Chapter 2: Finding a New Path
There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish.
The forest moon of Endor hung silently in space amidst the carnage of the Empire's super weapon. Ajax sat in the cockpit of his ship surveying the scene. What had been a massive space station now formed a half ring of debris around the moon. The place was almost sicken through the force, that much death in one place leaves a scar.
"Rayna get up here you should see this." He called down the passage. She appeared a few moments later and let out a gasp when she saw the destruction of the base.
"All those people. So much death. No wonder." She sat solemnly as Ajax piloted the freighter into the atmosphere. He sped over the canopy searching for a clearing. After a few moments a landing pad emerged from the trees. It looked new but it was built with wood not the duracrete he was used to. It was large enough for his ship even though a Corellian YT-1300 sat on the pad already. Ajax brought his freighter in for a landing just as five men with blasters emerged from the catwalk leading into the canopy. All blasters were trained on the ship.
"When we exit stay behind me." Ajax stated as he stood to disembark from the ship. She quietly followed. Ajax stood as the loading ramp descended, at the bottom stood five men. Four of them wore forest print battle armor the other a pair of captain's pants and a black vest over a white shirt. Ajax took a few steps down the ramp projecting a sense of calm and friendship. The man with the vest spoke first.
"Who are and what do you want?"
"My name is Ajax. I'm hear to talk to Luke Skywalker."
"You're not with the Alliance? How do you know Luke?"
Ajax pulled back his cloak revealing his lightsabers. Then men trained their weapons on him. "I am here in peace. Do not force this to escalate into violence."
"Han! Let him through. He is no danger to me." A blonde man in his early twenties walked onto the platform. He was dressed all in black with a lightsaber hanging on his waist. The five men lowered their blasters and moved aside for Luke.
"Hello friend. I felt you when you entered the system. How can I help you?" Ajax stepped off the loading ramp and clasped hands with Luke.
"I saw you defeat Darth Vader and the Emperor. I came here to warn you. There are people out in the galaxy who still work for the emperor and wield the force with darkness. These people know who you are and wish you harm. I can explain more if you have somewhere private." Luke looked at Han and he nodded his head.
"We can talk in the Falcon, it's the most privacy we will get down here." Luke led Ajax to the YT-1300.
"Rayna stay with these men I'll find you soon." Rayna was caught aback by his statement expecting to be involved. Han took a step toward her.
"Are you hungry? We have some food in the village."
"Go Rayna it'll be fine." Ajax turned and walked up the boarding ramp of The Falcon. Inside Luke sat next to a dejarik table with a serene look about him.
"Now I have a few questions. I already know you are strong in the force, maybe the second strongest I have ever felt. Who are you." His face turned inquisitive.
"My name is Ajax. I was the Hand of the Emperor. Do not judge me on that please. I had no ties to him it is just how I was raised. I have studied the teachings of Sith and Jedi from the holocrons I have found throughout the galaxy."
"Hand of the Emperor? I am not familiar with that rank."
"I was the manifestation of the Emperor's will in the galaxy. He sent where I was needed to fulfill a task. Sometimes I was an assassin sometimes an archaeologist. I held no ties I merely did a job, sometimes a gruesome one but each one taught me something new about the force." Ajax held nothing back. He felt something strong from this man, he had a great destiny ahead of him.
"You're telling the truth, it sounds absurd but it is true. Well, you said who saw me defeat my father."
"He was your father. That is interesting. To answer, the force lives inside me, through me. I often have visions while meditating the force guides my hand in everything. I was unconscious and I watched the events that took place here through the force."
"You are gifted. These people who are going to harm me who are they?"
"Apparently I was not the only Hand as I had been told. The Emperor had many in his employ, all force users. We all had a mental link to him and now that he is gone that link has spread to all of us to a degree. I can sense them, hear some of them, and they are confused and angry and many of them know you brought about the death of their master. They might not know where you are like I did but it was their life to find difficult marks."
"Well that is perplexing. I am still learning but I held off Darth Vader so I am sure I can handle his assassins. You said you may be able to help me?"
"Through my connection to the force and the mental link I share I can find these people. Not just to protect you but to protect the balance of the force. That much unrestrained darkness is bad for the galaxy. The Emperor kept a tight leash on his subjects but without guidance they will run rampant. I meditated on my journey hear and the force guided me on a new path. Quelling the rising darkness in the galaxy." Luke didn't move for a few long seconds. He finally let out a breath.
"I am not about to order you to do this but it isn't a bad plan. I clearly do not understand the force as you do. It seems to me like you don't even need me. Why come here at all?"
"I didn't know where else to go. I was fleeing Imperials." Luke stood, seeming a few years older, and headed for the exit.
"Well you are welcome here as long as you want. Don't mind the locals they are just curious." He walked down the ramp and Ajax trailed behind him. He followed Luke down the catwalk and into a large village of small huts. Soldiers were scattered around the treetop complex. Stormtrooper armor, the spoils of war, littered the area in crude mockeries. Ajax spotted Rayna with a group of injured soldiers silently chanting, using her powers of healing like she had done with him. He approached but stayed on the edge of the area until she had finished. Moments later she stood and bowed to the group. Rayna turned to see Ajax on the edge of the gathering. She smiled and trotted over to him.
"These men fought off hundreds of troopers. Impossible for such a small group, but apparently the locals helped. Creatures called Ewoks. I was able to help some of them with my healing." She paused looking over her new teacher. "I'm sorry how did your meeting go?"
"As expected. We are going to stay the night here. We will plan and leave tomorrow. Enjoy yourself, tonight we are free and safe. This will not happen again any time soon." Rayna nodded and walked away.
The rest of the night proceeded easily. Ajax met with Luke's sister Leia, who had no idea about her true potential with the force. She introduced herself as a leader in the Rebel Alliance. Ajax was familiar with them through security briefings, he had even hunted some of their operatives. She was kind but determined with a powerful demeanor. He also met with Han Solo, the pilot of the ship he and Luke spoke on, and a squad leader in the Alliance. They spoke of the events of the past days and Ajax recounted his journey. As the day turned into night Ajax found himself around a fire with Rayna next to him, Luke to his right, the shaman of the tribe named Logray, and a golden protocol droid called C3-PO who interpreted the conversations to Logray. Luke had been talking about his training under Master Yoda.
"I am not as knowledgeable as he is but I feel I have a firm grasp on the Force."
"I am familiar with Yoda. I was briefed on him early in my career. He is officially listed as deceased but I was told he escaped the purge and was in hiding. I even followed up on a few leads the Empire had gathered that turned out to be false. I looked more into him years ago. He was wise, to lived that long in the force." Ajax held a solemn gaze.
"He told me about the force but we didn't have time to go into any detail. Perhaps you could share some insight?"
"Imagine two stars trapped in each other's gravity well struggling to keep themselves orbiting a central point. Over time one star or the other starts using too much energy it grows in size and disturbs the balanced orbit. In response the other star soon begins to steal energy from the larger one in order to stabilize the orbit, it does this until they are again equal in mass and their orbit settles into balance again. The Force is like those two stars. Constantly striving to achieve balance. When one aspect of it begins to grow to powerful the other side fights back and reigns the balance back in. No one aspect of the Force can be dominant. Good cannot exist without evil. There is no dark without the light."
"That is why there are people like you. To keep the balance?" Rayna spoke up while listening close to her new Teacher.
"The Force moves through me and guides me. I am merely an instrument of its will." Ajax responded humbly.
"How does you deal with dark emotions? Yoda seemed to think they could control you if you gave in to them." Luke asked.
"It's about control. You must control yourself. Your emotions are not who you are. They are a response to stimuli. They can be great allies in times of need use them but do not give in to them. They must be viewed as tools. You must use them for the task or discard them. Ignoring and suppressing them only hinders you." Rayna was staring intently at Ajax soaking in every crumb of knowledge. Luke seemed satisfied.
"I could learn a lot from you."
"That is not how our paths cross. You are destined for greatness, you must carve your own path. I only hope my wisdom can help you." Luke nodded and stood looking very tired.
"I think I head off. It has been a long day. I have much to think about." With that Luke walked away toward a small hut. For the first time the Ewok spoke to the droid. C3-PO nodded and responded to him.
"Logray says that you are a very wise shaman and that you may have his hut for the night to sleep. I would like to add that I have served with many wise leaders in my day and you are among the wisest."
"Tell...Logray that I accept his offer graciously." Ajax bowed to the small creature and stood. Rayna followed suit as Logray showed them the way. The hut was not too small, Ajax only had to bend a little. A sleeping area was arranged against one wall all the others were covered in fetishes and baubles that were no doubt sacred to the Ewoks. Ajax sat in the middle of the hut and crossed his legs. Rayna knelt beside him.
"You take the bed. You haven't had proper sleep in days. Your body needs to recover. I do not mind sleeping in the floor."
"I do not mind Rayna. I am much better. You have had an equally stressful few days. Your entire world has been upended."
"Change is good for the soul. Besides why don't we just share it, no that we are away from the fire it is quite a bit colder. We would be warmer together." He was caught off guard by her response. In one hand he was happy to hear she was taking her transition so well, she could turn out to be a good student. On the other he could not deny the attraction of the idea.
"For warmth. It is rather cold." Ajax crawled to the sleeping mat to be joined by Rayna. They positioned close to one another and Ajax pulled a blanket over them. He could not stop thinking about her being so close. He had been attracted to her from the moment he regained consciousness. She had so readily followed him and asked to learn from him. Ajax laid his arm possessively around her stomach. Rayna responded by scooting closer to him. He retreated into his mind and let sleep take him for the first time in two days.
A planet hung in space. Surrounded by debris from centuries of conflict. A lone ship flew toward the planet. On the planet a human male walked decisively down the street. He was cloaked but walked with authority. He walked through a cantina to a private room. Inside he removed his cloak and sat opposite another human. He placed a lightsaber on the table between them.
"The Emperor is in need of your services."
"I have always been loyal to the Empire my lord. Balmorran Arms is at your service."
"I need lightsabers. I supply the crystals but I need you to make the hilts."
"My lord, I do not know how to build one of these."
"Do not fear, the Emperor provides." The man removed a datapad and placed it on the table. The businessman reviewed the datapad and nodded.
"Balmorran Arms would be happy to serve the Empire in this capacity. When do you need them?" The businessman stood and extended a hand. As the other man stood his overbearing demeanor crumbled and he looked nervous. He turned and look right at Ajax locking eyes with him. He reached out and the lightsaber flew into his hand and ignited with a deep blue blade.
"We are not alone." The man leapt toward Ajax and sliced him in half.
Ajax awoke with a scream. Jolting upright and igniting his silver blade to deflect the attack. Rayna woke and screamed drawing up behind Ajax. He looked around, he was still in the hut on Endor. There was no lightsaber wielding opponent. He was sweating heavily and breathing deep.
"Ajax! What is it? What is wrong?" Rayna lightly touched his back. Ajax spun with his blade realizing the instant before he would connect. He stopped and deactivated his blade, dropping it before Rayna. She looked terrified, her mouth was open in a scream but no sound came out. Ajax wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry Rayna. I saw him, the Force showed me my first target. I think he saw me." She pulled back a bit to look him in the eyes.
"What do you mean he saw you?"
"My vision, it was happening just now. It was like I was there watching events unfold in real time. Then one of the hands sensed my presence, he looked right at me. Most of the time I am simply an observer but this time it was like I was there."
"So where are we going next?" Rayna smiled. Ajax smiled.
"Balmorra."