Chapter 17

Darkness/Undeniable Truths

Dagobah System, 0930 hours

Robin and Jaina's X-wings came out of lightspeed, just outside Dagobah's gravity well. They entered the atmosphere, scanning for the best places to land. Hopefully, they could find a place large and solid enough for both fighters to land. After about twenty minutes, fortune smiled on them, and they found a large enough landmass to land both ships. Robin exited the cockpit, and his feet were instantly covered in mud, among other mysterious and gross substances. "Well, that didn't take long," Robin commented with a small sigh of annoyance. His new boots were now wrecked. Jaina just laughed, replying, "You get used to muck of various kinds as a Jedi." She turned to him, "come with me." Jaina said leading the way, Robin following after.

Dagobah was a dark, dank, desolate, and otherwise woeful world. The Dark Side was indeed very strong here, perfect for their needs. Naturally, the two weren't fans of the swamp world; nobody was. "It's like the Swamps of Sadness from the NeverEnding Story, back when I first imagined it as a young boy." Robin thought as he followed Jaina. (Remember to read, to dream, and to promote the fantastical. Keep your inner kid alive and strong).

They were seeking out the former home of Grandmaster Yoda, who'd used the world's darkness to hide his light from the Emperor. It was also where young Luke had trained, and where after nine hundred years, Yoda died in peace and contentment.

Jaina didn't need to explain Dagobah's significance, historical or otherwise; Luke had already told Robin of his failure when facing his Dark Side during his tutelage under Yoda. The plan was simple: Jaina was going to meditate and face her fears here, and conquer them. While this was happening, Robin would accept all of his darkness. Not just the useful parts that essentially made up Shadow's core, but everything, warts and all, in the very same cave in Luke's story. Only by truly knowing both sides of himself could Robin attain Balance.

Robin knew that they'd made the right move by coming here. The darkness here would smother his Light Side's instincts to recoil from his Dark Side, thereby preventing him from knowing his full, truest self. Darkness had its uses, its place and time as all things do; an undeniable truth of life. "Know thyself and know truly unlimited power, for limits are placed by only our own power," he thought silently.

First, he had to temporarily subdue his light, which Dagobah was helping him to do, in order to meet his darkness and, somehow, not fall to it. He wasn't above temptations of power; he was flesh and blood with normal mortal wants and desires.

"Robin? You okay?" Jaina asked, looking concerned with his silence. "I'm okay, I just got lost in my own thoughts. I'm also scared. When I killed Kay, I terrified myself… because of how right it felt. Not the taking of just any life, but his life in particular. The Paladin in me knew that he was bad for Balance and recognized a threat, as did my inner Jedi, but I'm the one who enjoyed it. Me. Robin Stace. I feel tainted, stained, and ashamed," he replied, trying not to sound too forlorn.

Amazingly, she smiled, though it was shot through with sadness and pain. "Good. Use that feeling in your trials, just as I will use my fear… to call it, manifest it, and give it life. I know Shadow is part of your Darkness, but not all of it. he's only the useful positive instinctive need to live, fight, and win." Jaina said, continuing to Yoda's old, tiny ramshackle cabin. Robin was surprised at her words, to say the least. "What?" She asked, returning his gaze. "I actually talk with your Familiars, you should try it with mine sometime. Remember, I'm supposed to cut away at your weakness; that includes doubt, especially self-doubt."

They had finally reached the little hovel and got a fire going for warmth. "What now?" Robin asked. It was his first time using a Dark Side Nexus. Jaina laid out a mattress near the cabin's small fire. "Sleep… you need to recoup your lost energy, as do I. Don't think too much either; it strengthens the syphoning process of this place. I know it's hard, but do your best not to worry or think. If you can't, I'll do what I must to force you. A concussion should do the trick," she warned, only half-joking. Robin wisely stayed silent and stilled his thoughts as he got in bed with Jaina, before sleep took them both.

Jaina had been here before. She knew Dagobah well, so it was no surprise that she could resist its effects more easily. As such, she was the first to wake up and start planning the day as she cooked breakfast; she hadn't slept well, though, and was a little grouchy. Robin woke when he'd grown cold, which meant Jaina was up and at 'em. She ladled some soup into a bowl for him. "Don't complain about the taste; nobody can make anything taste good here, not even you, the great Chef Stace. Yoda was nine hundred, and he couldn't make food taste any better than 'barely edible,' as my uncle said." Jaina sounded annoyed, and she was annoyed, but not by Robin, who remarkably didn't once complain about her jumping down his throat. It was the dark side's influence, and her resistance was waning a little, which, given her upcoming task, was probably a good thing. She'd grown accustomed to the light to the point that a little difficulty would only help her develop control over her darkness by helping her draw out her fears.

After they finished eating, Robin had a second helping, which, as a mere idea, made Jaina queasy. They went outside to find the Cave of Darkness and a good spot close by to meditate. They found the cave, marked the area, and marked a nearby naturally flat platform perfect for meditation. They would do it that night, having agreed that three days was the most time that they could afford to spend AWOL, (away without leave,) from the Temple.

Because they had time to kill, with the Dark Side growing stronger by the hour, the optimal time for their tasks was midnight. The duo decided to practice their respective fighting techniques by sparring lightly, with no weapons other than their lightsabers on low output. After an hour, they took a break, collapsing on the ground. Jaina broke the silence. "When are you going to Ilum? The mine was once thought to be permanently empty, but after a few decades, the crystals regrew. You really should go soon. No offence, but you aren't really a true Knight until you forge your own lightsaber. You look like you have a design already in mind," she said. Robin agreed. "I'm thinking that after we're done here, I'll go to Ilum. I'm picturing a cross-guard lightsaber option, but also with a single-blade option. That way, I can surprise people."

Robin checked the time on his chrono. "It's time to get started on our tasks. Let's do this!" Robin said, trying to psych them both up. Jaina just smiled as she got to her feet with him, and they headed for their destinations and respective missions. For Jaina, it was her own fear; for Robin, it was his own pure Dark Side.

Robin felt cold as he approached the cave of darkness, a naturally occurring Nexus of Dark energy. He knew that the cold was a warning from the Force, as well as his instincts. He watched Jaina settle comfortably in a meditative position as he passed her on his way to the cave. He went to enter but paused momentarily. He wasn't sure if bringing his weapon was necessary.

As he resumed entering the cave, he heard a voice, wizened with age and experience. "Your weapons.. you will not need them." Robin instantly recognized the voice of Grandmaster Yoda, one of Luke's teachers. Heeding Yoda's advice and hanging his weapon belt on a nearby tree branch, Robin couldn't help but wonder what awaited him inside, and again he heard Yoda's Force echo as though in answer: "Only that which you take with you."

Once inside, his eyes soon adjusted to the dark. He turned around to confirm his suspicions and saw that the entrance was no more. There was only one way out: forward. He steeled himself for whatever his own personal darkness had ready for him. He knew one thing right away: this was it. The final steps before his true journey began. Everything up until this point had been a prelude to this moment in time. The prologue of his story was reaching its end, but the journey was just starting. A part of him was indescribably excited.

As Robin progressed, he warmed and felt as though he had been walking long and far, yet the temperature never altered and the air quality was the same. "A Force-induced vision, perhaps?" he wondered as he walked on. The cave was damp; creatures unseen skittered and scuttled. At one point, he thought that he heard the hiss of a snake striking its prey; its sound exponentially louder than it ought to have been, that is, until the sounds just stopped.

Dead silence is a very strange, rare thing born from the dark unknown, from fear, from death. Robin continued, the silence weighing heavily on him like a cold hand pushing down on his shoulders. As he continued, he found his way blocked by what appeared at first glance to be a gate, (the gothic kind with arches).

Upon closer inspection, he found writing on the archway. It was written in Latin, or a close derivative. Loosely translated, it read, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." Reading this caused Robin to shiver a touch in fear. While he was looking down for a moment, lost in thoughts of fire and brimstone, the archway had become a mirror, which rippled like still water after a stone was thrown in. Robin looked back up and witnessed an inky black silhouette separate itself from the centre of the rippling mirror. He felt like perhaps Dante Alighieri hadn't just been tripping balls from mushrooms when he wrote his Divine Comedy. (This book is a good read. Look it up, start with Inferno). If his hunch was right, then just as Dante had Virgil for his trek through Hell and Purgatory, Robin had a companion and guide as well. "Yo, Mr. Ink, are you my Virgil? Would you mind growing a face, please?"

The inky entity just smiled a pure tooth smile, lacking anything else in terms of facial features. No eyes, no cheekbones, absolutely nothing. It was creepy looking, but its voice was even creepier, distorted and synthetic yet simultaneously organic and smooth. "You're the new boss, Paladin. I'm pleased to finally meet you. My apologies; let me put on my face," the thing said with an even bigger all-tooth grin. The figure turned around, made some frankly disturbing squelching sounds, and then turned back to Robin, wearing his own face and garbed in a black robe and cloak made of shifting darkness. (Similar to Voldemort's clothes when he returned in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. I'm in your head, of course, I know pop culture). "Let's go," the lookalike said before walking through the archway-turned portal, Robin following after.

"Welcome to your darkness, your personal Hell. Here you'll find every dark truth that you repress, deny, or otherwise pretend doesn't influence you. You can't integrate with your darkness without fully knowing or accepting it. My job is to guide you to various aspects of yourself that you really don't like or appreciate as much as you should. I'm only the messenger, so save your wrath for the deserving. Those who seek to destabilize or destroy Balance, to set the scales in their favour, are… our truest foes. You've probably already figured out that I'm you, your dark self. Unlike Shadow, I'm unfiltered, pure darkness. No, I'm not playing Sympathy for the Devil in the background; it's overplayed and cliche." Dark Robin said with a chuckle that sounded normal but felt dark, heavy, and even sinister.

As they moved, a green glow that resembled bioluminescent moss and mushrooms illuminated the cave's pitch-black interior. The light grew until they reached a plinth; on it was another portal, labelled 'Power', though it was not active. "This is door one. I'm going to ask you questions, and you must answer with brutal honesty, or the way forward will forever remain barred. The absolute truth is the only way forward. That is the standard procedure in this place."

Robin looked at his personal dark half, skeptical of the simplicity. "I am part of you, but unlike you, I won't lie to you, even while you lie to yourself. So… question time. Why did you join the Jedi Order instead of staying on Earth and spreading the ways of the Force yourself? Earth could have been yours, though it's a bit of a low bar as far as prizes go. There are too many sheep, and you know I don't mean the animals. The point is that you didn't have to leave, and while you did feel destiny at work, there was another reason. Sensei Tzu said to set a goal, to best utilize your power. That power, of any kind, without direction or purpose, is empty, a void, and ultimately denies you the very gratification many believe is found in power, status, influence, and the like. Remember the vow that you made that day, so long ago?" Dark Robin reminded Robin off-handedly, knowing the answer.

Robin looked down at his feet; he did have a goal, and while helping the innocent and oppressed as a Jedi was well and good, his personal greater goal ultimately superseded his work as a Jedi. It was such a large goal that it demanded more attention and was a priority. Robin gathered his courage, remembering how much he had hated and scorned the world on Earth and life itself for the constant injustices, scoffing at the broken system. That had been before Sensei taught him to direct his energy to something constructive; the energy from dark thoughts could be turned to good purposes if he chose. Robin chose fixing or reforming the system, all of it so that life could maybe, one day, actually be fair; such was his ultimate goal and one of his reasons for being. To do that required great power, something he'd get with the Order, and he'd quickly realized that Luke was an authority figure and a good man worth befriending. Luke was already opening doors for him.

Robin saw his darkness smile though, it was laced with sorrow and pain, aspects of the dark side, and of himself. "That's right. At least you're being honest with yourself right now. You wanted power, and you still do. Not for the sake of power, but to fix everything you could. To make life genuinely fair and fix the broken system. Bad guys get punished, while good people are rewarded for doing what's right instead of getting taken advantage of. Yet that is also ambition, hubris, and greed, albeit for noble lofty ideals and goals. Well done for finding the strength to carry forward. Come on, we're not done. Next time, try answering aloud, for your sake." Dark Robin said, walking through the mirror-like portal with Robin following suit.

Once more, they were somewhere that looked completely different; this mirror read 'Fear', and Robin suddenly felt painfully cold. "What do you fear? I'm not talking about standard fears like arachnophobia or heights. But you suspected as much. While we aren't on a schedule, I'd rather not take forever," his darkness said, tapping an imaginary Chrono, and earning a glare from Robin.

Robin mused on the matter silently, pacing a circle around his dark doppelganger, his tongue sticking out as he focused. What did he fear? There were plenty of things, but it ultimately boiled down to failure. Failure as a person, a Jedi, a friend, and a Paladin. Yet Robin knew that failure is one of our greatest teachers. We learn about so many things through trial and error, pain and frustration, and especially secrets about ourselves. Robin had his answer, tough as it was to admit. He took a moment to compose his thoughts.

"I fear becoming something I'd hate. Failing others, but especially failing myself. I fear that without my Paladin power, which wasn't mine originally as it was inherited, I'd be nothing, and that I only got this strength through a genetic lottery. I'm afraid that I'm the wrong person for the job and that I'll fail everyone and everything because of it." The mirror lit up, and then a doorway appeared in its place. "Now you're at least saying it aloud, that's good, solid, and marked progress. Now is the time to warn you: this will be your final challenge here, but not your final trial. You are a good man, and it's the nature of good people to fight… well, me. The Dark Side, parts of me anyway, while using my better aspects to serve the light. Come, we must continue." Dark Robin beckoned, stepping through the archway.

Robin had noticed that despite the increasing darkness around him, broken only by sickly luminescent plants and glowing minerals on the cave walls, his eyesight hadn't worsened; it actually improved, and he wasn't as cold feeling as he was moments before. "I was born of pure darkness; as such, the more in tune with me that you become, the better your night vision gets and the cold won't bother you; after all, I see perfectly in the dark and enjoy the cold as I am your darkness personified, so you can draw on my qualities the further you progress, and it doesn't hurt that we're in a dark-side nexus. It's a sign of progress, we'll be finished soon." Robin just grunted affirmation, little more was required.

Eventually, the path opened up to what looked like an arena in the distance. "This one's a two-parter. First, how did you feel about killing that Sith Lord at the tournament? Remember now, brutal honesty. You probably don't fully believe me, a wise course of action, but I do want you to succeed and champion Balance. In addition to the fact that I'm you, so know now that I take no pleasure in putting you through this. It's necessary, unfortunately." Robin listened and nodded while they walked; his dark side's words rang true. "Back to the question: How did you feel when killing Kay? Part two; would you do anything different? We both know the answer, but you must do more than know it. You must face it, accept it, and own it. This is how you'll gain Balance in the Force."

Robin looked around, to see the memory of his fight with the Sith Lord which was superimposed on the darkened, empty arena. "I felt many things when killing him. Fury, wrath, indignation, relief, shame, terror, and a touch of pity. But if I'm being honest with myself, I never regretted or felt sorrow at his death by my hands. He invaded my space, and marked me not just as his opponent but as his enemy He said that I was inadequate in numerous ways, and sought to hurt, use, and abandon Jaina when he was done with her; though I would have deemed him too great a threat, no matter who among my loved ones he targeted. He was the antithesis of everything I stand for. I did feel that had things been different, he could have been a much better person, and I truly hope that he's reborn as a better person. His death at my hands felt… just. I felt pride in removing that stain from the galaxy. I actually feel better having said that out loud, even if only to myself. I wouldn't do anything differently." Robin said, chuckling lightly at literally talking with himself. It felt like he'd accepted a part of himself that had, until that point, simply weighed him down. His chains were broken; the truth of his darkness had helped set him free of his unnecessary guilt and fear.

"Good. Now comes the final step. This is a duty that you must be able to perform. You've come far and accepted yourself, the good, the bad, and the ugly. (Great movie). You've killed both in anger and in the hopes that your enemy will come back as a better individual. Kay's death was a mercy killing. Your demon danced with his devil in the pale moonlight and won, but he died happily as a proud warrior. This last test here will require you to draw on my power, on pure Darkness, and it will influence, but not control you. Any control that I have is, on some level, freely given by you. Come with me, please."

Together, they trudged over the mucky, dark, rust-coloured ground. Then Robin smelled it, faint at first, growing stronger as they neared the centre. It was the coppery scent of blood. This wasn't an arena for combat; it was an execution ground soaked in blood. He was in Hell, or at least, close to it. Robin figured it was metaphorical of something, perhaps the destructive power of pure darkness when left unchecked. A tall, decrepit man materialized, limbs and mouth bound by ropes of pure energy. "This is the ancient soul of Vitiate (Vi-shee-ayt), born with the name Tenebrae (teh-nuh-bray). His name isn't really important and hasn't been for a long time. He was once great and terribly powerful, but he cared too much for immortality. An overrated ambition, if you ask me. Your duty, your privilege, and your responsibility is to render and carry out a verdict for the Force. He destabilized balance more than once and siphoned the Force from whole worlds, worlds that are still recovering from such atrocities. He turned one of your ancestors into an undying Force battery. Revan was lost to the galaxy for countless generations because of this… thing. Justice, according to the Will of the Force, is yours to carry out." Dark Robin gestured, and the Blade of the Ruler, (Aka King's Blade among other names), normally only seen in Robin's mindscape, was suddenly in his hand. Dark Robin then passed it to the true Robin. The time had come, for judgment was nigh.

Robin looked upon the feeble creature, who was once a great scourge on the very galaxy itself. Now he was a mere worm at his mercy. How would he judge the prisoner? He would trust his instincts and follow the Will of the Force. "How do you plead? Bear in mind that I know some of your terrible deeds and the power that you have accumulated. Remember, you cannot lie here." Dark Robin said this to the guilty Force-user before gesturing and dispelling the rope. The former would-be immortal threw himself at Robin's feet, begging for mercy and making promises of power, influence, and whatever Robin wanted most if he could just be spared his punishment. Robin became furious, and wrathful, (yet not in an unfair way, more like a cop or judge who refuses a bribe, indignant and disrespected by the very idea.) "You think that you can bribe your way out of accountability? Not with me! Maybe before, when the Paladins had been missing, but we're back!" The heat in Robin's voice quickly faded, and he was completely without warmth. Save for his eyes, the window to the soul. They shined with a mercilessly cold dark fire.

Robin's eyes showed regret as well. Not because the upcoming punishment was too harsh, but because of regret at having to do it at all. "Why can't people just live in peace and harmony, in balance with everything? Conflict already exists without us seeking it out or making more." Robin couldn't help but wonder. "Had you held yourself accountable this could have been, if not avoided, at least mitigated."

Dark Robin was disappearing, being absorbed into the true Robin, as was part of the ritual. It was agonizing for Robin, yet it was a pure pain like burning yourself with hot water; it cleansed his doubt, gave him focus, and gave him power. This was a new flavour of the Force, one he honestly couldn't say that he totally disliked. It was a hell of a rush, but he kept himself grounded. Robin pointed his King's Blade at the guilty soul, embracing his role and the darkness he had made, and now accepted and wielded along with his light, both equal extensions of himself.. He was harmonized in the Force, it was indescribable.

"You have been judged by the Force itself and found wanting, greatly. I hereby sentence you, in the name of Balance, to exist in a pocket dimension overlooking those who become One with the Force, knowing you can only gain such peace and rest through penance, as well as the afterlife known as The Realm of Screams and Chaos, or Hell. Take your pick of what to call it; they're the same place. This would serve as a constant reminder of the cost if you attempt to defy the edict meted out by the Force. Your soul shall be bound in death, passing to the next ruler after me. We shall use your power to serve the Balance you fought so strongly against while alive until the Force deems you truly repentant, or your consciousness breaks from attempting the impossible, or Soul Death.'' With a swing of the Blade of the Ruler, the verdict was set, and the soul of Vitiate was severed from this realm, with his powers to be absorbed, just as Dark Robin had known would happen if he tried to avoid accountability. He couldn't say that he was surprised; "Many people tend to think that they're above the consequences of evil actions. Those people are wrong." (Dark Robin's thoughts are essentially Robin's only jaded, angry, and cynical.)

This time, however, Robin didn't suffer from the absorption because accepting your own pure dark side is not meant to be pleasant. Though Robin's prisoner did suffer as his power was taken over by the would-be King of Paladins, Vitiate knew that he had no recourse, no way to fight it. His soul was separated from his power and pulled through a tear in reality. He was suddenly in a pocket dimension with a view of a beautiful realm of peace, love, and life, a place of pure Light Side power, as well as a view of The Realm of Screams and Chaos, (aka Hell.) A place so horrible that it was beyond words, filled with the screams of the forever damned.

Neither was a place Vitiate thought he'd see, ever. He had been seeking immortality while alive for a reason, though true immortality had, alas, eluded him. He would be immortal in death only, it would seem. Doubtless Revan would appreciate the irony of Vitiate turning into a power boost for his descendant, just as he'd done to Revan so long ago. This was Vitiate's last thought as he felt himself become bound to the realm of maddening in-between.

Robin knew everything that Vitiate was thinking and feeling during his last moments; Revan would without a doubt appreciate the irony. Robin felt his power with the Force grow as Vitiate's presence had diminished, sucked into the pocket dimension, leaving behind only the raw power that Robin had quickly subsumed and made his own.

Robin felt stronger, but he also felt exhausted; absorbing that much power was surprisingly draining. Suddenly, the cave opened, allowing warm, bright light to stream in. "Has to be my way out," Robin thought as he went through the gate.

Jaina had been meditating on her fears for some time now, and she grew impatient, so she was taking a break, reasoning that they had three days to do their respective tasks. Her body was sore from staying in one position for too long. She shook it off and tried to sense Robin through the Force, she couldn't feel him, probably from the Dark Nexus interfering. She went to the cave and found him sprawled on the ground, ashen and exhausted. She checked his pulse and breathing; everything was normal, physically anyway.

Jaina had heard of people collapsing from powerful Force visions; she'd even witnessed her uncle stagger and collapse when the Force proclaimed her Sword of the Jedi. The Force hid the Paladin part, likely because no ruler existed at the time, at least according to her reasoning. She used the Force to carry Robin back to the cottage; today had been enough for both of them, and she, with Robin, crashed on the bed, though he'd bounced off the mattress and landed half on top of her, but she didn't care; she was too tired for minor discomfort to have much impact. Instantly, sleep took her.

Jaina's Mindscape

Jaina found herself in her mindscape, not knowing why or how; she hadn't called the world forth by her own will, as was the usual practice since learning about her role and Paladins. The normally bright, well-lit hanger of her mindscape was dark, with only the occasional light flickering overhead as she explored her inner world, trying to figure out what was happening.

She gasped as the image of her dead baby brother, Anakin, became visible. That brought back memories that she had locked away, along with her pain and fear. She'd been able to persevere because of her family. As she walked, parts of her inner world were lighting up, it felt foreboding and fear laced rather than reassuring. She couldn't help but wonder what fresh horror was awaiting her, As if on cue, she saw her family, all dead or dying, frozen in time. First was her twin, Jacen, who'd fallen to the Dark Side, and she'd been the only one who could stop him, so he died by her hands. Her mother, she saw in horror, had a blaster wound to the heart courtesy of Han, while her father had fallen on his wife's lightsaber, which was dyed crimson. A similar scene with Luke and Ben wasn't far behind; both wielded scarlet-bladed lightsabers, each piercing the other through fatal points. Then she saw Robin frozen like everyone else, alive. Except he was garbed as a Sith, red lightsaber and dark aura of power included, his normally kind face twisted in some depraved pleasure only he could see or understand. Jaina wanted to scream; she was slowly drowning in an ocean of anxiety and pain.

The remainder of her family disappeared in the following scene, to be replaced by images spawned from long-buried dark fears. "Kid, just scream, let it out, then we'll talk," called the voice of her familiar, who materialized before her, still looking a great deal like Bastilla Shan, though she looked like she'd been through the wringer. Jaina took the advice and screamed in pain, rage, and especially fear. It was a cathartic release, and with her scream, the dark images shattered like glass. "Feel better now? Yes? Good, we need to talk." Bastilla started walking, gesturing for Jaina to follow.

"This whole place reflects you, good and bad. You focused on your fear so much that you altered your mindscape. You know fear is a natural fight-or-flight response. The problem is what you fear, not that you fear. Everything you saw reflected your fears. You fear losing people you care for to death or the Dark Side. Use that fear and turn it into power so that what you fear never comes to pass. You can act or react. It's your choice. You must embrace your fear and the possibility that such things could happen. It's how you own your fear; it's how things should be. It's going to hurt since dread is born from pain. I'll leave you to it; you know what to do." She said, walking away to practice swordplay with a dummy.

Jaina opened herself up and let her emotional shields down. Then she felt her fear assault her full force, and the power of her fear was indeed great. She weathered the storm of fears and worries, reminding herself that they were what-if's and nothing more. Her doubt ate at her, and the pain redoubled its efforts, as though it were running out of time or energy. When her pain peaked and she thought she could no longer stand it, it stopped as well, providing her with a much-needed chance to catch her second wind. "You've accepted your fears as valid and useful, yet only if you don't lose control of yourself to them. Try keeping a journal or log of your fears with reasons both for and against their credibility to help you determine if something's worth fearing in the moment or if it's a fear based in the subconscious and something to explore later. Maybe conquer your fear of rejection soon too. I think that you and Robin should explore and learn more about one another. By the way, he rolled off you while you were having your vision, so get some sleep, or wake him up, and… you know." The Familiar said with a grin, chuckling before disappearing back to wherever Familiars go when they aren't conversing and giving Jaina the sleep she only just realized that she desperately needed. Vision sleep doesn't count as rest because your mind remains active. Jaina's last conscious thought before true sleep was, "What did she mean...? Oh, ok! I gotta put the moves on him and stop fearing rejection that probably won't come. I definitely will, later, when we're both awake. I'll go with Robin to Ilum, and we can pool our body heat." With that little fantasy playing on loop in her head, Jaina drifted off into a beautiful, blissful sleep void of terrors.

Skywalker residence, Coruscant

Luke was not happy… oh no, not at all. Why wasn't he happy? Because his niece was out there doing who knows what with his former apprentice in tow, his charge and responsibility. Sure, they were both adults and doubtlessly fine at defending themselves, as skilled as they were. Not telling him where they went was brash which was less than he'd expect of either of them. All that they left was a hastily written note saying, 'Don't worry'. Luke paled. Cindy would kill him for losing her son, he thought with dread.

He remembered his late wife Mara when she was in mom mode, and it was beautiful and just a little bit terrifying. He understood completely, of course: Hurt my kid, and I'll hunt you down. He'd almost completely given in to the Dark Side fighting his nephew Jacen after his fall to the Dark Side. Jacen had tortured Ben and tried to turn him to the Dark Side as his Apprentice. Luke responded with his rage and his wrath, stopping only when Ben claimed his fallen cousin's death for himself, which had brought Luke back from his fury. He would be honest; Cindy wasn't unreasonable.

When he returned to the Temple lobby, Luke told Cindy, who was just returning to his sister's place, that Robin and Jaina had gone somewhere, though they didn't say, but would return soon. Wherever they'd gone was in range of a hyperdrive-modified X-Wing, which reduced the possible destinations a great deal, along with possessing enough fuel for three to four trips at lightspeed. They could be tracked over time.

Cindy started to tremble, and Luke initially thought she was perhaps crying. It turned out she was laughing but trying to hold it back. She roared with laughter; she couldn't hold it anymore, and she put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "They're fine, Luke. As they said, don't worry," she chuckled at her boy's new boldness, running off with his girl. "He used to be so shy; Jaina was really good for him," she thought, smiling as she returned to the Solo residence.

"Why are all the great women a little crazy?" Luke silently wondered, realizing a moment later that he did indeed have a type preference, as his sister had told him, and that he might be a slight masochist, as Han often joked. (Talk about the pot calling the kettle black). He followed Cindy; he felt a presence briefly that disappeared before he got a fix on their location. It had felt like an incredibly unfriendly person, not a great Sith presence. But still, it is better to be cautious, and he enjoyed Cindy's company. Besides, Cindy might have tips that she might share on raising her son alone from when Robin was Ben's age. Give Luke war, Sith Lords, Force-immune invaders from other galaxies, his dad, and he'd handle it, usually easily. Give Luke teenager issues and you have one stressed Grand Master, if not for his friends with older kids of their own he would have fallen to pieces.

Dagobah, morning

"We still have two days left. Should we head for Ilum? I never took the traditional pilgrimage, but I've always wanted to. My crystal was made with the Sith technique. No rule says you can't have company on this journey for your Kyber crystal." Jaina said cheerfully that morning, likely because they were ahead of schedule, and frankly, her cheerful disposition was infectious enough that not even the darkness of Dagobah could impact either Jedi beyond a minor headache upon waking up. After they shared their experiences and insights from the previous day, the conversation shifted to lightsabers, configurations, and hilts, which transitioned easily to Kyber crystals, and voila, Ilum.

As they packed up, Robin resolved to do something unrelated to Jedi or work with Jaina. So far, they'd had one night of romance; everything else was about work, saving all reality, or was a "friend" date. He was starting to regret waiting so long in regards to romance, and it felt like maybe Jaina was too, though he was polite enough to leave her the privacy of her mind. Sometimes one of them would accidentally bleed a little of their Force presence into the other's mind, gleaning mostly surface thoughts, likely a temporary side effect of soul-bonding so recently.

As they neared their ships, one of the X-wings sank into the muck. As much as he'd like to have Jaina on his lap the whole ride, he wanted to live more. Robin reasoned that Jaina probably felt similarly, so he used telekinesis to bring the ship back up from the swampy depths. "Thanks. As fun as sitting on your lap would be, I'd rather not risk a simple two-hour flight turning into a crash. Trust me when I say that without a doubt, I'd have made you crash, not intentionally but still... Besides, Ilum's a frozen world; we'll have plenty of time for pooling our heat," she said in a teasing and seductive voice, causing Robin to blush slightly. Jaina was giggling at his reaction and took control of the clean ship while he recomposed himself as best he could. "This isn't going to be a fun flight," he thought as he started awkwardly climbing up his X-wing ladder to the cockpit. Both his Familiar's presences returned to him outside Dagobah's atmosphere; they hadn't left, but they'd been muted for lack of a better word. While both were sympathetic to Robin's… problem, Shadow found it quite amusing, laughing merrily. "She-she gave you-hahaha-blue balls-oomph!"

Einstein had struck Shadow in the mindscape to shut him up. While he too found Jaina's forward approach funny and refreshing, as his brother, (don't forget that Robin and Einstein consider each other brothers,) rarely had girlfriends for long, Einstein had to support Robin. Robin was the type who fell hard, or not at all. This often led to prospective mates losing interest; so far, nobody could handle all of him. Einstein still followed etiquette and found those who didn't rather irksome, so he struck Shadow for his insolence toward Robin. Enjoying it was an added perk for Einstein. "At least some good can come from Ilum's climate. Now you won't need a cold shower." Einstein said in genuine consolation at the abysmal cold while joking to try to lighten the mood.

Einstein could tell that Jaina was staking her claim on Robin, and he enjoyed witnessing Robin's mostly funny reactions to her advances. She'd changed a great deal since Robin first met her. She'd been nice and strong but also anxious; now the anxiety is mostly gone. Robin had, of course, changed as well in subtle ways, becoming more brazen and brash. Such is the nature of life.