As the Dark Times fade.

Disclaimer: Skymaster23 does not condone violence towards women.

Note: just in case anybody isn't aware, Chaelo is Carlin's alias. His real name will be used for the more dire situations.


With as much silence as he could make, Chaelo heads for the pile, and after putting aside the habit of collecting the rest as evidence, picks up his property and turns to the door. "Captain, I found my 'fold; be back at the port soon." He says quietly into his comlink, only to freeze to the spot when he sees the Zabrak from his vision accompanied by a Balosar both staring at him.

"Looks like Rhiss has been opening her airlock again." The latter says loudly to the refresher door.

"Shut up; I've only been here for-" She tell them in an annoyed tone as she walks out of it before seeing Chaelo again.

"...Don't mind me, i was just leaving." He says, and turns to the Balosar as the easiest of the three to get past, until he sees 'Rhiss' preparing to throw a large towel rack.

All three men glance to each other nervously before dodging it, only for Carlin end up against the wall he saw himself die at. "Let a man show you how it's done, piffer!" The Zabrak says as he shoves her aside.

"Any idea where i can find one?" She replies as he lowers his head to charge.

As the near-human gets closer, Carlin hears an off-key noise from the lightsaber, and time appears to slow down. "Is this really happening... did i abandon everything i held dear just for this nameless cur to kill me?" He asks himself. At the last second, however, he considers the possibility that what he saw is another Force ability. There is only one way to prove this, and he move to his right just enough that he only ends up with one of the spikes in his left hand. Despite the pain, he looks down as the hoodlum dislodges himself from the wall and his hand. "You're not gutting me again!" He shouts as he grabs the Zabrak's bloody spike before he could regain his balance, and sends his head toward his knee.

The Balosar pulls out an SE-14 that was doubtlessly taken from a raided battlezone; only for Carlin to simply push the weapon aside and punch him in the gut. Once both are down, the woman walks over them as if they weren't there. "Wait a second, please... could we possibly-" Carlin tries to say to her, not sure why he feels that he's less safer now.

"No, we can't." She says as she throws a punch at him, which he not so easily catches.

"I have what i was after; so let me leave peacefully." He tells her while grinning at the shocked expression, only to see it suddenly go blank.

"You have what you we..." She repeats for some reason, but shrugs off whatever it was and grab his wrist. She then turns and tosses him to the floor before putting both hands around his throat.

He picks his life over his manners and pretends to pass out, then punches her off. "I... I'd have ra... rather not done... that." He says while catching his breath, only to see her carelessly spit out some blood before smirking at him.

"You fight just like those old clones." She said as both get to their feet, unknowingly referring to those like Carlin's former chief who served in the Republic Army's 44th S.O.D., only for him to feel one of the "reinforcements" hit him over the head.


Chaelo wakes up sometime later when he feels a burning sensation, which proves to be from his injured hand in a service droid's head that was filled with some foul-smelling substance. "This isn't Bacta-what is it?" He mumbles.

"Plain old booze, obviously. As if we'd waste de good stuff on de chuff-sucker who killed Lem and Zerba." He hears, and sees that he's in what appeared to have been a department store that was converted into the worst possible place for anyone with a law-enforcement background.

He looks forward to find the speaker is a Codru-Ji with one arm in a Replar Splint, who's "throne" is what appeared to be the chin-gun salvaged from one to the new bipedal walkers he saw during a delivery on Milvayne. A female human, with ear-length hair that has six evenly-spaced white and blue stripes, is in his lap humming an under-tune from a Holo-serial Chaelo was aware of about a rogue archeology student who went abound exposing ancient atrocities committed by the Old Republic when she isn't constantly antagonizing her university Sava(1). "Which bodypart should we poke a hole in next, i wonder?" The Codru-Ji asks while sliding a hand down the woman's back.

It takes a second for the accusation a moment ago to kick in. "Killed who? Those men i was accosted by earlier?" He asks the leader. "As you are all aware, i was barely able to hold them off; so what..." He continues while showing his injury until he turns to Rhiss for a few seconds and gives an obnoxious smirk. "...So what would you say to the possibility that one of your own did away with the men you speak of for reasons known only to her, oh master of Contruum's privateers?"

The leader thinks this over, only to tell a random goon to hit him in the shoulderblade with a crowbar. "That d... didn't nearly as bad as... hearing that Wynssa was seen on Cinnagar with some TIE Pilot." He says in defiance.

"Great, like we don't have enough holo-bim fans here." Rhiss says dismissively; although Chaelo gets the feeling she isn't being as apathetic as she appears.

Not that he is in any condition to dwell on it. "Holo-bim? Holo-bim?! Wynssa Starflare is the golden goddess of the universe, and you... are nothing but a grass-stained harlot!" He replies in irritation, then looks around in confusion as the leader's woman suddenly stops humming, and the gangsters mutter amongst themselves before Rhiss walks over and lifts him to his feet by the neck with one hand.

"Don't ever kriffing use that word again or I'll mangle ya!" She yells with tears forming as the other woman stood and spoke up.

"Rhiss; let my boys finish him off. Easier to clean up what's left that way." She says while giving Carlin a glance that could pierce a Beskar slab, and continues when seeing his surprised expression. "That's right, everyone here works for me. I am Jessuva Tundramane. Zoggir is my right-hand... when the other three aren't also preoccupied." She explains while motioning to the Codru-ji, getting a lecherous grin in return.

"I should have seen that coming; and how does what i say to this person affect you?" Chaelo balks while pointing to Rhiss, not sure why the leader is speaking as if she were the one who'd been insulted.

"It's only natural when you have the same mother." 'Jessuva' replies as she stands next to Rhiss in order to prove their resemblance. "Long before the two of us were born... our grandmother, Minna(2), her husband that we never learned the name of, and their 14 year old daughter Thusan(3) by default, got into some financial trouble after the podracer they bet on crashed into a Sandcrawler. Their predicament was soon enough resolved in Jabba's usual style." She explains to Carlin, who instantly guesses that 'Thusan' was the woman from the holoplate Rhiss spoke to earlier.

Even in the core, the first lesson every law enforcement agency taught was to let the ISB handle any Hutt-related activity.

"When that living pus-bag took possession of our grandmother; her daughter was sold to another of his kind named Nem'ro the 6th, who kept her around until she was old enough for much more hideous intentions." She adds; which he knew to mean that two of a Hutt's followers would fight to the death to mate with a female slave of their choice.

"The second man to violate our mom was a Calian named Dolruk Chirf, one of the conscripts at a Rhydonium mine on Abafar that the cartel took over during the Clone Wars, and used as a spy since they don't even speak Basic wherever his homeworld is." Rhiss tells him next, partly explaining why Carlin has never heard of a Calian. "I grew up in one fighting pit after another until i was eleven; when a rebel cell killed an imp spectator named Hux(4), that man died in the confusion. I joined a few escapees in stealing a shuttle..." She went on. "...and spent the next few years rockhopping until the transport i was on came out of hyperspace a little too close to a micro-mine. I've been having to put up with Jess and her laserbrains ever since." She says while folding her arms.

Then began Jess' turn. "I was raised by Benald, who was an Echani assassin. In the years after the four of us were freed due to our master's death in a clan feud, i learned everything my father knew... and gave the big push to endless servitude so that I'd always be the one in charge." She says while absentmindedly twirling her chromium and ruby necklace.

"We can't be sure how many other siblings we have, and we don't intend to find out." Both finished in unison before Jess called for him to be locked-up.

An unknown amount of time later, Chaelo is in a "renovated" store, and hears one of them approaching. "I take it the Baobab's aren't accepting the ransom?" He asks the visitor, expecting to be executed, but gasps when an worse fear is realized.

"There's a whole damn galaxy full of people like me." Rhiss says, with an obnoxious smirk of her own, as she opens the door and pulls Tano's "parting gift" out from under her jacket. "And until today, it had none like you."

"So that's why you killed those two at the apartment." Carlin says as the lightsaber is dangled infront of him. "Ha... have you decided to turn me over to my former superiors?"

"According to an old Gran i spoke with on Kidriff 5; he and my grandmother... who had the same hair-color as me, once saw a Jedi insulting their master right infront of them." She replies as if she hadn't heard, and returns his weapon, cred-fold, and comlink. "But getting back to the present, you chose not to use this on any of us; and there's that stuff you said about Lem "not gutting you again"."

Knowing it was both question and observation, he stands up when they hear another gangster. "Who's that? Nobody's supposed to be down here yet." The person says just before Rhiss shoots him, which did not go unheard.

"Are you out of your mind?" Carlin asks her as an alarm goes off.

"What does a Jedi have to be worried about; you got a lasersword and they don't." She says, only to groan in dismay. "You forgot how to use it, didn't you?"

"I have too used it, as a matter of fact... to know which button to push." He admits Nerf-ishly. "I need to contact my employer, he can get us to the capitol."

"Wouldn't do you any good; the ships up there can barely be called a squadron. Only reason the imps aren't back yet is because of that nonsense about a "death star"." She informs him.

Carlin puts away his belongings as he inwardly curses the irony of being unable to find The Alliance in it's own territory, he decides not to tell her how wrong she is just yet, and the two make their way upstairs, but they're stopped by a man somewhat resembling Vos who hits Rhiss in the head with a gruesomely decorated blaster rifle. {That's as far as you go, you traitorous crink.} The person says to her, and turns to call anyone else who may be nearby.

Chaelo puts the ambusher in a choke-hold, but he yelps and lets go. "Did you just bite me, you fission-age mongrel?!" He asks, allowing Rhiss to prove that she'd been faking it, and kicks at the person's shin.

As the ambusher quickly recovers and pushes a palm down, she rolls to the side, pushes herself up, and shoves him into a wall, then simultaneously backhands and trips him. During all this, Chaelo gets the feeling the latter move is the same one used she on him when they first met. "Just a little trick i learned in an arena on one of Bogden's... which moon was it again... eh, who cares." She says to Chaelo as she breaks the would-be captor's neck while saying the last word.

"Not that it matters at the moment, but... how many people have you killed?" He asks as she drops the body.

"Not counting Tasu Leech here, or Lem, Zerba, and that guy who's name i never could pronounce... I'd have to say 16; unless you count a Banking Clan barge i helped rig some charges on."

"I, uh... i know I'm late and all, Captain, but can you give us a lift." He asks into the comlink once the nausea wears off, but gets no response. "Captain, do you copy?" He repeats.

Rhiss leads him to a floor indicating that most of the building they're in was clearly blasted apart during the rebel uprising. Before he can try to contact his ship again, a bit of rubble is thrown at his hand, causing him to drop the comlink, which lands a short distance away and get taken by another gangster. Chaelo shoots at him with 'Leech's' rifle twice, but whoever he's up against is much faster than any malcontent he's dealt with before. "Don't waste your bolts. That's Edolgu. I picked the wrong place for dealing with a Dug." Rhiss tells him as she motions for them to head back.

"Vo'karr, advise them." 'Edolgu' says, and the two stumble as a blast goes between them and the stairwell.

"A T-7?!" Carlin asks as he and Rhiss turn back. "Those are all supposed to have been jettisoned at a neutron star!"

"We stole one from the gang next door that bought a bunch after the senate went deader than the Jandoon." She admits, although he didn't know what a Jandoon was, either.

"I don't know where the two of you got that little relic, but I'll be taking it so i can hack up that spider... dog... whatever he is, and his bitch." The goon says, still running between the wreckage. "When the empire returns, they'll be so glad when i give it to them that this whole planet will be my reward!"

Carlin glances at his agitated companion before replying. "What makes you think I'll let that happen, my shadowy friend?"

"Hah... i heard what you said down there about never using it." The person says, narrowing down which species he is.

Rhiss keeps looking around while he pauses for a moment. "Casnirin's booster-rockets... what's he waiting for." He wonders to himself.

"Cas-who?"

"I'll explain later."

"He must be stalling us so Vo'karr can reposition himself." Rhiss suggests, only for the off-key noise to return again. After seeing that she gives no indication of hearing it, he gets the feeling he needs to look to what was left of the level above. He realizes it isn't just a Dug they're being stalled by, but a Cathar. As though on instinct, Carlin stands up with his lightsaber at the ready, as the gangster leaps down. After both men swipe at each other, the attacker howls in pain at the loss of an arm, and falls on his back. Rhiss recovers from the shock first and shoots the Dug before walking over to the other one. "Two things to know before i send you to Mustafar, Narv: spiders have eight limbs, and only i get to talk like that to Jess." She says to the wounded man, who starts snorting. "What's so funny about that?"

"Jus... just wondering which of us will g... get there first." 'Narv' replied as he pointed behind her. Rhiss turns to see Carlin holding the severed arm that was most likely meant to disembowel him, and four lines of blood running down his Baobab-issue jumpsuit. The Cathar keeps laughing until she lifts a chunk of broken statue and slams it down hard enough to fracture the floor before heading over to Carlin.

"This is going t... to take more than Corellian bathwater to disinfect." He says, flinching when she pulls the limb off and presses her jacket against his torso, and the two watch whoever 'Vo'karr' is shoot at the Drifting Dream, only to miss and have the room they're in be blasted apart. "Too many people have died already." He tells her as the ship's hatch opens up.

"You better consider yourself damn lucky we were just able to get your signal." Ralth tells Chaelo as he and Rhiss drag him inside.

Having reached the scene a few seconds too late, Jess and her "Lt.", along with four others, one of which was staring at the dead Cathar, watched the traitor and the prisoner fly away.


When Carlin opens his eyes, he finds his near-fatal injury is gone; and that wherever he is, he might as well shut them again due to how dark everything is. "Miss Tano?" He asks as he waves a hand around. "Is this supposed to be a test?"

The response however, is from a male voice that causes him to reach for his lightsaber, only to find it is not on his person. "Not at all. Let me open turn the lights on." The voice says. "You've noticed that you lost something... because it was originally mine." The voice says next, which is revealed to be coming from a man with a chromium helmet hiding his eyes, who is standing in the middle of a vaguely elliptical chamber next to a tall monitor and an antique holo-projector. "I was a padawan named Inslo Parn, until my master and i were killed a few levels above here by the clones."

Contrasting with his first meeting with Capt. Iblon, Carlin knew instantly that his host was of the same species as Naughlen and Sakal's killer. "Then this is because i went against her instructions?" Carlin asks as he recall the clash. "Does this mean i died for real?"

The figment tells him no after pointing out a second seat for him. "You have many years before you become one with The Force. You were just beginning to hear the Kyber song, so it used it's memories of me to assist you." 'Inslo' explains while holding up the... his lightsaber.

"Kyber song... there's something alive in there?"

"Only as alive as the force is, my child." Carlin hears from beside him, and falls over to find an older woman with a dark-green and teal robe.

"Why does you Jedi always... dare i ask your connection, madam?" He replies while the newcomer helps him up. "And what do you mean by "my child'?"

"My apologies, Carlin." The woman says before bowing her head. "Inslo created the casing for the Kaiburr crystal, and i created you... sort of." She says next, and continues. "I am Mira Dalehr(5). I didn't bother recording it for a number of reasons, but i had a few "charge-ups" before discovering that i was force-sensitive over 3600 years ago."

"Long-holo-short, you're the seed of the tree." Carlin deduces, comparing 'Mira's' tale to the one the gangster sisters told him. "As for this song you speak of?"

"The Kaiburr song is the sign that a Jedi is in resonance with whichever crystal they are to use for their lightsaber." Mira replies, and Inslo informs him of a ritual known as The Gathering.

"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights have subjected their youngest to the first of many trials on an "officially non-existent" planet in the Unknown Regions called Ilum." He says, waving a hand over the projector, which shows what would seem to have been a 6 year old Inslo reaching for a bright orb which turns into one of these Kyber Crystals.

This is soon replaced by the projection of a world with several dots... an Imperial sector fleet... around it. "Sadly, Ilum has since been reduced to a source for one of the Sith's countless insults to our legacy."

What that meant is made nightmarishly clear as three people, one whom Carlin recognized as the recently slain Saw Gerrera, stare at a larger crystal before the trio is replaced by a portion of the Death Star. The shard then becomes nine copies that all insert themselves into the primary weapon. "...It was a giant lightsaber." Carlin says aloud, too distraught to take note of the word "has".

The two figments nod, then make their respective lightsabers float in mid-air and temporarily come apart. "In the near future, you will need to assemble your own lightsaber. The components are to be found within this derelict." Inslo told him as what looked like a cross between a Nebulon-B and a Munificent-class starship was projected.


Carlin is about to ask for more details when the room is enveloped in a blinding white light, and he is just as overwhelmed by a slight chill and a pineapple-ish smell. Once he is dried off and presentable, he is taken by a person in light-blue clothes and a black vest to "the conference chamber", where the last person from Tano's vision is waiting. "Welcome aboard the Tarpals, Carlin Deler of Emita." He is told.

"Lady Mothma." He gasped, and is about to kneel when he is tapped on the shoulder by Capt. Iblon, who is flanked by Ralth and Rhiss.

"How yuh feelin'." Jraan asks him.

"Capt?... Much better, thanks." He replies, and realizes what their being here implies. "I've a bad feeling about this."

"That's one Clak'dor of an unnerstatement!" Jraan says as he punches him in the jaw.

"Do you have any idea what would have done to us and our families if The Empire found out we were hiding one of those along with an enemy of the state?" Ralth asks as he's pointing to the lightsaber on the table.

Carlin knew he didn't "anticipate" this reaction because he deserved nothing less. After all he was made privy to, there was no way they would have been concerned that Jraan, Ralth, and their families were never aware of who he really was had they discovered that he was alive. "I will not presume that anything i do can make up for holding-out on you, Mr. Iblon, and Mr. Ghireh. I know every day for the last four months was as a double-sided Datadagger. But i also know that there are are much more terrible lies that we have been told... that only the return of the Republic will make things right. I abandoned my family by making this choice! I will not abandon the galaxy."

While Jraan and Ralth consider their options, Rhiss motions for him to the corridor. "Personally, i don't care about which side is which, but... did you really see an entire planet die?" She asks as she leans against a wall.

"In a manner of speaking. The color of it, the last color those people saw, is the real reason i wouldn't use it until today."

"Narv wasn't focusing on you, was he?" She asks him, and he tells her no as he raises an arm.

"I may have been nearly strangled, and punctured twice, but even with what i think of all things green... for such an emerald to be ruined? That would have hurt even worse, Rhiss." He replies while brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek.

Rhiss blushed and looked away for a moment. "You thief."


Chapter three.

Jess (aka Bib Fortuna's girl from ROTJ): Full name and entire backstory is made up. A year younger than Rhiss.

Rhiss: Imagine Black Canary from DC Comics with Fire's hair-color... and none of their superpowers. The same age as Carlin.

(1) The Doctor Aphra side-plot in the comicbooks will not be included.

(2) This seems to be a fandom name for the slave girl from Star Wars 8: Outlander, Part 2.

(3) Made up offspring.

(4) The Disney sequel will not be included.

(5) Made up proto-surname.