Chapter 6

Luna was startled awake.

Sitting up from the floor and pushing away their half-finished plate of reheated leftovers, their mind lingered on the words they'd heard from their father.

Luna…Can you hear me?

It couldn't have been a dream. It had been too loud. Too clear. Had Saga reached out to them through the Force? Did he even have the Force? Luna didn't have time to think about it. Their father had reached out to them. They could reconnect and give Saga their location. Crossing their legs and closing their eyes once more, they reached out through the Force. Luna's mind zeroed in on their father's voice as they tried to reestablish the lost connection.

Then a few minutes later, they did.

Dad? Are you there?

…

Saga nearly leapt up out of his seat upon hearing Luna. He concentrated and replied through the Force.

Are you okay? Did they hurt you?

…

Luna smiled upon hearing their father again.

I'm okay. But I don't know where I am.

…

Beads of sweat began to form on Saga's forehead.

It's okay. Asajj knows where they're taking you.

…

Asajj?

…

I'll explain later. She knows they're taking you to Christophsis. All we've gotta do now is figure out where on the planet they're taking you. Are there any windows where you are?

…

No. But there's one on the floor above me.

…

See if you can get there. Once you do, contact me again and let me know where you are.

…

Okay. I love you, dad.

…

Love you too, raindrop. Don't be afraid. We're gonna get you out of there. I promise.

…

Luna's eyes opened as the connection faded. They were invigorated now. All they had to do was get to the top floor of the ship and see through the window. And they knew exactly how they were going to do it. Taking a deep breath, they shouted as loud as they could.

"I need to pee!"

Luna could hear the muffled sounds of the knights arguing among themselves. After nearly a minute, they heard an audible moan before the door at the top of the nearby staircase opened. The knight with the curved blade stepped down the stairs and approached Luna. He then took out the key to Luna's stuncuffs and knelt down to unlock the cuffs.

"You'd better make this quick."

As soon as he undid the cuffs, Luna threw the knight against the wall with a Force push. Hitting his head against the wall, the knight was stunned while Luna ran up the stairs towards the floor above them.

Upon reaching the top floor, they saw the large window at the front of the ship and ran toward it to get a closer look. They could see that they were nearing the surface of Christophsis. The planet's lime-colored crystalline surface reminded them of the puzzles they and Saga would do together. They could see tall, rock-shaped buildings surrounded by small plateaus that created a mosaic-like pattern. And at the center of it all was a gigantic, bubble-shaped complex that overlooked the entire region, its sterile, metallic exterior contrasting against the planet's more stark and vibrant architecture.

But before Luna could get any closer, they felt a hand grip the back of their shirt collar before lifting them up off the floor. Luna struggled as Ren held them up and looked them in the eyes from behind his mask.

"Damn kid…"

Still holding up Luna, Ren turned to the other knight as he stumbled up the stairs while rubbing his head. Ren's tone was more disappointed than angry.

"Vicrul. Seriously."

Vicrul adjusted his mask.

"Sorry. Kid caught me off guard."

"Let it happen again and you'll be the one stuck down there."

Ren then took out another pair of stun cuffs from one of his pockets and cuffed Luna's arm to a nearby workbench. Luna continued to struggle as Ren looked toward the window.

"We there yet, Ap'lek?"

Ap'lek answered Ren as he drove the ship.

"We're approaching the city. Knowing where to land is another matter."

Ren pointed ahead.

"Try the big, round building that screams empire."

Ap'lek responded sarcastically.

"No. I never would've guessed. I meant which hangar, genius."

"Contact them and ask them which one."

"You told us that you were the only one who could contact them."

"Don't get smart with me."

"As if you know how to be smart."

"The hell did you…"

As they argued, Luna resumed their mediative position and reached out to Saga once more.

…

Saga jolted as Luna connected to him again.

Luna! Still okay?

…

Luna nodded and tried to concentrate despite the knights shouting.

Yeah. And I know where they're taking me. We're at some kind of city with a big, round building in the middle.

…

Do you see anything else?

…

Uh…

…

Just then, Saga heard Asajj next to him.

"Saga. Can you let me in? I think I can help."

Saga hesitated, maintaining the connection as he responded.

"You can?"

"We'll have to see. Try connecting to me."

Saga nodded as sweat touched his lips.

"Okay…"

Concentrating as hard as he could, Saga connected to Asajj as well.

Asajj then reached out to Luna.

Luna. Are you there?

…

Luna was taken aback by the new voice they were hearing.

Huh? Who are you?

…

My name is Asajj. I'm helping your father track you down. Can you see where you are?

…

Yeah…

…

Try letting me into your mind. I might be able to see where you are.

…

Huh?!

…

I have a power called psychometry. It lets me see where people have been. Connecting to you might allow me to see where you are.

…

Might?!

…

There's a chance it'll work. I only need you to trust me. Can you do that please?

…

Luna began to worry. They could feel the connection slipping. Then their father spoke again.

…

It's okay, Luna. I trust Asajj. I trust her to help you. Can you let her in please?

…

Luna stayed silent a few seconds. Then they nodded.

Okay.

Reaching out as far as they could, they let Asajj into their mind.

Luna's eyes flew open.

…

Asajj's eyes flew open.

She could see the ship Luna was on.

She could see the masked figures arguing.

She could see the city behind the large window.

She recognized it immediately.

She remembered everything.

She felt Dooku's lightning burning her skin.

And then, the connection broke off.

…

Luna woke up in a cold sweat. Their breathing was erratic as they tried to calm themself down. They could still see the old-looking figure firing lightning from their hands.

Then, they heard Ren.

"Hey. The hell you doing?"

Luna couldn't respond. They could only sit back down and allow their exhausted mind to rest, hoping that Asajj had seen enough.

…

Asajj gasped as the connection ended. Holding onto her chest, she could feel Saga's hand on her shoulder. Saga tried to calm her down the same way she had calmed him down.

"Breathe…breathe…"

As the Izvoshra waited with baited breath, Asajj closed here eyes and pushed her old master to the back of her mind. She envisioned Quinlan, holding and kissing her on Kashyyyk. She could feel the warmth of his hands. The braids in his hair. The scars on his skin. The touch of his lips.

Then, after recollecting herself, she turned to Saga.

"I know where they are."