Look at me, keeping to a schedule and stuff, like a responsible author lol. Not much to say in this intro, just wanted to thank the following people for follows/faves/reviews. ItaSaku1220, DewieDTT, knitzkampf, Imagineer1392, DolphinDelight, you guys rock, thanks so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Venturing Forth
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Ori sighed as a mixture of exhaustion and apprehension washed over her. The past few days had been far from peaceful and she was finding it hard to push through it all. The night at the bar had been fun, a much needed reminder that she was still alive, still herself, despite all that had happened, but it had come with a heavy price. Her dreams that night had been the worst yet, images of Suzie's smiling face dancing through her mind, juxtaposed with visions of bloody death and torture, and with the alcohol in her system, she hadn't been able to wake up until Luke had roused her the following morning.
That had set the tone for the rest of the week. Her days were spent training with Luke, a slow and arduous task despite her renued determination to push past her dark emotions and regain her old self, and her nights were spent tossing and turning as Palpatine's face grew closer and closer, taunting her with visions of her friend in pain, or herself turning, killing, reveling in the bloodshed and terror she would cause. Most nights she ended up in Luke's bed, finding his calming presence to be the only thing that would keep the visions at bay.
Now she sat in her room, though it was beginning to feel more like a prison, for the final time. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of her very own adventure through a galaxy far far away. She should've been excited about it, happy at the prospect of getting out into the stars, of getting to see her friend again, but all she could feel was cold fear. She'd been full of confidence and surety when she'd told Luke she was going with him, ignorant to just how powerful Palpatine was, but now, after a solid week of nightly torture by that same man, she knew how wrong she'd been.
She drew in a deep breath, laying back on top of the covers of the bed, eyes closed, body relaxed, just like Luke had taught her. She couldn't start out like this. She wouldn't give in to the fear. This was no different than any other thing she'd done in her life. When she set foot in her high school after years worth of home schooling, she'd been terrified. She could very well have been cornered and beaten half to death by the girls she'd nearly gotten expelled, but she'd walked through those doors with her head held high, and she'd been set on the path that led her into her future.
When she'd started her research she could've been laughed out of her entire field, blacklisted by any and every reputable lab that had the equipment to test her theory, but she hadn't been. She'd walked into each and every interview with her shoulders squared, her voice strong, and an unshakable faith in herself that had won her more awards and respect than she'd ever dreamed she would attain. Now she had to do it again.
Let the wrinkly old ass face try and turn her. She would push him back every time. It wouldn't be easy, she may die, but it would be worth it to make a change in this universe. She'd always dreamed of changing the world, of shedding light on the darkest and most obscure mysteries of their universe, and she'd done that. Now she had to get into that damn pyramid, rescue her friend, and punch that old bastard right in the face for good measure, and she was going to do that too.
She smiled as she felt the fear beginning to bleed from her. It was hard to remember all she'd done in her life when she was so removed from it, so easy to revert back to that scared little eleven year old that felt so out of place in a world that didn't quite understand her, but she wasn't little anymore, she was grown, she was strong, and she just had to remember it.
A knock on her door drew her out of her mind, the remnants of her force connection tingling down her spine as she got up and opened the door, smiling from ear to ear as Leia walked in, laden down with packages and bags.
"The tailor finally finished your order." She said, dumping everything down onto the bed. Ori couldn't speak for a moment, the excitement of finally having some things to call her own overwhelming her. She turned and grabbed her friend up into a tight hug, feeling a single tear streak down her face.
"Thank you, you have no idea what this means to me." She said, smiling at Leia's musical laugh. She'd already been through this once when the order was placed, Luke and Leia both insisting that she have at least a few sets of clothes to take with her, despite the fact that Leia's clothing had been working out more than enough for her. It had been a shock to her, a pleasant one for a change, that she hadn't thought of it herself.
"Yeah, you've said, a lot. Now shut up and open stuff, I wanna see what you got." Leia said, gesturing excitedly to the packages. Ori barked a laugh and turned to the bed, tearing quickly through the strange packaging until each and every item she'd ordered was laid out for them both to look at.
"Wow, that guy did a great job." She said, holding up a pair of pants that were the closest thing to jeans that she could find. The fabric felt almost like denim, a little more stretchy and almost leather like but close enough to make her feel a little more at home here. The rest of the clothing was along the same vein, fitted pants, long sleeved shirts along the lines of what she'd seen on Han and Luke, a couple of sturdy leather jackets with plenty of pockets and probably more underclothes than were strictly necessary.
She couldn't repress a giggle as her eyes fell on the lacy bits of frippery that Leia had insisted she order. She'd never been one to indulge in things like lingerie, lacy under things had just never seemed necessary to her, but when she'd seen the delicate stitching and rich black hue of the matching set, she found herself unable to resist the prodding of her friend. She'd skipped over the unspoken message her friend was giving her, that she should wear the set for a certain Jedi they both knew, but the thought had stuck in her mind.
"I told you he was good. Now you're sure you want me to hang onto this stuff for you?" Leia asked, gesturing toward the more dressy pieces she'd ordered. Again, it had been Leia's idea to get them, she was some what of a public figure now, being so close to the trio that had been instrumental in bringing down the Empire, not to mention being from a universe that wasn't their own, and though she detested parties with her entire being, she would be expected to attend one every now and again.
"Yeah, I'm not gonna have much use for a formal dress on this particular mission, at least I don't think I will. It would be odd if I did." She laughed softly, her hands sorting automatically through the various articles of clothing until she had separated out the practical from the formal. As per her own tradition, she'd gotten far more practical than formal, which presented a small problem as the ship they were taking was quite small and did not have room for a large wardrobe.
Leia shared her look of good natured annoyance and began to help her sort through the practical pile, setting aside things she knew she wouldn't need until she had a manageable collection. She pulled a small suitcase from beneath the bed and started helping her fold and store the clothes, throwing a few other necessities they'd discussed under the layers of clothing.
"You ready?" Luke asked, popping his head around the frame of the door. He'd seen Leia wobble her way to Ori's room and had been giving them their space, knowing how important it was to both of them to allowed to say their goodbyes, but the day was already half over, and they needed to be on their way before nightfall.
"Just about." Ori said, closing the case with a definitive snap. She turned to Leia and pulled her into one final hug, pushing all the love and gratitude she felt for the woman toward her. Leia's arms tightened around her as the feelings flowed into her. "I'll see you, hopefully soon." Ori said, her voice soft.
"May the force be with you." Leia said, stepping back and turning to hug her brother as well. Ori carried her case out into the main room and shot a confident smile at Han as he caught her eye from his spot on the couch.
"So I'm finally getting rid of you huh?" He asked, a playful grin crossing his face. They'd settled into an easy rhythm of sarcasm and teasing over the past week and Ori was happy to say she now considered him a friend.
"Not forever, I'll be back and you're gonna teach me everything there is to know about that ship of yours." She said, pointing a finger authoritatively toward him, a mimic of his own pointing habit.
"The hell I am. No one will ever know the Falcon like I do. But you can try." He said, standing up and walking over to her, pulling her into a one armed hug. "Take care genius, Chewie's taken a liking to you." He slapped her back softly, pushing her forward into the arms of said Wookie who picked her up clean off the floor. She laughed softly, ruffling the fur on top of his head as she muttered a quiet goodbye, her feet contacting the floor just as Luke and Leia exited her room.
"Ready to go Master Luke?" She asked, grinning as he pulled a face. She'd taken to teasing him, calling him Master and Teacher just to make him blush and cringe. It felt good, but she couldn't deny the tension that would spring up between them.
"I told you not to call me that." He said, glaring playfully at her as he gestured toward the door. "I'm not your master and you know it." He cringed at the bark of laughter that filled the room as they left, the door closing on Han saying something that earned him a smack from his young wife.
"So, what's the plan?" Ori asked, readjusting her grip on her case as they walked quickly through the halls and toward the hangar.
"We head to where you came through. If Suzie is alive, she would've come through the same place right?" He asked, looking over at her. He'd spent the last few days trying to wrap his head around exactly how their experiment had worked but it was slow going.
"Theoretically, yeah I suppose she would've, but then again, I materialized out of nowhere, so she could have as well. Are there any planets near there?" She asked, her mind already working through the complex theorems and equations that she hoped would lead her to some solid answers.
"I can check the nav charts once we get to the ship. If there are, we'll start our search there and hope something comes up." He tried to sound light hearted and hopeful, but the odds of them finding anything other than disappointment were slim to none and they both knew it.
"Hope is all anyone ever has." Ori said, more to herself than to him. "My mother used to say that all the time. Right up to the end she never gave up hoping she would get better." She drew in a calming breath, remembering her mother's face when she'd been healthy. She'd always smile, no matter what was happening, no matter how scary things got, she just smile and say it was going to be alright.
"Wise woman your mother." Luke said, waving to the hangar crew as they walked by. Their ship was small, but fast, something akin to what Anakin had used during the Clone Wars, though Luke didn't know it, and Ori hoped the same luck that had always been with the elder Skywalker would be with them now.
"Wish I had her here now." Ori said, moving quickly back to the only set of quarters the ship had. It was generous to call them quarters really, it was more just two bunks and a refresher at the back of the ship, but it would do, she didn't imagine she'd be getting much sleep anyway.
"Me too." Luke said, tossing his own case onto the far bunk. He'd noticed that she seemed to like being near the door, being close to the only route of escape probably made her feel more secure. "Now, let's go check the navi computer and see about those planets." He brushed past her as he turned, their hands grazing lightly and sending a single flash of an image through his mind. He grinned as he moved through the single corridor toward the cock pit. So she liked lace.
"Okay, so this controls the pitch and this controls rotation." Ori said, her hands resting gently on the controls in front of her. She'd spent that past couple of days trying to fill up as much of her time as possible, staving off sleep until she was about ready to drop. Having Luke teach her to fly seemed like as good a time waster as any.
"Yup, and this is the ignition and this one jumps us to hyperspace. I know you already know this Ori, are we gonna talk about why I'm going over it again?" He asked, leaning back in the copilot's seat, his expression a mixture of concern and irritation.
"No we're not." She said, slowly banking the ship side to side, getting a feel for the controls. She knew she should talk about her dreams, should open up to him about everything she'd been seeing, but she couldn't. To talk about it would make it real and to make it real would make it a threat, and she didn't know if she was gonna be able to deal with that threat.
"You know I can tell when you're upset right? I can see it." Luke said, reaching over and taking her hands from the controls, pressing a few buttons to switch the ship to autopilot. He was done beating around the bush with her. He'd spent the last week tiptoeing around the issue and trying to make sure he didn't push her before she was ready, but he was done waiting. If they were going to face Palpatine, they were gonna do it as a team, no secrets.
"Luke, please, I can't." She said, trying to pull her hand away, only to have his grip tighten. She looked down to see that he'd used his right hand, the mechanical one, effectively trapping her in his grip. "That's cheating. I don't have a robot hand." She said, trying to muster the energy to glare.
"I don't care, you're going to talk to me." His eyes were hard, his expression set with determination and little else. She knew she couldn't get out of it any longer, and if she was being honest with herself, she knew she shouldn't even be trying to. What would she do if she went up again the Emperor with all of the doubt and fear? He would twist her so fast her head would spin and then where would they be.
"Fine...fine fine, okay." She dropped her eyes as she tried to compose her thoughts. There was a lot of information, but it all boiled down to the same thing. The thing that was causing her fear was the thing that needed to be spoken out loud, the details didn't matter. "I'm afraid." She drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she formulated exactly what she wanted to say. "I've been having these dreams, visions, some created by my, some not, but they all circle around to the same thing. I fail, I turn, it goes bad, then I die. I know what it really is, I know where the images are coming from, but I can't stop it. What if, when the time comes, I can't stop him?" She looked up at Luke, expecting to see some kind of self righteous pride, but it wasn't there, just like every other time she'd allowed herself to be vulnerable with him, all there was was simple honest concern.
"I thought the same thing once. I played it off a bit better than you've been doing, but I was trapped in a turbo lift with my father at the time, so I didn't really have a choice." He smiled as she let out a breathy laugh, her shoulders relaxing by just a fraction. "Oria, I know you know how that situation ended, but what you don't know is how close I came to falling. There was a moment, when I was in the grips of my anger, when I wanted to turn. The idea of the power that Palpatine offered, the abilities I knew he could teach me, looked good. But I did, because I had something more important to fight for. When the time comes, remember that." He said, reaching forward and clasping her hands tightly in his own. "And know that I'll be with you every step of the way. You won't be alone, and you won't have to face him alone." He smiled as he felt the last of her tension leave her. If he could do it, when he was alone and the whole deck was stacked against him, then so could she.
"Thanks." She smiled, letting her hands slip from his grasp as she leaned back in her chair. "You are really good at giving speeches." She grinned as the blush rose in his cheeks. No matter how many times it happened, she never got tired of embarrassing him. "Is that a jedi thing? Am I gonna learn how to do that? Or do you just adlib it?" She watched as his eyes turned playful. She was turning the discussion away from a topic that made her intensely uncomfortable, and he was letting her.
"It's a heavily guarded ability, only taught to those of highest power among the Jedi. I don't know if you'll ever be ready." He said, slipping into the aloof nature he always used when mocking her idea of what a Jedi should be.
"I will strive to be worthy my master." She said, bowing her head solemnly toward her chest. It seemed to be the way most of their conversations went. They would start out heavy, usually about her still chaotic emotional state, and then after a little bit of word vomit and advice, they would descend into sarcastic teasing and mockery. It was a nice rhythm, one that she found comforting as it reminded her so much of the group of friends she'd lost. But it felt strange now, like there was some unspoken message passing between them in the tiny space. Maybe it was because they were alone, with nothing but the vacuum of space and the distant stars to see them, but it felt almost too intimate now, the air slowly becoming charged with silent meaning.
"We will have to intensify your training if you mean to learn this most advanced of skills." He said, his grin turning slightly heavy around the edges. Was he feeling it too? She'd been trying, and utterly failing, to contain the feelings that she could feel growing for him. She knew it was just a silly crush, knew that her inner fangirl was almost entirely responsible for how aware she still was of every move he made, but that didn't seem to matter. Even now, when they were actively searching for a man who either wanted to turn her to the Dark Side or kill her, she couldn't take her eyes away from his lips.
"And what training could prepare me for so great a power? Public speaking engagement? Cause I gotta be honest with you, I am terrible in front of a crowd." She felt heat flush through her at the soft laugh. It sounded different, deeper and softer than she was used to, drawing her in as his eyes slid closed. What was he thinking? She wished that she could see into his mind the way he could see into hers, but then, where would be the fun?
"You must learn how to hone your allure, to make others want to listen. But that is all I can tell you. You'll learn more when you're ready." His eyes were sharp with meaning, the deep blue of his irises slowly fading as his pupils expanded. Was it because of the low light, or something else?
"My allure? I think I'm already pretty alluring." She said, a lazy smirk crossing her face. She didn't know where this was headed, what exactly they were actually saying to each other, but she liked the feeling it was giving her. Her skin felt warm, her heart kicking up a pace or two as she struggled to maintain eye contact. It was so hard with those lips just a little further down. She wondered if they were as soft as they looked, how they would feel pressed against her own, trailing down her neck, between her breasts.
"Oh believe me, you're well on your way." He said, his voice deep and heavy with double meaning. It pulled her from her thoughts and back to the moment, where he was looking at her less like a person and more like something he desperately wanted to eat. Her heart flipped and fluttered in her chest as the tension between them became so thick it was almost solid.
A sharp dinging alarm broke through the atmosphere like a whip crack, pulling both their attention around to the flashing light on the panel. It was the comms system, alerting them to an incoming transmission. Luke's fingers flew quickly over the panel, routing the message to the screen on his side of the cockpit, he didn't want to chance anyone seeing Ori before they were ready.
"You have entered into Wayland airspace, state the nature of your journey." The voice sounded strange. It had a strange organic quality to it that made her think of crystal wind chimes.
"My name is Luke Skywalker, I'm searching for a friend of mine. I think she may have landed near here." Luke hated dealing with any of the indigenous life on Wayland. They'd been through hell ever since the Old Republic had discovered their world and the Empire hadn't made things any better. Now he'd heard tell of a rogue Jedi, gone mad with power, ruling the three disparate races with an iron fist. He seriously doubted that Suzie had ever been here, n way could Palpatine get his hands on her if she hhad found her way down there.
"There have been no craft or individuals of non terrestrial origin found on Wayland within the past solar year. You may leave a description of the person in question and we will conduct a search. If they are found you will be notified. Relay the description and maintain your orbit." The comms channel went dead, another light letting them both know that a transfer channel had been opened instead. Luke was quick to submit the description of Suzie that they'd prepared and settled back in his seat.
"And now we wait." He sighed, looking over at her. He could feel her confusion, the way her thoughts swirled around in her mind, trying to combine into something that would satisfy the question she had, but nothing seemed to be working. "You want to know why we don't just go down to the surface and look for ourselves right?" He asked, laughing softly as her eyes snapped into focus and trained themselves on him. She was adorable when she was trying to figure something out.
"Well I wasn't gonna say anything, you're the local after all, but yeah, it's not making much sense to me at the moment." She said, feeling herself color up. She felt like she was missing something, but couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was. The Empire was gone, as far as she knew, there were still splinter cells that were trying in vain to reclaim ground, but the bulk of the fighting force had either gone down with the second Death Star or had surrendered. So why didn't they just land and look for Suzie themselves?
"That planet has been through more invasions and exchanges of power in the last thousand years than any other planet in the galaxy. There were two native species, one made of crystal, the other made of rock, and they coexisted relatively well until the Old Republic discovered the place and sent out some settlers. From there it's been nothing but squabbling and in fighting. The Palpatine found it and made it a secret cache of weapons, using it as a research base under the power of a dark side user known only as The Guardian. He was in turn over thrown by a power mad rogue Jedi named Joruus C'baoth who now rules over all three species. He's brought a sort of forced peace to the planet, but maintains it by keeping strict rule of law. He doesn't like visitors, least of all Force users like us. I had to go down there not long ago to clear out the old weapons left by the Empire after the fall of the Death Star and he just about took my head off." He watched as her expression shifted from startled to saddened, her heart going out to the people of the planet.
"Wow, that sucks! Can't anyone do anything? I mean, he's set himself up as a dictator, isn't that something you guys are supposed to stop?" She knew she was probably showing her ignorance, but she couldn't help it. She'd been raised in a free, al be it imperfect, democracy, and the thought of living in anything but that system made her brain hurt.
"We've offered our help, but the people don't want it. They don't like the strict policies C'baoth has enacted, but they're willing to suffer through them if it means an end to the fighting. If we were to go down there and dismantle what he's set up, we'd be no better than him. So for now, or maybe forever, we just maintain a position of open assistance should it be requested and do what we can to limit his insanity. I take it your world doesn't have this particular problem?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He'd been spending a good deal of their time together getting to know her better, what she liked, what she disliked, how she'd gotten to the position she was in now, but her world was still a mystery to him.
"Well, in some places. My world isn't under one unified government like the worlds here. We have hundreds of different countries all with their own governments and laws. A lot of people, myself included, hope that we're going to get to a world government one day, something that would unify the whole planet under one flag and one common set of rules, but it's hard to believe it'll ever really happen. My country, the United States of America, USA for short, is a democratic republic." She felt weird having to explain this to someone, like it should just be common knowledge, but then, the idea of a whole galaxy that was ruled by one governing body was the height of strange.
"Hundred of different cultures? That must get confusing." He said, trying to imagine what life on Tatooine would've been like if the Hutts hadn't controlled everything. No one liked the Hutts, they were a bunch of brutish gangsters that only seemed to care about themselves and their own profits, but when it came down to it, they kept things running.
"Oh yeah, especially once you take all the fascist dictators into account. My country is one of many democracies in my world, but there are just as many over blown jackass overlords that like to think they know better. Those of us that have the power try to intervene when we can, sending military forces to try and liberate the people, but more often than not it just creates a power vacuum that ends up with yet another jackass in charge a few decades later." She sighed as she thought of all the countries she'd studied during her time in college, all the people she knew were still suffering under the oppression of a man who didn't care about them as much as he cared about his own ego.
"I can see how this would be hard for you to understand. But even you said that when you try and step in, liberate instead of allow the people to come to it on their own, all you do is create a vacuum, and that never leads anywhere good." Luke could feel her mood beginning to turn, the playful tension from before slowly evaporating in the face of the reality of the universe she'd fallen into. He knew what she hoped this galaxy would be, could see the grand adventures she'd always wanted to have, and it upset him to see her becoming so disenfranchised with it all.
"Everything here is hard for me to understand. Just when I think I've got a leg up on it, something new comes along and pulls the rug out from under me. I mean, I can get past the weird music, the alien languages, the food, hell even the clothes, that's all just part of this universe, but something like this? I just can't wrap my head around it." She sighed, looking over at him, feeling like a heel for breaking the mood with her sudden sense of ennui, but she couldn't help but feel like someone had just blown a hole through her childhood.
"Ori, give it time. No place is perfect, no matter how good it may look in a film. Often times reality is far more disappointing than what you imagine, but it's also far better. I know this isn't what you had in mind when you imagined our journey together, but if you give it a little time I'm sure we'll get around to the space battles and saber fights you know and love." He shot her playful grin, watching her color up as he got to the root of her disappointment.
"Sorry, I know it's childish, but it all seemed so exciting in the movies ya know? I mean, cruising through the galaxy in the Falcon, running around seedy cantinas and taking out giant slug mob bosses, what's not to love? But I guess they cut out all the bits where you hurry up and wait." She rubbed at her neck as her blush deepened. She knew she was being silly. All those action scenes seemed really fun when she was watching them from the safety of her couch, but living them had to have been terrifying.
"Like I said, fantasy is more fun, reality is still better. Don't worry, you'll get there. Now, they're gonna be a while, how about we get a little training in while we wait?" He stood from his chair, holding a hand out to her, that strange grin back in place. Her insides began to twist as she took his hand, that heat returning to her belly as he led her down the corridor to the bunk room. What was he planning?
Okay so there is Chapter 9, next chapter is gonna be...interesting so stay tuned! As always wanna give thanks in advance for any follows/faves/reviews, I really do appreciate them, they keep me writing, and I will see you guys in the next one!