The Force's Shepherds
Chapter 129
Dueling Perspectives
Sidious's lips were a thin line on his shrouded, wrinkled face. He could see his faint reflection in the glass in front of him. His true mask stared back at him. Pinpoints of yellow light being his eyes, while his face was covered with pale skin sagging over his skull with deep trenches. A hideous sight to see, one to strike fear, a Sith Lord's guise. Most would be uncomfortable with such a visage, but he did not care. He was not vain, at least not in the physical sense. As such, his vision focused on his reflection for only a brief moment, before returning to the medical room beyond the glass.
His newest apprentice, Morgan, lay on a medical bed, a mess of medical instruments and tubes sticking out of her body. Through the force, he could feel her life hanging by a thread as she fought to remain in the world of the living. A pathetic sight in his opinion.
Is it as pathetic as Lord Vader? He thought as his mind wandered back to that fateful day on Mustafar, where he found Lord Vader nothing more than a charred head and torso upon the banks of a lava river. It was difficult for him to decide which was worse, Morgan's failure, or Vader's failure.
At least Vader fell to a Jedi Master. He thought as he glanced at the machines pumping live saving oxygen into Morgan's lungs.
Most of the damage to Morgan was apparently internal. He merely gave the medical report provided to him by the emergency personnel on Coruscant a cursory glance before delving into the Force to determine the nature of her injuries. What he found managed to give him pause. Most of her body was fine… except for her lungs. Her lungs were incredibly scarred and filled with fluid. According to the various doctors, it was a miracle she survived long enough to receive medical attention.
Sidious knew it was no miracle. Morgan was strong in the force, and the amount she had grown in such a short amount of time was nothing short of impressive. The Force, and her strong connection to it, saved her life. That… and her peculiar genetics, which made her body much stronger than a normal person . The genetic analysis was the one part of the report he paid very close attention to due to the various anomalies the medical staff found. Anomalies compounded by the fact that now, with her dark hair pulled back tight behind her head, he noticed pointed ears for the first time.
She's a hybrid. He thought with a small scowl, But with what?
They report mentioned multiple strange genetic signatures in her. Some were human, but they were the minority. Sidous made sure to send the report to one of the top scientists in the Empire. This was a mystery he wished to solve. If there were a species in the galaxy with Morgan's capabilities in the force, he wanted to know. Such a species could either be a tremendous asset, or a dangerous threat.
Unfortunately I can't ask her. He thought as he folded his hands in front of his body.
Through the glass, he could hear the various instruments beeping and whirring around Morgan. One machine hissed as it pumped more fluid from her lungs and dispensed them into a container to the side of her bed. His scowl deepened as he observed the receptacle filled with blood.
Whoever did this will be crushed.
The door to the private medical room hissed open then closed. Sidious recognized the clack of officer boots against the metal floor. These footsteps were purposeful and confident, but also filled with trepidation. A wise and experienced officer approached him. Very few of those existed in the Empire at the moment, and only one would have reason to be here.
"Commander." The Emperor croaked as Cody drew up alongside him. The Commander quickly bowed to him. A small nod from the Emperor told the clone he would relax.
"If I may ask, milord, how is she?"
The Emperor glanced out of the side of his eyes at the older Clone. Cody was an exceptional warrior and leader. He had proven himself over and over again in some of the most dire of combat situations both during and after the Clone Wars. It was a foolish move on the Emperor's part to decommission the man in the first place after the end of the Clone Wars. That was a mistake Sidious would not make again.
"She will live." Sidious answered simply, his voice terse as he felt more rage build inside of him. Rage directed both at whoever dared to harm his apprentice, and at the apprentice lying so close to death beyond the glass.
Cody uttered a relieved sigh, making Sidious glance over at him from beneath his hood. Clones did not get this attached to their commanding officers, typically. Cody was a rare exception. He had been good friends with his Jedi General, before his duty to the Empire overruled his friendship with Obi Wan Kenobi. From what Sidious could sense, that same feeling of camaraderie and loyalty now extended to Morgan. He could tell this was true through the worry and anxiety he sensed within the Commander.
Odd…
"Commander, you have yet to deliver a report." Sidious stated, his voice nearly growling out from his lips. His tone had its intended effect. Cody stiffened beside him.
"Forgive me, milord." Cody exhaled, "It's been a bit of a whirlwind recently. I've had to inform the crew of their commanding officer's condition, maintain the status quo aboard the Thoron-"
"Thoron?"
Cody nodded to Morgan, "The name she gave her Star Destroyer. I believe she got it from something she read in that book of hers."
Ah yes, Morgan's "spellbook". A curious artifact; one she kept very close to her at all times. She treated that book with more love and care than anything else, including the holocrons Sidious allowed her to study. She believed it was once her father's book at one point, which led her to treasure it since her father was one of the few things she could faintly recall in her amnesia riddled mind. That book gave Sidious some concern, but now it could also be an opportunity. Morgan was out of action, unconscious, and injured. He could easily take a look at the writings without her interference or objection.
Perhaps there are secrets within it that could explain her inexplicable survival.
"When will I receive an official report, Commander?" Sidious asked, turning away from Morgan's form and striding towards the door. He had seen enough for today
Cody strode beside him, "I can compile one by the end of the day, you excellency. I just need to interview the survivors from Dathomir."
"Dathomir?" Sidious snarled, grinding to a halt in front of the door. It hissed open and stayed open as he stood in front of it, "What were you doing on Dathomir?"
Cody swallowed hard as Sidious's glowing eyes focused on him, "We initially went to Naboo as instructed. Ra-" He caught himself before he said the name Morgan preferred but the Emperor had not granted, "Lady Morgan found the miscreant responsible for sowing discord in your family's name, and she discovered he was not the mastermind."
"Oh?"
Cody nodded, "The mastermind was a Dathomirian Nightsister."
Sidious remained eerily silent upon hearing that significant detail. It was something he had not expected. The Nightsisters were a reclusive bunch, with the most outgoing being the conclave led by the late Mother Talzin. A witch Sidious ordered destroyed several years ago. Since then, the Nightsisters have been inactive. Preferring to remain secluded within their covens on their homeworld. They should have been nothing more than a nuisance if they drifted beyond the atmosphere of Dathomir. Instead, they caused his apprentice's current condition and attempted to damage his personal reputation on his home planet. A bold move… but a stupid one.
Morgan was right to go for the source. He thought, But foolish to go alone.
"Did Starkiller accompany her to the planet's surface?"
Cody shook his head as they both resumed their walk out of the private medical room in Coruscant's best hospital, "No milord. She ordered him to remain on the Thoron."
"May I ask why?" Sidious snarled.
Cody grimaced, "I tried to argue against it, but she was firm on the order. She does not trust Starkiller, milord. Just as she doesn't trust any of the inquisitors."
Part of Sidious felt pleased by this newfound knowledge regarding his apprentice. Wisely, she was wary of any potential rivals. But he was also somewhat surprised by her apparent misgivings. He initially hoped she would see Starkiller as some much needed competition, but not a total threat. Perhaps she did not think she was as powerful as she hoped to be, or perhaps she overestimated Starkiller's abilities?
Either way, instruction is needed. He thought.
"And I assume she ordered you to keep a close eye on him?" Sidious assumed.
Cody nodded, "She did."
"Who did she take down to the surface?"
They both paused beside an expansive window that looked out to Coruscant's massive skyline. The sun was setting in the distance, throwing dark orange hues up against the atmosphere and silhouetting the skyscrapers towering around the hospital in shadows.
"She took a squadron of Storm Troopers and DT-117, milord." Cody answered.
Sidious inclined his chin, "Her Deathtrooper and Stormtroopers? Who did she think she was dealing with?" He snarled and glanced out the window, "Nightsisters are not typical foes. You are well aware of that, aren't you Commander?"
"I am, and I tried to tell her as much."
"But she did not listen?"
Cody grimaced, "Well… I never said she was not stubborn."
"Apparently she very much is." Sidious sighed, "It nearly cost her her life, foolish girl." He finished with a hiss, "I already have one crippled apprentice. I do not need another." He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself before he unleashed and allowed the dark side to tear apart everything in the corridor, including the good Commander. That would be most unfortunate if that happened. Competent officers like Commander Cody were a rarity, "I want to speak with DT-117 immediately."
"I will make sure she-"
"I said, immediately." Sidious growled, interrupting Cody.
Cody stiffened, "Yes, milord."
He reached for a comm link on his belt and quickly called the Thoron, telling the commanding officer aboard to send Morgan's Deathtrooper to the hospital immediately. Both he and Sidious were pleasantly surprised when they learned she was already on the way. Shore leave; given to her by Starkiller due to what occured on Dathomir, and she decided to spend part of it at the hospital.
As they waited for the Deathtrooper's arrival, Sidious drew in a deep breath.
"What do you know about my apprentice, Commander?"
Cody raised an eyebrow, "I'm not sure I understand the question, milord."
Sidious lowered his gaze at Cody, "What is she?"
Cody drew back a little bit, surprised by the strange question, "What do you mean? She is your apprent-"
"She is a hybrid." Sidious hissed, "Have you not noticed?"
Cody blinked in surprise, "I-I don't believe I have."
A harsh sigh slipped from Sidious's lips, "Of course not."
Cody frowned back, "Forgive me for speaking plainly, milord, but my job is to command a Star Destroyer filled with several thousand soldiers and crew, not observe someone's physical appearance. Quite frankly, I do not give a damn about what a person looks like, only that they can competently complete the task they are given, which Lady Morgan has done more than once."
Sidious stared hard at Cody. Not many people in the galaxy had the nerve to speak to him in such a manner. Some did so when he was merely Senator, or Chancellor, Palpatine; those people usually being fellow senators or Jedi. But as Emperor, none questioned him or argued back at him with their own sharp remarks. At first he felt some irritation with the Commander's brashness on the matter, but another part of him felt pleased. Cody was clearly an opinionated, but loyal, soldier. Effective, efficient, intelligent; the qualities of a strong leader. Most importantly, mature enough to make his voice heard when it was needed. Not many officers would do that. The only ones Sidious regularly interacted with, and suffered, were Moff Tarkin and (recently, when they managed to make contact), Admiral Thrawn.
Perhaps there is a bright future ahead for the Commander.
"Keep a closer eye on things from now on." Sidious muttered, reserving a harsh rebuke of the Commander for another time, "And be more careful with your words, Commander. I hold you high esteem. It would be a shame if that changed."
Cody gave the Emperor a stiff nod then returned his attention to the setting sun outside of the hospital.
"Do you have any idea what she is, your excellency?" He asked.
Sidious frowned, "No idea."
"And the doctors?"
"Uncertain as well."
Cody furrowed his brow, "I assume you've sent her lab results to be studied?"
"Certainly." Sidious answered, "Morgan's progress as my apprentice, even under my best case scenario, is beyond remarkable. Within a year, she has risen to the level of most Jedi Knights, and managed to survive an encounter with Mace Windu." He grit his teeth as he recalled his own duel with the vicious Jedi Master, "That last one is no small feat. I may have assisted her, but the fact that she held out long enough for my arrival is remarkable. At first I attributed her quick progression to previous knowledge locked away due to her unique amnesia. Now… now I think she may be genetically predisposed to this kind of power. Much in the same way the Korunnai, or even the Dathomirians, are."
Cody blinked in surprise, "She's that powerful?"
"And growing." Sidious nodded back. He furrowed his heavy, wrinkled brow, "Commander, I also require her spellbook, as well as any other personal items of hers."
He felt Cody's anxiety suddenly flare through the force. This was a request he was not comfortable with.
"Milord, may I ask wh-"
"Those are my orders, Commander. I expect them to be followed." Sidious snapped quickly, silencing any of the Commander's possible objections. He needed to learn more about Morgan. If his hunch was correct, then she belonged to a race of beings undiscovered in the galaxy. A species powerful enough in the Force to make him worry.
The doors to the turbolift at the far end of the corridor hissed open. Both Cody and Sidious turned to see an olive skinned woman marching in. She wore simple Imperial fatigues; a black shirt and black pants. She carried a blaster pistol on her hip, just as any high level soldier did. Her dark brown eyes widened when she saw Cody and the Emperor in the corridor. Once she approached both of them, she quickly saluted.
"You excellency." She said to Sidous. Her gaze darted over to Cody, "Commander."
Sidious nodded. Cody cleared his throat.
"At ease, DT-117."
The young soldier fell into a more relaxed posture, but still alert and far more rigid than a normal person. Sidious found himself nodding in mild approval. This soldier recognized who she was speaking to and made sure to maintain a high level of respect and decorum.
"DT-117," Sidious began, voice croaking out from beneath his hood. He saw her tense up as he spoke. Not surprising; not many saw the guise he now wore. "Also known as Deathy One."
Cody snorted a little at that. The Emperor scowled, but did not react to the Commander's amusement.
"I want to know what exactly happened on Dathomir. Be very clear, and thorough." Sidious ordered.
Deathy One nodded, "Yes, your excellency."
She took a deep breath. A flash of fear shot through her as she recalled the events on Dathomir. Another surprise for Sidious. Deathtroopers were, other than the Inquisitors and perhaps his own personal guards, the most elite soldiers in the Empire. They were hyper conditioned to withstand any amount of physical and psychological trauma through brutal training in both. Few passed the initial training, even fewer survived their first few missions. For one to feel afraid, meant something truly terrible occurred.
"We had no LZ initially." She began, her voice coming out with a small hint of Coruscant's refined clip, "Lady Ra-" She caught herself, just like Cody, "Lady Morgan identified a landing zone for the shuttle after using her abilities. Upon landing, myself and a squadron of stormtroopers cleared the landing area before proceeding into the mists, following Lady Morgan's lead. We managed to only get a few miles from the LZ before we were ambushed by natives."
"Nightsisters?" Sidious asked.
"If that is what they are called, then yes, my lord."
"Were you and Morgan the only survivors of the initial attack?"
Deathy One swallowed, "We were, my lord. It was not apparent at the time, but I believe they intended on sparing Morgan and another for their own purposes."
Sidious furrowed his brow beneath his hood.
"What happened next?" Cody asked.
"We were taken to the home of their coven. A cave near the LZ. I can mark it on a planetary map if needed." She replied, "Once inside we were taken before their leader, a woman named Gethzerion."
Ice shot through Sidious's veins.
"Are you certain?" He asked her, voice coming out as a whisper rather than a croak.
Deathy One nodded, "Yes, my lord. She identified herself as such. Her importance was not lost on me. All of the nightsisters reacted to her, and they moved to protect her when Morgan decided to approach."
A snarl flashed over Sidious's face. Gethzerion, that was a name he had not heard in a long time. She was a protege of Mother Talzin, but unlike Talzin, had more cunning, power, and intellect. She had been tossed out of the main cult of Nightsisters due to her more extreme practices. In the end, those Nightsisters did her a service, since she survived while Talzin and the others did not. He recalled meeting her once, along with Talzin, and needless to say, Sidious was impressed by her. Gethzerion would have made either a formidable ally, or an extremely dangerous enemy. Unfortunately, the latter seems to have occured.
She knew of abilities in the Dark Side that even he did not know fully. Anything that Sidious did not know or could not fully comprehend gave him pause. Unknowns were not something he dealt in. Knowledge is the ultimate form of power. With knowledge, one's power in the Force grew. Being in Gethzerion's presence was one of the few times he felt like the ignorant one in regards to the mysteries of the Force.
Foolish girl! He thought again as he realized Morgan went to confront her alone.
"What did this Gethzerion want?" Cody asked.
Deathy One shrugged, "I'm not entirely sure. It is my personal belief that she was trying to draw Morgan to her. I recall Morgan and Starkiller bickering before we left, and she mentioned she heard voices speaking to her."
Sidious's teeth ground together. Voices near Dathomir while on the hunt for the Dathomirian ringleaders behind the impersonation of one of his family; certainly not a coincidence. Her overconfidence in this mission bordered on arrogance, and she came crashing down because of it. If not for DT-117's actions, his promising new apprentice would have died at Gethezerion's hands.
Then Vader would have been my only option. He thought as a scowl formed on his face.
"Why would Gethzerion want Morgan?" Cody wondered as the Emperor remained silent.
Deathy One pursed her lips, "Sir, I cannot say with any certainty why. But… Gethzerion wanted Morgan to sacrifice me in exchange for her memories. She knew something regarding Morgan." Sidious's eyes slowly widened beneath his hood, "I'm not exactly sure on the specifics, unfortunately. I was more focused on the Nightsisters surrounding us."
A sacrifice for memories? Sidious tensed up, A blood ritual. An exchange with very dangerous ramifications, and unpredictable outcomes. One of which being that if it worked, then Morgan could have a reason to leave.
The reason she agreed to learn from him in the first place was because of his promise to help her unlock her memories. He did take promises seriously, but that did not mean he always fulfilled them in the way the other party expected. Morgan's memories would eventually be restored, but only after she was so thoroughly devoted to the Dark Side, and to him as her Sith Master, and only after she supplanted Lord Vader… if she could.
Gethzerion nearly threw that entire plan into flux. The very thought made Sidious's blood boil.
"What happened next?"
"Lady Morgan turned her down."
Sidious blinked in surprise.
"She said she would not sacrifice or betray any of her friends for a simple hope from a witch." Deathy One explained, "After that, things went downhill rather fast. A green mist engulfed the cave we were in, and I think that might be what injured her."
An infernal "spell", no doubt. Sidious thought.
That angry thought faded though as he considered the ramifications of Deathy One's report so far. Morgan had her goal within her grasp. Her memories, who she was before her life as his apprentice, were there for the taking. All she had to do was sacrifice one Deathtrooper. Kill Deathy One, and she could have what she truly wanted. But she refused to make any sacrifice. Not because she was insulted by the notion of having to sacrifice anything (that would have been very Sith of her if that was the case). She refused because she considered Deathy One a friend.
This is… interesting. Sidious observed the Deathtrooper as she finished outlining what occured for him and Cody. Morgan is not as Sith as I thought she was. He pressed his lips into a thin line, I have been too hands off with her instruction.
"Morgan made sure to deal with the Nightsisters." Sidious heard Deathy One state.
Cody raised his head, "Base Delta Zero."
What!?
Cody glanced over at an impassive, but internally alarmed, Sidious, "When things went south, she called in an orbital strike on the enemy. Danger close, but it worked."
"Gethzerion would not die so easily." Sidious muttered.
A cleanup crew may have to investigate. Or better yet, I may just leave the Witch to rot on her planet, unable to escape.
Deathy One finished up by recounting Morgan's condition for both of them. Details that Sidious already knew
"Thank you DT-117." Cody nodded to her as she concluded her retelling of events.
"Indeed." Sidious spoke up, making Deathy One tense up again, "Your actions are to be commended. You saved my apprentice's life, in the face of overwhelming odds as well. You bring great distinction to the Deathtroopers."
Deathy One put on a meek smile at that, "Just doing my job, your excellency. You tasked me to safeguard Lady Morgan, and I intend on doing that." She glanced back and forth between both Cody and Sidious, "Is there anything else you require from me, your excellency?"
"Nothing." Sidious croaked, "You are dismissed."
She saluted and walked past them, heading towards Morgan's medical room. As she strode away, Sidious pondered her report.
Morgan was acting in ways he did not anticipate. He knew she was a bit childish, she was young after all. Not young enough for him to properly mold like he did with Maul, but young enough to not be mature enough to handle many things, such as Gethzerion. If Lord Vader were in her shoes during this mission, he would not have flown off to Dathomir. He would have contacted him, informed him of the situation, and sought the next best forward after that consultation.
Lord Vader had a more experienced approach to things; which made sense, he already fought one war after all. He also had more instruction in his abilities. Lord Vader knew his personal strengths, weaknesses, as well as how effective he was in certain situations. Morgan did not know her limits, and it nearly cost her life.
Instruction is absolutely needed. Sidious nodded to himself.
"Wait, Lady Rag-"
The door to her room hissed open. Morgan stumbled out in a tangle of wires and tubes. Her eyes blazed with the dark side of the force as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. The Dark Side thrashed around her in a chaotic fury.
Deathy One rushed up from behind her. Morgan whipped her head around, making the Deathtrooper freeze in place. Her gaze returned to her master, who stood still down the corridor.
"I want…" Morgan rasped, her voice a shaking, hoarse, whisper. Filled with strain and choked with fluid, "I want… to put that Crone's head… on a damn pike!" She hacked, blood spewing from her lips again. Once she stopped coughing, she gave her master a bloody grin, "Nice to see-" She inhaled weakly, "you again." A rasping, mad laugh came from her weak lungs, "Care to help me kill the witch?"
Her legs buckled beneath her. Deathy One caught her as Cody rushed over. Doctors quickly surged into the corridor, no doubt thanks to the multiple alarms that went off due to Morgan leaving her room and probably breaking a few machines in the process. As she crumpled to the ground, still awake, the dark side roaring in rage, Sidious's lips curled into a pleased smile.
There's hope for her yet.
He followed the doctors as they carried her back over to her medical bed. She initially resisted, but once another bloody cough erupted from her lips, she relented and allowed them to set her back down. Sidious drew up along her beside as fresh tubes and wires were plunged into her skin and reattached to the machines.
"You will grow very powerful, my young apprentice." He said as her mouth was forced open by a doctor. She winced as a tube was put down her throat in order to get the fluid from her lungs, "It is time for your true training to begin. You will remain on Coruscant. If you wish to be capable of destroying a creature such as Gethzerion, then I will have to teach you much."
Morgan's eyes blazed. This time, not with rage, but with excitement. If there was one thing she possessed that Lord Vader lacked, it was a voracious appetite to learn. An appetite that greatly pleased the Dark Lord of the Sith.
Robin felt ethereal. Everything in his body felt like air. Light, without form, without any sort of restriction or shape. It felt like a high of some sort. Similar to the kind he occasionally experienced during or immediately after a successful session of training, when every muscle in the body felt loose and warm and his mind felt clear. Unlike those moments, he did not feel the usual happiness that came with that. He could not feel that. There wasn't anything to feel happy about, not with what he was seeing now.
Images flew by his eyes. A flurry of scenes; as if his life was flashing before his eyes. Moments he did not recognize or remember. From when he was a tiny toddler waddling around a sandy, stone floor and into the waiting arms of a smiling woman in dark robes; to learning how to use magic from a slim looking man with bright, yellow eyes and a pointed chin covered in a dark beard; to moments of terror as he ran for his life from enemies that looked both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. They were his memories, and he failed to recognize them.
His heart hammered in his chest when the memories caught up to one that caused a multitude of emotions to well up inside of him. A lone hand was held out to him as he lay still in a green field, with a blue sky over his head. Puffs of white clouds drifted by in a lazy procession.
He saw Chrom, Lissa, Frederick; the trio that discovered him and sparked the journey that he could remember. He shared their warm laughter as a flurry of moments with them passed by. Chrom's wedding stuck out the most in his mind. He had been the best man, and shared his friend's joy during that special day.
He saw Ben, Tharja, Donnel, Gaius, and Panne; the group he traveled the world with. Laurent and Anna eventually joined the small picture. They all rested on the shores of Charlet. A journey, a mission, finally complete. A sense of accomplishment and relief flowed between all of them. That adventure bonded them all together in friendships so strong they would never break, no matter the bumps in the road.
He saw the rest of the Shepherds; his comrades, his friends, faces forgotten due to the stresses of the war. Faces that made sadness and regret build up inside of him. Ricken, Stahl, Gregor, Miriel; his heart ached as he saw them. They were smiling back at him. Miriel was cooking something for the group, adding her usual herbal remedies to the mix. Ricken was sitting with Nowi, and… and Nowi had a small child in her lap? Gregor and Stahl were sharing a pint together, howling at a joke the old mercenary shared to the younger cavalier. These were not memories, these were possibilities. What could have been. But why did they not happen?
Flashes of war shot through his mind. Fire, smoke, and chaos filled his thoughts. Blasts of magic rocked the space around him. Screams of dying men and woman shrieked through the air, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to end the terror.
It only became worse. The possibilities faded entirely. Their deaths rushed back to his mind. The Fire and Ash of Demon's Ingle choked his lungs. Heat scorched his skin, and he uttered a piercing scream that made his throat hoarse. With that scream, came an earth shaking roar, filled with darkness and despair. The images he saw rippled away, replaced by hundreds of thousands of Risen marching over barren plains and through dead forests. Black wings spread out over the sky, blotting out the sun and replacing it's warm light with the cold stare of six, ruby eyes. Fear filled Robin at the sight, but he also felt power. It felt familiar, natural, the way the world was supposed to be. The way it all was supposed to end.
A hooded figure wearing a dark coat with gold trim stood across from him now. Glowing yellow eyes stared at him. Through the glow, Robin recognized his own face beneath the hood, partially hidden in the shadows.
"You're alive."
I'm alive?
"But where are you?"
Air rushed into Robin's lungs with a violent gasp. His eyes shot open, and he saw a lumpy ceiling made of clay. Another harsh gasp rocked his body, causing his back to arch upwards as his body stiffened in the small bed he lay in. Pain flooded his mind. He hissed and squeezed his eyes shut, teeth grit tight as he struggled to keep himself from crying out. As he writhed in pain, a power erupted within him. Dark and dangerous, looking to consume or destroy everything around him. He had no strength or will to fend it off. Pain was all he felt, and the power would stop the pain.
"Enough, that is."
The power shrank away from a blinding light. The darkness hissed and snarled in defiance, but shrank even further as the light backed it down. Robin felt blinded for a moment from it. Stars filled his sight as he stared up at the clay ceiling. He sucked in a harsh breath again, and the pain forced him onto his side. His head swam. Blurriness joined the stars, rendering him nearly blind. One of his hands reached out and clawed for something, anything, to help him feel… something other than pain.
He grabbed hold of a tiny table next to the bed and gripped it like a vice, squeezing so hard that his knuckles groaned. As that happened, the darkness retreated back down the dark well from whence it came. A begrudging defeat that it would not forget. As it surrendered, the light faded as well.
Robin kept his eyes screwed shut as sweat coated his body. He was terrified that if he opened them again, the pain would return. As he lay on his side; musty, humid air heaving in and out of his lungs, he croaked out some words.
"Hell-hello? Ch-Chrom? Ben?"
"Hmm…" An elderly voice hummed. He felt a small hand tap the hand gripping the table, "Let go you should, before break something you do."
Robin hesitated. He felt a wave of calm hit him, causing his tense body to slowly relax. The pain he was feeling continued to subside as the calm took over. His lungs stopped heaving and he started to breathe normally again. Finally, he let go of the table, eliciting a thankful grunt from whoever was with him.
I don't recognize that voice? Where-
"Chrom?" He called again, keeping his eyes closed, "Ben?"
"Chrom? Ben?" The voice hummed again, "Know these names, I do not."
Who the hell is talking to me?
He braced himself, then forced his eyes open.
The first thing that puzzled him: he was not lying in a river of molten lava, nor was he covered in hot ash. He was in a very small, cramped, one room hut. A little fire burned in a squat fireplace across the room. A copper pot sat over that fire as a brown liquid bubbled inside of it.
Second thing that puzzled him, and probably the biggest source of confusion he had beyond the fact that he was somehow not dead: the little green man shuffling across the room with a wooden bowl filled with the brown broth in one hand. Its bulbous, green eyes blinked at Robin as he stared back at it, mouth agape.
"Uh…" Robin swallowed hard then noticed the thing's pointy ears, "You uh…" His vision was still blurry, "You don't happen to be a Manakete, do you?"
As his vision focused, he got a better look at the thing in front of him… and it definitely was not a Manakete. Unless Manaketes were capable of having green skin, pointy ears, rose up to his waist, and actually aged after several thousand years. And this thing was looking quite upset with the misidentification.
"Manakete?" It croaked at him, eyes narrowing, "Nonsense, you're talking. Ill, you still are. Eat!" He jabbed the bowl of brown broth at Robin, "Root soup mmmm… good, good, eat."
Robin eyed the thing suspiciously, then glanced at the bowl of thick brown broth. He sniffed the air once and wrinkled his nose.
"Are you sure?"
"Strength, you need. Eat." The thin jabbed the bowl at him again, and Robin felt compelled to take it from his wrinkly, three fingered hand.
Robin hesitated as he gripped the tiny wood spoon sitting in the bowl. As he swirled it through the brown soup, he wrinkled his nose further, noticed brown chunks of… something, swirling around in the thick slurry.
"I'm not very-"
"Lie, do not." The Thing croaked as it hobbled across the room and poured itself a bowl of the Root soup, "Can tell, I can."
Robin snorted, "What? Can you read my mind?"
"Stomach, loud it is. Growling like Krayt Dragon all night, it was." The little green man chuckled as he finished pouring a second bowl of soup, it turned it's oblong shaped head back to Robin, large eyes staring at him, "Eat."
Robin sighed, felt his stomach growl, then gingerly ladled some of the soup into his mouth. The thick soup landed on his palate, and Robin cringed, bracing for a disgusting, foul, rancid-
His eyes widened.
It's not bad. He thought, staring at the slurry with surprise. He jabbed his spoon into it again, it's not bear meat but… He gulped down another spoonful. Then another, and another until eventually he held out his bowl, hoping for more. The little green man pursed its wrinkled lips as it stared at his bowl.
"Another bowl, you may have. Answer questions first, you must though." The Thing said, setting its bowl to the side on a small table beside a little rocking chair just big enough for him to sit in. His bare, three toed, leathery feet hovered over the dirt floor of the hut as he sat in the chair, a picture of pure contentment. At least, he looked content to Robin. But his eyes, those eyes glared at Robin with intense suspicion.
"Yeah, uh, sure." Robin swallowed hard. His parched throat ached from the action, "Mind if I have some water first?"
The thing's eyes widened, "Oh?" He chuckled to himself, "Forgot, I have."
He waddled out of his chair, moved to a little bucket off to the side of the one room hut, and scooped up a small amount of water into a little wood cup. He carefully handed it over to Robin. Robin nodded his thanks and took a small sip, relishing in the feeling of the cool liquid running down his scorched throat.
He uttered a satisfied gasp as he finished off the small cup, "Thank you."
"Welcome, you are."
Robin swallowed again, Doesn't really hurt anymore, good.
"You name?"
Robin glanced around at his surroundings again. Now that he was not in blinding pain, he got a better sense of the small hut he was in. Small was probably an understatement though. The ceiling sat so low he could reach up and brush his palm along it while sitting upright in the little bed. The one room was barely the size of his closet in Ylisse, but it must have felt plenty big enough for the little green man.
Cozy, I guess. But I wouldn't want to-
Something thin and hard jabbed Robin's arm, jerking him from his thoughts.
"Hey!" He exclaimed as he realized the little green man just poked him with a gnarled cane.
"Question, I asked you. Hmmm…rude to ignore your host, it is."
Robin blinked, "O-oh, I um-" He shook his head, "Sorry, I did not hear. I was just um-"
Wait a damn moment. His mind screeched to a halt, How am I talking? He furrowed his brow, How did I just eat and drink? He frantically patted his torso, then ran his hands over the patchwork quilt that covered his legs. How am I feeling!?
The cane jabbed him again.
"Hey!"
"Focus." The creature snapped back at him, "Questions, I have. Appeared near my home, you did. Alarming for me, it was. Poor heart, hrmmm... beat too quick it did."
"Well, sorry about your heart." Robin snarked back as he kept a close eye on the gnarled cane resting in the creature's grip, "But I'm currently going through a bit of a crisis."
"Oooooh?" The creature shuffled closer to him, rising to its tippy toes to get closer to him, "Crisis, hmmm… can tell. Strange, crisis must be. On swamp world you are, but smoke you smelled like." A small, amused chuckle came from the creature's little mouth, "Light self on fire, did you?"
"Sort of." Robin remarked, causing the creature's amused laughter to abruptly cut off, "And to answer your question, my name is Robin."
The creature harrumphed at that, "Heard question, you did. But ignored, instead of answered. More focused on self, not surroundings." Its lips pressed tight together as it seemingly frowned at Robin, "Focus on self, like so much, then who are you?"
Robin furrowed his brow as he glared incredulously at the little green man, "You talk about rude, but you haven't told me your name yet."
"My house, you're in. My name, choose not to say, I do. Threat, you are, until I know you are not.."
Robin's mouth fell open a little bit in confusion, "I'm sorry, what?"
"Age?"
"Rude." Robin shot back.
"Rude, you are being." The creature said with a jab of its cane right into the meat of Robin's shoulder.
Robin grit his teeth in irritation, "I'm not the one poking you with a stick!"
He thought hard for a moment. Of course this had to be a question he did not know the answer to. Hell, he did not know what his actual birthday was. He simply celebrated the day Chrom and the others found him. The others didn't know that of course. It was more of a 'oh hey, its my shepherd anniversary' sort of moment, rather than a big extravaganza. Personally, he had always been too busy to really worry about how od he was. So, with a huff, he folded his arms,
"I'm… I'm… I don't know how old I am."
The creature narrowed its eyes at him, "Old, are you?"
"Obviously not."
"Hair says otherwise."
"My hair?" Robin remarked, perplexed. He reached up and felt the top of his head. It felt a little damp, probably due to the humidity in the air, but it felt the same as it always felt, "It's fine."
"So white hair, you always have?"
"White? It's brown."
The creature nodded to a foggy mirror across from the little, lumpy bed. Robin peered into it. His reflection was warped by the imperfect glass, but what he did manage to see he did not recognize.
"What the-"
He shot forward in the bed, ignoring the pain erupting throughout his joints and body as he drew closer to the small mirror nailed to the clay wall. He saw his face, but with red eyes instead of brown, and white hair instead of brown hair. A trembling hand shuddered up to his head. His fingers raked through the snow white locks as his eyes continued to widen in the reflection.
What in the name of Naga, Grima, and whatever the hell Ben worships, is going on?
He glanced over his shoulder at the little green man as it hummed at him.
"Ghost, have you seen?"
Robin gulped, "N-no just-" He took a deep breath, wincing as his lungs ached, "Don't recognize myself."
He glanced back at the reflection. It was undoubtedly him, but it looked so different from what he was used to.
"You don't happen to know what did this to me, do you?" He asked the creature shuffling over to the rocking chair near the bed.
"Thin air, out of, you appeared." The creature hummed, "Cave, spat out of, you were."
Robin furrowed his brow as he whipped his head back to look at the creature. A big mistake on his part. His head swam from the sudden motion and he found his weak body flopping backwards as the world spun. A long groan slipped from his lips as he reached up with his shaking hands and rubbed his eyes, trying to get the world to slow down.
"Impatient, you are."
"Freaking out, I am." Robin replied with no small amount of sarcasm.
"Hmmm… mock me, you do."
A soft, exasperated laugh slipped from his lips, "Forgive me if I need some humor at the moment. I'm currently coping with my death and apparent resurrection." Robin raised his head, doing his best to ignore how much the motion hurt, "Unless this is the afterlife. In which case, who are you: Naga, or Grima?"
The creature's long, green ears twitched, "Those names, do not know them, I do. Afterlife, this is not." The creature nodded it's oblong head, "Dagobah, you are on. And my home, you are in."
Robin furrowed his brow, "Dagobah… Dagobah…" He scratched an itch on his jaw, "Where is that in relation to the Halidom?"
"Halidom?"
Robin sighed, "You know." He rolled his hand in the air as he struggled to form words for a moment. All the while, a pit formed in his stomach, "Th-the Halidom, Ylisse, the kingdom ruled by Naga's exalted bloodline. It's east of Plegia, south of Regna Ferox."
No reaction from the little green man. It just stared at him, eyes blinking every so often.
"You have no clue what I'm talking about." Robin let his head fall back. He stared up at the ceiling and let out a heavy sigh, "Robin, what did you get yourself into now?" He muttered to himself.
"Last memory, what is?" The creature asked him.
That made Robin guffaw, "That's a bit of a difficult question for an amnesiac."
"Amnesiac you are not." The creature practically scolded, "Name, you recall."
Robin frowned back, "Fair point."
He thought for a moment. Brief images flashed in his mind. Slowly, it all came back to him. A tidal wave of fear, pain, and fury slammed into him. Heat washed over his body as he recalled the sensation of molten lava and ash consuming his body. A shiver ran up his spine at the thought of his body being eaten away by the elements and buried beneath the fury of Demon's Ingle. There was no regret within him. He did what he had to do to help his friends escape the volcano and the Deadlords. But there was a sadness within him as he realized that they all probably thought he was dead.
Unless this place really is an extremely strange afterlife. Robin thought.
"I was in a battle." Robin breathed, "Me and my friends were running because a volcano erupted. There were several dangerous enemies I was holding off so some of my friends could escape." The creature listened patiently as he spoke. Unmoving, except for the gentle rocking of his chair, which caused small squeaks to bounce off of the hut's clay walls, "I then used the Force to hold those enemies in place so that the volcano could consume all of us." Robin gulped, "So that they would not hunt my friends down." His heart stopped pounding in his chest, "I died."
"Alive, you are."
"But… but I died. I," Robin's shoulders fell as his arms went slack, "I meant to die." He stared vacantly at the wall a moment, "But here I am, alive."
"You want to die, why did?"
Robin's face hardened, "That's getting a little personal." He growled back at the creature, "And I did not want to die, I just-" He sighed, annoyed with his inability to articulate himself at the moment, "I needed to die. I did not want to, I think? I-" He shook his head, "Whatever, it's not important right now."
Thankfully, the creature allowed the subject of his "death" to end there.
At least the little guy knows when not to push something.
"You come here, how did, hrmmm?"
Robin rolled his eyes at the question, "Do you really think I know the answer to that?" He snorted, "If I knew how I got here, I'd know how to get home too. One moment I was dead, the next I was reliving my life all over again, then I woke up on this lumpy bed." He bounced on the mattress, "Speaking of which, what is in this thing? It's lumpier than Vaike's stomach."
"Dead leaves." The creature answered with a small nod.
"That explains the crunch." Robin sighed, "Alright, I've answered your questions. Can you answer mine now?"
"Answering, I have been." The creature gestured at the bed, "About bed, you asked. My turn, it is."
"Oh, Naga save me." Robin groaned, bowing his head, "Chrom didn't play twenty questions with me when he found me passed out in the middle of a field." He raised his head, and everything in his body suddenly felt fuzzy. He winced as his vision blurred. Exhaustion rushed over him, and all of his strength left him once again.
"Exhausted, you are." The creature hummed, "Rest, you must. Talk again, when clearer mind you have."
Robin's head fell against the pillow. His entire body felt heavy, a stark contrast to the weightlessness he felt right before he first awoke. His heavy eyelids slowly started to close, but he fought to keep them open. Partly out of stubborness, but also out of fear. What if he woke up, and he was gone again? What if he woke up somewhere else? What if-
"Rest." The creature hummed again as his eyes closed, "Here, safe, you are."
A wave of warmth and calm washed over Robin. Something batted away the anxiety and worry that had bombarded his thoughts since he woke up. As he drifted off to a dreamless sleep, the little green man uttered a heavy sigh as he rested in his rocking chair.
"Strange, he is." His large eyes glanced up at the clay ceiling. Searching for a face, a presence, that resided beyond his physical sight, "The Dark Side, resides within him it does. Grips his very spirit, hrmm…" He closed his eyes, "Strange indeed."
"But not dangerous."
The creature frowned at the ceiling, then bowed its head, an irritated rasp rattling from its small body.
"Dark Side, dangerous always it is, Qui Gon." He protested, "The boy even more so. Old, he is. In control of his emotions, his abilities, he is not." A long frown creased over his lips, "Impatient, rude-"
"He did just wake up from being dead, Master Yoda."
Yoda snapped his gaze up, "Dead, you were. Rude to me, you were not."
He heard Qui Gon Jinn utter a weary, long suffering sigh, "You've grown irritable in your exile."
"Irritable, I am allowed to be." Yoda's defiance faded a little as he sank further into his chair, "Faint hope, there is. Lost, the galaxy is." He glared up at the ceiling, "Irritable I can be now."
"Even the faintest hope can defeat the greatest darkness."
Yoda uttered a weary sigh, "To believe, hard it is, when half of hope, snuffed out it was. Other half, sheltered away it is." He shook his head as recent memories came to mind. One terrifying day, where the Empire nearly extinguished any hope the Jedi or the Galaxy had left, "Organa, barely deceive the enemy, he did. But still, watched, he is. Yes… watched. Sidious, not easily fooled, he is." He kept his chin tucked as his own weariness started to manifest, "Barely a hope now, little Leia is."
"Perhaps that is why Robin has arrived?"
Yoda flicked his eyes to the white haired boy as he quietly slept in his bed. The ancient Jedi Master was not sure why the boy was brought to Dagobah, or why the pit spat him back out. He was even less certain of the boy's intentions and origins. Most of what he said sounded like nonsense to Yoda. In all of the centuries he had lived in the galaxy, and interacted with all manner of species and cultures, he had never heard of a Halidom or people named Naga and Grima. The Force had delivered an enigma to him in a time where he prayed for answers. The irony was not lost on the wizened master.
"Tired, I am." Yoda sighed, letting his eyes close, "Rest, I must."
He sensed Qui Gon's brilliant presence in the force fade away. As the ethereal master disappeared, Yoda drifted off as well. He would deal with the enigma named Robin later, when they both had clearer minds.
And chapter! We finally get back to Robin and Yoda! This is going to be an interesting relationship to write, given Robin's proclivities for the dark side (thanks to a certain One and a certain dragon) and Yoda's misgivings about the dark side. We also got to see what happened to Morgan, as well as the Emperor's perspective on the matter. I thought it'd be interesting to write both Yoda and Sidious in this chapter and show their differing perspectives and methods in regards to their mysteries from Ylisse. Makes for an interesting comparison, in my opinion.
Also, there is a small easter egg to a different sci fi franchise in this chapter. Not hard to notice, but I thought it was a small, fun thing I could throw in there. Especially since this character is turning out to be quite the badass.
Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a nice day!
Come join the Treehouse! Discord code is: 9XG3U7a