Star Wars New Age Episode I: The Gray Path

by Flurry of Freezing Flames

Jedi. Sith. Both sides wiped off the face of the galaxy and their knowledge hidden. When a new Sith takes over the galaxy, only a new breed of Jedi can save it. This is the beginning and possibly end of the New Age. OC centric, additions possible, just ask. Inconsistencies exist, but the plot melds together like a puzzle. Eventually.

8. Countdown III (Stop on Corellia)

Chapter Seven

Countdown to Supernova Part III

Or A Stop on Corellia

A/N: This has been a long time coming, and I can only apologize for the delay. Honestly mix a life and just no inspiration for this story until the other day. Here it is, though, and hopefully the next chapter won't take another.. Jeez, when did I actually update this one again?

Nicklas sighed in annoyance as his mother entered his room on Taivas, thankful the girls weren't currently with him. "Yes, mother? What brings you up here?"

Dreanna poked at a small carving of a Rancor on one shelf, a knick knack he had acquired on Dantooine a year or so earlier. Like most of the older members of the Opposition's core, Dreanna could not believe that Master Jiang had perished alongside Tierra back on Yavin IV over two standard weeks earlier. "It's almost time, isn't it? The attack on the Supernova Cannon." And the loss of your first love. She thought sadly.

Nick looked down at the durasteel floor. "Yeah.. Tomorrow, Garuf Jarell's reign of tyranny over the Galaxy comes to an end. But I'm not ready for this. Not to lead the Grey Order, not to take on the closest thing to a Sith Lord for the past several decades.. And especially not ready to lose her."

Dreanna took a seat near her son. "Do not worry, my little prince. Yes, losing Sariana will be hard, but young Keryne will still be there for you." She attempted to soothe her son. She may not have liked Nick's decision to date two women at once, but she couldn't deny that they always kept him focused and calm when otherwise he could become angry, and she had heard what he had done to the training room during a fit of rage. Because of that and Keryne having spoken to her privately about her fears for Nick, and the details he didn't include in his report to keep the matriarch from worrying too much about him and distracting her.

"I know. Force, mother.. It just hurts so much, knowing I can't do anything about her death while having seen it as have Keryne and Laurana. I know life isn't fair, but with how things have been going I was hoping something could change. My visions first foretold me and Sariana teaching the younger Padawans, together. Then something happened, probably saving Laurana from Jarell, and then those visions changed to Keryne. I can only think the Force is balancing itself by taking Sariana from us, but I can't let that get in the way of the fact it has to happen. I love her and Keryne, seeing either of them hurt send me further to anger. It's a good thing I should already be fighting Jarell by the time I feel her death because as her father he should have fucking protected her! It would have only been in his interest to do so as a parent. Kriffing nerf herder makes me sick."

"Yes, he deserves to die, for everything he has done to this galaxy, as well as ours and countless other families. Master Jiang trusted you would make the right choices, and as your mother so do I. Your father would be proud to see you all grown up, living a life out in the Galaxy and making a difference. Whatever happens tomorrow, you will always have your family, as extended as you've made it to be." With a smile, Dreanna squeezed her son's shoulder before leaving the room, leaving Nick with a smile. "And never forget the squadron I gave you will fight to the death for you. And not only because you're their technical prince, but because you've shown them incredible leadership in your missions with them since."

"You're right, just as the several Force ghosts that have contacted me have stated as well. Thank you, mother." With that and a smile on his lips, Nick got up from his seat and left his quarters, going to prepare for the next day's raid before training the young Padawans.

Later, Flagship Bane..

Gareth Jarell sat in the captain's chair, impatiently drumming his fingers on the armrest as he awaited the latest report from what remaining bases the Inquisition still had scattered across the galaxy. His daughter and her friends, the so-called Grey Order, was growing in strength quicker than he had ever imagined, the surprise at the Yavin IV base being destroyed while the meddlesome teenagers hauled off-planet with every Kyber crystal present. And the untimely death of Tierra was a setback Jarell could not afford to ignore, being the second of his High Knights killed by the fledgling Jedi.

"Sir!" Came the voice of one of the Inquisition officers nearby. "The report has come in. Uploading to your datapad now."

Looking at the device currently hooked to the chair, Jarell snarled as a wave of repulsing Force energy caused several officers to faint and possibly even die. "This game has gone on long enough! My daughter and her friends will fall by my hand. Laurana!"

The cloned Nekron sibling walked onto the bridge moments later, bowing to Garuf. "Yes, my lord? What is your bidding?"

"Tomorrow is the day we end your family's continued rebellion against the Inquisition. Go to the Supernova Cannon and make sure it is ready to fire before the Jedi arrive. If they are able to sabotage the station before I solidify my rule of this galaxy from both their pathetic attempt at revival and the bigger threat beyond Unknown Space, then even they cannot stop the True Sith."

"As you wish, my liege." Laurana stood up and turned to prepare her shuttle.

"And Laurana?" The clone turned back to the High Inquisitor. "Make sure my daughter suffers for her treachery against her own family. She is too powerful to even chance keeping her alive."

"Yes, High Inquisitor. It will be done." Leaving the room, Jarell brought up an ancient document on his datapad, telling of Darth Primus. "I will not have my reign shattered by you, the First Sith. Even you cannot stop your destruction by the Supernova Cannon."

Taivas, Nineteen Standard Hours Until Operation Starfall..

Nicklas, Sariana and Keryne were all in the meditation chamber, gathering strength and focus for the upcoming battle and their inevitable loss. Elliot, Corbyn, Beckha and Keyrinn had brought Tylesha into the chamber earlier, showing her the methods to further calm her erratic thoughts since she had woken up on Taivas. She had left to check on her sister/clone shortly after achieving a brief successful connection to the Force.

Nick saw the future once again, as the Force usually chose to show him. But something was different this time, he figured as a vision of himself and Keryne teaching the younger students shifted and blurred before refocusing, a still living Sariana in line with them as they demonstrated lightsaber forms for the Padawans.

"Focus, Nick. What's going on in that head of yours this time, you scruffy Jedi?" Sariana asked, smiling.

Nick shook his head. "Nothing, just happy we found a way to save you." He answered, smiling back.

"So sappy. Hold it for later. It isn't fair without me involved, and this is serious."

Nick scoffed. "He's just a ghost, Kery. How bad-"

Keryne cut him off. "A ghost that could possess you from beyond the borders of our own Galaxy! Damn it, Nick. If he had found a way to meld his consciousness with your body on Yavin, there would be no Order. No Jedi to protect the people of this galaxy. We have to be careful when it comes to fighting Primus."

Suddenly, the trio's eyes all snapped open, but Nick spoke first. "Who's Primus?"

The girls both sighed, looking at him. "He's an ancient Sith, one that not even the Old Republic knew about. His ghost possessed you on Yavin IV. He warned us that he was coming and there was nothing we could do to stop him."

"When we got him to leave your body, you didn't remember what had happened. We figured it would be for the best, for now at least. We all have enough to deal with tomorrow."

"Well, that's the wrong thinking, baby. Kriff, a more powerful threat than the tyrant ruling our Galaxy? First priority to help us prepare for that time. And there's a huge bantha in the room we haven't yet discussed."

The three had all seen the vision, the three of them able to be together after tomorrow's events, however they may go. Looking at each other, Keryne and Sariana sighed. "We were also going to tell you about that, but we decided against it as more of a surprise. We didn't break time, saving Laurana. We only opened up a new possible future. One where there was a dark counter to Laurana while also supposedly condemning Sariana to death by her hand."

"So we figured why not do the same thing and save me tomorrow? That's one more powerful Jedi in the ranks to help fend off Primus and whatever he has in store for the Galaxy. With Jarell gone, there can't be another dark clone created so there's nothing to fear of me coming home and killing everyone in the throes of the Dark side." Sariana concluded, making Nick shake his head.

"You both really thought that much about this?" Both girls nodded. "Why?"

"Because, beloved, we can't have you depressed for over a year in mourning." Keryne said, before switching to Mando'a. "And not with us. And we need you most when it comes to the bounty hunters."

"What bounty hunters does everyone keep mentioning? Why is it I have seen absolutely nothing of them but every other one of us Knights has?"

"You know as well as we do that visions only come to those they're involved with, and as Keryne most likely said- since you two are possibly the only people alive in this galaxy anymore who even speak or understand Mando'a- that you weren't here. For any of the Bounty Hunter conflict."

Nick saw the truth in her words, realizing he had to stay after tomorrow, whatever happened, just to be there for a threat his peers all feared coming to pass. Nodding, he sighed. "Alright, I get it. There's one more thing I'd like to talk about before we go to Supernova." His tone got serious again.

"What's on your mind, Nicky?" Sariana asked with her head tilted.

"After Supernova, even with the threat of bounty hunters, we have to go out and find more Padawans. If there really is a threat, a true Sith threat, then the Grey Order needs to grow in numbers and strength. With that, as the acting Grand Master of the Grey Order," He took a breath, unable to call himself a true Jedi Master with the still limited training he possessed,before continuing. "I have decided that once the current battle with Jarell has calmed down after our attack on the Cannon tomorrow, all of us need to take our own Padawans under our wing. It's the only thing we can truly do to possibly stay ahead of the Inquisition, even with two of Jarell's Thirteen High Knights out of the picture."

Arms crossed in concentration, Keryne thought about what Nick was saying. She knew from Beckha that choosing a Padawan was a big step for a Jedi, and some Masters had even been known to leave the Order after taking an apprentice. Nick was practically throwing them into wildly unknown territory, although she knew the twins would most likely both go to him, Nick being the only full Knight the two troublesome children actually listened to for more than a few hours. But even then, they would have to not only have apprentices, but their training would have to be sped up to allow the small force of Jedi to stand a chance against the entire Inquisition and an ancient Sith threat the galaxy barely knew even existed beyond the Known Spaces. She huffed. "I don't like it, beloved." She stated simply as Nick motioned for her to continue. "There's too much for eight ranked Jedi to simply handle.

"For one thing, we don't know if killing Jarell- if we even get that chance- will force the Inquisition out of vying for control. Most likely, someone else will just spearhead them as they figure out how to deal with us. It seems to me, from looking over the schematics of the Cannon and the requisition forms we were able to obtain from the database on Yavin IV with the help of that Trooper Captain, Jarell put the plans and requisitions into the Inquisition R&D facilities on Sullusta himself, with the lead researcher being the only other person known to have a connection to Supernova."

Nick nodded. "Meaning that the galaxy as a whole has no idea about these Sith from beyond the Unknown Spaces. And that would make their arrival that much more shocking as citizens will panic."

Keryne nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Then there's the fact these upcoming bounty hunters are no joke. Having Padawans we have to protect while fighting against machine guns and homing missiles? Even the twins wouldn't be much help even with all the extra training you've put them under. We need able minds and bodies if we're to survive the hunters with our new Order intact."

"Alright, Kery, you've made your point. But after the bounty hunters, we need to take apprentices. We don't know how long any of us have with us changing our futures in these visions anymore." Nick sighed.

Keryne frowned. "I'm not finished. Third point, and this is important. What the hell is going to happen about Tylesha?"

Nick furrowed his brow, still not knowing about the visions Sariana and Keryne had shared previously. "What do you mean? Have you two seen something?"

The two women shared a look before Keryne sighed. "Of course you haven't seen any of it." She giggled, shaking her head. "From what I've seen, since Sariana may still perish tomorrow, is Tylesha basically taking her place as our third. Maybe fourth if Sari lives."

Sariana shook her head. "No way. If I survive Supernova, we are not adding another girl to this. We're not making Nick into a harem master. Two women in this relationship is the limit."

"Sariana has a point, love. Plus, I barely know anything about Tylesha except that she's been kept in a stasis tank and cloned so Jarell can have another twisted mind to play with. At this point, we don't even know if she'll turn out to be a sleeper agent. With how far he's willing to go to stop a threat from outside our galaxy, I wouldn't shrug off the possibility of Jarell conditioning her before the tank just to take us out from within." Nick spoke, but his mind was trying to tell him there was more to the story, especially about Tylesha.

"That is a very good point, Nick. Alright, so we watch her, carefully. Anything sticks out as odd, we act on it just in case." The other two nodded at Keryne's words as Sariana got up from her sitting position, stretching.

"I think I've meditated enough for today. Honestly, tonight should be a night to celebrate. I might not be here too much longer, right?

"Don't say it like that, Saria!" Nick said, frowning. "Just because you've made peace with your prophesied death doesn't mean you can just joke about it! Fuck!" With that, Nick stormed off angrily.

Keryne sighed. "And he had been in such a good mood all day. You had to set him off."

"I'm sorry. He says he'll be alright but he's too touchy about the whole thing. Makes me wish him and I didn't have such a strong connection, especially when he has you, Kery."

"Don't say that. Nick wears his heart on his sleeve and that's what proves how great a guy he is. None of us asked for this, any of this. The fighting, the death, the truth of Nick's family, both of our love for him. Nick is strong, but he can only take so much. That's why, whether you die or not on the Cannon, we both still have to stick by Nick. Our days will only get darker from here."

Sariana nodded. "Yeah.."

Shortly After, Training Room..

Nick huffed as he looked at the new wave of mechanical carnage that surrounded him, even as several junk droids rolled in to clean the training room of the many destroyed training droids only to see Nick and turn around, fleeing from the odd fear of being dismantled in such a way next. "Damnit." He said, turning around swiftly as he heard a voice laughing from behind him.

The figure glowed blue, a Force ghost, but Nick couldn't immediately recognize them. The man had longer dark hair and a barely visible scar running across his face. "You remind me of myself, young Nekron."

"Do I now? And who in the moon of Endor are you, exactly?"

The man chuckled as he crossed his arms. "I am the man known as Kylo Ren of the First Order."

"Ben Solo? I was definitely not expecting you. What brings you to me?" Nick asked, his eyes fading back to brown from the rage-fueled yellow-orange color.

"I felt you might have needed some assistance with this issue of anger you seem to be having. So what's eating at you?"

Nick scoffed. "Like you don't already know? All you Force ghosts seem to know everything before you even show yourselves." Kylo nodded but said nothing as Nick rolled his eyes. "Fine. For one thing, Master Jiang put me, barely a Jedi Knight, in his shoes as the supposed Grand Master of this new Order we're building. I have barely any experience leading and after the Yavin mission where I got possessed by a supposedly long-dead Sith Lord, I can't bring myself to fully trust myself with anything. Secondly, the issue about losing Sariana or not tomorrow. Being one of the Skywalker line, she would be much better than me and shouldn't be lost in the battle against her father. Then there's the issue about these bounty hunters I have no knowledge of that everyone else here is becoming increasingly afraid of, not to mention the extragalactic threat of Siths in the future. It's a lot for an eighteen year old to handle, with or without the support I have."

Kylo Ren smirked as he shook his head. "I won't lie, you are correct about it being much more than a normal eighteen year old to take. But then again, you're not an ordinary eighteen year old, never have been. Have you?" After a pregnant pause, Nick shook his head in the affirmative. "You have a long road ahead of you, Nicklas, and Master Jiang would never have chosen you to lead if he didn't see you as worthy. As for loss, I know something about that as well.."

Nick couldn't stop himself from cutting the Dark Knight off. "Yeah, but I wouldn't dare kill my own family."

Although taken aback by the teen's words, Ben chuckled. "Touché. I was never in my right mind then, but that day has still haunted me since. Not that Rey would ever let me live that weakness down either. But, as hard as losing my descendant is for your mind, that isn't the worst for you, is it? No, your worst fear is this possession and what it could mean if it became permanent. Let me ask you then. What is most important to you, if not just the safeguarding of the galaxy as has been the way of the Jedi for countless centuries?"

Nick didn't hesitate in his answer, as much as Kylo may have expected. "My friends, my loved ones. I lost my family once, and I don't intend to do it again. Not now."

Ben nodded, pleased. "Good answer. Then let me tell you how I finally stopped giving my anger control of myself. Rey, whether I knew it or not at the time, and her fighting by my side in Snoke's throne room. She was my beacon of Light in my otherwise Dark existence, but then again she would seem to have been created for that purpose, to balance my Darkness and eventually turn me around. The love I felt for her, through our bond, was all it took as much as I chose to fight such notions. My granddaughter, and that mixed lineage-carrying Mandalorian. They both mean as much to you as Rey eventually did to me, and you must always keep them in the forefront of your mind. Only then will you find the strength to stay tied to the Light enough as Master Jiang saw. The Dark is not a handicap, as far as you and your Grey Order are concerned, but you all must find the balance between both forces inside yourselves. The most challenging of trials surrounding your best friend."

Nicklas nodded, sighing. "Yes, with Elliot's inability to utilize the Force as the rest of us can, it can only lead to more challenges for him than the rest of us. But, I told myself as well as him when we were still kids in that orphanage that I would always be there for him when he needed it. Unfortunately, he's pretty much a trouble magnet like me since we first left with our ship. You know, all these ghosts coming to me, I feel like I'm next to kick the bucket in this damn war."

The redeemed Dark Jedi chuckled while shaking his head, his messy hair swishing around with the movement. "Ah, you would think that. Uncle Luke thought the same thing after Endor, seeing grandfather, Obi-Wan and Yoda all gathered around Vader's pyre. No, young one, you are not slated to join us poor souls for a long time. You still have much work to do for this galaxy. I must go, but remember: the Force is strong in you, but you must learn to control your impulses and your emotions in your travels. Inability to control yourself will lead to an outcome such as mine, poisoning your mind to the Dark side. You must stay anchored to your Grey Order and the principles Jiang taught you. Understand, Nicklas?"

Nick hated people using his full name, but he knew it was a sign of getting a point across from his elders as he sighed. "Understood, Kylo, Ben, whatever you go by in death these days. I'll be careful. Primus won't control me anymore."

Nodding with a smile, Ben Solo faded back into the void, leaving Nick alone once again with the remains of his rage surrounding him. Clicking his commlink into the droid channel for the temple, another innovation Pyrell had come up with, he sighed again. "Cleanup and recycle in the training room. Sorry, Tee-One."

There was an exaggerated sigh from the line. "Again, Master Nekron? At least your rage keeps us functioning and in order. The repair crew will be down there shortly." Came the robotic voice of the droid supervisor for the Hidden Temple, T1-G5.

"Thanks, Tee-One." Nick rubbed the back of his head as he left the training room, making his way back towards the energies of his friends.

Library Hall..

In the library hall, Corbyn, Elliot, Laurana and Beckha sat with what looked like ancient Jedi texts, the four deciphering the text in an attempt to learn more ancient secrets of the Jedi and Sith that history had otherwise forgotten. Sariana huffed as she took a seat next to her friends, crossing her arms. "What's wrong now, Sari?" Laurana asked without looking up from her personal datapad.

"Stupid prophecies! Why is it I have to die tomorrow? It couldn't have been my father and this whole Inquisition ordeal could be over!"

"Sariana, we know how you feel. We're all friends here, and we all care about you. Nick and Keryne more so. We've all seen tomorrow in our visions, but your death specifically, that's only from their sides. Whether or not there's a way to save you? That's really what we're here trying to figure out. The only account of bringing another back to life we could find is records of the conflict between the Resistance and First Order. Ben Solo sacrificed his own life to heal Rey Skywalker-"

"Technically Palpatine!" Interjected Elliot, answered by a deathly glare from his girlfriend to shut him up.

"- To heal Rey Skywalker from the brink of her own death. It seems to heal someone to that degree can only be done by self-sacrifice, any healing prowess less than that would only fail. And none of us can afford to sacrifice ourselves with the threats that will be coming after Supernova is destroyed."

"I know that, I know. I am a Skywalker, you know. Grandpa Ben told me about it before. I just don't want to leave Nick alone. Not after the bond we've forged already."

"But he won't be alone. You were right that day, saying none of us were paying enough attention to Nick and his feelings. And Keryne will be right by his side through everything."

Now, Corbyn cleared his throat. "Actually, while we're on the subject of Keryne, I had a little curiosity. Isn't it kind of a religious thing with Mandalorians to never take off their helmets? Like at all? Yet, Keryne flaunts her beautiful looks everywhere? Ow, sorry, love, just being blunt." He finished as Beckha punched him in the shoulder.

There was a new giggle as Keryne joined the group, sitting next to Sariana and resting her helmet on the table next to her. "If you were really that curious, love, you could always just ask. It is true that's how us Mandalorians worked in the past, but only during the days of the Empire after their attempted purge. Once the Mandalorians that escaped created their own sect of zealots known as the Death Watch in the shadows, it became apparent that if we showed our faces, the Empire would know who we were and be able to hunt us down more easily. That was when the Clan I now belong to, Clan Mudhorn, was born as the bounty hunter Din Djarin adopted a member of Jedi Master Yoda's species and together they formed a new Clan after the covert on Nevarro was decimated by Imperial Remnant members under Moff Gideon, who had my mother's Darksaber for some unknown reason but stopped by Din and his allies. After Palpatine truly fell in the First Order conflict, Mandalorians were allowed to take their helmets back off, kind of like a type of peacetime condition. In addition to the Death Watch, which Djarin was a part of, there was also the Night Owls led by Bo Katan who had also had the Darksaber at one point and had vowed to regain it from the Moff and unite Mandalore once again. Unfortunately, the Inquisition only turned and fired everything they had on the planet and it became the endless desert you all saw when you came to find me."

"So there were two ways? And I thought you were head of Clan Wren?"

Keryne rolled her eyes and muttered a curse in Mando'a before answering the harebrained question. "Yes, technically there were two ways. Where did you even hear it referenced like that? As for my Clan, I'm technically both, but Wren is by birth and Mudhorn is through the Clan that kept me safe when the Second Purge happened."

Corbyn nodded before answering the reflected question. "Nick isn't the only one to ever pick up a book about Mandalorians, you know."

"Enough philosophy, guys." Nick said, walking into the room. "We have work to prepare for. Does anyone know where Tylesha and her clone are?"

"Their quarters. Seems the pair of them are still afraid of what we might do to them. Why? What's going on?" Sariana asked, chewing her bottom lip.

"I think I might have a way to figure out whether or not they were deep conditioned while they were in those bacta tanks. We need everyone if we're going to destroy Supernova tomorrow." Sariana nodded, but Keryne had a look in her eye.

"I'm coming with you, then." Nick opened his mouth to retort but Keryne stopped him with one finger held to his lips. "No, just in case. Plus, someone has to make sure you don't wind up screwing her." The last sentence was Mando'a, but Nick gulped at the very subtle threat the words hid as he nodded and left the room with Keryne on his arm.

Upon entering the two new girls' living quarters, the elder Jedi students saw an interesting sight. Tylesha was sitting in meditation, fascinatingly lifting her 'younger sister' Anesha who was also meditating, the latter levitating a stack of books above the small holotable located in the center of the quarters. Keryne giggled in her own amusement, causing Tylesha's eyes to snap open, blood red irises looking around as the aura around Anesha dissipated quickly, the stack of books also dropping as the clone lost her own concentration.

With a loud thud, Anesha groaned loudly as she hit the stone floor of the temple. "Ow! What the hell, Ty?!" She exclaimed as she noticed the visitors. "Oh.. Master Nekron. Knight Wren." The younger dark-skinned girl bowed, surprising both Nicklas and Keryne with the level of respect the younger Zionia naturally showed.

"What do you two want?" Tylesha asked, unable to meet Keryne or Nick's eyes. The two looked at each other with a knowing smile before Nick answered.

"No need for the hostilities, Ty. Although, I do want to talk to you about your preferred avoidance, that's not really why we're here. I had my droid analyze the massive amounts of intel we got from the Inquisition's operations on Yavin IV, specifically any pertaining to the two of you. Judging by the state we found you in there, we had suspicions about you. More specifically, whether or not we can truly trust you within our own ranks."

"Then why not just sift through our minds while we're asleep?"

Nick's eyes widened, the concerns Keryne harbored toward the older Zionia coming to mind as the latter had informed the former of her recent visions and dreams. "Because, with you both awake, it makes it easier to do certain things, such as discover a code word for you to flip sides or maybe a neural implant that the Inquisition could remotely activate at any time. Although that second option seems very unlikely judging by the fact it's been a while since Yavin and if anyone in the Inquisition knew of a way to activate a potential sleeper agent, they probably would have at least activated the recon phase of such conditioning." Keryne explained.

Tylesha frowned, biting her bottom lip while she looked at Nicklas. "You really think we're dangerous?"

Nick could feel the beginnings of attachment inside himself, a tug at his heart just for the face Tylesha was making. No, get it together. We need to find out if they're truly trustworthy before anything else can even be thought of. He thought before answering. "It's not that we think you're both dangerous. The fact of the matter is that you were both in those bacta tanks for Force knows how long, and Jarell could have done anything to your minds or even bodies in that time." Without really thinking, Nick's eyes scanned the older Zionia's own, mentally noting the slightly more modest figure compared to the more top-heavy Keryne and Sariana. Keryne noticed the look, however, and slapped his arm playfully, while her voice conveyed annoyance.

"Already? Get that thing in your pants a sleeping pill, Nicklas." She said in Mando'a.

"Sorry, heat of the moment. Anyway, the process is simple enough. All I have to do- as well as you, Tylesha- is clear our minds as I hold your forehead, focusing the Force on you." Somewhat still fearful of what may happen, Tylesha sighed and nodded. Nick stepped up to her and took a quick breath. "Alright, here goes." Nick finished before placing his hand on Tylesha's forehead and his vision instantly went black as he was thrust into the girl's memories..

A young Tylesha, probably about four or five, was playing with several like-aged children. Nick, watching the scene unfold as a third party would, gasped in shock as he personally knew each of those children. Unsure whether or not to trust the sight of these children, Nicklas turned his gaze to the surroundings, the shock growing as he realized this wasn't just any girl they had saved. But then who exactly was Tylesha to him?

The young Tylesha giggled as she threw her arms around one of the boys, shouting in glee and annoyance. "Got you, Nicklas! You know, my future husband shouldn't go off leaving me alone in the orphanage."

The young Nick was revealed as he turned around to smile at her. "Sorry, Lesha. Elliot hurried me out to watch the pilots landing at the spaceport." His younger self said, the older iteration of Nicklas turning as well towards the Corellian spaceport that had been located close to the orphanage.

Tylesha, with the same lip-biting frown that she had sported before this memory dive, nodded. "It's okay, just don't leave me alone again."

The older Nick could tell how pleading young Tylesha's voice was, and his younger self probably knew all about her fears as he hugged her and told her everything would be fine..

.. It couldn't have been much later than the earlier memory, maybe about a year or so had passed. The Inquisition had come to Corellia, burning homes and killing civilians who seemed like 'problem tenants' to their regime. Nick remembered the day in question, as him and his friends had been playing by the spaceport when the Spice shop nearby was blown off the planet by orbital fire, followed by several other buildings in the surrounding area. As the smoke from billowing fires clouded the air, Nick saw himself on the ground, having been thrust forward by the cannons destroying the market near him. "Lesha?!" He screamed in fear. "Ty, where are you?!" This was followed by a fit of coughing as the present-day Nicklas' eyes widened in realization. This day was the day Nick truly denounced any loyalty he may have felt towards the Inquisition. In fact, his search for Tylesha back then had been spurred on by his already-enhanced sensory ability through the Force, sensing danger.

Hearing a small voice, Nick turned to hear it better. There lay Tylesha, a piece of rubble trapping one leg as she called for Nick as well. "Nicklas! I'm over here!" Unfortunately, Nicklas couldn't hear her that day, and it came as almost no surprise when two Inquisition troopers came upon the still-struggling girl.

One held up a small device that reminded Nick of a scanner used in several holovids. "We found one. Let's get her on board the shuttle to Yavin." With that, the two hauled the rubble off and picked Tylesha up and away, the girl crying out desperately for her friend..

.. Tylesha was now in the same bacta tank Nick and the others had found her in. Gareth Jarell stood in front of the tank, an obvious scientist of sorts with him. "What were her readings?"

"According to the troopers who found her, she was the only sensitive around, my lord. Powerful, but not on the level of that your daughter is expected to exhibit."

"Do not talk to me of my lost daughter, Nikto. I can replace you just as easily as I can any other member of the Inquisition. Can you enhance her power in a clone?"

The scientist, Nikto, nodded. "Yes, lord. But, the accelerated expiration due to the aging processes is not recommended."

"Hmm. So you suggest we keep her here in basic stasis while growing a clone in real-time?" Another nod. "Fine. Start the process, and make sure she's monitored. The troopers who brought her also said she was calling for someone. It would be a shame if they tried to rescue her." Jarell laughed as the scene faded once again..

.. Nick was still looking through Tylesha's eyes in the bacta tank, the form of Anesha floating in her own tank feet away. He watched Tylesha shut her eyes as Nick and the others who rescued her appeared. Nick is here. He found me.. She thought as she lost consciousness just as Nick went to open the tank up himself..

Nick stepped back and just stared at Tylesha, the memories of their shared past finally coming back to him. "Ty.. Fuck, how can I ever apologize to you?" He said, dropping to his knees and clutching the fabric of his pants tightly.

Tylesha dropped as well, her face openly sad. "Nicklas.. It really is you.. Don't be disheartened, my prince. You did find me, that's all that matters."

Keryne watched the scene with confused eyes, darting back and forth between the two now kneeling Jedi. "Wait, wait. My prince? Nick.."

"Don't talk to him like that!" Tylesha exclaimed. "It was one of my pet names for him. Nicklas, my orphan prince who made sure to always make sure I wasn't in danger. Until the Inquisition attacked Corellia."

"Attack on Corellia.. Wait, the same one that Laurana was kidnapped during?" Nick could only nod. "So there could be more sensitives out there in the Inquisition? Unless they're the High Knights, we need to find them."

Nick nodded again, this time going to his comlink. "Tee-Three, come in."

A high-pitched voice came through. "Yes master Nekron? Shalaka."

Nick chuckled at the vocal tic Beckha had decided to program into the droid. "Do me a huge favor, buddy. Search those documents from Yavin again, and this time report back any findings of Force sensitives, preferably ones taken from their homes. Start with any taken from Corellia."

"Okie-dokie! Shakala-lala! Starting search now." The comlink went silent as Nick turned to Keryne. "They're both clean. Jarell only cloned her trying to have fighters as powerful as us. Fuck, Ty. I should have been looking for you, too."

Tylesha gave a small smile. "You know, I was worried you'd never remember me."

"I almost didn't, Lesha. How did you even stay sane sitting in a bacta tank for most of our lives?"

Tylesha giggled. "Not to set your attack dog on myself, but I always thought of you." Keryne naturally bristled at the thought. "Nothing extreme. Most of it seemed like just fantasy, you and Elliot flying a ship. I think it's the one you guys brought us here on. I thought of you fighting off pirates near what I thought was an Outer Rim planet. I even saw you studying something that seemed like it was already a dead language or culture. Lots of little things."

Nick thought about her words. "You've been seeing us in visions, Ty. Those things actually happened. For almost fourteen years, all you've had to go on about the outside world is what you've seen of me, Elliot, and our travels. Again, how am I the anchor point?"

Keryne sighed. "Because it's you, beloved. Every friend you make connects you to them." She stated in Mando'a.

"That still doesn't fully explain it, love. Sure, connections help keep people together but I barely even remembered Tylesha existed back at the orphanage after she was taken. My priority was to Laurana's kidnapping." Nick replied back in the Mandalorian tongue before turning back to Tylesha. "Will you be okay?"

Tylesha smiled. "Yeah, Nicklas. I'll be fine, as long as you're around." Nodding, Nick and Keryne left the room.

Anesha turned to her 'sister'. "So, I'm a clone?" She asked.

Tylesha nodded. "You are, but that's not who you are. Now, you're Anesha Zionia, my little sister. Nothing will ever change that."

Keryne had stopped Nick shortly before they reached the turbolift. "Beloved, do you now see why me and Sariana are a bit worried about having her here?" She asked, referring to Tylesha's obvious smitten attitude toward Nick.

"She's fine, princess. If it's meant to be, it'll be. I can't be too against it when Tylesha was a part of my life before Jiang ever showed up. Let's not dwell on only possibilities, yeah? I gotta find Elliot. He would know if those memories were fabricated or not."

The two made their way to the hangar bay, where Elliot was tuning up the ship while getting help from Corbyn's own protocol/mechanic droid BK-1A. "Bring me that spanner, will you Beekay?"

"Of course, sir." Said the droid as it picked up the tool in question. BK was the first to notice Nicklas and Keryne. "Ah, prince Nekron, empress Wren. Pleasure to see you both."

"Hey, Beekay. Yo, El? Halt the repairs for a bit, I need to ask you something about the orphanage."

Elliot walked over, surprise evident on his face. "The orphanage? Why the sudden interest in our roots?"

"Well, you tell me. Who was our little group before Laurana got kidnapped and sold off? Do you remember?"

Elliot nodded. "Of course. Me, you, Laurana, that Zeltron girl Saundri and.. Oh, shit.. Tylesha. Tylesha was there with us."

Nick nodded. "Good, so the memories weren't somehow fabricated. That makes me feel a bit better then. I think Saundri is Force-sensitive, and we should be trying to find her. There's a pattern showing itself, and apparently our old home is the focal point. We need to go home. To Corellia."

"Excellent idea!" Came a surprising voice as Master Jiang appeared in his now spectral form. "It seems you've finally figured out why I searched for you all."

"Master.. You knew?!"

"It pains me to admit it, but yes I did. The orphanage you and Laurana were left at on Corellia has been an unusual focus of mine throughout the years. It was not until meeting you on Utapau that the connection between the students I was looking for and that singular location on Corellia became apparent. You must go now, find your friend before Jarell has the same idea."

"We can't just leave the others behind. Even with the upgraded hyperdrive, we wouldn't be able to reach Corellia until late tonight, and Supernova is tomorrow. Unless the whole group goes, we don't know if we'll have a real chance at stopping Jarell or saving Sariana."

Jiang nodded with a smile. "Then, I already think you know just what to do." Nick smirked and shook his head.

"Yes, master, I believe I do. Elliot, sound the call. Everyone to our ships except the younglings. My mother and her guard can protect them while we're gone. Let's go, triple time."

"Dank farrik. Ours can't fly right now, Nick. We're gonna have to pack into the Eagle."

"Nope. Too small. Let me see if mother has any stealth-capable light transports handy." He got onto his comlink once more, and after a brief conversation with Dreeana, nodded towards Elliot. "Alright. Call to arms to hangar 6. I'll start preflight." Nicklas turned and rushed back into the main temple.

Elliot got onto his comlink then, summoning the elder Jedi to the specified hangar bay, where a BT-75S U-Wing transport sat. It was one of the newer models of the more popular private security ships, boasting some next-level stealth tech and a much larger passenger capacity. Elliot wasn't surprised that Nick's mother, queen of the majority of Bespin, had at least one of them in her fleet. A short time later, Nick walked into the ship to find the rest of the older Jedi teens. "Good, that makes everyone. Alright, thanks to the methods I've looked into, the truth about Tylesha has been learned. In truth, I as well as Elliot and Laurana know her from our childhood existence as orphans on Corellia. With that knowledge and the revelation that she is also Force-sensitive, makes me believe the orphanage in question may have been harboring sensitive children all this time." He explained.

Tylesha frowned. "I don't want to go back there, Nicklas." Everyone including Laurana was surprised at the intimacy in her voice as she spoke. "Even in stasis, you can dream, and even not remembering couldn't stop that day from replaying as a nightmare all the time."

Nick's expression softened. "I get it, Lesha, but we need to go. We need to find Saundri before the Inquisition does, if they haven't already. And we need to know about any other potential Force-sensitives being sheltered there."

"What if it's all a trap?" Keryne chimed in. "Jarell has been using our sensitivity to the Force just as much as we have. We've only been lucky not to get overtaken by the Inquisition's forces so far. And, tomorrow is the day we go aboard the Supernova Cannon, a day he expects us to come at him with the force of a krayt dragon."

"We're going to Corellia, Keryne. Jarell has been making this far too personal since we came onto the scene. Tomorrow, the Supreme Inquisitor dies. But today? Today, we're finding the long lost members of this would-be family. Is everyone with me?"

Even without the speech, the others knew Nick had made his mind up and would follow through with his plan until it was either complete or deemed too risky. "We're with you, brother." Corbyn smirked, Beckha and Keyrinn nodding alongside him.

"And so are we, beloved. Even disagreeing, we'll follow you to the ends of the galaxy." Chorused Sariana and Keryne, the former speaking Basic and the latter in Mando'a.

Tylesha looked conflicted about where she stood among the rest of the group. On one hand, Nick had accepted her back into his life without a second thought, but that wasn't taking into account her actual feelings towards him, as unsure as Tylesha was about those feelings. On the other hand, that girl Keryne definitely saw Tylesha as a threat, and that seemed enough to keep her placated at the moment.

Nick saw the deep, thoughtful look in her eyes and lightly shook the dark-skinned girl's shoulder. "If you need to talk, about anything, come find me okay? Being unsure of anything, even in your own head, is going to leave you unfocused when it counts."

Keryne was glowering sourly at the small exchange, and Tylesha could see the aura of fire that suddenly surrounded the Mandalorian. "Y-yes, alright, Nicklas." The small smile that he gave her only worsened the other girl's reaction, her hands flexing by the shaft of the Darksaber.

Once Nick, Elliot and Corbyn had retreated to the cockpit, it was only moments before the small shuttle was rocketing out into space, headed for Corellia.

Not long after the three pilots went into the cockpit, Sariana and Keryne sat on either side of Tylesha, making the new girl even more nervous than she had been before taking off from Taivas. "So why does he let you call him by his full name? Nick doesn't let anyone other than his mother call him Nicklas, and that's only when she has to go into parental control mode."

Tylesha felt her cheeks heat up exponentially. She figured if the two girls next to her couldn't feel her temperature rising, they could definitely see the steam she felt was coming out of her ears. "I.. I don't know what you mean." She lied, hoping the two obvious girlfriends couldn't see through her admittedly weak cover.

"Ooh, she's got it bad. You feel the fear coming off her, Saria? She's scared of us."

"Of course she is. No matter the past she has with Nick, all that matters is she's here now. Whether or not she's feeling what you two do for my brother, stop antagonizing her. You two hated the idea of sharing, and yet here you are now, reveling in the fact. If Nick decides to start a fucking harem, then you two can't be hazing the others out of the idea just because you were the first ones on his dick." Came Laurana's voice as she stood in front of the three with her arms crossed.

"Nick isn't going to start a complete harem. Seems like he has more than enough to handle with Keryne and I as it is." Sariana replied with a huff.

"Saria, you may be my sister in all but blood, but even you aren't that selfish. Especially not to the level of possibly falling to the Dark Side. Plus, haven't you been prophesied to die tomorrow for weeks now? With the only change being in Nick's own visions with little Ty in the middle of you all? So why are you two both being so.. Territorial.. Oh, for fuck's sake you two better not."

Sariana and Keryne looked at her like she had grown another head. Until, they noticed Laurana kept focusing on their stomachs. They both stood up quickly enough. "No! It's not that.. At least.. I don't think so?" Came the synchronized voices of the two already established loves of Nick.

Laurana smirked. "You seriously better not. Nick has enough shit to worry about already. He doesn't need anything that worrying going on right now. Keep that in the wings until after our bounty hunter problem is solved, yeah?"

"Yes, sis." Came the unenthusiastic reply from the two as Tylesha raised her eyebrow in curiosity.

"Don't listen to them, Lesha. We've all seen you here with us for a long time to come. Let's go talk in the other cabin for a minute, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." Tylesha said before getting up and following Laurana out of the main cabin.

The two girls stopped in the second passenger cabin, Laurana looking out of the viewing port towards the stars still lazily passing the ship by. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She asked Tylesha, who honestly didn't know how to answer the sudden question.

"What do you mean? The empty space out there?"

Laurana chuckled. "It is pretty empty, but also not. There are billions of life-forms and species living life throughout this galaxy, and us teenagers are the last line line of defense for them all to continue to prosper."

Tylesha was stunned by the sudden darkening of the conversation. "What do you mean, Laura? Remember, I've only had limited knowledge retention lately since you guys rescued me and Anesha."

"That's right, silly me. I forgot, honestly. Ever since we all got back to Taivas, you being with us has made me feel like you were never gone, on some level. Tell me, how much have you read up on our current status in the galaxy?"

Tylesha thought about that. "Well, I know we're all Force-sensitive, and us teenagers are supposed to be Jedi, but not the traditional Jedi the texts tell of. By my understanding from what Nicklas tried to tell me the first day I was training with the rest of you, we aren't limited to either proposed Side of the Force, but balance out an existence somewhere in the middle. Nicklas is considered the Grand Master of our Order since your previous teacher sacrificed himself in the battle of Yavin IV before you found me. The rest of you except for me and Anesha are titled as Knights while us sisters are the only elder Padawan students."

Laurana nodded. "Your memory isn't that bad then, is it? Next question, what have you gleaned about the current situation in the galaxy?"

"Hmm.." Tylesha hummed. "The majority of the galaxy has been controlled by the Inquisition since before all of us teenage Jedi were born, their leader being Sariana's father Gareth Jarell. He's built a superweapon that- while his plans involving a show of force may not be too outlandish in theory- would wipe out the entire galaxy and it's hypothesized even systems outside of the galaxy itself. Hence why we're supposed to go and destroy the Cannon tomorrow."

Another nod. "Good. What about your feelings for my brother?"

Tylesha froze. "What do you.."

"Uh uh. Don't even try to misdirect me. I as well as those two bitches in heat- much as I love them- can sense you have feelings for Nick. I think the real question is how exactly do you feel about him?"

Tylesha went to object more, but sighed in defeat knowing her mind wasn't as clear as it should be, and that made the rest of them privy to at least some of her thoughts and feelings. "I.. I think I love him. It's stupid and rushed but the moment I saw him before I left that damn bacta tank.. I felt nothing but warmth and my heart wouldn't stop beating so hard I thought it was going to burst in my chest. He always made me feel safe when we were kids, Laura. You must remember how awkward the other kids acted around me, like I didn't even belong. After so many years of having such a silly crush, I guess it just evolved because I kept wishing and hoping that Nicklas would come for me, somehow realizing I had been gone.."

"And as it turned out, he didn't. Not for lack of trying, though. He did search for you or at least your body for weeks, from what Elliot told me. Of course, he didn't realize it was you Nick had been looking for. Maybe he did forget, but he never stopped caring. I'm beginning to think there's a Zeltron in our family somewhere, from his current situation."

Tylesha tilted her head in slight confusion. "You're talking about me and the other two girls, Sariana and Keryne, aren't you? How we all love that boy to the ends of the galaxy?"

"Exactly, and I'm willing to bet that Saundri is in the same boat, although I can't be sure since I was taken the same day you were. In a way I got the longer straw, getting sold to slavers on Utapau instead of being stuck in a tank being used to create a malleable clone of myself. I'm sorry we both got screwed in the situation, Lesha. Honestly, it makes me a little jealous, all the attention my brother gets from the fairer sex, but he's happier than I've seen him since we were kids. At this point, just like I told those two stubborn women, I don't really care if Nick amasses a harem capable of populating an entire planet, as long as he feels the positivity he needs. Especially with our little Primus issue."

"Primus?" Despite the years of solitude and how her mind could have been broken by the spectral Sith lord, Tylesha had been utterly ignored in favor of Nick the day of the assault on Yavin IV.

"Of course you wouldn't know. Darth Primus, an ancient and long-dead specter of Sith knowledge. He.. He was able to possess Nick on Yavin, just before we went to investigate what wound up being you and Anesha. Nick has been prone to anger lately, and as you know from studying the Jedi, that's a bad way to live." Tylesha nodded. "If Primus were to permanently gain control of my brother, all of us are dead, no matter how attached to us Nick is. Act on your feelings, Ty. Every heart Nick wins over may just keep him tied to us enough for that ghost to be powerless over him."

"I.. I will." If I ever get the courage to actually talk to him about it. She thought as Laurana smirked.

"No secrets from my abilities, Lesha. He already offered you a shoulder to lean on should you need it. Despite Sariana and Keryne's attitudes, they aren't opposed to the idea. Force knows the shit I've seen in their heads since the three of them became official. Alright, I'll let you think about it all. Just go find Nick before tomorrow. He needs to be clear-headed for our battle." With another nod, Tylesha and Laurana continued to enjoy the view of space even as the stars had turned into streaks as the ship entered hyperspace.

Meanwhile, Flagship Bane…

Jarell glared angrily at the member of the High Knights that bowed before him, the woman's face obscured by the mask she wore. "And no one could stop a bunch of teenagers carrying an unconscious asset on their backs?!" He shouted, the room rumbling from the anger he felt through the Force.

"I'm sorry, sir. None of the Inquisition Troopers present even knew those children had escaped the temple until after they had flown off-world. By the time anyone knew the clone and her original had been taken, the Jedi were probably long gone already. There was another piece of footage, the only thing our analysts could salvage from whatever surveillance equipment was still intact from the clone chamber. I think you need to see this, because we couldn't make much sense of it."

A hologram of the room in question appeared, showing the teenage Jedi retrieving the one Jarell had kept in stasis for more than a decade. His eyes widened as he watched the young Nekron suddenly begin acting differently in front of two of the others- Jarell's own daughter and another who wore Mandalorian armor- the boy stating things he otherwise wouldn't have said, since the voice that came from him wasn't the one Nick possessed. Primus.. You would possess a mere boy? Why? He thought as his mind drifted to the girl he had held for years.

Before the hologram ended, Jarell cleared his throat. "Go to Corellia then, with haste. That girl was from Corellia, and I have a hunch that the others will head there next. Do not disappoint me by failing as your comrades have twice before."

The masked woman bowed once again. "As you wish it, Master Jarell." Without another word, she turned and stormed out of the chamber as Jarell banged his fist on the armrest of the chair he sat in.

"Damn those teenagers, always somehow one step ahead of me, even with the Cannon operational.."

~SW:NA~

One Standard Hour Later..

"We're about thirty minutes or so out from Corellia. Everyone finish your preparations, I don't know exactly what we're going to be walking into." Came Nick's voice over the intercom as Tylesha got up from her seat, knowing she had to tell Nick before they landed.

She made her way into the cockpit and tapped Nick on the shoulder. "Nicklas? Can we talk for a minute? It's important."

Nick nodded. "Of course, Lesha. Elliot, Corbyn, you two have the wheel. Make sure we don't crash." With a salute and nod, Nick was able to leave the cockpit, Tylesha bringing him to the second lounge cabin. "What's wrong, Ty?" Nick asked the girl, who he could see shuddering.

Nervous as she was, Tylesha steeled herself. "Nothing's wrong, Nicklas. I just had.. Something important to tell you."

Nicklas already had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going, but that made him even more adamant to talk to the admittedly beautiful girl he had played with so often as a child. "Alright, so what is it, love?" He asked, smiling at her.

Tylesha almost froze after hearing his words, but couldn't let herself be stopped now. Turning towards him, she pouted. "I think I'm in love with you. I know I barely know who you even are anymore, as you do about me. I've been locked away in a fucking bacta tank for almost fourteen years, and it could really just be some delusional fantasy but I don't want to be without you in my life anymore. I literally can't."

Nick nodded. "I know you do, Tylesha. As I already know I love you just as well, as much as I dread finding Saundri for the same reason."

Tylesha beamed and then smirked slyly. "Oh? So my prince really is an up-and-coming harem master." She giggled at Nick's sigh.

"Please, not you too. I honestly hate not being able to just say fuck it and commit to one of you, but you all together with me make me happier than anything else has in this life. I wouldn't change that happiness for anything. Maybe we just keep the decision between us for now? I know Saria and Ryn are out for blood about another girl coming into this, let alone a fourth whose a Zeltron."

Tylesha giggled, feeling some confidence pour into her from her confession. "Ooh, Saundri's going to be in trouble."

"Not as much as I will. She wouldn't be the first Zeltron to put the moves on me. Or get me in bed, but that's a story for another day." With one eyebrow raised in curiosity, Tylesha pressed a lingering kiss on Nick's cheek.

"Just don't get yourself killed tomorrow first, okay my prince?" She smiled again. "You know, it's nice to know I was always just joking, but you are a prince."

"Don't remind me. Especially with how Bespin has a Monarchy, not Patriarchy so Laurana would technically become Queen. I, however, would have to still marry into another royal family for my princely title to truly count."

"You're going to marry all of us, right? Technically Keryne is the true heir of all of Mandalore. If you do manage to find some others, you're still King to us. Well, emperor."

"Yeah, yeah. Go sit with the others. We should be landing on Corellia soon." Nodding, Tylesha went back to the main lounge cabin as Nick sighed. The door opened again to show Laurana entering, sitting next to her brother. "Wanna talk about it?" She asked, semi-knowingly.

Nick shook his head. "Where to begin, sis? The fact that I have not one, not two but three women attached to me already? I don't know how much longer I can really deal with it."

Laurana hummed. "Alright, I get what you're saying. But, I wasn't talking about the three current women in your corner."

Nick's eyes widened. "Shit, you've seen Saundri in a vision, haven't you?" He asked in exasperation.

Laurana nodded. "Kind of. Let's just say I never knew she felt so strongly towards you. Especially with how life has been going for her since you and Elliot left Corellia."

Another sigh. "I'm starting to wish I had. Maybe I wouldn't be in the harem game then." The siblings laughed together heartily.

"I doubt it. You, big brother, have an unnatural affinity towards women, and that in itself is noteworthy. When Keryne started invading visions, being the only one for you after Supernova, I hated the idea of you entertaining another woman as well as Sariana."

"Understandable, Saria's been your best friend practically since you were taken from Corellia all those years ago. You wanted to protect her feelings."

Laurana nodded. "Yeah. Then I saw how you all were once Saria warmed up to Ryn, and I couldn't stay mad at the decision. Maybe it's just you, but your growing harem keeps you happy and focused in a way most people would kill for. My advice? Don't let Saundri down, because she never stopped believing in you, according to Elliot." With that, Laurana got up and rejoined the others in the passenger lounge as Nick went back to the cockpit.

Sitting down, Corbyn turned to Nick. "So, officially three women, now?"

"Nah, Nick's on a streak. It'll be four by the time we reach the Supernova Cannon tomorrow."

"Dank farrik, fuck you both. I'm dreading seeing Saundri as it is, if she's even on Corellia."

"She hadn't left by the time you and I were gifted the Force Shadow. Kinda begged you to take her with us, didn't she?"

Nick's eyes widened comically as he realized Elliot was right. Saundri had indeed begged him and Elliot to take her away from Corellia as well, although she'd never given them a reason as to why. "Shit! You think I'm the half-Zeltron Pyrell mentioned back on Malastare? Maybe I'm emitting some form of pheromone?"

"Oh no, don't even think that, Nick. As much as it would explain your.. Well, your harem, you'd also have Sariana and Keryne pregnant already. Zeltron sperm is considered some of the most potent in the galaxy."

"Yes, and the eggs of a female Zeltron are considered most fertile. You better hope Saundri's been abstinent, as against a Zeltron's nature that is." Corbyn added.

Nick groaned. "Oh, fuck off, the both of you. Just land the fucking ship." Nick got back up and out of the cockpit, muttering curses as he passed the rest of their crew. This found Keryne, Sariana and even Tylesha looking at each other, worried frowns expressed on all three women's faces.

Shortly After, Coronet City, Corellia..

The Force Shadow docked in the main hangar bay of the Corellian spaceport. As the group piled out of the ship, they realized other than getting to Corellia, they had no plan really.

Nick put his arms behind his head and hummed. "Alright. Me, Laurana, my girls and Elliot are all going to the orphanage to check on Saundri. The rest of you, welcome to my second home. People know me around here and my ship, so don't do anything stupid. Corbyn, that means you."

"I'll make sure he stays in check, Nick. Go find your fourth." With a wink and a giggle, Beckha led Corbyn and Keyrinn away from the spaceport towards the marketplace while Nick shook his head as the rest of the young Jedi made their way across the town square to the orphanage nearby.

Entering the orphanage, there was an ear-splitting call of "Nick!" From all the children who remembered him. Laughing as he was sent to the ground in a pile of kids, Nick was approached by an older Corellian matron, affectionately known as Mama Corey. "Well, well. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes. And you brought the rest of your.. Oh my God. Laurana? Tylesha?" The matron exclaimed in shock upon recognizing the two lost girls.

"Heya, Mama Corey. Long time." Laurana said before embracing the older woman in a tight hug.

"You're all so big. How did you find them, Nick?"

"Well.." And Nick recounted the tales of their group's travels and trials since finding out Laurana was alive. "And Tylesha was being used by the Inquisition to clone Force-users, but we got her and her new little sister out of there before blowing the place sky-high."

"My, my, such grand adventures for those still so young. What brings you back to your second home?" Mama Corey asked, frowning a worried look.

"That's the tricky part. Mama, have you been hiding Force-sensitives from the Inquisition?"

The matron took a stunned step back but giggled. "I guess this has been a long time coming, then. Yes, we have been hiding those attuned to the Force. We have been ever since Han Solo himself helped repair the orphanage in the days between the Empire and First Order. It was all he asked, knowing his brother-in-law needed students at the time. Most of these children here currently are Force-sensitive, in fact."

"Ah. Hmm. Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to bring them to our temple to train them. I know you're attached to, well all of us." Nick said with a laugh. "But, the Inquisition has it out for us and any who still can utilize the Force that are otherwise outside of their control. We'd much rather have them safely hidden where my mother can keep an eye on them."

Mama Corey smiled a sad smile but nodded. "Of course. It's good you and Laurana found the truth about your family, Nick. I knew, all this time, but when you and Elliot first left, I found that something in my mind was telling me to keep it a secret all the while. You kids weren't all safe back in the day, it's only natural I entrust these little ones to the only big sibling they ever truly listened to. But, I doubt you all came all this way just to take on some new students?" She asked with a questioning tone. "And who are these two beautiful young ladies?" She then asked, pointing to Sariana and Keryne respectively.

"Oh, right. Mama Corey, these are two of my three girlfriends, Sariana Prinall and Keryne Bridger-Wren. The third is Tylesha, and don't you two start." He said to the two women now wearing angry looks. "You knew it was going to happen."

"Three girlfriends? Nicklas Nekron, you sly dog."

"Hey! Mama, I'm a perfect gentleman. But that isn't the point. Do you know where Saundri is?"

"Mm. About time you figured it out. I'm surprised you didn't take her with you that day. She's still upset about it."

"I figured she would be. Zeltrons hold quite the grudge."

"That they do. However, it is you we're talking about. She isn't that pissed." Mama Corey winked as Nick groaned.

"Ugh, I knew it. Well, we need to find her. Where is she these days?"

"Works down at the club downtown. She says she bartends but Saundri is a Zeltron, so I doubt that's the extent of her work record."

"I have a feeling she's being careful regardless. I'm gonna go get her. And no, girls. I have to get her alone. She's upset with me and fuck if I'm not the one who she needs to see." Nick managed to extract himself from the pile of younger children and teens and went to the door. "I'll be back soon."

As the door shut behind him, Keryne glowered at Tylesha. "You just had to join in the fun?"

Laurana sighed. "Stop, Keryne. It's Nick's choice about this damn harem and you've seen just how much he loves Lesha. Keep it up and you'll be the next one we may have to fight."

Laurana's words indeed calmed the Mandalorian girl, making her pout. "I still think it's not fair. At this rate, Nick will-"

"Have enough to populate a planet. I know, right? Nerf herder gets luckier every week." Elliot crossed his arms in mock jealousy.

Downtown, Twi'lek's Fancy Nightclub..

Nick had just entered the club, and Mama Corey was right to think Saundri wasn't just mixing drinks for the locals. Between the strobing lights and the intense club music, Nick found himself out of his element but not deterred as he walked up to one of the club's more.. Unscrupulous-looking employees. "Excuse me, sir. Any chance there's a Zeltron named Saundri here?"

The boulder of a man smirked at him. "You wanna see the star, you gotta pay the room price."

Nick sighed, deciding against trying to use mind tricks on the man. He held out his credit chip and looked the guy right in the eyes. "Book it for an hour, take thirty percent extra as your tip."

The man smiled, knowing the amount of credits being offered was more than enough for him to have a nice personal day. "You're set. Up the stairs to room six. She'll be up shortly." Nodding his thanks, Nick followed the bouncer's directions and entered a lavish private room.

Sitting down on the luxurious wampa-fur couch, he only needed to wait several moments before Saundri sauntered in. Saundri was just shorter than Nick, with blue-black hair and the same electric purple eyes Keryne possessed. The Zeltron was dressed in a bra and panty combo, golden against her pink skin. This may have been a bad way to go about this. Nick thought as his little lightsaber began tenting the fabric of his pants.

With the room being just dark enough for her not to recognize Nick right away, Saundri smiled mischievously and licked her lips. "Already happy to see me? Asking by name is usually a bigger amount of money than anyone around here can afford. Usually it's luck of the draw."

Nick smirked lightheartedly. "I'm not the average Corellian. In fact, you could say I'm only in town for the night on business that just so happens to include you."

Saundri smiled. "Oh yeah? And do I know such a dashing young man who is so sure of himself?"

"Maybe. Come a bit closer, maybe you'll figure it out." With an intrigued hum, Saundri sashayed her hips as she walked towards the couch, bending down a bit to look at Nick closer while also shamelessly showing off her cleavage.

"You know, you do look kinda familiar. Like a boy I used to crush on as hard as your little buddy is." She giggled as she lightly ran her finger up and down the tent in Nick's pants, making him hiss at the contact.

Nick couldn't keep the charade going, knowing if he didn't reveal himself otherwise, he may not be able to control himself. "Dank farrik. Saundri, it is me. And while I love your touch, this is not the time."

Saundri backed up. "Nick?! What the.. Why are you here?" Despite being upset at the young man for the last couple of years, Saundri still felt the need to cover herself up.

"I came back home. For you and the rest of those Force-sensitive kids back at Mama Corey's."

"For.. But.. No, no no no no no. I moved on! You and Elliot fucking left me here two years ago."

"Yes, we did. And I've only recently realized how badly I screwed up in not taking you. I was worried you were being turned against me by the Inquisition."

"Turned against.. Why would.. You're the band of terrorists the Inquisition news holovids keep talking about. The ones who destroyed that temple on Yavin." Saundri accused, her voice just above a whisper.

"How can you believe any of that bantha fodder when you know me just as well as anyone? Fuck, Saundri, you were almost my first kiss. And I'm pretty sure you want that Nick now just as badly as when we were in our earlier teen years."

Saundri's cheeks darkened slightly, noticeable to Nick instantly. "How do I know you're the same Nick? There's a lot of talk out there about clones. Someone from Azure showed up one night, claimed he watched a clone dark Jedi duel with what he said was stated as their original and the original's allies."

"Yeah.. That is actually true enough. There is in fact an evil Laurana working for the Inquisition, but I found Tylesha, Sauna. She was taken by the Inquisition to become a clone breeder. They had her for fourteen years. I am the only Nicklas Celondia Nekron in this galaxy, and that's how it's going to stay."

Saundri wanted to believe the holder of her heart sitting in front of her, his hand gently reaching out and squeezing her own. "Then tell me something only you would ever know about me. And you know I can tell an outright lie from the truth." She spoke, her voice cracking.

"I'm the only person who's allowed to touch that oh so sensitive birthmark of yours right.. Here." He demonstrated with the press of a single finger to the two-inch wide diamond-shaped patch of red skin positioned directly above the top of Saundri's rounded butt.

The Zeltron let out a shrill cry of absolute pleasure, the touch igniting the very same fire it had the night they had almost kissed. "Dank.. Farrik.. Fuck, Nicky. You had to turn me on like that again? Why?!" She whined, her voice conveying her true feelings of wanting Nick to do it again.

"To prove a point. And because only I would even dare touch you in the spot again after the basement incident three years ago, and only if I did in fact have feelings for you. As you so eloquently told me with that ultimatum."

"Then why didn't you take me with you when you left?"

"I was younger, more scared of the opposite sex than I figure I should have been. These days it seems like I was never at that stage. Will you come back with us? We're going to need you, Sauna. I'll need you."

Saundri bit her lip. "I want to, Nicky, really I do. But how can I after being.. This?" She asked, motioning to herself.

Nicklas' answer was to pull her onto the couch, locking his lips with hers. "I don't hold anything against you. You're only using your more.. Natural talents to keep yourself in a steady stream of credits. I know you feel the pull of the Force, too. You need to come back to our temple and be trained. And safe, with me."

"Do I get you to myself?"

"Some of the time. The others would get pretty jealous if we stole all the time to be with each other."

"Others, huh? Turned out to be quite a stud then, didn't you you scruffy-"

"Don't. Say that line, and I'll run over what time we have remaining here. I want you with us and off Corellia. Immediately. There's something important me and our group have to take care of tomorrow. And we're going towards Geonosis for it."

Although the days of the Separatists were long behind the galaxy at large, Geonosis continued to be a particularly large thorn in the side of both the Inquisition and Opposition forces that tried to control their sector, but eventually a treaty was brokered between the Geonosians and the Inquisition. Saundri knew about the slaving rings that would love to have a top-tier model of a Zeltron in their possession. "Is it really safe to.."

"As long as I know where you are during this mission, you're safe. Our current ship will hide you from anyone looking, beautiful. I promise."

Hearing Nick call her beautiful made Saundri stand up again, slowly. ".. Fine, you win. As if I could really say no to you. How long do I have?"

Nick frowned. "We need to be off Corellia within the next two hours if we're going to get a jump on the Inquisition at Geonosis." Saundri looked at him like he had just attracted a rancor to their position. "They can't be allowed to use that cannon, Sauna. If they do, we all cease to exist."

Saundri was taken back by Nick's declaration, but managed a nod. "Is it another Starkiller?"

"Worse. Imagine that scale of attack being turned onto the star at the center of the Deep Core, and the result creates a black hole that engulfs our entire galaxy." Nick sighed with a soft smile. "But tomorrow, this new cannon is being destroyed, whatever the other consequences."

Saundri could feel the distress in Nick's voice, and could piece together what he might have been hiding in his words. "I'm not just a replacement, am I?"

"Never. Never, Saundri. Replacement sounds disgusting to me and as long as this attack goes according to plan, there won't even be a need for such a despicable term."

Saundri felt a shiver run down her spine, Nick's words resonating with her and inadvertently turning her on. "I don't know why that turns me on, but it's starting to feel unbearable. The last time I felt like this was when I was in heat. That night, three years ago. And I barely had the control to stop then."

"And what? Just having me here is jumpstarting that cycle for you?" A nod while Saundri bit her lip. "It's good that I came to terms about my own feelings for you then. Don't worry about having alone time. The other girls are very gifted with each other in bed. A Zeltron as gorgeous as you will feel much more comfortable in this whole harem situation if we're all in a group."

Saundri smiled and leaned into his ear. "Just make sure I'm the first one of us who winds up pregnant. I think you've owed me that much, leaving me here to act like a whore for two years."

Nick smiled, his pants struggling to continue containing the erection he couldn't help but sport in Saundri's presence. "I can't promise anything about that, but if we don't leave this club right now, I'll make you wish I kept you hanging longer."

Saundri's jaw dropped at the boldness Nick possessed now, but she wouldn't and couldn't complain at how pleased just his words made her feel as she pressed her lips to Nicklas' own briefly before nodding. "Fine. Let's get out of here, stud. I want to feel the power behind those words more than I want to stay at this fucking club."

Nick rubbed circles on her back. "Good, I'll meet you by the back door in fifteen minutes, okay? Gather anything from here you might need, as long as the owners can't trace it and shoot us down when we least expect it."

"I'd never endanger your life, baby."

"Not intentionally, but once we're in the bedroom that will quickly go out the window as your arousal surely takes over the more rational part of your mind. At least, until you can control it enough."

"So sure of yourself, huh? Guess that's okay, with you teaching me."

"Alright, we gotta go. Remember, fifteen minutes at the back door." Nodding, Nick and Saundri both left the private booth.

Not too long after, Nick and Saundri, now dressed in regular traveling clothing, entered the orphanage again, where Laurana came up to her brother. "Good job, Nick. Only a few more before you can populate a desolate world."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you have anything better to do, sis? Like figuring out how we're boosting all these youngsters from here?"

"Already taken care of, dear brother. I spoke to our mother just after you left to find Saundri. Mom's sending an incognito cruiser to meet up with Mama Corey and 'adopt' all the little Jedi running around."

"Wait, what? Are the little ones coming with us too?" Saundri asked when Laurana had walked off.

"Yeah. We need to bring them all to the temple for training. It's a miracle the orphanage even exists after Jarell's purging of all things Force-sensitive."

"Mhm. And who exactly was that? Laurana?" Nick nodded. "And she mentioned your mother.. So you're not really-"

"Technically not, but it's a matter of perspective. She knew me and Laura were alive when our father was murdered, but she figured it would be better to keep us hidden from the Inquisition. It worked, until the day they bombed Coronet and took Laurana and Tylesha."

"So your father was a Jedi, that much seems obvious so what's your mother's role in all this?"

"Within reason? Unlimited funds due to her status as the, uh, matriarch of Bespin."

Saundri gasped. "So Tylesha always calling you a prince had merit?" Nick nodded. "Mm, I did luck out then, falling for you."

"Oh, stop, Sauna. Although, that does remind me. Where are the other three? Laura?" He called out. "Where are the other girls?"

"Outside with the kids in the back lot. Keep their leash tight, big brother. You know how they have been acting with Tylesha." Nick nodded, knowing Sariana and Keryne were both acting oddly compared to their usual antics.

He and Saundri exited the building through a backdoor into a large playground that Nick felt had been much bigger in the past. Saundri was tackled by Tylesha. "Sauna!" She called excitedly hugging the other woman.

"Ty? Gods, you got so big, you're as tall as I am now."

"It's good to see at least you two playing nice. Saria, Keryne, come on. There's no reason to sulk about this. You two agreed."

"Yeah, when it was just three of us in total, not five." Keryne said bitterly, Sariana nodding along with her.

"Come on! Stop this! It may not be how we've been envisioning our future up till now, but you both have to stop acting like I already got you two pregnant and Tylesha and Saundri are considered replacements. No one is replacing any of you. I won't let it come to that." He looked at Sariana as he said it, Keryne opting to look away with a pout.

"Keep talking about it like that and I'll make sure it happens." Keryne replied in Mando'a.

"Are you really that jealous, beloved? Most unbecoming of a technical princess." Nick replied back as Keryne' cheeks reddened.

"I'm the technical empress, not princess. I'm allowed to feel jealous."

"You are, but in this context I'm unsure of even letting you come aboard Supernova. So, stop acting like a jealous brat and suck it up. I love you just as much as I do Sariana, Saundri and Tylesha. There's plenty of me to go around." He spoke reassuringly as he leaned into her ear. "And don't tell me you haven't had the fantasy of seeing yourself and them all swollen with my children, because I know when you're lying when we speak Mando'a."

Saundri giggled behind her hand, understanding everything Nick was saying and even heard the last bit. After Nick and Elliot had left Corellia those few years earlier, Saundri had been upset over the possibility of losing Nick even in her memories. So, in her spare time she had studied the same books Nick had about Mandalore and the Mandalorians, learning the language quickly. But, with how hostile Keryne and Sariana wanted to act around her and Tylesha, Saundri could keep her learned skill a secret a little while longer. That was when she realized something, someone still missing from their old close-knit group. "Hey, where's.. Nevermind."

"Sauna?"

"It's just, I recognize all of us here right now, but there was always one more girl with us, wasn't there? She used to use Nightsister magic, I think, when no one else was looking."

Nick was about to answer, thinking about it as another helper around the orphanage rushed out into the back area, stopping in front of the teens. "The Inquisition! They're here! Thought you ought to know." The man said before fainting, Nick using the Force to make sure he didn't receive any head injuries from the drop to the hard dirt floor.

"Well guys, seems Jarell came after the orphans after all. Elliot, and idea on an ETA for the shuttle from my mom?"

"They saw the Inquisition ships coming this way and should be right behind them. Corbyn and I already have somewhere designated for an emergency evacuation, outside the city near that abandoned mine. What's the plan?"

"You, Keyrinn, Corbyn and Beckha bring them to the rendezvous point."

"What about us? Saundri doesn't have a lightsaber yet, and Tylesha hasn't even seen combat firsthand as of yet." Laurana asked her brother.

"We'll be just fine." Saundri said, pulling a pistol out from behind one of the wall panels of the orphanage, handing another to Tylesha, who scrunched her nose at the weapon. "We'll help cover the boys getting to the ship. But then, what are you three going to do?"

"We're gonna fight off whoever's coming, keep them away from the orphanage. Come on, guys. We have our missions, let's get this done and go take a nice rest for tomorrow."

Saundri frowned before kissing Nick. "You all better come back."

"Come now, Sauna. I just came back for you. I'm not gonna leave you after that. Just stay safe yourselves, you hear?"

"Of course. I'm a Zeltron, anyway, I haven't needed the Force to keep myself alive, you know."

"And that is a story for another time. Now let's go, we need to make sure none of these kids are caught in the crossfire." Nodding, the group dispersed as another battle began to form in the Corellian city.