thudding.
Zarbina opened her eyes and stared at him. "I believe you are my grandson indeed. Not a clone. The true, original Starkiller. And in his efforts to keep you alive, to fashion you into his tool, Vader unknowingly created a Force Bond between you. A bond we can use to your advantage. You can trace his mind, find Mortis through his memories!"
Starkiller stood up. "No. You're wrong. The true Galen Marek died. I'm nothing but a clone, a pale imitation."
"You may not be convinced … but you cannot deny the existence of the Force Bond between you and Vader."
He stood up. "It's all irrelevant! Whether I'm a clone or the true Starkiller, or whatever! I can't feel the Force! How can I probe Vader's mind without my connection to the Force?!"
Zarbina flashed a wry smile. "Well then, be thankful that I've had an idea …"
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"Magnificent, wouldn't you agree?"
Darth Plagueis was walking through his laboratory on Mandalore, gesturing with his long, wiry arms. Darth Vader stood at his side, observing the tanks filled with Plagueis clones.
"Each one is individually grown … when one develops appropriately and is a perfect clone, I simply shed the weakened body I possess. Using the power of essence transfer, my consciousness is forced into the new, perfect clone body. Eternal life. The pain is immense, but a small price to pay for immortality."
Vader's helmet turned to the tanks containing clones whose bodies were deformed, their faces twisted. "And what of the failed clones?"
Plagueis smiled. "Ah, the 'abominations.' They retain no memories. Their genetic material is corrupted, but the essence of the Force – my essence – remains potent within them." Plagueis approached one of his failed clones – one of the abominations. It didn't look like a Muun at all. Its face was twisted and distorted, its small mouth moving wordlessly. Plagueis reached out, drawing the essence of the failed clone into himself. The failed clone writhed, screaming soundlessly … and then was dissolved into nothingness.
Plagueis sighed with contentment. "The failed clones do retain my Force potential and they are a never-ending source of midichlorians. I feast on the failed ones, growing my powers tenfold with each 'feeding.'"
Vader seemed to nod in approval. "I would like to see more of these facilities, my Master."
Darth Plagueis gloated. "Come. There is so much more to see. I have things to show you that not even Lord Sidious could fathom in his wildest dreams."
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"He has been lying to us!"
Vis slammed his fist down on a table in his quarters, rattling several mugs. Maris sat adjacent to him, legs crossed, arms folded.
Vis was pacing back and forth. "He told us he abandoned the Sith cause! That he wanted to bring healing to the galaxy! And now … now he has a Sith here with us! Giving him access to all of our greatest secrets!"
Maris clenched her fist. "And not just any Sith. Vader. The one who ordered Starkiller to kill my Master."
"Have we been blind?" Vis asked. "Were the signs all there, but we were just too consumed with our pride to see it?"
Maris stood up and placed her hand his shoulder. "Have patience, my love. We will find the truth in all this."
"I've been thinking of leaving," Vis said suddenly.
Maris withdrew her hand. "Leaving? To go where?"
"Anywhere but here." He took her hands. "You and me. We'll go off somewhere … forget all this. We don't need Plagueis to do good in the galaxy. You and I can make a real difference somewhere … together."
Maris cupped his face. "I'd like that … But what of Plagueis? He'll hunt us down."
Vis nodded. "We'll hide."
"He'll find us." She took his hand. "Besides, let's not jump to any conclusions. This may be a part of his plan anyway … convince the Sith he's one of them and when they least expect it – POW!"
"… maybe …" Vis wasn't convinced.
"We need more proof before we act," Maris said. "Find out Plagueis' true intentions. And if truly hasn't renounced the Sith … then we'll leave. Together. I promise." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on Vis' cheek.
Vis sighed. "And what of the Dark Apprentice?"
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The Dark Apprentice was intoxicated with power. He strode along the corridors of Plagueis' base, his cape flowing behind him. Even the hardened Mandalorian troops gave him a wide berth. He clenched a gloved fist. Now that he had added that other clone's Force abilities to his own, nothing could touch him.
Nothing would dare.
But still, it wasn't enough. He craved more power now. Yes, and Plagueis promised him more power. Soon the very essence of Mortis – the essence of the Force itself – would be his.
He was already the strongest Force user in the galaxy, he was convinced of that now.
But enough is never enough.
There was, however, one last loose end to deal with.
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Juno Eclipse lay in the medbay of the Mandalorian base. Her emergency life support beeped. She writhed in her sleep, twisting, turning. The medical droids continually scanned her body.
That was when a shadow fell over her bed. "Leave us …"
The medical droids nodded in obedience and hurriedly left the medbay.
The Dark Apprentice towered over Juno's unconscious form. He stared down at her with disgust, a sneer plastered on his face. His hands went to the hilts hanging from his belt.
"I must hate … what he loved …" The room was bathed in a blood-red glow as he activated his twin red lightsabers. "I will destroy everything Galen Marek ever cared about." He stared down at Juno's resting body, and raised both lightsabers, evil glee spreading across his face.
And with a swishing motion, he brought both blades straight down towards her prone chest.
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"Galen …?"
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The blades came to a screeching halt, just centimeters from Juno's torso.
Captain Eclipse's eyes were open. Foggy. Unfocused. But she could make out the Dark Apprentice's face. "Galen …" Her voice was weak, her breathing ragged. "You came for me … I … knew you would …"
She thinks I'm him, the Dark Apprentice thought. He stared down at her. Her eyes were closed again and her shallow breathing returned. She was asleep.
The Dark Apprentice stared at the blades in his hands. Suddenly, a bursting pain exploded in his right temple. He dropped his weapons, screaming as he fell to his knees.
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"Am I going to see you again?"
"If I can free the Rebels, they'll need extraction. Probably not, no."
"Then I guess I'll never need to live this down."
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The Dark Apprentice staggered backwards, his heart thudding, his mind racing. No, this couldn't be! He had destroyed his feelings for Captain Eclipse! Smote them just as surely as he struck down her image on Kamino when tested by Vader. He had won the victory over himself!
So why was he having this vision?
It was just a fluke, yes that was it, he reassured himself. A byproduct of the cloning. Trace memories in the brain, nothing more. He chuckled to himself. There was no cause for alarm. He wrapped himself in the mantle of the Dark Side, allowing it to swim over him, to soothe his mind and block out those memories. With a wave of his hand, his blades returned to his side.
But what to do about Captain Eclipse? He could simply stretch out his hand. With a single thought he could snap her neck. Or stop her heart. Or he could even allow the Force virus to take its course.
So why did each option seem so … repulsive … to him?
"Sir?"
The Dark Apprentice was startled by the presence of a Mandalorian troop saluting him. "Lord Plagueis demands your presence."
The Dark Apprentice nodded grimly. "Of course. Tell him I'll be there immediately." He spared one last glance at Juno's unconscious form, before he left the room with a flutter of his cloak.
He would deal with her later.