CHAPTER 5 : Strings of Darkness
Author Note : God I've been extremely busy, I am very sorry for the delay I took to write this chapter. But as always, I'm taking the time to thank you all for your reviews and your support before letting you read the chapter. Enjoy !
During the last three hours, after receiving the news of Rothana's cruel destruction by the Republic forces, the High Council of the Neutral Confederacy, composed by members of each planet's government and other representatives, was called in a urgent meeting on Ord Mantell to decide for the next course of actions. Of course Fett was called, during his way-back from Coruscant, and so instead of landing on Mandalore, to bring hopes of peace, he would have to listen to enraged kings, queens and prime ministers. And all he could think about, inside his personal quarter in the Mandalorian cruiser was : how could everything go so wrong in such short time ? First the Republic's Senate accused Fett's Alliance of encouraging another galactic war, though Chancellor Skywalker firmly refused the grave statement. Then, the Jedi returned in the galaxy to protect the so-hardly earned peace and went to investigate on suspicious worlds, only to find what they feared might come : war. If the entire galaxy would see the Neutral Confederacy fighting against the Republic for their freedom and protection, the holocommunication with Obi-wan Kenobi earlier was enough to bring Boba's old nightmares back again. The Master of the Order had specifically stated that it would be a war between a rising Empire against the galaxy. The Empire. Palpatine's empire. Once again, the shadow of the Sith came upon the universe to ignite chaos, just like it did during the Clone Wars, just like on Mandalore, when Darth Maul killed his father … And Boba was powerless to stop the war's declaration, as the High Council would not take kindly the attack on Rothana. He might be the Neutral Confederacy's leader, he would still have to follow the majority's decision : he was not a dictator, simply the highest representative of a democratic system.
"Almost all of the High Council is waiting for you in the capital," Bo-Katan informed, bursting in the room after nearly hitting the opening doors. "And their anger is beyond what we've imagined."
"Many worlds had in the past voiced their will to fight the Republic," Boba nodded, looking past the window at the large planet. "Some of them still wants reparation for the damages caused by the Clone Wars, other claims territories … Yet we always managed to hold them off, in the name of peace."
"But now we have a martyr," the redhead woman stated, referring to Rothana. "Revenge has always ignited wars, for a purpose of justice, as they all say."
"Don't be naïve, getting justice is getting revenge," Boba recited. "The only difference is that justice is delivered by another person, let's say a more neutral actor. Revenge is selfish and destructive, it is never fair. The council will ask justice too."
"Starting a war to preserve Rothana's honour is far from fair, Boba," she said, almost scolding him like when he was still a teen. "There must be another way."
"I don't have a choice, General Kryze!" Fett yelled in frustration, though he knew he hadn't the right to scream at her. She had never been at fault. "We were set up! If I don't do as the council demands, they'll brand me a traitor, and Mandalore would become an ostage. I cannot do that. I promised your sister Mandalore will never lose its freedome ever again!"
"So sending Mandalore's children to war isn't in contradiction with your promise?"
"How dare you?!"
"How dare you!" Bo-katan took three steps forward, fighting the urge to hit the still young man. "Satine was my sister, and I've been fighting to honour her memory every day of my life. You think you're the only one trapped in this? Then think twice, Boba Fett, because I won't let my son go on the battlefield to keep your seat as the leader of the Confederacy."
Because of the increasing volume of their conversation, both failed to hear the doors opening once again, letting the Mandalorian young padawan Liam Kryze coming in, immediately interposing his smaller body between his mentor and his mother with an obvious use of the Force to gain speed.
"That is exactly what the imperialists want !" He said, pushing them apart. "All of this is part of the plan : they will divide us to conquer us all." He turned to Fett, raising an accusing finger, "you understand this perfectly with the council. Those who want war will eventually regroup themselves against the pacifists, and the enemy will provide weapons. The same situation will be applied in the Republic's rank. And eventually, there will only be warriors and the Empire will rise among the victorious."
"Then what do you propose? Playing their own games and destroy the warriors?" Bo-Katan knew where her son was going to, despite his words against Boba.
"We don't have a choice, yes," he said in defeat.
"You always told me there is always a choice," she quoted him. It had been one of his favourite sentence since his return from Ceresta and the Jedi. "Have you lost your faith in the Force?"
"The war between the Confederacy and the Republic has to be a trick, to help us find the imperialists among us, and Chancellor Skywalker will have to do the same."
"Are you suggesting I have to execute every man or woman voting for war?" Boba laughed in disbelief. "We are not gods, Liam."
"This will be the only difficulty," Liam shook his head in denial. "Because many will support the military campaign to repair Rothana's wealth and honour. The imperial will hide in such group. That's the adequate strategy."
"And in the mean time, thousands will die to gain time for us?" Fett followed quickly. "We can't do that. The people will never forgive us, or the Republic."
"That'd be their plan," Liam's mother added, bringing her hand on her chin. "In every scenario, the whole galaxy would accept the Empire, as a solution to war."
"Not if we stop them before, exposing them as the engineers of the war," Boba nodded, finally accepting Liam's words. "That's Master Kenobi's plan?"
"According to him," the boy paused, "that is the role you have to play. You have to limit any assault, only to defend our worlds, but he understands how difficult it will be now."
"What role does he have for the Jedi then?" Bo-Katan didn't fail to notice her son had excluded himself from the non-Force-sensitive side.
"The darkside of the Force may be at work again," he replied. "Though we cannot be certain the Sith have returned, we cannot let darkside's users take control of this galaxy through the war. The mission of the Jedi is quite simple : destroy the dark group to end the war."
"Neither the Republic's Senate nor the High Council will believe such theory," Fett could already hear the complain of the political members. "They won't let the Jedi interfere, I'm afraid."
"The Jedi Order is free of any affiliation, we work for both sides, but Master Obi-wan told me the galaxy may not see it that way until the end."
"So the Jedi will once again take blame for the war?" Bo-Katan sighed.
"No that's difference with the Clone Wars," Boba answered before the boy, "the galaxy must not learn that Force users started, I don't know how, this war. I'll do everything, with the help of the Chancellor, to make the Jedi appear as saviors."
"You'll play a dangerous game," the redhead woman warned him, refusing to let him be executed for treason. "If you communicate with Skywalker during the war, you'll be ..."
"The end justifies the means, Bo," he interrupted. "And the less you know, the less they'll have against you. You must stay alive no matter what. Liam needs you, and will need you once he'll take my place."
"We still need to discuss about it," the mother recalled. "Do you think Mandalore will let my Jedi son rule?"
Fett stared at the small family in front of him, a gentle yet sorrowful smile marked his face : "You both know the people will ask for their Jedi."
Far from the Inner Core of the galaxy, lightyears away from the territory of the Republic, and at the edge of the Outer Rim stood the forgotten spaces of the ancient Sith Empire. Though the Jedi had repeatedly scouted the area to prevent any rising threat, the planets in those systems were still the more adequate hides for the enemy of the Republic, those with only purpose to rebuild the Galactic Empire. There, Commander Feral Arriss of the Old Guard would meet his true masters on dark, almost lifeless planet, known for its acidic rainfalls and resultant lack of plant life, Vjun. Due to the ominous presence of the darkside, both Supreme Prophet Kadann and Master Vergere's presences were perfectly hidden, giving them the opportunity to command their dark troops and organise the conflict from the Bast Castle, where fifteen years ago, during the Clone Wars, Master Yoda had tried to bring Darth Tyrannus back into the light. As Arriss' shuttle flew through the dark heavy clouds of Vjun's sky, he quickly spotted the immense black fortress build on the edge of a sharp rocky formation, overhanging a large acid lake. The castle, still standing fourteen years after the death of the last Sith Lords, became a symbol of solitude for the young blond man, but it was his true home. He remembered too well, sixteen years ago, how the shuttle transporting the younglings, without master, to the AgriCorps flew through to a magnetic storm, destroying the engines and killing its pilot. Feral and his groups crashed on Vjun after emerging from the space tempest, though Vjun was far from their original location : he always knew the Force had planned it for him. He knew he couldn't be just a farmer, or a medic boy without a Jedi Master. No Ferral Arriss had always been destined for more. After the crash, only three of his comrades out of the fifteen children had survived with him, only to succumb one by one to madness because of the overwhelming presence of the darkside. Their minds were so twisted they started to fight each other to the death, encouraged by the whispers of darkness and their desperation. Only Feral managed to stay alive, after killing the last opponent. But then, loneliness became his word, and he let his mind wandering, slowly dying from hunger as he had solemnly refused to feed on his comrades' bodies. So he laid five days on the ground, under the hullk of the ship to protect himself from the acid rains, reflecting on the Force's plans. During these suffering days, he hold on the only thing he had left : his pain and anger. How much hateful he was toward the Jedi Order for abandoning him … So darkness took hold of his heart, and Feral Arriss welcomed the darkside with opened arms. And it did save him. After five days, something came to him. A small sneaky bird-like creature with slim torso and delicate arms tipped with four-fingered found him, laying between death and life, and brought him back inside the Castle of Bast, where the alien introduced herself as a dark Jedi and started to train him to the arts of darkness. As long as Arriss remembered, this creature, named Vergere, was his real master. And sixteen years later, the young blond Guardian was still fooling Anakin Skywalker into believing he was his greatest ally and close friend.
Escaping his thoughts, he landed the shuttle smoothly inside the opened hangar, where he spotted two Prophets, wrapped in the dark heavy robes, waiting for him, flanked by two perfect, yet darker, replicas of General Grievous, known as the Terror Droids. After unclipping his straps, he rose as he grabbed his black cloak he wore that he prefered over his Guardian's clothes, and headed outside.
"Welcome home Prophet Arriss," the woman with short green hair bowed before him as he came down the boarding ramp. "The masters were expecting you."
"You've done well," the other prophet, a large Zabraack with a brown skin praised.
"Thank you, both of you," the blond man replied with a smile. "It's good to be home." He knew the two of them for a while now : they were one of the most trained prophets in the martial arts among their group. There were two kind of prophets : one focusing on the Force Powers, and its mystery, the other more physically trained for the brutal fight and protection of the group. Only a few like Feral were trained in both way to infiltrate the enemy, within the Old Guard of the Republic. These two were now the trainers of the last category.
After wishing him luck for his meeting, they parted away, and let the two Terror Droids followed the blond man toward his destination, deep inside the castle, in the main Throne Room, seven level below them. That was something that stroke every new member of the Prophets at first : the deeper you go, the more important the level of the fortress was. And as far as Feral remembered, the last level was the darkest place of the entire building, homing the laboratory of the alchemists and their many terrible experiences. Though he had never understood why it would bring any advantage to their side, Feral admitted having empowered creatures under their command was practical. And according to Vergere, the best was still about to come.
Fifteen minutes later, after walking in a true labyrinth of black corridors and taking three long elevators, Arriss stood in front of the large obsidian doors, already sensing the strongest Prophets waiting for him inside. So taking a long breath, he stepped forward, the doors sliding slowly in a yet very loud metallic sound. Just like in his memory, the Throne Room was plunged into darkness, with a large holodevice in the center casting a gentle blue light as Feral recognized the system of Ord Mantell. The twelve High Prophets were present, in a circle around the device, Vergere was standing next to the broken throne, symmetrically opposed to Kadann who immediately raised his head as he watched his strongest spy returning to them.
"Feral !" The dwarf human opened his arms widely, laughing almost fatherly, "it's been far too long. You have done very well. The war is declared!"
"It's been eight months, Supreme Prophet," Feral nodded, stepping in front of the holodevice which showed the war's declaration of the High Council of the Neutral Confederacy. Everything was proceeding as they had foreseen. Even Manda'lore couldn't prevent such conflict. Now, they had to wait for the Senate's answer, but Tarkin had already gained the majority's support.
"You've gone stronger," Vergere noted, bringing a hand on her beak-like mouth as she studied her student with scarlet eyes.
"Skywalker is a better teacher than we've anticipated," he informed, "but he is still as blind as ever. I believe I should bring another Prophet with me to Coruscant."
"There are already twelve Prophets at your side," Kadann recalled, shaking his head in disapproval. "And now with the return of the Jedi, it will become harder to hide your presences. Do not underestimate Kenobi and his friends."
"Speaking of Kenobi," a High Prophets reminded, his voice kept low and his face hidden by his dark red cowl, "you mentioned two sons in your report."
"There are extremely powerful, like Luke Skywalker, though I suspect one of them being even more stronger," Arriss voiced in concern.
"Are they a threat?" the same Prophet asked.
"Not yet," the blonde man reassured, "but they may become a problem."
"Then we must kill them," Kadann stated gravely. "The Kenobi family could doom our entire order, we cannot let this happen. They must be eradicated, along with the Jedi, if we must protect our Empire."
"They won't be easily slained, masters," Arriss recalled. "Obi-wan Kenobi had survived the bombing over Rothana. And he will certainly protect his family. He'll do everything to keep them safe."
"It is then a weakness," Vergere smirked viciously. "He will be easily lured into a trap, and then we can kill them all."
"Obi-wan is not alone, Skywalker and hundreds of Jedi would follow. We are not strong enough to repel the entire Jedi Order," he said. "You always taught me humility, let us not be as arrogant as Sidious was!"
"And yet, he was the strongest Sith that had ever lived," Kadann stated firmly. "And you, my boy, seemed to forget we have enough power to wipe entire planets. What can a Jedi do against such destructive force?"
"It is not finished, Supreme Prophet!" One of the twelve being around the holodevice shot. "We still need time, it must remain secret."
"We, unfortunately, don't have this luxury," the dwarf countered. "One of the Jedi team discovered the slaves on Kashyyyk. They won't last to understand the entire situation. Order Tarkin to add extra protections. Then, we'll lure the Jedi and annihilate them."
"What are your orders for me then?" Arriss bowed before the assemble.
Kadann closed his eyes, and took a long breath, loud enough for Feral to hear it, from his position. From experience, the young blond prophet knew the dwarf was probing the depth of the darkside to ask for guidance. In such time, Kadann's unique view of the Force proved to be quite useful and allowed the Supreme Prophet to establish almost irrefutable facts and prophecies.
"I see a girl," he claimed in a deep, very dark voice. "A Jedi girl with red hair and emerald eyes. Find her, and bring her to me. The Kenobi will follow."
"Are you certain the girl you see isn't your-" Vergere suggested, referring to one of their youngest members of their order.
"No," the Supreme Prophet categorically denied. "The girl we need is a Jedi padawan. She is essential. Do not harm her, Prophet Arriss … She is our bait."
Waiting in the darkness of the boarding compartment of the Cerestan shuttle, Galen Kenobi was pacing back and forth as his anxiety and impatience grew stronger and stronger. His team, composed by his master Ahsoka Tano and General Anakin Skywalker, had finally landed on the infamous Sith world of Byss. How many tales had he heard of the battle of the Two Thousands Swords? The last conflict of the Sith against the Jedi, where the most powerful warriors decided to raise weapons and achieve their destiny. Hundreds died, clones, dark warriors, Jedi … And among them, Galen's biological parents sacrificed their lives to give the victory to their comrades. He knew it all along, as Siri Kenobi, his mother, and Mace Windu had always praised their courage until the very end, during their many conversations in front of the honoring statues of Kento and Mallie Marek in the great gardens of the Jedi City. But here, as he stared at the still closed exit of the ship, he understood he would finally see with his own eyes the story he had imagined. If his father, Obi-wan, had sent him here, Galen quickly figured something would test him on the ground of the dark world, twisting his own desire of knowledge into a manifestation of the dark side. Something was also probably waiting for his master, and Skywalker, though Galen had the courtesy not to ask about it. Byss was a place of great sadness, and deep anger : every Jedi had a history with it to face, so Galen would wait for whatever the Force had decided for them. As a Jedi should do.
"Nervous?" a delicate yet shaky hand suddenly came to rest on his left shoulder.
"What about you Master?" Galen turned, watching Ahsoka trying to hide her worries with an unconvincing smile. "You and Skywalker haven't said a word during the trip."
"I was meditating," Ahsoka gently pinched his chin. "Something you've been unable to do, as usual."
"You weren't," Galen grinned as behind him, the ramp went down, casting a gentle light inside the ship, "and I always meditate more than you do. According to my father, it's a trait you share with your former master."
"Are we ready?" Anakin came out of the cockpit, clipping a lightsaber at his belt, allowing Galen to notice how much his, Anakin's and Ahsoka's had a similar design. "But remember, no matter what, we stick together!"
"Come on Artoo," Ahsoka called, getting outside, followed by Skywalker immediately.
Galen was the last to exit the ship, and his eyes widened as he finally saw for the first time the theater of the last war, fourteen years ago. At last he could stare at the green sky with heavy clouds, at the green-watered lakes at his left, but there was no city in front of him, and there was no citadel. They had landed on wide hill on which the vegetation appeared extremely healthy, not a hint tainted by the overwhelming darkness on the world, but several kilometers ahead stood the ruins of the Sith city. Galen saw the black, shattered, walls composing the first defenses, then, large, yet now low, towers over there, and other buildings which obviously lost their height too during the war, because of the bombing and the aerial raids. But what stroke him the most, was the immense building, laying horizontally on the ground, pierced with huge and tenebrous trees from within. There was no doubt Galen was looking at the remanent of Sidious' citadel, destroyed during the duel with Obi-wan. From there, he could feel the darkside taunting him, trying to reach his heart and obliterate his young mind, and Galen knew, the closer they would go, the harder it'd be to fight it. But they had to go there. Into that dark forest, surrounded by those black pieces of buildings … Into the nightmare.
"Will you two be okay?" the padawan asked, after the complete silence of the others. He perfectly understood how shocking it must be, seeing the obvious frontier of the darkness at the entrance of the ruined city. Last time they were there, they were fighting against thousands troops and two dark lords waiting for them.
"Do you sense anything Artoo?" Skywalker apparently refused to answer, focusing on their mission and trying to ignore the loud and powerful voice of demons he had known to well. He hadn't come to fall again, he was there as a fighter of the light, with a crucial purpose : Obi-wan had sensed unusual activity on this ground, they had to find out.
The blue astromech's radar came out of its dome, and seconds later, Artoo bipped repeatedly something Galen failed to understand. The droid talked too fast, and he wasn't that fluent with the coded language of these droids yet. Satele, his sister, was the expert in such field.
"There are suspicious heat's radiations coming from the east side of the city," Anakin pointed the largest part of the remaining citadel. "We're not alone..."
"Creatures?" Ahsoka demanded, coming next to her friend.
"Maybe," the Chosen One was as ignorant as they were. "But I thought Sidious' presence over this place was enough to cast any life form away."
"Well then, let's go!" Galen passed them, motioning Artoo to follow him forward. The faster they were, the quicker they could go home. And Byss wasn't really a place to be, especially for Jedi.
It took them less than a hour to reach the crumbles of the citadel, after traveling through a thick jungles, made of dead trees and so many long vines coming out of the large branches, and sometimes going deep into the huge craters in which they, more than twice, barely missed to fall into a free-fall to their certain death. But as Anakin led the way, cutting through the vegetation with his blue blade while Ahsoka closed the way, protecting both Artoo and her padawan from behind, they could feel being observed by small creatures, apparently not so disturbed by their presences among them : and Galen found it too suspicious, considering that this city was 'haunted' by Sidious' aura. He could feel such dark power in everything tree he touched, every blade of grass he walked on, or within every reptile's mind watching over there. The adopted son of the Kenobi wasn't even sure if there were actually anything else but reptiles. But before he could check above him as he heard bird-like creatures moving away, he crashed into his master's back, who suddenly had decided to stop without warning.
"We're here," Skywalker informed in a low breath as he turned at them.
Ahsoka stepped on the right to let her padawan have a better view of the rubbles, from which emanated a hot black smoke and a weak red light. Apparently, the underground of the citadel were still used, explaining why Artoo had detected lifeform earlier.
"Do you remember what's down there?" the Togruta Jedi showed the hole on the ground, an entrance inside the complex as they noticed grey stairs reaching a deeper level below them.
"No ..." Anakin replied, shaking his head. "But it should be abandoned."
Ahsoka nodded, and after looking at her padawan, she headed toward the hole, checking every movement she could feel in the Force with Galen behind her, and such working-partnership brought a smile on Skywalker's lips as he watched the two of them ignited their pairs of lightsabers, casting a light through the darkness and jumped down.
Back on Coruscant, Obi-wan Kenobi watched, from the highest level of the Rotunda, thousands of senators going mad, screaming threats and asking the arrest of the treacherous fleet commander who had launched a deliberate attack on the planet Rothana. It felt odd, and a bit revolting as he remembered seeing such scene back when Palpatine had been in power. Hadn't they learned anything? But at least, the Chancellor wasn't fooling them. Quite the contrary, Padmé Skywalker was in fact cornered by her colleagues, despite the support of many pacifist senators. However, against such majority, she had no choice but to obey the will of the Senate, led by Admiral Tarkin, on a floating pod, right in front of her. Though Obi-wan had never appreciated the man, he acknowledged his military's talents and strategies, as well as his ability to perfectly understand the dangers he was facing. So Obi-wan couldn't interfere when Tarkin promised to hunt down the rebellious fleet which had disappeared after the bombing, which the Master of the Order and Luke Skywalker barely escaped. And he couldn't go against his will to defend the Republic's territories against the Neutral Confederacy who had declared war, fifty minutes ago. Still … it felt suspicious that the Admiral, in charge of the most of the navy, ignored the position of his lost fleet.
"Tarkin knows how to speak with them," Ferus Ollin commented behind him. His team had just returned from their mission, so he had rushed at the Jedi Master to make his report. "He is always in a position of power. He knew who Palpatine was, and used it for his own design. Now Padmé will be forced to follow him."
"He had always been very popular in the Senate, he will use this to rise to power" Obi-wan nodded, bringing a hand on his chin, scratching his auburn beard. "And Luke told me that half the Senate had been waiting for an excuse to bring the Neutral Confederacy back into the Republic. By force if necessary."
"Should I spy on him?" The knight dared to ask.
"No," Obi-wan refused, "we cannot interfere that much for the moment. He is the most popular admiral, after all."
"I thought Padmé would have been able to calm those proud old folks," Ferus said after a while, a saddened smile forming on his lips, pulling the scar on his right cheek.
"We can't blame her," Kenobi heard the sympathy in Ferus' voice. "She's been tricked, like the other half of the galaxy. She has no choice but to fight the Confederacy, it's our duty to find the rebels on both side to end the conflict."
"We'll have to make it quick then, or every one will accuse the Jedi," Ferus put his eyes away from the Chancellor, and her two children at her side. "Ceresta can't hold against the entire galaxy."
"Ceresta is still a secret," the older Jedi recalled. "And it is of no interest for the rebels, for the moment. But if they succeed in bringing back the Empire ..."
"They won't," a younger voice promised behind them. Anteres had been watching the Senate's session with a great disappointment, something both his master and his father sensed easily. Though Anteres had never been a naïve boy, he had always held great hopes for the Republic. How many times had he discussed with his family about the day the Jedi would finally be accepted in the whole universe. Not branded as traitor and killers. Of course the Senate would gladly agree with Chancellor Skywalker to let the Jedi investigate freely, but they would still be suspicious in the eyes of many.
"We have to trust the Force," Anteres added. "In time, everything will be revealed, and the rebellion will be stopped."
"Stopping them may not be enough, son," Obi-wan stated. "This is a psychologic conflict where the enemy would present the Empire as the true solution to peace. If they managed to convince the majority, then the Chancellor will have no choice."
"That would be acceptable, if we weren't sensing the darkside behind this plot," the boy replied in a cold voice, a trait he shared with his mother when he was outraged, or disturbed. "I can accept an Empire formed by a democratic vote. Not a dictatorial system led by puppets of darkness."
"The citizens cannot understand the difference," Ollin taught. "The Force is just a metaphysical and ubiquitous entity for them. They do not believe in its power."
"I thought they figured it out with Sidious," Anteres pointed the senators in a despising gesture.
"It was already too late," his father explained. "When I forced Palpatine to show its true nature, the Senate was already begging at his feet. That's why, when I killed him, the Jedi had to run away from the Republic. From Palpatine's Republic."
"An empire in all but name," the son rephrased as he stared at his father. "So what do we do then? Killing the rebels? Aren't we infamous enough?"
"We must lead the two armies toward them," Obi-wan nodded. "While we will take care of the darkside users you and I are sensing, we'll let the galaxy decide its own fate, once again."
"It's the wisest way, padawan," Ferus supported Obi-wan's idea. Going against such strategy would be an error, and Force knew how much he had paid for his mistakes in the past.
"But we'll be caught between two foes!" the apprentice apparently refused to let his comrades die for an uncaring galaxy. "I know we're supposed to protect the galaxy, to fight for the greater good … But they would never recognise how much important the Order is. We won't save our brothers and sisters with their mere apologies. How can I live with that?"
"Anteres …," Obi-wan sighed. He could hear Siri's defiance, when she had been just a padawan. "Selflessness is at the core of a Jedi's life. A Jedi must think about the others' safety before his own. And you, above all of us, must fulfil such duty. You must use your tremendous powers for the galaxy, not for your own desire. Even if your intentions to protect the Order are noble. We have sworn to serve the greater good."
The boy stared at his father for a long minute, and from Ferus' point of view, it felt like his apprentice was, within the flow of the Force, defying Obi-wan.
"You do understand that letting the Republic and the Confederacy destroy each other would be against the will of the Force, Anteres," he decided to step in, before it went too far. It was the first time the boy had ever openly contested the Master of the Order, and Ferus was certain that Obi-wan didn't know what to do. "And if the dark side is rising again, then we must counter it."
"Yes, Master," Anteres bowed his head, realising his words had overstepped his mind. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to let them kill themselves. I know we have to fight, I'm just … afraid for my friends."
Obi-wan smiled tenderly as he came in front of his son, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder, "As I am, my son. Believe me, I wish there was another way. But it is our destiny to fight the darkness, as long as we can. Isn't what she told you, on Mortis?"
The son's eyes widened, "how do you know she ..."
"I'm your father, Anteres," the oldest Kenobi grinned. "And I remembered the touch of such being. She had presented the same offer to me : to stay with her and enjoy peace, or to return to war and fighting the demons of darkness. I had a destiny, a role to fulfil, and so do you. You only need to discover what the Force had designed for you."
"A life of war, apparently," the boy said with sarcasm, as Obi-wan would have.
"Do you have any news of Ahsoka and Galen?" Ferus knew changing the subject would ease the mood of the two Kenobi.
"Unfortunately, no," Obi-wan informed with worries. "Byss is a remote planet, and despite a long trip to reach it, Ahsoka is particularly late."
"Should we ask one of the Defenders to pick them up?" Ollin was now aware that several members of the Council were joining them, bringing the formidable Cerestan starships with them.
"What about Master Hcan and Corran?" Anteres asked too. "Kashyyyk is not that far, what is taking them so long?"
"Master Hcan is on his way back," the Master of the Order precised, "but he has matters we couldn't discuss over a holocom. We are going to meet him above Coruscant, when your mother comes back."
"The Cerestan shuttle's communications are by far the most secure system," Ferus didn't hide his surprise. "Even a Jedi would take more than a day to hack it, we made sure of it."
Obi-wan grinned, "I didn't say Hcan was going back on the shuttle. They have apparently chosen a larger transport : a Star Destroyer that he and Corran found on Kashyyyk."
"I never thought Master Hcan to be megalomaniac," Ferus teased. "But now the Chancellor will have to reveal our presence on Coruscant."
"We could indeed have used the discretion," the auburn Jedi Master nodded gravely. "But if my former apprentice made such move, it was for good reason. And I'm sensing he's not coming back alone."
After having reached the end of the stairs, and walked through a true maze of corridors, Ahsoka finally noticed the path, made of a cold greyish steel, descends down under her feet, despite the extreme lack of lights now, even with the five lightsabers ignited. More importantly, due to the large presence of the darkside of the Force in that labyrinth, the two Jedi and the Guardian were completely blind, relying on primal instincts without the guidance of their mighty ally. So as she felt a warmer air touching her skin, she deduced their direction as she recalled smelling only putrefaction and dust in all of the others sections. There had obviously been some recent activity down there.
"Anakin, Galen!" She called, waving her yellow shoto above her head. "This way!"
"Finally," Anakin passed her first, complaining. "I was really about to describe this place as empty."
Ahsoka grinned, and let her padawan, who placed a small device on the wall, indicating their passage, followed the leader of the Old Guard.
"So Galen," Skywalker talked again, "how is the life with my old master?"
The adoptive son of the Kenobi stared back at his master, "Has he always been so talkative?"
Anakin laughed at that, his blue lightsaber held straight in front of him to enlighten the corridor, "You're definitely Siri's son, Galen." At the praise, the boy smiled proudly.
"I couldn't dream of a better family," the boy said eventually. "Though they have told me everything they knew about my genitors, they love me as their real son, and Anteres and Satele are great brother and sister."
Artoo interrupted the son of the Kenobi with strange long noises, next to Anakin, causing him to stop immediately, while Ahsoka had ordered her padawan to stay put, as she jumped next to the droid, her two ligthsabers raised as a cross protecting her chest : the defensive stance she had been using since her first combat, and which she had taught the boy behind her.
"Artoo says there lots of lifeforms down there, tough I don't understand what he means by 'primitive state'," Skywalker informed out loud. "But they are protected."
The two eldest warrior nodded at each others, heading forward into the dark corridor, but as soon as they took five steps ahead, Anakin heard a discret click above his head as he understood too late he had triggered a trap.
"Look out!" Galen yelled behind, forcepushing the group as well as Artoo to prevent the ceiling to crush them. He also barely escaped the falling large dark block, with a backward summersault, but he was certain every one was perfectly safe. But unfortunately, he had been separated from his master and Skywalker.
"Are you okay, Galen?" Ahsoka asked behind the large wall.
"I'm fine Master," the apprentice reassured, as he tried to pierce the wall with his blue lightsabers … without success. "But I can't continue with you. I'll find another way."
"No, you wait here," she ordered, though Galen nearly believed she was panicking. "We'll lift this up."
"We can't Ahsoka," Anakin knew, however, that the boy was right. They had to stop whatever was going on. Besides, if this way was a dead end, they would never regroup with Galen on the other side : they had to find another way out.
"Go Master, please. I'll be fine, you taught me well," Galen grinned in his mind as he communicated with her. "Trust me, trust the Force."
"You sound too much like your father!"
"Then nothing can happen to me..."
"Alright," Ahsoka finally said to Anakin, "I know he'll find us. Let's go."
The Chosen One smiled at her former apprentice, appreciating the trust she was putting into her padawan, just like he did so many years ago. It was how a mastership should be working : the master had to teach everything he knew, but in return had to learn to trust his apprentice to carry on his duty faithfully. A task Anakin was still having difficulties to accomplish when it came to his children. But as long as he knew them safe, he could remain focused on his mission in such dark place.
So continuing down the road, with Artoo behind them, they followed the sensation of heat coming from their current destination, now with a greater attention to any trap on the ground. It didn't take them long enough to reach a much larger room, filled with broken and shattered black pillars on the ground, that once supported the stoned dome above their heads. But none of them two took noticed of such crumbles, as they had approached the wide hole, right in the middle of the antichamber, from where they could hear mechanical sound, far too harmonious for a building in ruins. These machines, down there, were placed not so long ago, confirming Artoo's diagnostic about presences. Somebody had used the darkness of the planet to hide himself in the shadow, away from the eyes of the Republic and the Jedi.
Nodding at Ahsoka, Anakin immediately jumped and landed smoothly, fifteen meters below, without a sound, followed by the Togruta Jedi Knight. With an incredible stealth, they came behind a large black wall to inspect the circular room, enlightened by the red lights they had been following. And the feeling of danger had now reach its paroxysm, as fear threatened to control their body and mind, but they held on, using the Force to let go of such terrible emotion.
"I sense at least seven lifeforms," Ahsoka whispered behind him, trying to catch sight of these beings, "but I'm not sure. They are extremely weak."
"Yeah," the Chosen One nodded, "it feel like … embryos." He rose after he was certain there was no real threat around them, "come on."
They walked towards the faint presences of the Force, passing through the corridor behind the wall against they were shielding, and arrived in a completely destroyed, yet used recently, laboratory, with weak red lights above their heads, showing the path to a platform, in the certain of the room where seven vat were standing, powered by large cables linked to something looking like the container of a sith holocron.
"What's this?" Ahsoka voiced out loud as she stopped in front of one, narrowing her eyes to see past the large bubles in the red liquid.
"I don't know," Anakin replied, as he had gone to the container, realising, as he touched it, that it was indeed filled with a great darkness. One he hadn't felt since the death of the Sith. "This device is warm. The scientists, or whatever they are, must be closed."
"There is a corpse inside !" Ahsoka immediately yelled in horror, taking three steps back. She had seen an alien, very small body, inside the tub, motionless and covered by cables everywhere.
Anakin had in a blink joined his former padawan, checking about that mysterious body that he could see too, in the middle of the large bubbles. He then went to the six others vats, and after swearing several Huttese words, he returned next to Ahsoka, taking her face in his hands to comfort her.
"They are all the same," he told her. "They are clones."
"Like on Kamino?" the Togruta frowned. But it made senses, as she knew Padmé had drastically slowed down the production of the clones of Kamino. An enemy could decide to grow his own army with the same techniques. But the cloning process had always been kept secret!
"I'm not sure, the clones on Kamino looked more alive than these ..."
"That is correct General Skywalker," a robotic voice informed darkly with a chuckled, emanating from the shadow in the rooftop of the lab. "This is a different technique."
"Show yourself," Ahsoka ignited both of her lightsabers, stepping forward to protect Anakin who also grabbed his weapon.
"You've quite grown up, Commander Tano," the voice said with the same dangerous tone. "I hope you'll be a stronger opponent than last time."
"Last time?" Anakin repeated in his mind. "Come down you coward."
Suddenly, a very loud metallic sound echoed in front of them, both the Force users understood the threat had landed on the ground, hidden in the shadow, followed by the sounds of foot steps, metallic foot steps once again, coming toward them.
Five seconds later, the red lights casted enough luminosity on a tall yet slim droid, with a black cloak on his shoulders reaching down his feet, and revealed a mask the two beings had tried to forget.
"How is this possible ?" Anakin choked, rising his blue blade. "You were destroyed!"
"I cannot be destroyed," the droid mocked, "until I get my revenge."
"Yet Obi-wan sent you to hell for fourteen long years, Grievous,"Ahsoka replied with sarcasm. "Allow me to show you what he taught me."
But out of the blue, another droid fell down, right next to the first General Grievous, and stared at them with all his height. "We'll be delighted, I'm sure. But we're not Grievous."
Only then, Anakin noticed how much darker the copies of Grievous were than the original, and these two had no organic parts in their bodies. He had been too shocked to examine his opponent, and had failed to see the red, robotic eyes, though they had the same design that Grievous' reptilian eyes.
"Grievous was much more than a droid," Anakin was ready to fight, and to bring back these things to the Senate. "That's why he was so powerful. You pale in compare."
The droids chuckled together and igniting eight red blades, raising two hands in the air like a giant spider, two others kept low, ready to pierce through the heads of their foes. And with a powerful extension of their hydraulic claws, they launched themselves at the Jedi and the Guardian, striking with all their strength as blue, yellow, green and red lightsabers clashed each other. All blades whirled in the sound of death with every blow threatening to cut a limb or pierce a muscle, but Ahsoka and Anakin had the Force as ally, protecting and guiding them during the fight. Skywalker had to admit, the droid knew every move of the previous Grievous, with its computer quick enough to calculate every angle of attack, then switch a fighting style to surprise the opponent. It was a formidable machine of death, design to kill Jedi. And if there were already two droids, how many were built, and by who?
Dodging a slash aiming for his torso, the Guardian violently Forcepushed the killing machine into a wall, to help his former padawan taking the other droid down. As he blocked one of the red blades, Anakin watched with great proud Ahsoka parrying every blow with her lightsabers, and using the distraction caused by Skywaler, she jumped above the droid's head, severing it with a neat and precise cut. But the machine was still on his feet, and stroke Anakin's head with one of his four forearms, stunning him long enough to break his defence : four blades were now piercing through the air to burn the heart of the man. However, the Togruta had quickly slid between the droids' legs, cutting them with her lightsabers, and as she blocked the red swords with her small yellow shoto, she sent the foe flying, with a strong burst of the Force, into the other one, which was charging at them. Both of the droids crashed in a loud sound, but quickly recovered, tough one of them was now walking on his hands, casting two lightsabers away.
"Thank you Ahso-" Anakin started but the droids were already back into the fight, forcing the human and the Togruta to focus again.
Naturally, from the battles the duo had experienced, they pushed the attack against the headless and legless droid together, without a word, trying to separate the droids in order to eliminate at least one of them. But the task was far more difficult, as the other intact droid keep attacking Anakin, who was definding himself with only one blade. And then, this formidable machine made a somersault right in the middle of the Jedi and the Guardian, grabbing both of their heads with his claw feet and threw them crashing of the red vat, breaking the glass in a terrible sound.
Rising with difficult as she was soaked by the slimy liquid from the vat, Ahsoka checked on her friend before igniting her blades again, ready to fight. "Are you ok, Skyguy?"
Anakin, almost slipping on the floor, grinned with all his teeth, "Only a broken rib, maybe two. But I'll survive."
"They are stronger than Grievous."
"I agree," Skywalker brought his blade above his head, taking the position of Soresu for defense. "It's too bad your padawan isn't here. We could use an extra pair of blades."
Taking another corridor on the left, Galen noticed one of his device, blinking on the wall, indicating that he had already taken that path : he waw turning in circle. Raising one of his blue lightsabers over his head, the Kenobi's son stared through the darkness, sighing in defeat. It was now more than an hour since he had been separated from his master, and he didn't find any path to join her … And if it wasn't enough, the overwhelming darkside's presence in those walls prevented him to sense his surrounding or to determine a destination. In one word, he was blind.
"Master?" Galen tried, for the eleventh time to reach for Jedi Knight Tano through their bond. But nothing came back, not a word, not a though, not a feeling from fer.
"A Jedi knows patience," the padawan quoted Master Yoda, "A Jedi knows patience … I think I've been patient enough !" He was growing frustrated, and he had absolutely no idea how things were going for Skywalker and Ahsoka. "And of course, I end up without Artoo … For Force's sake, what have I done today?"
Knowing that yelling at nothing wouldn't do any good, the boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to reach for the Force despite the utter darkness cloaking him. At least he could feel himself, that was a good start, but how could he find something he couldn't feel? Wishing himself good luck and ran kilometers into that dark maze before finding someone, or something? And Force, how many trap had he already barely avoided?
"What would Satele do in such situation?" He asked himself, remembering that her sister was the luckiest padawan of the Order, always finding her way back home against the odds. "Always turn the same direction? That's ridiculous … Oh wait, I know!"
Inhaling loudly, Galen arched his back backward, using the Force to gather energy inside his body and then, let it all out in a roar, something powerful and grave, right in front of him. The sound immediately echoed back at him, with so much strength that he fell on his back.
"Alright," he rose, a little bit annoyed by his own ruse. "Echo is too powerful, it's a dead end ..."
He repeated the same action two times until he realised, the corridor at his right appeared extremely long, as he never heard his own voice, amplified by the Force, coming back in his ears. He had no other choice but to follow that path, as the others corridors were only connecting each other. Only this one seemed built longer, and after a few minutes walking there, Galen felt the temperature warming up, which can only a good sign : there had been activity in this direction alone. But something did bother him, as he also realised the darkness, felt too easily before, was now growing weaker and weaker, though he was certain it was the right path. Could he have found a source of light in such world? Shaking his head to keep sane, Galen continue to travel in the long, dark, corridor which lead him deeper and deeper in the ground as he felt the floor leaning under his feet.
Finally he found a large opening in front of him, where he easily sensed the difference of temperature on his skin, went forward and entered a very wide spherical room, with dozens of ruins everywhere of what seems to be a reactor, or a huge cannon, he wasn't sure. As he walk through the crumbles, Galen noticed the large amount of black dust on the floor, and judging the states of the metal everywhere, he understood a massive explosion caused all of this. Raising both his blades to cast a greater light around him, the boy figured he was in a reactor room, with large cables hanging from the rooftop, severed from the immense metallic mass in the center. Jumping of what he supposed stayed of the reactor, he quickly analyzed it, and understood its explosions had surely caused the destruction of the whole complex, from the roof to the ground, filled with holes leading to places he ignored. But most of all, he was certain he had found the center of the ruins his team had discovered. So one of this holes in the walls or floor lead to his Master. He only had to find which one of them.
So he started to move around, trying to feel anything from the holes he passed, but realised that he only presence he could feel was his own, though much more powerful than usual, preventing him to choose correctly the path toward Skywalker and Ahsoka. But suddenly, he felt something in the Force, a disturbance he had never faced, coming extremely close to him though he felt no ill-feeling from it.
"From them", he corrected in his mind, as he sensed two presences, forcing him to ready himself for battle, his blades held backward in his hands.
"Who's there?" He asked, using the Force to speak louder and stronger than usual. It could be some kind of creature, so using his simple voice could force it to flee.
"You don't have to be afraid," a feminine, gentle voice sang in the reactor room, as Galen felt its source almost flying around him. "We are here to help you."
Galen remained perplex, but put his lightsaber back on his belt. He could still defend himself with the Force if he had too. "Where are you?"
"Why have you come here, to such dark place?" This time, another voice, one of a man, asked. Though the voice was much stronger, the padawan was certain the question was not made as a threat, but more like a desperate warning.
"I am a Jedi," he said placing a hand on his heart, "I'm here to discover what terrible secrets our enemy may have used from this place. I must stop them."
"We know what you are, Galen Kenobi," the female said, as if she was smiling at him. "But this place is far too dangerous. You must leave immediately."
"I'm not going anywhere without my Master and Skywalker," the padawan warned. "You won't persuade me otherwise."
"He is as stupid as you are," the male voice laughed kindly.
"I believe the word is 'courageous', my dear husband. Cou-ra-geous" the other voice teased. "But yes he is."
Galen had never been so confused, as something told him he knew these voices. Somehow, they sounded very familiar, and despite being on a Sith world, he felt at peace and quite safe. What the Force was doing to him? "Show yourself!"
Then, right in front of him, the air started to shift, and after a few seconds Galen could notice two forms vibrating until they became perfectly clear : there, appeared a couple of human's spirits, a man and a woman with a tender smile on their lips. The boy studied them carefully, staring at their faces and their typical Jedi clothes with a lightsaber on their belt … He knew he had seen them somewhere, a very long time ago, but his memory was failing him.
"Hello my son," the woman said, transparent tears rolling on her cheeks.
"Mom?" Galen realised how dumb he appeared right now, but … how was this possible? They died fifteen years ago, their bodies destroyed in a huge explosion- and soon everything became clear. They died right here. It was their tomb, where they asked Siri to take care of him, to love him as her own son.
"Yes, we are your parents, Galen," his spirit father replied. "We are Kento and Mallie Marek."
Of course the padawan knew : there were two statues of them in the gardens of the Jedi city, but still, seeing them in flesh, though not exactly, was enough to shock him to his very core. How much he had dreamt to see their lips moving, their eyes staring at him with pure joy and pride. He couldn't help it, soon tears formed in his eyes, but he didn't care. They wouldn't blame him.
"I-I know," he said with a joyful smile. "Siri and Obi-wan told me everything about you two."
"We've been with you all the time," Mallie nodded as she came in front of him, laying a spiritual hand on his shoulder. "I am so proud of you, my son. You've become a far greater Jedi than we've ever been."
Galen blushed at the praise, "I have a wonderful master, and my family-"
"We know you love them as much as they love you, don't be ashamed," his father grinned, joining the two of them. "I'm sorry we couldn't be here for you."
"I never held it against you," the son wanted to say it out loud, he never blamed them. "You died as true Jedi, and you helped achieve victory against Sidious. I am proud to be your son."
Luckily for Kento Marek, as a spirit, his son could see his eyes getting wet after such words. They had find peace in death, but hearing the honor Galen felt being their son was enough to wash away any regrets they had.
"Will you thank Siri for us?" Mallie asked gently. "She did a wonderful job and I know she still believes she could have prevent our death, despite what Obi-wan tells her. Tell them how much grateful we are. Your mother is a great woman."
"But you can't stay here," Kento grew serious, sensing that they hadn't much time with Galen, so he pointed a hole at his left, showing him a path to follow. "Go find your master, you must return to Coruscant immediately. Your galaxy is no longer safe, and you will face many trials. I wish we could be there for you, supporting and comforting you, but we trust you."
"Yes," Mallie smiled tenderly at her son, "We will always be proud of you. We will always love you."
"I love you too," Galen watched the bodies of his parents slowly disappearing. "I won't fail you, you'll never be disappointed, I promise."
"We know, son," Kento beamed, "until then, stay safe. We'll wait for you, always."
And then, as slowly as their spiritual bodies had formed before Galen's eyes, the two dead parents casted one last tender smile to their son while they faded away. A certain amount of sadness immediately took hold of the padawan's heart, knowing that he would never see them again until he died, but soon to be replaced by pride and felt honored to meet such strong warriors. He whispered in the empty reactor room a promise. A promise that he would always live up to their pride, he would become the greatest Jedi and protect his family, just like Kento and Mallie Marek did fifteen years ago. There would be no vain sacrifice, and he would use all of his powers to save this galaxy from its uncertain and terrific fate.
Anakin couldn't believe the fight was still going on. They had managed to destroy the once headless droid in many pieces, but the other one was yet to be neutralised, as he stood dangerously like a wild animal, his four arms as claws holding red burning blades screaming for blood. For their blood. During the battle, Skywalker's fears were indeed confirmed concerning this darker copy of the dead General Grievous, which had been greatly improved : he had seen moves only Obi-wan and Palpatine were able to do during their fight in the Senate, or some of Master Windu and Siri. It could only meant one thing : the one who had build this machines, was present that day, and managed to steal Grievous' body after the battle of Utapau. So that creator was hiding within the Republic, or was controlling someone in. He had to speak with Obi-wan and Padmé about it, and to bring proof for the Senate, which only could engage an investigation. It was a tiresome protocol, but necessary as Anakin kept reminding that the Old Guard was a servant of the Senate. They were not as independent as the Jedi Order, though in the Clone Wars, it was this independence that caused the defeat.
"If we continued, it will exhaust us and we'll lose !" Ahsoka yelled at him, blocking two red blades coming at her.
"I know," Anakin tightened his jaw in frustration as he kept attacking the droid.
"You have no chance of winning," the droid taunted with a snigger, "we were designed to destroy Obi-wan Kenobi."
"Yeah," the Togruta laughed with mockery. "Good luck with that, you aren't even close."
"Our fight is recorded, Jedi," the machine replied, "and we'll get improvement from this experience."
"We won't let you go," Anakin slashed violently at its leg, but found another red lightsaber against his own weapon.
"It doesn't matter," it said. "We are legion. You cannot defeat our arm-"
But before the droid could even finish his sentence, two blue blades emerged from the shadow, piercing right through the metallic torso, and a mere second later, they separated horizontally the body in three parts, which all felt on the ground in a terrible sound and with the smell of burning steel. And as soon as the droid fell down, a smaller figure, with a grey hood on his face appeared, holding two blue lightsabers backward.
"Galen !" Ahsoka rushed at his side and hugged him. Obviously Galen would blush, as always as she stepped to close to his 'private space', as he said, but she didn't care. She had felt her strength fading and didn't know for sure if she would have survive any more minutes during the fight.
"Master, it's alright, it's me," Galen blushed indeed, as he tapped her back. "Sorry I'm late."
"No kid," Skywalker grinned in relief, thanking the Force for sending that boy to themn as he felt on the ground, exhausted. "You're just in time."
"I see you were busy," the Kenobi boy stated, looking at the mess around them as his Master let him go. "You really are a troublemaker General Skywalker."
"Please call me Anakin," the Chosen One smiled, understanding that the younglings of the new Jedi Order had heard many of his … adventures. "But these things were protecting that lab."
"What for?" the padawan asked.
"Keeping their cloning process secret, we suppose," Ahsoka replied. "Frankly I don't know what worries me more, the strange clones or these machines ..."
Anakin nodded, rose and used the Force to pick the head of the droid Galen sliced in three, "I hope we'll be able to pull information from their computers."
"I highly doubt we will," Ahsoka bit her lips in frustration. "Our enemy wouldn't let us find him, or about his plan. I'm sure the computer has already frozen, when we disabled these things."
"Artoo !" Anakin called, searching for his old friend, who had hiding himself in the dark. Revealing himself with a few reassured sounds, the astromech came in the middle of the three persons. "Have you recorded the battle?" Artoo bipped in affirmative. "Good, at least we have this."
"Will it be enough for the Senate?" Galen knew how much stubborn these democrats could be.
"I hope so," Skywalker nodded slowly, "though they may denied everything, by stating these droids were build by the Neutral Confederacy."
"Then we'll have to show it to the Confederacy's Council too," Ahsoka affirmed. "They will listen to me, or Obi-wan."
"Are you sure?" Anakin wasn't convinced. "They could easily declare the Republic as the builder."
"And that's probably what is going to happen," Galen laughed in defeat. "I can understand why Dad dislikes the politician."
"I know," Ahsoka bowed her head in defeat, but after a heavy silence, stared at her padawan, "what happened to you? With such presence of the darkside, we couldn't detect you, then all of the sudden, you were shining as bright as your brother."
"I met my parents," Galen smiled with all his teeth, like a child winning a competition, proudly holding the trophy over his head. "This place is a real maze, but they guided me toward you two."
"You met Kento and Mallie?" Ahsoka's eyes widened. She had heard Obi-wan and Yoda speaking about Force ghosts, or apparitions of dead Jedi, but this was new. The Force had allowed a child to reunite with his parents for one last time. "How?"
"Well love can do miracles with the Force," Anakin informed tenderly, "they must be very proud of you." But as he laid his hand on Galen's shoulder, he couldn't help but feel extremely guilty. After all, were the Marek dead because of his foolishness? These two Jedi were part of his long list of murders, with dozens and dozens of Senators he killed, as well as Master Plo Koon who he personally destroyed, or any other Jedi who had fallen on Byss.
"Don't blame yourself," Kenobi stated, staring into the Chosen One's eyes. "I know the whole story, I've never held it against you. Sidious was the real killer of my parents, but they died as heroes. I'm proud to be their son, as they are proud of me."
"The Force must have prepared you a great destiny, Galen," Ahsoka announced, her heart beaming with pride and joy. "Even in the darkest place of the universe, it gives you the greatest gift of your life, to assure your mission as a Jedi."
"And I'll hold to your expectations Master," he replied solemnly, "I promise."
"Oh that I am sure," Ahsoka added, almost as pained, "Very sure."
Author Note : And this is the end for Byss ! This chapter was rather longer than the previous, but it's only my way to compensate the great time it took me to write and upload it. Unfortunately I'm still busy for two more weeks, but then, I hope inspiration will be back, and all of my free time would be dedicated to this fiction.
Next time : The Jedi Order will be informed of all the suden threats, and will try to find the missing Wookiees!
But as always, in the mean time, may the Force be with you !