Hey, everyone! How are you all doing on this warm night of Thursday, April 21, 2022? I'm well, as I watched Paul: Apostle of Christ with my relatives a little while ago, and figured I'd get started on the next chapter of this story. So, I figured I'll make this one a more Vestara Khai-centered piece, with a few mentions or smaller inclusions of the other arcs. Afterwards, I think I'll make an interlude chapter with Edaan and some of his time in the Unknown Regions, such as when he rediscovered Odessan and met Davin and Lana Beniko Hawkes. I hope you all enjoy it, as I'm going to work hard on this while I'm still in St. Louis, and after I get back home in a couple days. Well, with all the small talk out of the way, I'd best get started on this chapter. Oh, and I'll include an excerpt from Jedi Odyssey I: Commencement midway through the story. May the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe, especially since the 8th anniversary of the death of the better Star Wars timeline was commemorated on April 25, 2014, which will be in four measly days. Man, where does the time go?
1310 Hours, Kelona 2nd, 59 ABY
Dathomir, Jedi Praxeum
Within Edaan Palpatine's Subconsciousness
"Are you really Master Malicos, or just the first of many hallucinations I'll get from that infernal liquid I drank?" Edaan suspiciously asked the apparition that hovered above him.
"Does it truly matter who or what I am in this situation, young Knight? But, if it will satisfy your curiosity, consider me a guide through these trials, or, in more familiar terms, an overview or referee in navigating the potion the real Taron Malicos provided you." The manifestation calmly answered before explaining,
"As you know, you have less than sixteen hours to complete several trials, five, to be exact. Each test represents one of the five Jedi Trials and will be more challenging than any battle that had come before."
"But I take it there are going to be a few convoluted twists here that differ from the conventional Trials." Edaan anxiously deduced.
"As shrewd and blunt as always." The Taron-phantom lightly smiled, before growing serious, as warning, "But those 'twists' will be yours to figure out and defeat on your own. And they will prove to test your utter limits and help you work through the darkness in your soul, both your own anger and the imprint Krayt implanted on your very being.
"One last matter to point out: Don't make the same mistakes the old Jedi Order made many times over when assuming the galaxy was forever free of the Dark Side's taint when the Sith were either destroyed or forced into hiding." Taron finished his warning, with Edaan understanding the final lesson.
No matter how hard the young Jedi tried, he would never be able to destroy or fully excise the darkness that lurked within his heart. But through perseverance, hope, and leaning on his loved ones to support him, he would be able to face all manner of evils, whether they were natural or implanted into his being by Krayt. And if he stumbled, those he cared for would be there to help him rise again to continue this lifelong struggle.
"All right." Edaan resolved. "Let's get started."
1500 Hours
Falleen, Lajinda
Within the Main Infirmary
"How long has she been like this?" Ben anxiously demanded the nurse, watching Jarael and Kix examine Vestara's elevated vitals from her dilated pupils, increased pulse and breathing, and heightened brain activity.
If Vestara was waking up or suffering a new kind of effect from Phobar's dark attack, now was the time for decisive action, no matter the risks for Ben, Mirta, and even Allana in saving someone they cared so deeply for.
"No more than three hours." The medic professionally answered. "We would have gotten you right away, but unfortunately, finding you in the midst of such activity has proven to be far more difficult than one might assume."
"You did your best, and we're here now." Allana thanked the doctor. "But can you excuse us for a few minutes? We need-"
"I think I know what you're implying. I'll trust that Doctor Chantique and your soldier friend can tend to her while dealing with whatever scheme you have to wake Miss Khai up."
Quickly recusing himself, the cabin found itself one occupant shorter while the two medics tried in vain to stabilize Vestara's condition.
Mirta, getting right down to business, asked the two Jedi, "Do either of you have one of your Jedi miracles that can save our friend?" Turning to Ben, she pressed, "You think Bardan's brand of healing can be sped up a bit?"
"No, but I have a different idea in mind, even though it's a lot more like an insane gambit." A warm but commanding voice came from behind them, revealing K'Kruhk before he added, "I know of an ancient Jedi healing ritual that might give Miss Khai a fighting chance at escaping this prison. But it will require great risks on all our parts to help her."
"I'll do whatever it takes to save her." Ben ardently spoke up. "Just tell me what to do."
"You mean tell us what to do, Skywalker." Mirta objected. "No way you're leaving me out to help save my little sis."
"I'm going along too. You'll need all the help you can get on this one, and I won't let you go into this dark mindscape without enough backup." Allana energetically added.
"Bad idea! We can't send any of you in." Kix objected. "We don't know anything about whatever's afflicting Vestara's mind and risking your minds like that is too dangerous.
"We should reach out to the rest of the Jedi and-"
"You do that if it makes you feel better, Kix." Mirta heatedly interjected. "But every second we waste is another second that could be used to save Vestara, and I'm not gonna waste any more time on pointless warnings."
"No disrespect intended, but you're not a Jedi, Commander Gev. If you go in there, then you'll only-" Kix tried again, before Jarael interrupted,
"Then it will only give Miss Khai an added motivation to fight this darkness. And she will not go in alone, she will have three highly experienced Jedi with her to shield her from the worst of the dark energies assaulting their friend."
"Then it's decided." Ben shut down any further debate. Turning to K'Kruhk, he asked, "How long will your preparations take?"
"No more than two hours." K'Kruhk then warned the two Jedi and Mandalorian, "I suggest you prepare yourselves to face every manner of darkness within Vestara's mind. Her regrets run deep, and in her mental landscape, there is no telling how they will come to life."
"We'll risk it." Allana resolutely spoke on everyone's behalf. "Just be ready to tend to us when we wake up. Knowing our rotten luck, we'll need more than bacta patches for whatever's trapped in Ves's head."
Within Vestara Khai's Subconsciousness
Vestara, typically an immovable force in the face of the galaxy set against her, could feel her wavering heart in the face of reliving every dark deed she performed for the Sith:
The countless innocents she killed for the Lost Tribe, starting with the poor freed slave she aptly named "First" after murdering her, and the millions she destroyed after fleeing the Jedi, each soul weighed down on her a little more. Every mission she carried out for Lord Krayt, from arms deals, smuggling, kidnapping, assassinations, political maneuvering, and the rare and distasteful act of seduction to get what the One Sith needed to advance their twisted ideology, it was all part of Vestara denying her regrets and feelings for Ben.
And now, she was facing the full force of her remorse and demons head on, and she had to find a way to break free before the darkness completely consumed her.
From what Kreia told her, the key to defeating this darkness lay in letting the others in and allow them to help her. But how could she do so when she had betrayed everyone that had taken a chance on her throughout her long and tortuous life? Even Mirta, someone who loved her unconditionally as a sister, Vestara had used her in her own tragic way when she was under the alias of "Savara Raine" working for the Qreph brothers.
Love. Perhaps Vestara did not deserve love, not on her bloodline and upbringing, but because of all her wicked deeds and betrayals. Not even her ancestors, Orielle Kitai and Jelph Marrian, a Sith Saber and Jedi Covenant Shadow who fell in love and started a family together after walking away from their respective orders, were guilty of nearly as much as Vestara was.
Then again, neither did Darth Vader, Bastilla Shan when she briefly succumbed to the Dark Side as Malak's apprentice, and countless other Dark Siders throughout history, but they were all brought back to the Light by people that loved them and those that were willing to do anything to save them.
And right now, Vestara had at least four people willing to risk it all to save her soul, so she owed it to them, and to herself, to try and atone for her crimes. All she had to do was let them in and allow herself to heal.
'You truly think you can redeem yourself like those fools?' The familiar voice of Gavar Khai returned. 'If you believe that, you truly have lost your mind.'
Vestara, determined to ignore the phantom assault and focus on combating the true demons that lie within her being, did not bother to respond, and instead, following Kreia's advice, sat cross-legged in a meditative position. Determined to look for the good that she had ignored for so long, she allowed the memories and emotions she had suppressed for so long to flow freely through her being.
From the friends she had made while roaming the galaxy, to the rare moments of respite where she could recover from a grueling mission, the reforms and care she gave the people of Kesh when she returned to rule them for her brief reign as Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe, and her boundless love for Ben, there was a greater light in her than she remembered.
She did not realize it at first, but the more she reflected on her bright spots in her life, the weight burdening her heart was beginning to lift as tears of joy streamed down her face. The light she could feel enveloping her, she had only begun to comprehend the boundless hope that had sustained Edaan and countless others in their self-appointed missions of working to save those most would give up on.
How ironic. She remembered the first time she was reunited with Edaan long after the Liberation of Coruscant, and how his determination got under her skin back then, only a mere handful of months ago when he was undermining her rule as the last Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe of the Sith that ruled Kesh.
Melona 3rd, 58 ABY
Wild Space
Kesh, New Tahv
Within the Sith Prison
"So, you're the Jedi that has caused me and the Tribe so much trouble over the last three months." Vestara Khai, Grand Lady of the Lost Tribe and secret agent of the One Sith, with the moniker of Darth Kitai, appraised the imprisoned Edaan Palpatine. "Honestly, considering you are supposed to be the last heir of the Darth Sidious, I was expecting something more… well, more powerful and commanding."
"Well, you know what they say about big things coming in small packages." Edaan quipped, hiding the awe and fear at seeing Vestara again after fourteen years of preparing for this encounter. Countless missions, building up contacts and preparing to assemble a team for when he would go off on his own to find her, and now she just walked up to him to visit the Lost Tribe's newest Jedi prisoner.
Even hooked up to a table with periodic electric shocks and hung in a 90-degree right angle, Edaan could not help but marvel at the strong and beautiful woman Vestara had become, even with the darkness pouring off her like a torrential downpour.
Recognizing something familiar in the Jedi Apprentice's gaze, Vestara, preparing to unbalance the Palpatine prodigy, insultingly asked, "You don't look like one of the Jedi that've sworn a blood oath against me and all Sith, and I've fought against a lot of Jedi."
Hurt clouding his eyes, Edaan reluctantly sighed, "I should've guessed you'd forget all about me, even if you were my inspiration to become a Jedi in the first place. It has been over a decade since we first met on Coruscant."
Hiding her surprise at supposedly meeting the Palpatine heir before this point, Vestara rebutted, "Whether or not we met before now is irrelevant. What matters now is that I drive back your Jedi invasion of my people and help them take their rightful place in the galaxy."
"We're trying to liberate them from your ancestor's ancient cycle of slavery and manipulation. And that includes you as well." Edaan earnestly countered. "Whether you know it or not, you and all your people need help to be free from the darkness gripping this world and everyone's hearts.
"Already, your own people are starting to crave true freedom and liberty away from this evil, and soon they will rise up against the Lost Tribe and join the galaxy on its own merits, not through deception and allegiance to a dark order that's kept its people in bondage and suspicion against each other for over five millennia."
Vestara, unleashing her anger with a strong bolt of lightning on the captive Jedi, quickly demanded, "What do you know about my people outside of what those mongrels of traitors have told you?"
Anger flashing across his face for how Vestara insulted Adari, the young woman with a brilliant passion, sharp mind, and boundless devotion to giving her people a true voice in the rest of the galaxy, Edaan carefully warned, "Tread carefully, Vestara. Even the gentlest spirits have a breaking point, and I am no exception."
"I think I hit a soft spot. In that case, I look forward to finding your breaking point, young Palpatine, and finding that foolish rebel leader you've got your eye on and torturing her as well." Vestara venomously smiled, her voice carrying an unspoken promise of wrath and agony ahead for her latest batch of captives. "I look forward to the many conversations we'll have over the next few days."
"Or maybe I'll find yours and save you from this terrible path you're on." Edaan earnestly called out, earning him another bolt of lightning as the Grand Lady walked away, leaving her torturers to do their gruesome work on their enemy captive.
'Hang in there, Ves. No matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes, I will save you from your past and give you back your future.' Edaan vowed before the agony began in earnest, all the while promising that he would return to Adari and help her heal from the loss of her final relative at the Lost Tribe's hands.
One Month Later
Relona 22nd, 58 ABY
Within the Takara Mountains
Inside the Grand Lady's Personal Spaceport
"Are you happy, Palpatine?! You, your entire damned Jedi Order, and all the ungrateful rebels among my people that you allied with took my home from me for good, after I spent years working to return! Whatever happens to the galaxy next is all on your hands!" Vestara painfully screamed as she hurled barrages of Lightning upon the Jedi.
"Oh, would you stop and listen to yourself!?" Edaan shouted back as deflected blow after blow, "You have allowed this Darkness inside of you to twist your mind, and for what? Look around you! Your people rose up against you!"
"Because of you!"
"No, because of you and the Sith you blindly follow! Think of Ben! Think of how you've hurt him over and over for them, despite the fact you love him!"
"I am a Sith-"
"No, you are a lost and confused girl trying to be one!" he threw a bolt back at her, smashing the wall above her and sending her tumbling to the floor in a sprawl of stone. He didn't advance however, Vestara feeling a pitying shake of his head, "And you don't have to. You can be so much better than this. Leave behind the Sith, Vestara, and come with me. Be with the man you love... and be happy."
She looked up at him, tears pouring from her reddening eyes as for a moment, she considered his words. Then a dark rage overcame her, filling her with a terrible presence as she rose and snarled, "You're an idiot, Edaan. You can't trick me, not after what you and your Jedi have done. I will make you and the rest of this galaxy pay for what you've done. The Sith will rule, as we always do... and if Ben will not stand beside me, then he will die with you."
"You can't beat me, Vestara, and I don't want to hurt you anymore."
"THEN DIE!" she screamed as she unleashed a single, powerful electrical torrent that turned the air ablaze. However, to her horror, she hit only the air. She found Edaan far above, sending her flying into the wall with a deafening blow before he landed on top of her. He grabbed her by the throat, slamming her into the wall again before he pressed his hands into her temple.
There, she realized his plan. He was trying to corrupt her with a cocoon of light side power, fueled by his very essence.
"NO!" she snarled as she drew upon both the darkness inside of her and the very power being poured into her. With both, she channeled them into a concentrated repulse of energy, sending Edaan hurtling back with a cacophony that brought the roof down upon them, and Vestara slid out of consciousness.
Back in the Present
Within Vestara Khai's Subconscious Mind
Letting out a rueful chuckle, Vestara remembered how certain she was of her allegiance to the Sith, how determined she was to prove everyone wrong, including herself.
But she had tried being a Jedi, and that had failed spectacularly. Even Edaan, with his pure and selfless love for her and all others that needed help the most, could not erase or heal the sins of her past. Only Vestara could do that, but her mind and spirit were torn in every direction from the tangled web of allegiances she had woven and every dark act she had committed.
Ironic, in her drive to forget the past and make her future, she had made herself little better than Tahiri Veila when she let herself fall under Darth Caedus's sway.
But perhaps she could take a page from the murdered reformed Jedi. Vestara, like Tahiri, had allowed others to dictate her own choices in life without taking her deepest feelings into account, and every choice she had wrought devastation for everyone. Perhaps it was time to take a step back from the Jedi and Sith to figure herself out. Then, she could atone for all her sins and try to reconnect with Ben.
It was not much, but it was the best plan she had, and it was certainly better than letting herself fall to ruin. But first, she had to finish overcoming the demons of her past and the phantoms Phobar had put in her mind.
And speaking of past ghosts, Vestara could feel the dark tendrils of her lost family and close individuals returning to try and swallow her growing inner light whole.
Suddenly, she felt a dark ooze seep up from beneath her, and she began to hear a series of faint sounds, almost resembling whispers.
'Did you truly think you could escape us, traitor?' A melodic voice made itself known, one that Vestara had not heard in many years since she had killed him for allying with Abeloth on one of the moons of Almania.
"You're… not someone I ever wanted to see again, Taalon." Vestara grunted, trying to break out of the ooze that was quickly engulfing her knees and had no signs of stopping. Sarasu Taalon, onetime High Lord of the Lost Tribe of the Sith before starting to become a monster under Abeloth's thrall, forcing Vestara to kill him, she was not expecting this.
'As clever as always. Unfortunately for you I'm not the only one here.' Taalon's sneer could be felt, even though Vestara heard the many whispers that were quickly becoming louder in strength and volume.
'Bazel and I, along with the entire Jedi Order, we trusted you, and you sold all of us out in a selfish effort to stay alive and keep your passions flowing! Now, it's time to experience the same pain we felt when you got us killed.' A hateful woman's voice came through, and it was one that made Vestara's blood run cold as the goo came up to her thighs.
Remembering how she killed Natua Wan on Upekzar, and later let a pack of Sith loose on the Solos and their friends on Coruscant, she did not have long to ruminate on her failures. The goo began to seep up towards her hips, and then the agony of this disgusting assault truly began.
The faint voices swiftly became a cacophony of shrieks and damning accusations, nearly drowning Vestara in the wave of darkness that was enveloping her. Many of the people accusing the penitent woman were not familiar to her, but the screams of the dead each came with a momentary flash that allowed her to realize where they were killed because of her.
Every region and world she traveled to on Krayt's behalf, from the Chiloon Rift to Hutt Space, the Mandalore Sector and beyond for many commercial and military worlds across every major power to eliminate key opposition to the One Sith and advance the Grand Design, she had left darkness and ruin wherever she traveled. And she had left millions of people dead and allowed countless worlds to fall under the Sith's sway.
The despair was almost too much to bear, even as Vestara struggled to keep her head and arms above the slime seeping over her chest, and the anguish that threatened to overwhelm her soul.
How could a woman like her deserve love and forgiveness, when she had unleashed such chaos and disgraced the efforts of all those that tried to save her? She had betrayed everyone around her, and let a dark love devour her, all just to try and dull the pain of her losses, only dooming the galaxy to many more years of strife.
It was then that a new voice came through, one from the memories Edaan planted into her, belonging to an old Jedi who played a mentor role to an amnesiac Revan on his quest to stop Darth Malak and win the Jedi Civil War:
"Love doesn't lead to the dark side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, and can be controlled... but passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passions while being in love... that's what they should teach you to beware. But love itself will save you... not condemn you."
Those words, those kind and wise words that Jolee Bindo gave Revan the strength and courage to pursue his love with Bastilla Shan, filled Vestara with a strength she thought had long abandoned her.
The love Vestara held for her family, her friends, and those dear to her, was more than pain and sorrow. It was the memory of all the bonds she had forged, and the hopes she carried in her soul. And that love could not be extinguished unless she willed it so, and she had no desire to lose that spark of humanity for as long as she lived.
At that moment, she understood that the darkness, no matter how vast and infinite it seemed, could be held back by even the smallest flame of light, and illuminate the way for any lost soul. It was that same spark that had been inside her all along, and now she could use it to save herself and atone for her transgressions.
Slowly, she could feel her spirit being renewed, as if it was being tested and forged anew in a furnace meant to purify it of the darkness that long controlled her destiny. Even through such darkness, Vestara could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it was truly a majestic sight.
Now, all that remained was freeing herself of this Sith prison, even as the slime reached up to her neck. But finally, after years of darkness and self-denial, she knew what needed to be done to free herself, and there was no time to waste.
She let go of all her burdens. Her anger, her self-loathing, her regrets, her doubts, and all her losses, she released it all to the Force and trusted in the light of her soul and the love she had tried to discard for so long. Tears shed of joy from letting go of her biterness, streaming down her face like water down a river, she felt the ooze shrinking away as she felt her limbs free themselves, and the shroud of the Dark Side began to lift from her mind.
The time for living in the past and for the dead was over for Vestara Khai. Now, it was time to focus on the present and build a better future for the living.
"-Waking up!" Ben's disbelief echoed throughout the fading mental landscape and Vestara found herself awake in a medical ward. "Get her a hot meal and some real drinks now! She'll need all her strength back right away before the final push here starts."
"She needs a full examination and plenty of rest before she can even consider eating solids, Master Jedi." Jarael sternly reminded the Jedi Master.
"Kreth, Ben. Do you think you could yell any louder? I don't think they heard you all the way at Lajinda." Vestara tiredly joked, surprising everyone with the strength in her voice, even as exhausted she might be. Wearily smiling at Ben, she humorously added, "Is that hot meal and drinks you mentioned for me, or are you just hungry like usual?"
Instead of rebuking or denying the claim, Ben, faced with the absurdity of it all, laughed with such contagious force that everyone soon followed suit, just enjoying the sweet and heartfelt moment of Vestara's spiritual rejuvenation.
1600 Hours
Within the Falleen Throne Capital City
Aboard Ship
'Vestara Khai has broken free of Lord Phobar's manipulations and is awake.' Ship telepathically warned Malleus, the sadness and regret evident in the sentient machine's thoughts as he continued, 'She will join the Jedi and will be reunited with her love in the Skywalker heir.'
"So much for your big gambit to get her back on our side." Malleus seethed.
'I was wrong.' Ship dejectedly admitted, surprising the Sith Marauder with the rapid acknowledgment before remembering just who he was talking to.
Interrupting his reflection, Ship continued, 'You must finish your preparations by the end of tomorrow's sunset. Lord Phobar believes that the Jedi will be ready to move out by then.'
"We will be ready well before then." Malleus promised, hiding the dread within the deepest recesses of his heart.
Now he would have even far worse news to deliver to Lord Krayt, and even the wealth he was bringing with him would not be enough to assuage the wrath for losing four treasonous Sith and all their knowledge to the Jedi, never mind Phobar losing the planet's Observatory, countless relics, and all their latest batch of prime candidates for the Sith Trooper program and their future acolytes.
The Jedi would not be stupid enough to let the children enter their order without uncovering the incomplete list of commands Phobar and his sorcerers had instilled into the fifty "saved" children, and then they would be a valued resource for the Light Siders in their endless crusade of naivety.
He could only imagine the scathing punishment upon his return to Korriban and desperately hoped that he could live long enough to atone for such a colossal failure. That is, if he could escape at all.
Phobar, the ever-scheming Columi that he was, might try to leave his fellow Sith behind for dead and work to pin all the blame on him for this debacle. With the remaining Crimson Nova bounty hunters on his side with whatever reward Phobar promised them, they would likely sell out Malleus as payback for the Port Nowhere debacle.
And Redhan still wanted Malleus dead after the murder of his family's latest casualty. Could the group have worked out a secret pact to leave the Marauder high and dry while they made their withdrawal?
Whether there was a betrayal coming or not, he had to be on guard from any betrayal, even while preserving what little unity remained within the One Sith's fracturing alliance. If anyone decided to try and discard Malleus, he would be ready and show them how lethal an old man like him could truly be.
1900 Hours
Korriban, Darth Krayt's Citadel
Allowing her body to sink deeply into her chair as Lona tried to grasp the full implications of the information Tau just finished presenting her, she nearly found herself devoured by an overwhelming rage. It was a rage the begged release, and she was almost willing to oblige it were it not for her cold and calculating pragmatism.
The Sith, ever as duplicitous and self-serving as always, had been hoarding the fabled Mortis Dagger, a weapon the seven surviving Quest Knights of the Jedi Order had been fervently searching for to prepare for Abeloth's return. They were letting the Celestial freak of nature resurrect herself by filling the galaxy with fear and strife just to suit their own vanity.
But the worst wound was a personal one, which she had to try and heal before she and her daughter made their move. Krayt's acolytes, betraying every false promise they made in the Dread Lord's lie of establishing a just order, had manipulated her husband and enslaved his vibrant mind and soul with Sith magic to achieve their own twisted Grand Design.
How did she not see the signs sooner? The sheer obviousness of such an evil act from a once-idealistic soul should have been evident to anyone, but the retired assassin failed to notice any of the warning signs. Even with a brainwashed Korin and his Sith handlers kidnapping her and their toddler daughter for Korriban, she should have been clever enough to see through the web of deception and work to reach her love.
Wanting to kill Krayt's entire Sith Order and all his followers now more than ever but needing to save her husband from the Sith's machinations for the first time in the last ten years, Lona encouragingly thanked Tau, "You just gave me another reason to live and see the One Sith burnt to a crisp."
"Don't leave me out of that promise." Tau eagerly pointed out. "I'll want more than a piece of that action."
"Ah. You finally made up your mind, did you?" 0-0-0 accurately deduced.
"I'm not going to let the Sith use the galaxy as their own personal playground while trillions of lives suffer, or risk all of creation for their petty spite." Tau worked to ground out through his rising anger.
"Then, you're willing to come with us?" Lona optimistically asked, her hopes at escaping this infernal world rising to unanticipated heights.
"I have my own path to walk for now, and it needs to be here, away from the Jedi." Tau politely declined while shaking his head. Thankfully, to his credit, the man continued, "You're going to need someone on the inside who can funnel you plenty of intel after your escape. I'm the best and only candidate for the job."
"If they uncover you-" Lona tried to caution Tau, who was not willing to hear any objections,
"Then they'll find themselves quite short on manpower before they can even hope to take me down. They're going to regret giving me a stronger body and Force reserves than Edaan ever had." He quickly promised, a steely and bloodthirsty glean in his gaze that assured Lona that the reformed clone would die long before ever willingly and knowingly serve the Sith.
Surprising her, Tau conspiratorially added to Lona, "Plus, I have a few little quests of my own to tie up before I even think of fighting on the Jedi's terms, let alone alongside them."
"What kind of quests?" Lona probed, her curiosity getting the better of her despite knowing how the terrible straits that her family was still in, and the unnecessary danger Tau was putting himself in.
"Answering a call from a possible Jedi spirit trapped on this world and helping a young and growing Tuk'ata hound find his way into the Light." Tau nonchalantly admitted before taking a final sip of his tea, surprising his hostess into an awkward silence.
He then off-handedly suggested, "I think I'll call my new friend 'Butch', named in honor of a Rancor-Dragon from the final years of the Je'daii Order's existence. I'm sure the hound will enjoy it very much."
'I suppose the Tau is more like his progenitor than he claims to believe.' Lona marveled, with a hint of fear evident in her thoughts as she observed how casually the clone calmly and quickly shifted from one radical topic to another.
2100 Hours
Falleen, Lajinda
Aboard the Jade's Legacy
"Why are we here, Ves?" Ben good-naturedly, hiding the anxiousness of his pounding heart, asked as they sat upon Ben's bed on his personal customized shuttle. "You didn't ask me to bring you here just to proposition me, are you?"
Constructed by Ben himself, with the help of his family, the finished product greatly resembled his mother's second customized vessel of the Jade Sabre before its destruction early into the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion, the Jade's Legacy was a modern and sleek work of art. And it was heavily armed and lethal with all the latest technologies the Jedi Order could acquire, with a little luxury so Ben could rest in comfort while journeying for a mission, or if he had to clandestinely house an important ally or dignitary from rivals.
But this time, Vestara asked to meet Ben here after helping her sneak out of the hospital so she could supposedly disclose something deeply personal to him, a great secret she wanted him to be the first she shared with.
"No. I wanted to meet you here so I could tell you what I've decided to do with my life, and it has you in it." Vestara succulently whispered before kissing Ben's nose with her own. She then pensively added, "As long as you'll have me in it once I am held accountable for my wrongdoings."
"Of course, I will." Ben took Vestara's hands into his own, and promised, "I'm not giving up on you this time. Just tell me whatever you need to say, and I'll be there for you."
Breathing in her courage, Vestara admitted, "I can never be a Jedi. After all the atrocities I committed, I don't want to tarnish your order with my association. And this darkness inside me from my lineage and my sins, it'll always be a part of me, no matter how much I try to deny it."
"Ves…" Ben wearily began, before Vestara hugged Ben and courageously pressed on,
"But even so, I still want to be a part of your life and atone for every one of my evils. That's why I can use my skills and contacts to help the Jedi to the shadier jobs it can't involve itself with. I know Mirta agreed with Leia for both families to say out of each other's way, and the two of us can start our own business together, so we can do intel and bounty hunting work against the Jedi's enemies and protect the weak and downtrodden in worlds outside the Order's reach.
"I know I have so many skills that can benefit the galaxy, but I won't be able to fully escape the darkness of my past and upbringing. It'll always be a part of me, and it will influence my actions throughout my life. But instead of letting the past dictate my future, I'll use what I know to help keep others from walking the same path I did and cleaning up the messes I helped create."
Holding her close, Ben, not giving up on being with her, took a chance and vowed, "You won't have to do that with just Mirta and your fellow outcasts. I know a few people who can help you set up your network, courtesy of my dad and his contacts."
Letting Ben out of her hug, Vestara playfully inquired, "All right. What kind of secrets have you been keeping from me?"
"Well, just because my dad resigned as Grand Master doesn't mean he outright abandoned his responsibilities to the galaxy as a Jedi?" Ben faux-offendedly rebutted, before getting serious, "He set up his own covert intelligence network to help the Jedi's rapid-response teams over the last fourteen years and to keep unofficial ties with the Galactic Alliance leadership after the Senate passed the Neutrality Act. If you want, I can divert a few resources and agents towards your way."
"Your father, the ever-virtuous Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, founded a clandestine organization to counter the Sith and all your- our enemies?" Vestara disbelievingly repeated.
Seeing the grave look on Ben's face as confirmation, she deeply inhaled and sat back, muttering, "And I thought these last few years were tougher on me and Mirta than others." Glancing at her love, she asked, "Who else knows of this network?"
"The rest of my family, the Council, a few dozen trusted civilian and military allies, and a handful of Masters and Knights." Ben offhandedly listed.
"And you're willing to subvert that group if it means helping give me a fresh start?" Vestara wondered.
"Well, I wouldn't want to leave my girl out there with just her lightsaber, sharp wit, brilliant mind, and a few friends all on their own out in this cold, cruel galaxy we live in." Ben dramatically reminded her.
"Oh, so I'm 'your girl' now. I wasn't aware I was marked as your property." Vestara teased, swatting at Ben's arm while a large smile was plastered all over her face.
"More like my love slave." Ben playfully corrected, before quickly and tenderly admitting with complete seriousness, "Just as I am yours, now and forever."
Something shifted in the Force when that confession was made. It was as if both Force Users were about to cross a new threshold, one that would mark them both forever and leave them bound to the other's fate.
Such a new sensation, greater than any Vestara had ever felt before, even back when she first kissed Ben. It was as if the Force was working to bring the two together and bind them in an eternal loving bond.
But unlike last time, she was willing and ready to face these feelings, for she knew to trust the light in her soul and those that would stand by her, no matter what she had done, or would be tempted by from here on out. And gazing into Ben's eyes, those warm, loving, and inviting blue eyes, she knew he was ready to fully acknowledge and act on those feelings as well.
Faces and bodies slowly moving closer, heartbeats pounding in each of their chests, they found themselves mere millimeters apart before Vestara, needing to be sure of this imminent joining, tenderly asked Ben, "Are you sure?"
"Vestara," Ben hoarsely asked, surprising Vestara with the sheer need in his voice, all but giving her permission with a desperate plea, "Just stop talking."
Nothing was left to be said, all that remained was primal thought and action as Vestara finally pounced upon her lover, kissing Ben with all her love and devotion her heart had long since buried and protected.
Tonight, this was their night, and as they slowly tossed away their robes across the cabin, the couple relished their new level of intimacy, and at last consummated their bond of love through their deeds, feelings, and their finally completed Force Bond, they found yet another reason to live past this war and see what the future held for them.
The troubles of the future could wait for at least a few hours. Now was the time for joy and love to flourish through the two star-crossed lovers.
Aboard the Mon Adapyne
Feeling a warmth blossoming in her chest, Allana could feel the echoes of the feelings emanating off her cousin and his first love aboard Ben's ship, and she knew what it meant.
Taking a moment to tenderly whisper, "It's about time, you two lovebirds.", Allana knew the two lovers would need their newfound union to survive the coming tribulations of this war, so she would not deny them this brief respite.
But this joy was short lived, for Allana still needed to help carry out Ben's work in investigating the Observatory's liberated children and their potential conditioning by their Sith captors. Even with the Jedi's help and Kix's recommendations, the Alliance was finding no leads in any Sith programming.
But that did not mean the Alliance was out of options. If Ferren, Verla, Vestara, and Phsama could be given authorization by their handlers to examine a few of the children, then the four ex-Sith would be far more likely to provide positive results.
On that note, it might be best to speak with General Farlander and the rest of the Alliance's command structure to see if she could help add a little metaphorical grease to speed the wheels of military command along. Procedures might have their place within most situations, but not everything needed a committee vote to get decisive measures along.
2200 Hours
Within the Kharmort's Miasma Nebula
On Vagar Praxut, Eskarrh
Within the Main Chiss Garrison
"So, the Agbui took the bait." Vurawn absentmindedly nodded towards Khedryn and Soldier. "Now we must prepare for our enemies to make their next mistake. Then we can begin to strike."
"I suppose you'll fill us in on the rest of the plan when it suits you?" Kral jokingly asked from his station onboard the Cal Omas.
"You jest, but it is an accurate assessment, Vice Admiral Nevil." Vurawn allowed a small smirk to cross his lips. "We do not know who else may be listening, and I like to keep everyone guessing with my strategies until it is too late to escape them. A quirk I seemed to have picked up from my genetic source and my fellow clones."
"And if the enemy decides to strike directly at you and our alliance is unaware of your plan's full scope?" Kyp patiently challenged.
"Mid Admiral Fooraki and Paladin Captain Soldier know the entirety of the plan and will enact it perfectly should anything happens to me." Vurawn calmly answered. "But right now, you all need to move your diverse fleet into position for its scheduled training exercise. A sure way to bait the Sith and their raiders into revealing themselves with such a giant target."
"You truly have it all figured out, don't you, Senior Captain?" Jan knowingly asked.
"Not everything, General Ors, but we Chiss work to do our best in all endeavors." Vurawn modestly shrugged.
Deep Within the Unknown Regions
Inside the Perann Nebula
Within the Nihil Retreat
On the Planet Rhand
'So, that is the secret behind the Chiss's expansion. How did I not see it before now?' Kung'urama'nuruodo marveled at the enduring legacy of Thrawn and his obsession with cloning that marked the last few months of his life and played a role in his ultimate demise.
Having used the Dark's limitless power to gaze into the past to uncover the truth behind the Chiss who named himself after Thrawn's birth name, he was astonished to realize that he had implanted his memories into a network of clones that would safeguard the Ascendancy beyond his lifespan. It was so absurd but brilliant, the Grand Sorcerer had to laugh at the insanity of the situation.
Only a master genius like Mitth'raw'nuruodo could come up with such a plan for keeping his people safe from beyond the void and ensure that they could face whatever enemy came after he was betrayed. But though the clone had prepared for any military scenario, he still understood so little about the mystical ways of the Dark and the Force, even with the Jedi now on his side.
Even worse, this "Vurawn" underestimated the lengths Thrawn's political enemies in the Ascendancy would go to in ending his legacy, even with the proper prodding by their phantom handlers. And with the perfect puppet in the Aristocracy to uncover the truth, with a few unsavory methods to ensure the Chiss heard the cruel reality of their government's gains, the Ascendancy would soon utterly tear itself apart from the inside out in a brutal civil war.
All that remained was tying up a troublesome loose end in Saganu's hired hands before he could give away any other information to Supreme General Ba'Kif and the rest of his growing cabal. Then the brainwashed fool could continue his preordained path of self-destruction for himself and all he cherished, with the Sorcerers of Rhand and their Sith "allies" ready to pick up the pieces of the Chiss's soon-to-be shattered empire.
And yet, if the Dark's endless embrace was denied for too much longer, there was another path towards the Rhandites' final goal, one that even a man as dark as Kung'urama'nuruodo dreaded. If they could not achieve the absolute destruction they longed for, then they would seek out a virtual goddess of destruction and use her to finish their sacred work.
2300 Hours
Dathomir, Jedi Praxeum
Within Edaan Palpatine's Subconsciousness
'All right. Just one more battle to go.' Edaan exhaustively panted while trying to steady himself from the grueling four trials he had striven to overcome.
Time would probably not be on the Jedi Knight's side right now in this ordeal, but he was nothing if not determined and resourceful. And with the hours running out before Adari and Taron woke him up to prepare him for the coming Sith onslaught, he needed to take his efforts into overdrive if he hoped to complete these tests.
And with each test designed to replicate one of the five Jedi Trials, already completing the Trials of Courage, Insight, Skill, and Flesh through facing many skilled adversaries, even if they were phantoms, he was well on his way towards completing his remaining tests on time.
Of course, the phantasm beasts of over a dozen worlds, from the Sith Tuk'ata hounds to aerial Uvak native to the planet Kesh and young Rancors from Dathomir, were certainly putting Edaan through quite the mental wringer in body and spirit. Not to mention how many adversaries represented a traumatic memory in the Jedi Knight's bitter past, allowing him to face his fears and triumph over each of them, even if he was left quite winded.
But the young man still had a body's worth of fight left in him, and he was dead set on seeing this ordeal through to its bitter end, even if it finished in failure for him and he would start over as a student of the Force.
"I suggest you ready yourself for your next and final challenge, Edaan. You only have six hours left before Adari and Taron pull you out, so we will need to adapt accordingly with the final ordeal. This last test, the Trial of the Spirit, will feature your final Trial in ways that will test your very grasp of reality."
"Gee, that sounds like loads of fun." Edaan blithely muttered, regretting falling so far behind in his quest, and knew he would pay dearly for the how long the last two conjured scenarios alone that he had triumphed over, never mind the aches his body would have once he awoke.
"But it will all be worth it in the end once you take your next big steps in facing the darkness in your heart." The apparition patiently reminded his pupil. "You have one hour to prepare yourself for the greatest battle for your character to date, and to see if the darkness will dominate your life from this point on. Use your time wisely, for you won't get any rest going forward."
"Gee, no pressure or anything. And it's not like I have anywhere else to go." Edaan despondently sighed before getting into a meditative position. It would do him no good to let his worries and fears dominate his mind when everyone was preparing for war to come to Dathomir.
Although, he offhandedly wondered if the Taron-hallucination needed the hour time to prepare the scenario, or to figure out what test would ultimately be composed of to best try the young man's character and abilities. He was loath to admit it, but anything was possible with this mad plan of his fellow Jedi at this point.
But it hardly mattered, since Edaan knew the next six hours would either make or break his soul and see if he could break through his limits and unlock his full potential. All that remained now was to wait and see what came before him when he faced the Trials of Skill, Insight, and Spirit, the three tests that would best challenge the Jedi Order's rising star.
0000 Hours, Kelona 3rd, 59 ABY
Batuu, Black Spire Ruins
Within the Sith Command Center
"Well?" Dician impatiently asked her elite acolytes, eager for any good news to lessen her rising stress.
"We, we regret to admit that we cannot locate Frejor." Liara shamefully confessed. "He's disappeared from the base, and none of our servants can track him down. But that is not the worst of it."
"It seems Xasha committed one more act of treason before her capture, and this one might be the most devastating of all to our mission." Another Sith disciple added, handing Dician a datapad.
Scouring through the file's contents, Dician struggled to control her anger at seeing how far Xasha had outmaneuvered her. Not only did the onetime priest provide the Alliance with precise information on her fleet and operations, but she had also given the Jedi's allies the means to counter her scorched earth exit strategy for Batuu.
They were likely working to disarm her bombs throughout the planet as she stood here contemplating her situation, so it was only a matter of time before the Alliance attacked her ultimate stronghold with their combined strength. And that meant she had to take the initiative and salvage what she could from her falling headquarters.
It was time to leave this lost stronghold behind, but not before leaving a lasting message for the Jedi of the cost of such a "decisive victory."
Breathing out most of her anger and focusing her remaining rage, Dician calmly ordered her followers, "Prepare all essential personnel for a complete evacuation in the next six hours and enact the Final Protocol. Have all of our still-functioning bombs throughout the southern hemisphere detonate in all vacant locations in four hours. They should provide an effective diversion for the enemy."
"Prepare the-" Liara caught herself, instead, knowing Dician was still suffering from losing her last apprentice to the Jedi, tried a more diplomatic approach, "My Lady, what of the remaining soldiers and your cult's remnants? Surely they can still prove useful in sowing chaos against Lord Krayt's enemies."
"They will be useful only as an effective diversion." Dician dismissed. "The cult is lost to us. Now we need to ensure the remaining arms and wealth, and the true prize this world has provided us, can be put to better use after we escape this doomed system. Then we can reevaluate our strategy accordingly."
Liara, knowing when her mistress decided something, there was little that could be done to dissuade her. Instead, she obeyed the Sith Lady and bowed, "Very well. We will send word right away."
"Good. Now, I believe we have a few thousand more carbonite prisoners to liberate and many ancient treasures to take for our master. Leave me now and finish overseeing these measures." Dician commanded her students, forcing them to leave the command center.
But while five of the acolytes were committed to their teacher's course of action, Liara was conflicted. Not only did she have many friends in the cult, but there were still thousands of souls loyal to the One Sith that could still be of use, Xasha's betrayal be damned. They had an obligation to repay their loyalty, and the Falleen Sith Apprentice would not let Dician's rage blind her to the situation's reality.
And with precious little time left before Batuu met its end, Liara needed a mad last-ditch gambit to save as many followers and potential assets as possible. It was her responsibility as a leader and a Sith, even if most of her kindred spirits of the Dark Siders could not care less. Such a sense of accountability was one of the few good leadership skills she learned from her former friend in Xasha Xizor.
Well, I think this is a good place to end the chapter! And to think I wrote it all in just six days. Then again, it was a short chapter, but it is big in terms of plot development and moving the story a little closer to its endgame, while having a bit of romance involved. So, how are you all doing on this warm but rainy day of Tuesday, April 26, 2022? I'm well, as I have the day off from work, and will read a bit soon, probably followed by starting on the next interlude chapter for this story. Well, I'd best get this chapter ready for publishing soon. Or maybe I'll save it for later so I can publish it alongside with my next Interlude Chapter. I hope you have a blessed day, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
(Sunday, May 22, 2022, Addendum.) Hey, everyone! I am so sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I should've published it sooner, but I wanted to hear what my Beta Reader and friends had to say about it. They all had good things to say, so I figured I'd wait and publish it until I had another chapter or two almost ready to go. And since I completed my interlude chapter (which I've decided to move to a later date to better improve the flow of the story, so it won't be published alongside Ch. 24), and Ch. 25, I'll soon publish the latter after getting a friend to examine it. Once again, I apologize for keeping you all waiting so long, but I've also been busy with work and searching for full-time employment, since my fellow employees have left for the summer, so I'll have to pick up a lot of the slack over the next couple months. Oh, and I'm reading an important collection of letters from an influential Catholic archbishop, which discusses the state of the Catholic Church and United States in many powerful ways, which I'm sure you can guess what my sympathies are on certain- actually, MANY wacked-out things going on these days. Sorry for bringing real-life stuff into this, but I need to vent a bit, otherwise I'll explode with anger at the worst possible time. Well, with all that small talk out of the way, I'd better get this chapter published right away. May the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
