I got up from the bed rubbing my eyes and yawning. I didn't get any sleep at all. I had been laying motionless on the bed, staring at the ceiling for what felt like countless hours. How could I sleep that night knowing Karus died yesterday and his own ghost came back to talk to me about a difficult trick in the Force. I'm so tired, but I have to remain awake and focused. Without Karus, the Rebel Alliance may be struggling just to stay in order. As I put my hands on my back to stretch my spine, Rakine opened the door of my room and motioned me to join him in the hallway.

"We have much to discuss Ven," he rubbed his head as I left my room and we walked down the hallway. "I still wonder, how were you able do it? How did you take out my rival Inquisitor, Sot-Kolok so fast? We've been at each other for a long time and then you showed up. Tore him apart."

"I think his weakness was the lightwhip. I pulled him back down before he could heal and-" I cleared my throat, "-I mercilessly took his life from him."

"Should've thought of that sooner," he chuckled sarcastically.

"But you're trained in both aspects of the Force. How did he beat you all this time?"

"We were formidable foes, me and him. But back on Kommaden, it felt like he overpowered me. After I watched Karus die, I felt like, I was getting somewhat weaker to him. I don't know what came over me back there but I wasn't my usual self." He rubbed his left forearm. "I'm normally much more powerful and aggressive in combat than I was back there."

"Point proven," I lowered my head and banged my metal knuckles to my head where the cybernetic antler-sabers replaced my natural Zan-Deer antlers. We chuckled.

"I think what really did made me weaker, I had neglected my knowledge of the Force. I was trained in both Light and Dark yet I didn't use them to my advantage. I guess I was only thinking of swinging my blade at him."

"Then, whenever the next time you're in combat, Rakine, remember to go all out. Use the best of your Force knowledge. Use what you can to guarantee your success. Prove to yourself, prove to me, that you are still as powerful as before."

He nodded.

"I can't help but wonder," he looked at me as we walked, "who are you? I know you prefer not to dwell on your past but I wish to know-"

I looked to him dumbfounded.

"-you may have transformed into a might Sith Lord, but is there even the slightest hint that Eyt, the Zan-Deer warrior of Zant, is still alive within you?"

I nodded before quietly muttering.

"Yes. He is still in me. My past is a haze, but he still lives on within me."

He nodded.

"Good. Then you are not fully lost to the Dark Side forever."

"What do you mean?"

"When you killed Sorin back on Hoth, you had me kinda convinced that Eyt was gone, and Darth Venison had complete control over you now."

"You seem to forget, Rakine. Both Eyt and Venison are the same both within me. All together, they are one and the same. I'm sill the Zan-Deer you trained on Coruscant and Naboo. I'm just-"

"Different." He shook his head. "If you had to pick at least one of the two forms you've taken-"

"Lord Venison is my permanent physical form now." I pulled up my cybernetic limbs and tapped my metallic antler-sabers. "But like Eyt, he is another part of me, my character and who I am. Now both Venison and Eyt, they both now live within me, constantly reliving my fateful past." I lowered one arm and held my metallic hand close to me, examining the three metal claws that replaced my thumb and two fingers. "But as long as I live, I still leave a choice."

"A choice?" He stared curiously.

I nodded slowly.

"This is about your past is it?"

"I know I've been trying to ignore it, to deny what I've done in the past. Killing my old chief, leaving my village in panic and let them all be slaughtered." I start to grow anger towards myself. "Everything horrible that happened, is all because of me."

"Don't say that." He shook his head. "Don't put this on yourself." He began lecturing me with his wisdom. "You were consumed by anger, you didn't know better. That is all. But remember that now, each choice you make will alter your future. If you wish to help the Rebel Alliance's cause here, or if you went back to Ikana now to be with Rooda. That's up to you. I hate to say it, but even I don't know the consequences of certain choices and action." He sighed. "I still remember my past. When Karus and I used to train in the Jedi Temple. I feel so sorry for what happened to him on Kommaden and how he's gone now. I just can't stop thinking about how he used to be a Padawan, and he switched to a blaster and a pilot helmet." He chuckled and shook his head. "In all my time watching the Jedi training and training myself, Karus was probably the worst Padawan I've seen. He was a mess with a lightsaber. He wasn't even good a training one. I felt bad for the guy, so I started to help him, and we later trained together." He looked at the floor disappointed. "Seeing how even with our training and Order 66 and all that other junk, he still never grew to be a strong Jedi. He wasn't good with weapons, but with the Force- I don't even know if he had any skill in the Force."

"He did. He appeared in my room as a Force ghost, and gave me a lot of advice."

"A Force ghost?" He turned to me surprised. "So he was better with the Force than a lightsaber? Why didn't he ever tell me these things?"

I shrugged.

"He told me of a Force power that even the best Jedi can never master. A power to trick your midi-chlorians, to levitate and fly in the air." I shrugged my shoulders.

"You're not going to try this are you?"

I shook my head.

"If the great Jedi Masters of the past couldn't master it, what chance do I have?" I looked at him. "Though you have a lot more training in the Force, both Light and Dark aspects. Maybe you have a better chance to try it."

He chuckled and shook his head slowly.

"It's not that easy, Ven. I know far more in the Force than you, there's no denying it-"

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't deny it. He was right.

"Why could an apparition of Karus manifest into my room to tell me this trick if we're not going to at least practice, eh? It doesn't make any sense does it?"

"No it doesn't." Rakine shrugged. "Then again, nothing I've gone through in the past has ever made sense. Nothing that had to do with Karus ever made sense. He knew some things, and he never bothered to tell me some of them." He rubbed his head, "I think he had much knowledge of the Force and was just bad at training. So when there were some things he knew and I didn't, he tried to hide it from me so I couldn't become even more powerful in the Force?"

"I think it's safe to say that. He was an awfully quiet character." Now I am thinking of all the trouble Karus got into since I met him. Both captured and killed. "How did Karus, a former Jedi, Rebel Captain, get captured and separated from the group while we were on that Star Destroyer?"

Rakine shrugged.

"Come to think of it, why couldn't we feel him with the Force? When I went back to rescue him, I never felt any tremor that might lead me to him. Unless Vader and Sidious' presence were so strong, they've disrupted the Force?"

"Well, he learned the Force," Rakine looked down to the floor, "he just never used it. Not even I know why."

"There are so many things he could have explained to us, but instead he kept it all a secret." He looked up and turned to me again. "You said he manifested in your room as a spirit?"

I nodded.

"That's when he told me of the Force technique, levitation. How it was an incredibly difficult trick to master, and how even the greats failed at it." I thought silently, thinking about why he came to tell me this. "I still think he wants us to learn it and to try to use it."

Rakine nodded slowly as we walked into the main council chamber. Mon Mothma and Rulus Knil-Wean turned to us and welcomed us.

"Rakine, we have news for you. After the passing of Karus, we have been looking for a new Rebel to take his place. And we think we have found the right man for the job."

"You want me to take Karus' place? To become Rebel Captain?"

Rulus nodded.

"We don't know what it was, but we had agreed to promote you to Captain, to take Karus' old place. We were debating over it last night and suddenly, we came to an agreement."

I silently stood there, managing a slight grin. I knew my mind trick had worked, and Rakine was going to become Captain thanks to my choice to trick Mon Mothma and Rulus.

"Will you take the position and become a Captain o the Rebel Alliance?"

Rakine nodded.

"I'll do it."

I looked around the large chamber and the Rebels started to applaud and cheer for Rakine. Mon Mothma walked to a table and pulled off Karus' old Rebel pilot helmet.

"This was Karus' helmet. If you are to become Captain, you must have knowledge of how to fly spacecraft."

"I do. Lord Venison has seen me fly his ship across the galaxy many times. And even with my own ship, I've escaped the Empire many times. I've flown through the asteroid fields of Geonosis without any trouble. I've been in many intergalactic chases. Trust me, I know how to fly spacecraft."

She gave him a somewhat stern face, noticing his slight arrogance, then nodded, giving him Karus' helmet.

"That's just the proof we need. Take this and you will become Captain."

Rakine took the helmet and slowly placed it on his head. The rebels applauded and shouted in joy as Rakine got promoted. He looked at all the rebels and some of the pilots walked up to him giving him many pats on the back. That chuckle and make him feel welcome among them. He turns back to me.

"What about you, Ven?"

"Don't worry about me. You're Rebel Captain now. Plus I'm not a fan of all the attention."

I watched as the rebels crowded Rakine and continued to cheer excitedly. I felt a sudden vibration in the Force and walked out of the room, to see a brief manifestation of Karus.

"Rakine seems happy." He chuckled.

"Somewhat," I felt Rakine walk out of the room behind me. I turn to him and he stares at Karus.

"Karus, why did you keep many secrets from me? Why didn't you tell me that you learned the Force?"

"I learned many things about the Force when we were young Padawans, and some of them I thought that if you had found out about-" he spoke in a quieter tone "-I thought you would become a very great threat."

"I've learned aspects in both Light and Dark sides of the Force. I've fought in many missions against the Empire in the past. And levitation is a big deal?" He chuckled. "Look, if everyone learned this, we'd have Jedi and Sith flying through the air like birds, swinging their blades at each other as their robes dragged through the air behind them. Even if it was a very difficult trick, it's ridiculous. I don't know who told you that the Force has a power to fly, but I'm pretty sure they tricked you. No way is there any power that can give one the ability to hover in the air." He shook his head and chuckled more. "It's utter nonsense."

"Rakine, I thought you would understand-" Karus tried to plead to him.

"I understand." He stopped chuckling. "I'm not saying you were high when we were young, but I'm pretty sure your master was on some kind of mushrooms when he taught you about the Force."

Karus' Force spirit stood straight up, with a blank, yet unamused look on his face.

"Don't believe me, do you?"

Rakine shook his head.

"I don't think there is anybody that has actually tried or could have hovered in the air."

I try to think about what Karus has been telling us and something comes into my mind. I remember back on Hoth, when Rakine and I fought against the Sith Lord Sorin, in the room full of different types of lightsabers. Sorin jumped away from us and hovered up in the air, briefly hanging above us slowly circling us. Rakine pulled out his blaster and shot at Sorin and hit him, then Sorin swooped down at us swinging his greatsaber at us, before landing back on the floor.

"Sorin," I turned to them. "Lord Sorin did that in our final fight."

"Sorin?" Rakine looked at me confused.

"You don't remember the old man floating in the air on Hoth? You shot him with your blaster." I shook my head, chuckling.

"I remember, but I never would have remembered him-" he realized now, "-floating in the air."

Karus smirked at Rakine.

"Now you believe me?"

Rakine shrugged and held his head at the sides, holding his hands flat on his temples.

"How is that possible?"

"It's Sorin," I sighed. "He was a powerful Sith, insanely strong in the Dark Side of the Force, to stopping people from dying, to outright possession. If anybody in this galaxy could have done it, it was him."

"But now he's gone." Rakine shook his head slowly. "You killed him, and his legacy is now left buried under the snowy surface of Hoth."

I sighed again.

"Choices. If I had spared him, we might have been able to have learned some more aspects of the Force, some of the strongest ones. But then again, he might have just killed us there."

"It doesn't matter," Rakine lowered his hands to his hides and put them against his hips, standing akimbo. "If he lived he would've killed us anyway. Plus I don't need to learn anymore aspects of the Force. I'm already powerful enough."

Karus' spirit lowered his head and stared down at the floor.

"Well it's proven, levitation has existed as a Force trick. But what good would it do, eh?"

Rakine and I shrugged.

"It's alright, Karus. Trust us, were fine without this power.

"I see," Karus grinned. "Well, I wish you two the best of luck, to continue to fight against the Empire. Bring back the Old Republic and restore peace across the galaxy."

We both nodded as Karus' apparition disappeared, and his presence had fully faded, both physically and through the Force. I turned to Rakine.

"Do you suggest we try to learn more about this?"

He shook his head.

"I see no point in trying something that only one person has accomplished. What chances do we have to master it anyway?"

I nodded slowly and started to think of Rooda back on Ikana.

"She's all alone on Ikana. She doesn't have any way to communicate with me."

"She doesn't have a communicator?"

"You only have me this one." I pulled out my communicator and showed it to him.

"Well then, we better get her something, right?" He walked back into the council chamber and both Mon Mothma and Rulus Knil-Wean turned to him.

"Yes Rakine?"

"Lord Venison has a need for more communication. He has a friend in a far away system in a corner of the galaxy, and they have no way to interact with each other."

"Well we will have something arranged for you, Lord Venison." She turned to a rebel pilot and he removes a communicator from his belt and handed it to me.

"Thank you," I nod and take the communicator from him.

"Should we head to the Ikana system to give her one of them, so you can briefly give her updates on the Rebel Alliance?"

I nod and walk out of the council chamber down the hallway into the main hangar room. I open the doors of my ship, the Zant's Nightmare and I sit in my pilot seat. I close the doors behind me as Rakine gets aboard his ship and starts his engine. Both our ships pick up off the ground, the large metal hangar door opens, and the ships leave through the door and fly up through the air. I activate the ship's antler-shaped sails, Rakine's ship accelerates through the atmosphere, and both our ships glide through space and off toward the Ikana system.