Chapter Forty-Five: Kyber

I came to with a start, my eyes snapping open as I shot upright. The room I was in was not unlike the Father's monastery in design. Yet, the walls and floor were earthy colors, and orange glow pouring into the room from painted glass windows. A throne stood in the hall where the Father's meditation pedestal might have gone.

Beside the throne, looking out the window, stood the Son.

"I take it this is your home," I said, somehow finding confidence despite the tremble in my legs. "Why have you brought me here?"

"For the same reason I brought you to this world," he responded, not looking at me. "To remind you of true power." He turned abruptly, Force lightning striking me in the chest. "And for you to help convince the Chosen One."

I let out a scream as I flew backwards, the lightning stopping as the Son paced. "You're insane," I growled, pulling out my pistol and firing. The shots ricocheted off him like he was made of beskar before he flicked his wrist again.

The pistol exploded in my grasp, my hand immediately searing. I screamed, falling to my knees and clutching my burning palm. The Son glanced sideways past me before lifting his hand again, dragging me across the room with the Force. He placed me against the wall, surprisingly, without too much roughness.

"Sister," he breathed slowly. "What a pleasant surprise. And you brought a friend."

I could say nothing as the Son turned to greet the Daughter and Obi-wan, who walked into the room slowly. I sat in pained silence, clutching my hand to my chest, tears streaming down my face with reckless abandon.

The Daughter glanced over at me briefly before looking back at the Dark Sider. "What have you done, brother?" Behind her, Obi-wan was watching me with worry. Still, he dared not to step away from the tense confrontation between siblings.

"Done?" the Son tilted his head before pacing. "I have...done what is right." He tilted his head again in thought. "Or, what is wrong, depending on your point of view." He sat on his throne, steepling his fingers in glee.

"Our father is dying," the Daughter lamented. "Did you do it?"

The corner of the Son's mouth twitched just slightly. Still, when he spoke, it was almost like he was trying to justify his words, like a child defending his drawings on the wall. "He is just so selfish and was taking too long to die, so I decided to move things along." He composed himself quickly. "Now, why are you here?"

The Daughter was fuming...if she was allowed to do that. "I won't let you leave this planet," she declared

"You are not strong enough to keep me here," the Son responded smoothly, rising from his throne again.

Obi-wan stepped forward. "Not alone, she isn't."

"Are you referring to your friend," the Son asked with a smile. "The Chosen One? You might want to check up on him. He's a little preoccupied right now."

Panic settled over Obi-wan's features as he moved to race from the room. He slowed near me, but I shook my head. "Go," I said out through clenched teeth. Obi-wan nodded and raced from the room. The sounds of lightsabers clashing echoed quietly from the window the Son was looking out.

"Can you feel it, sister?" he asked wistfully. "Can you feel the anger, the hate, the fury?" He was reveling in it, his gaze glancing at me. He could feel my own anger that I was struggling to control.

"Their conflict is feeding you, isn't it?" the Daughter realized. "I must stop them!"

"No!" the Son growled, throwing her backwards and away from the door. She recovered easily, power surging in the room. It was like an intense pressure, pushing on my eardrums. She lifted the Son in the air before slamming him back to the ground. "If you will stand in my way," the Son spoke steadily, finding his feet and dusting off his gloves. "Then I guess we must fight."

The two grappled for only a moment before separating, the Son shooting lightning from his fingertips. It was then that I realized how powerful the Daughter was, as well. I supposed I had overlooked her in the light of my interactions with the Son and Father. Yet, she deflected his bolts of lightning with ease, twirling deftly to redirect it at her brother.

He flew back with a grunt, the peaceful Daughter holding him against a ceiling arch, her face determined. The room warped with power again, this time filled with conflict and anger. The Son struck out his hand, a huge swarm of lightning engulfing the Daughter and sending her flying backwards.

"No!" I cried, forcing myself to stand despite the blinding pain coming from my hand. The Son floated down from the ceiling easily, his expression smug. I had no weapon...aside from the lightsaber. Steeling myself, I watched as the Son approached me leisurely, power emanating from him.

I drew the saber from my pouch, the blade igniting in a brilliant red.

And my legs collapsed beneath me, sending me to my knees as the kyber screamed in my mind. Well...I guess I wasn't going to be helpful in this.

I heard the Daughter through the pulsing in my mind as I fought the intensity of the saber's memories. "You don't have to do this," she insisted as she found her feet.

"Then stand aside," the Son growled, enveloping his sister in another bought of electricity.

"I can't," she panted. "I won't!" She stood, and as my vision blurred, the crystal pushing even harder against me, I saw her rush her brother, turning into her creature form. And then there was nothing but pain.

Alarms blared around me as my vision began to return, except it wasn't my vision. It was someone else's. Someone whose hands were desperately working over the console of a ship. "Spinner!" an unfamiliar male voice yelled, feeling like it came from my own lips. The person let out a series of curses as the alarms declared an incoming impact. And then the terrible searing of fire.

The vision shifted again, showing myself standing at the edge of a volcanic pit.

"Dreypa," a man beside me hissed, looking at me. "What are we going to do?" We were surrounded by soldiers and I knew their intent was to throw us into the lava. I realized in that moment I was finally listening to the kyber crystal's story...whether I liked it or not.

I looked down, seeing a Sith talisman in the palm of Dreypa's-my-hand. It burned my skin as it engaged, the darkness of its power nearly suffocating. And then I felt something awaken. Something sinister and huge. Something unnatural.

I felt Dreypa's smug confidence as he watched his Leviathans rise. He ordered them to kill all present...even his fellow sith.

So much death. So much destruction.

I was ripped from the horrible scene as the kyber brought me to my next vision.

I looked down, seeing the lightsaber of my ancestor in my grasp. I watched it slice through jedi, knowing that Dreypa had come across the patrol. The kyber wailed as it was used to slaughter innocents. It wasn't the first time.

I was shown vision after vision of the lightsaber being used to kill innocents until suddenly...it wasn't red anymore.

The blade was a brilliant green color, shining in the dark room in which I sat. I was aboard a cruiser, and I knew I was fleeing the Jedi Order with other Dark Jedi. Hatred and anger bubbled inside me, the saber trembling under my will. I hated that saber. I hated everything it stood for. I'd given my life to the Order...but they were wrong.

A scream of rage erupted from my throat, the lightsaber sputtering and extinguishing. I felt the pain of the kyber as it cracked, splintering like glass. Panting with anger, I turned the hilt and thumbed the ignition switch. The blade sprung forth again, red as blood as the crystal bled with my darkness.

My vision swirled a final time before I was struck with the cold. My breath misted out in puffs, surrounded by ice. I somehow knew I was on Ilum. A sacred place for the Jedi Order. I crept forward in the cold, something shining before me amongst the icicles.

Trembling fingers reached forward, the shining crystal singing in my mind. It was beautiful. Hopeful. Good. My fingers plucked it from its place among the ice, the crystal shining in my palm. It felt...right. Like it had wanted me to find it. Like we were compatible in the very Force itself.

I gasped as my eyes opened to reveal the Son's throne room again. My hand was clutched around the hilt of my ancestor's lightsaber, the blade engaged. It hummed in my hand, but the screaming of the kyber had stopped. It was still in pain, as I was...but it knew I understood it now.

And maybe...it understood me, too.

I realized the things I had to do in order to fix the kyber in that moment. But now wasn't the time. I found my feet, somehow ignoring the pain in my seared hand. The room was empty, the sibling's battle having ceased. The end of the room was speckled with shattered glass. I raced to the broken window, seeing everyone-including the Father-below in the courtyard.

I disengaged the lightsaber and tucked it away before racing down to meet them. When I got there, the Son was shooting lightning at his father, who was barely holding back the power. I realized that the Father was doing as I did against Dooku a year prior. Though, I knew I could never do that against the Son.

"You are too weak for me, old man," the Son declared. "You mean nothing to me anymore!"

As I approached, I saw something was off about Ahsoka. Her head-tails were painted with black veins, her stature hunched and lightsabers in her fists. I understood now what the forbidden thing the Son had done. He turned Ahsoka.

How, I couldn't be sure.

The Son broke through the Father's defenses, launching the old man backwards. He continued in his torture, all of us watching on helplessly.

"Anakin!" Obi-wan called, brandishing an ancient looking blade. "Now!" He tossed the blade, but Ahsoka intercepted it, racing up to the Son's side.

"What is she doing?" I cried, left hand still clutched to my chest. She looked back at us with a smirk, waving the blade at us tauntingly.

"Everything has transpired exactly as I planned," the Son gloated as he turned to Ahsoka.

"You showed them the altar?" the Father lamented, cradling his side in pain.

Obi-wan helped the Daughter to her feet. "I am sorry, Father," she pleaded. "I didn't know how else to stop him!"

"Give it to me, child," the Son demanded of the young Togruta.

She glanced over her shoulder at us again. "Ahsoka, no," Anakin cried. She looked down, almost as if she was contemplating his words. But then she straightened her back and handed over the blade, dropping it into the Son's palm.

"Thank you," he smirked, twirling the blade playfully. "Your usefulness has come to an end." He touched his fingers against her forehead, the girl crumpling to the ground immediately.

"No!" Anakin screamed, rushing forward only to be thrown backwards past me by the Son. I hurried to his side, helping him back to his feet with my good hand.

"The jedi have brought me the dagger," the Son said, looking to his father. "And you have brought yourself. Now, Father, you will die!" He raised the dagger, aiming for his father's chest.

"Father!" the Daughter cried, rushing from Obi-wan's grasp to throw herself between her brother and father. A terrible gasp erupted from her throat as she was struck, the light she gave off dimming immediately. The Father caught her in his grasp as the Son backed up, looking at his hands in shock.

He let out a yell of grief. "Why?" he screamed, lightning flashing as he launched himself into the air, away from us.

Anakin rushed forward, turning over his padawan to discover a lifeless face. Meanwhile, the Father lowered his daughter to the ground, removing the dagger and throwing it away. "My daughter," he whispered. "What have I done?"

The Daughter let out a few piteous coughs, her hand reaching for her father's. "Do not hate him, Father. It is his nature."

"No," he whimpered as the tree in the courtyard began to shrivel and dissolve. I looked around in fright as I followed Obi-wan to Anakin's side. Her power was diminishing. The Dark Side would destroy this place...and maybe more. "All is lost," the Father said, confirming my worries. "The balance has been broken. I thought by bringing you here, I would-" his words cut off as he shook his head, looking down at his daughter. "But I have destroyed everything."

Anakin let out a shaking breath. "Can you help her?" he asked, still kneeling beside Ahsoka.

"There is no light," the Father lamented. "The evil has been unleashed, and the Dark Side shall consume her."

"You must help her!" Anakin cried, the sound of oncoming tears in his voice. I shook my head, trying to figure out some way to save her. If I could resist the darkness...so could Ahsoka, right? She was a far better person than I was, anyways.

"I cannot undo what is done. There is no hope."

I frowned at the Father, but Anakin beat me to it. "Yes, there is," he insisted. "There's always hope!" It was moments like these that made me realize that Anakin, despite all his struggles or any opinions of the Order...was a good person.

The Daughter reached up to her father's cheek, touching it gently. She pointed at Ahsoka wordlessly. The Father stood, gesturing for Anakin to kneel before him, between the two prone women. He guided Anakin, having him place one hand on each of the women's foreheads.

"Then let my daughter's last act," the Father explained, closing his eyes. "Be to breathe life into your friend." They arched off the ground as the Force rolled through the courtyard. Light erupted from all of them, making Obi-wan and I step backwards, eyes squinting. It ended as abruptly as it began, Anakin panting between them.

I looked at Ahsoka, seeing that the dark lines had receded. She let out a cough, sitting up suddenly. Anakin quickly enveloped her in a hug, his face tucked into her shoulder. Relief washed over us all, despite the impending turmoil of the Son's growing power.

"Hey, Snips," Skywalker said with a small laugh.

"What's…" Ahsoka seemed dazed. "Going on?"

"Uh, not much," Anakin lied. "It's good to see you." He helped her to her feet, Obi-wan offering her lightsabers back to her.

"As the balance in this world crumbles," the Father interrupted, stepping forward. "So shall war escalate in your galaxy. As my son has descended into the Dark Side, so have the Sith gained strength."

I chewed my lips in worry as Anakin stepped forward. "We will stop your son."

"No," the Father insisted. "You must go now. He needs your ship to leave the planet. You must leave before he can take it."

"What about you?" Obi-wan asked.

"I shall mourn all that I have done." The Father touched his daughter's cheek gently. "And all that is yet to be."

I glanced at the jedi surrounding me, seeing them all silently agree. I followed them out, agreeing to let Obi-wan take me back to the monastery where my ship was. Ahsoka and Anakin took the other speeder, heading back to repair their own ship.

"Are you sure you won't need my help to get your ship fixed?" I asked Obi-wan as I got off the speeder outside the monastery.

"As much as I appreciate it, everyone needs to get out of here as fast as possible. You need to get out of here as much as us. We'll be fine."

I nodded at him as he sped away. Running up the steps and to the landing platform, I felt relieved that this was all over. Then again...nothing good had come of it. What would the galaxy look like when I emerged? Would it be as it was, but only be doomed to get worse? Or would it be an immediate change by the effect of this place?

Would it even be the galaxy I knew?

I ran up my gangway, putting the ignition gauge back and starting the engines. My ship whirred to life as she should have when I first got here. Glancing up, I saw the Son standing on the platform before my ship. He was staring up through my viewport, his arms crossed expectantly.

"Osik," I cursed under my breath, feeling the ship shudder under his power. He was stretching out his hands, holding the ship in place. He wanted to hitchhike.

I rose from my chair, engaging the engines to push up as I snatched a blaster from the wall. I climbed up the ladder and through the top hatch, letting off a series of shots at the Son. As they had before, the blasts bounced off like I was throwing pebbles. Suddenly my body was lifted into the air, dragging me from my ship.

"No!" I yelled, trying to let off more shots, none of them hitting their mark. The Son flicked his wrist, tossing me sideways and onto the landing platform. I tumbled across it, my hands grasping desperately as my body rolled over the edge. I grunted through my gritted teeth, fingers clenching on the ledge.

With a heave, I pulled myself up to get my chest back onto the platform, my injured hand searing my brain with blinding pain. Through my panic and pain, I watched the Son hold my ship in place, lifting himself with the Force. He disappeared through the top hatch I had emerged from, his pale face visible through the viewport.

He graciously took his seat in my pilot's chair, the engines engaging as he pushed the joysticks forward. I shimmied my body forward, finally able to roll to my feet. My shuttle flew away from the platform, leaving me to only watch.

I set my jaw, my eyes narrowing. "I'm not letting you off this rock," I growled to the dark sky. My wrist gauntlet beeped as I plugged in the series of commands I had programmed for these type of situations. There was only a moment of hesitation-remembering the holo-image of Jango, Boba, and I that decorated the table in my cabin. The endless equipment that stocked my walls. The downright reliable nature of the shuttle herself.

I pressed the last button, watching as the engines began to overload from a distance. They sparked and spurted before suddenly going silent...only to explode in a balloon of light. There went my ride...I would have to find a new one.

I knew I didn't kill the Son, as I could still feel his immense power over this world. Still, I'd hurt him, at least.

Or just pissed him off.

I certainly wasn't expecting to see his creature form storming out of the smoke cloud, barreling down on me. I backpedaled in fright, trying to turn and race back inside the monastery. Claws clamped down over my back, lifting me into the air and over the looming tower. The storm raged around us as the Son's anger only grew, carrying me across the shadowy landscape.

I struggled to no avail, finally letting out a defeated groan. Not again…

MANDO'A

Osik- shit