Volume I - Epilogue
[1 month later…] [Somewhere in the Outer Rim]
A ring of snow-covered mountains surrounds a great city, one of the largest on the planet. Despite the harsh weather and near isolation from most major trade hubs, the empire found good use of the world's abundance of coaxium, a vital hyperfuel. It was a recent find, and the garrison had only begun occupying the distant planet. Still, if their calculations were correct, this would greatly benefit the imperial fleet or any fleet that had its hand on this much coaxium.
This would've gone well for the empire if a large dark shadow didn't loom over the city. Several large ships descended on the planet. The empire was caught off, the vessels seemingly appearing out of nowhere. The light garrison and fleet guarding the planet were too weak, and the fire soon rained down upon the city and surrounding mountain range.
Tens of thousands were decimated in the barrage, and any remaining civilians and troopers ran away. Dozens of ships fly down, unloading a combination of repurposed battle droids and brand-new combat droids. Nothing about this dark force was anything like the empire recognized.
Any lingering resistance was snuffed out. Any chance to communicate with the empire was long cut off. Ultimately, this world's head general and governor were thrown to the ground, surrounded by droids in the middle of the central courtyard. The imperial fortress behind them lay in ruins.
A black shuttle lands in front of them, and walking out of the shuttle are six humanoid figures shrouded in dark cloaks. One was tall, his footsteps stomping with a mechanical thump. One had broad shoulders and possessed a mask not seen in over a thousand years. One figure possessed an inquisitor's armor, a traitor inside the imperial ranks. Another's hands glowed a bright green, a unique kind of magick. One's hands were webbed, almost amphibian, with sharp nails and dark blue skin.
He bowed to the last robbed figure. Standing over six feet tall, she was clad in magnificent black songsteel armor with red and gold linings across the body and upper arms. The lower half of her face was covered by a fierce, demonic mask made of songsteel. Long black hair flowed down as she lowered her hood, revealing a fair skin tone and piercing gold eyes, highlighted further by her pure black scalea.
"The empire won't let you get away with this," the general said defiantly. "I don't know how you avoided detection, but the emperor's mighty armies will wipe you off the face of the galaxy!"
Her gloved hand, with songsteel-tipped claws, grabs a sleek handle on her side. With a firm press of the ignition button, a bright red plasma blade ignites. "I'd be disappointed if he didn't," she said, her voice low and smooth. She raises her blade high, sensing the two's intense fear. "That fear in you, despair in the face of death, is what I'll inflict on Sidious and his mighty armies."
The blade falls, claiming two more lives. The six Sith turn towards the fire before them, their leader raising her lightsaber.
The droids and the Sith kneel to her, crying out in unison:
"Freedom & Glory for the True Sith!"
"Freedom & Glory to Darth Ran!"
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
[Three months later…] [Tython, The Deep Core]
A soft hum fluttered in the air, reverberating softly off the inner sandstone walls of a ruined old temple. Crimson light flickers, pulsating with power one second before dimming the next. Floating, it rotates in F's hands. Their songsteel rings vibrate from the energy pulsating from the crystal. They help her keep focus and channel out the darkness, its pain, and anger. Sitting crosslegged, F delicately shifts their fingers in a repeating rotary motion, a technique most optimal for healing a kyber crystal.
It has taken several tries and good memory of their old training, but it has paid off as she finds what she's looking for. In the depths of the crystal, past all the hate, extreme passion, and fear, lay a glimmer of light. F stops her fingers, bending them and slowly stretching out of her hands. This light manifested as a bright white light.
Then, it grew!
It was expanding further and further, purifying any darkness in its wake. So intense was the newfound light that F didn't even need to continue. The crystal was now healing itself, thanks to her help. She feels a fantastic breeze whirl around her before a strong gust blows over her, tangling her hair.
Brushing her bang aside, F realized the crystal had fallen to her hands and fully reverted to its normal state with a pure white shine.
With a confident smile, she steps out of the ruins, meeting with her droid Rei whose been waiting for her. The two walked down an ancient path to the seaside, the afternoon sky showed a faint sign of the moon Ashla. F shows off the crystal. Rei scans the crystal and jumps back to how different its properties are compared to before. "I did it," F said, "after several weeks, I finally did it. All that's left now is to lay it to rest where no one could disturb it again."
"Beep-boo?" Rei asks.
"Yeah, I think our big project is about finished," F replied, looking distant into their blue eyes, "I still wonder if it is enough."
"Breep!" Rei insists.
"I know," F nods in agreement, "they would find it touching, no matter how big it is. Besides, how does one even honor an ancient order like the Jedi?" Glancing up at the sky, there was one wish F hoped would come true: the empire would never come to this planet.
After the evacuation of Faro, she and Rei undertook a risky jump to the ancient Jedi world. It was situated deep within the galaxy's core, known mainly to the Order and little others. This was for preservation efforts and others' safety, as a flight to Tython was difficult for any pilot, sometimes even dangerous.
During the clone wars, there were several points where F's morale hit dangerously low. Even a retreat to the temple did little in healing from what they had seen from the constant battles. One day at the Temple, Hitoshi approached her, but rather than begin another day of training, he instead handed her coordinates to Tython. Reluctantly, F flew to the unknown world and felt its powerful connection to the Force.
In this incredible environment, F mediated and trained for a week, feeling thoroughly rejuvenated in their connection to the Force and emotionally from the planet's serene nature. There would still be much fighting ahead, but F's bravery and self-assurance of her abilities were more potent than ever. Upon returning, she would join her master in another vital mission.
Now, once again, the world has aided them again, tucked away from Imperials eyes for the time being.
"We're here," F whispered.
Before them was the project they'd been working on for three months: a memorial site. The site consisted of rows and rows of tan-colored sandstone monuments covering over eight thousand square feet. Each monument was over five feet tall and had a square base supporting a rectangular headstone. Gathered from blocks of earth, F meticulously chiseled by a careful appliance of the Force. For over ninety days F began and completed each monument, embedding them three feet apart from one another.
At the base of each monument was a star resembling the one in the Jedi Order's crest. Scattered across the site, written on the headstones were various titles. Inscribed in each stone was either: Youngling, Initiate, Padawan, Archivist, Sentinel, Consular, Guardian, Librarian, Pathfinder, Knight, or Master.
All Jedi.
F would never know the names of the thousands once part of the Order, but through this, she can at least honor the fallen by the branches they represented. Each title beholds their achievements, their dreams, and their potential.
Walking past the site, sitting at the edge of a cliffside that looks over the tranquil beach, was an eight-foot-tall stone pillar. At the base of the pillar was the crest of the Jedi Order, carefully carved into the stone.
Rei stays silent and steps back out of respect, giving F some space. She kneels in front of the pillar, a bed of beautiful flowers naturally growing around the base.
"I know, deep down, we are all luminous beings," F spoke, "through the Force, we are never truly gone. Still, I wanted to do something for you all so that you're remembered." With the crystal in hand, she clasps her hands together in front of her face. "We all pass on eventually under the sands of time, I know that, but this was the only way I could move on."
F whispers gently, a prayer that'll be shared only with the Jedi.
She opens her palms, "You are all one with the Force, and the Jedi still live on. Through me and others out there amidst the stars." She stands and looks up at a slot at the pillar's tip. With careful use of the Force, F levitates the crystal up and into the slot. With the sunset behind, the crystal projects a stunning rainbow of colors and shines brighter. Each stone almost glows in the face of the sun, the cool gust of wind from the ocean sweeping the site.
F's cloak bellows against the wind as she speaks, "I had another vision the night before. The green butterfly, a specter of the Jedi Lily Tora-Asi, helped me finally remember my first home. However, I also saw a terrible fire burning everything in its path. From the plums of smoke were six silhouettes. Who or what they were is unclear to me."
F grabs her lightsaber, brushing her thumb over its handle. "Only a Jedi Knight could prevent this. Those were the only words I heard before I woke up." She looks up determinedly, "I will fulfill my promise and finish what I started by completing the trials. What forms they will be, I leave it up to the Force. To do that, I must leave Tython."
Rei steps forward, hearing brief trepidation in F's voice.
"I'm not a prophesied chosen one, master, or knight. I can't save the galaxy on my own…but…." Then, building up the air in their lungs, F determinedly shouts, "I'll keep pushing and fighting my way through the dark anyway! Maybe I can change something!"
Just like that, a great weight was lifted off their shoulders, "and I can't do that staying here," F said. She looks at the center of the pillar; inscribed on it were four simple but important words:
"There is no Death, there is the Force."
She places her hand on the crest, a somber yet tranquil expression in F's eyes. "Until we meet again…Hitoshi…everyone. Farewell."
Her hand gently slides off the smooth stone, and she looks at the bright moon and sun in the distance.
"Breep?" Rei asks.
"Yeah," F smiles before offering her hand, "Come, let's see what's waiting for us out there."
Excitedly, Rei hops on her arm before snuggling in her hood.
F takes a gallant leap down the cliffside with everything they need, landing on the soft sand. Waiting for them was her reliable starfighter, waiting for its next destination. Hopping on, F lowers the canopy and starts the engines.
"Beep-boop?" Rei asks.
"Where to next?" F ponders before realizing her answer. "Where I was born, Banchii," she said smoothly. "It's far from here, but we can make it. Be ready for some pitstops along the way."
The red and white starfighter rises with a lift of her flight controls. Gentling taking off, its engines echo across the valley as it soars magnificently across the clouds. The kyber crystal in its new home glitters when the starfighter jumps into hyperspace.
The once lost padawan has finally found their path and strides forward to her destiny…
A/N: Hoped you all like this chapter and enjoyed the sneak peek at what's coming next. I hesitated for a long time about including such a group, especially one independent of the Empire, but I also figured, "why not?"
Also, yes, this Sith group is the same one we've seen in the shadows for a while. I based her armor and look on a more traditional samurai armor design. If you're wondering what Ran means, it refers to the Kurosawa movie of the same name, "Ran." I felt this was appropriate because "The Village Bride" was also partially inspired by a Kurosawa film titled "Dreams." To put it simply, Ran can translate to "Chaos," "Rebellion," "Revolt," "Confused," or "Disturbed" Each of these hints at the personality and goals of our new antagonist.