History Revealed

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Meeting Room of the Vagabond

Everyone looked at Allelujah, the revelation still going through their mind. Lyle and Tieria, who did know, now let questions of his history ruminate in their minds, as their comrade had now opened the door in an environment where they could safely talk about it.

Feldt began to probe him with her force senses, Allelujah letting down his barrier slightly, though she was careful only to scan cautiously, not wanting to repeat what happened to Setsuna. And Setsuna was scanning him analytically, wanting more info before he decided anything. Feldt shuddered as she felt like someone was watching her, retreating just as quickly from her prob

Christina could almost see the weight that now sat on Allelujah's shoulders, his previous skittishness now making more sense. She spoke kindly to him, "I'm so sorry what happened to you. How did you join the rebellion?"

Allelujah looked at all of the expressions on the crew, a sprig of hope popping up at the lack of accusation. Hallelujah's voice called out "Betrayal", but Allelujah just ignored it, hoping his other half was wrong, that he could find acceptance in this group. Swallowing, her responded in a low voice, "I managed to escape the clone when Order 66 happened, though I can still feel the pain…"

Allelujah rushed back to the military headquarters of the 39th Legion, having come back from stopping an enemy raid. For the past bunch of months, the Republic had landed and taken a good chunk of the planet Ord Radama, which had acted as a munitions planet for the CIS for most of the war. It took a lot of effort, but they had finally managed to contain the CIS to fortified citadels on the planet.

Artillery barrages had become a fact of life, the shaking and sounds of gun as he ran through the partially ruined town near the headquarters of enemy, the Republic command post far enough away to avoid enemy return fire but close enough to keep an eye on them. His master, a Trandoshan named Hror, was probably there, at least by his memory.

His master was a stern, if fair master. He had not been easy on him since Master Hror had picked him, pushing him hard. Allelujah ready to quit after Hror had taken him to a remote world to learn to survive. But in hindsight, it had helped his skills grow, learning ways to survive and adapt, helped by the fact his master was a Jediwatchman. Though the scars he got weren't always the most fun to get.

The war had come soon after he had become an apprentice, and his master had been quickly picked as a commander, taking command of the 39th Legion. They had been involved in several campaigns throughout the war, though his master preferred to take scouting missions and quick strikes over long campaigns. It had been long, and while Allelujah certainly was no longer the wide-eyed boy he started as, he could finally see the end of the war approaching, happy the Jedicould finally go back to being peacekeepers they promised to be.

He reached the military headquarters, which was a former mansion owned by the late confederate commander. The clones at the door nodded at him, letting him in with a salute, which Allelujah smiled back at. The building was bustling with life, Allelujah thankful his skinny frame let him slip past several soldiers as they went back and forth. He was a bit tall and lanky, but his master promised to bulk him up like a proper hunter after some of the clones ribbed Allelujah over that.

Finally reaching central command, his master was looking out a window at the fortress they were facing, hands behind his back, looking like a very standard Trandoshan with sandy brown scales. His master's voice called out evenly, "Allelujah, what do you have to report?"

The apprentices stood rigid and straight, "Enemy raid repulsed with minor casualties. No dead."

"Good." The lithe and strong Jedi knight turned and faced him, the alien a head taller than him, "Come with me. I need to take a walk." He turned to look at a clone officer, "Commander Markus, you have command till I come back. Message me if anything comes up."

"Understood sir." With a nod, the two Jedi made their way out of the building. His master was his usual stoic and quiet demeanor, but there was a tenseness in his bearing. His eyes glanced around at all the troopers, and Allelujah could sense the unease radiating from the Trandoshan.

The clones around him probably couldn't see it, but being taught by this man had allowed Allelujah to figure out some of his tells, though he usually needed to study him to figure it out. In a quiet and nervous voice, Allelujah looked up at his master, "Is everything ok? You seem on-"

Allelujah felt a shudder go through him between the bond with his master, and in that same even tone, Hror spoke quietly in Trandoshan, "Not right here. Just stay besssidesss me." Seeing his master on edge wasn't helping with his own nervousness, but he took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his increasing heartbeat.

And as the door opened into the ruined streets of the two, filled with locals assisting them along with patrols of clones, a sense of dread began to fill him. He wasn't sure if it was the connection to his master or something else, but it wasn't good. The two winded their way into more dense part of the town, now mostly abandoned.

The pair stopped before a more intact house, standing under a covered stone deck. Hror looked into Allelujah's two grey eyes, a hardness he only saw when things got bad filling the Trandoshan's eyes, "We are alone now."

Allelujah let out a nervous sigh, "Master, what is going on? Why do we have to be out here."

"Ssssomething is going wrong. I can feel it." His master's instincts had proven to be remarkably accurate, having been trained to operate for long periods on his own.

"What do you mean something wrong?" As the apprentice finished his question, the sound of footsteps came from two sides of the street they were on. Both of them recognized them as the boots of clone troopers, and it didn't sound like an insignificant number. 'Why are they coming here? Wouldn't they call master if they had anything?'

With a low hiss, Hror pointed to inside the house, "Hide. There is a craft we took from a smuggler in Hanger 8. Take it and leave."

Allelujah was beginning to panic a little, "Master, what is going on?"

The Trandoshan let out a harsh breath, "Foolish apprentice. Listen to my orders. Just get moving and don't look back. Leave out another window and stay out of sight till you get there." His tone softened, "I taught you well. Trust in your training." His words brooked no argument, and Allelujah entered the house as the footsteps grew closer.

Scanning the house, he found a set of windows on the other side, and heard the raising of arms, along with the hiss of a lightsaber. 'The clones are our allies!' Blaster fire echoed in the street behind him, the sounds of a few clones falling before it went silent, and a clone voice called out, "Commander Markus, we have eliminated General Hror. We are looking for the apprentice now."

Footsteps came into the house and Allelujah dove out the window, finding a collection of old and damaged barrels on the other side, a large tarp over them ten feet from the window he jumped out of. Diving behind them, he threw the tarp over a visible side, hoping it would hold out. Using the force to calm his raging emotions, he let his instincts guide him, not knowing what to do.

Grief flowed through him, and pain shot through him as he could sense a wave of death rush over him. Each hit was small, but they added up, the only thing keeping tears from flowing was his master's training. 'There is a time and place for tears. In a hunt or danger, tears are a weakness.' Clones rummaged through the ruined house, some even spilling into the street Allelujah was.

Footsteps got uncomfortably close to him, but just as he thought they would find him, they diverted away from him, the clones calling out they didn't find Allelujah, though the Jedi from the other clone legions on the planet had been found. 'Why are we being killed? What did we do?'

Allelujah maintained his position until he was sure the clones were gone, peeking out to see they had looked down other streets. His mind raced as a few tears ran down his face. 'Find the ship. Then leave. And find Marie. I need to know she's safe!'

With sure foot, he cautiously made his way towards the airfield, hoping it was lightly guarded.'

Everyone looked at Allelujah as he finished, Feldt, Christina and Lyle tearing up a bit as they could see the pain on Allelujah's face, the rebel soldier taking deep breaths. Setsuna couldn't help but sympathize with him, knowing the sting of betrayal from someone you trusted, as well as losing all your friends. And Tieria just nodded, his heart stirring a little.

Christina spoke softly, "I am so sorry. I heard about what happened, but I hadn't realized how horrific that must have been. The empire called you traitors. But how could the Jedibetray the republic?"

Allelujah just nodded at her words, "Thanks. It still hurts, but has dulled a little since then." Feldt, and Christina picked up on the fact he was only partially telling the truth, but didn't want to push him anymore than he wanted.

Tieria spoke, his normally harsh tone softened, "What happened after? How did you escape the empire?" Lyle looked curiously at Tieria, but Allelujah just pursed his lips and continued.

"I hid out on the outer rim in Hutt territory, but after two years, a pair of smugglers promised to bring me somewhere safe after I had been compromised, but they knocked me out and I then found myself in cuffs being brought to the early inquisition, being given to an inquisitor named Ribbons Almark."

Tieria's eyes widened at the mention of the name, anger filling him as memories flashed through him, which he shut down, not wanting to relive the pain. But thankfully for him, everyone was focused on their now revealed Jedi companion. Feldt and Setsuna could sense the emotional pain radiating off Allelujah, Feldt now detecting something almost broken inside him, but she had no idea what that meant.

Allelujah continued, his voice thick with emotion, "I was tortured for years, them trying to make me fall. Ribbons called me his toy, someone he could work his frustrations out on. I held out for hope, that maybe someone would rescue me. But no one did."

No one knew what to say. This was beyond any of their depth, and even Christina could only think to put a hand on his shoulder, which he allowed, still tense. Swallowing heavily, Allelujah put on a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "But a few years ago, there was a mass jailbreak in the inquisitor's base, and a decent number of people overwhelmed the small amount of guards the base had. I don't know how that happened, but I was taken in a shuttle with others and brought to a rebellion base, and I had nowhere else to go, so I joined." Allelujah tried to relax a little, but his worry stopped that, "So I guess that's my story."

Everyone took in his story, tears flowing down Christina's face, Feldt leaning on Setsuna as she shuddered, able to sense the grief and suffering coming off of Allelujah. She also couldn't help but think of what would have happened to her if she was captured and brought to the empire. Lyle studied him with a growing measure of respect. 'He went through all that and is still sane? That takes a lot.'

Setsuna had a similar emotion to Lyle going through his mind, but also had wondered exactly what happened to the Jedi. It wasn't the full picture or why it happened, but he could empathize with the hetero-chromatic soldier. His expression softened, wrapping his arm around Feldt.

Tieria was the first to speak, surprising everyone, "That was quite a story." There was a hint of kindness in his voice, the team noting that as unusual.

Lyle spoke next, "Well, your secret is safe with us. What other rebel team can claim they have three force users on their team?"

Allelujah spluttered a bit, "But aren't I putting you in more danger just by having me around?"

Setsuna spoke calmly, "We are already traitors to the Empire. It's not like having a Jedi would make our situation any worse. You, Feldt and I just have to be careful about how we use our abilities in imperial raids."

Allelujah collected himself, putting a hand on Christina's one that rested on his shoulder, "Thank you guys." There was a surprising lack of Hallelujah insulting him, but he would take the silence for now. He would tell the team about him later, but right now this was enough.

Feldt's voice then rung out, catching the former Jedi's attention, "I know it's a lot to ask but…would you mind teach some Jedi ways to Setsuna and I? Neither of us have formal training, and I think the three of us can help each other?"

Allelujah scratched the back of his neck, not knowing how to answer. His force abilities were a bit frayed, and he had no idea what Hallelujah would do, especially if he formed a bond with either of them. 'And am I even worthy enough to train anyone?' He took a deep breath and frowned, "I'll think about it. And it's not you. I just…"

Feldt smiled at him, a bit disappointed but not wanting to push him, "Don't worry. Setsuna and I would never want to make you uncomfortable." Setsuna nodded at that and Allelujah took another deep breath.

"Thanks."

Tieria cleared his throat, "You are all dismissed. Be in the hanger in one hour, with all of your weapons ready." The rest of the team, taking a last look at Allelujah, left the room, all headed to prep for the mission, be it cleaning their weapons or mentally centering themselves.

Engine Room of the Vagabond

Feldt went through her routine of maintenance, trying to calm her nerves. She was going to enter combat for the first time, and even if her object of affection would be there guarding her, it was hard to suppress her fear of dying. Her hands were shaking, and a wrench fell from her grip, but the sound of metal on metal never appeared, and she looked down to see a hand holding onto the tool. 'I must have been so caught up in my thoughts I didn't hear the door open.'

She turned and looked to see Lyle twirling the tool in his hand, smiling kindly at her, "I was going to ask how you are feeling, but I think that made it clear. It's ok to be nervous, you know."

Feldt frowned, looking down, "I just…have never been in combat directly. A few evacuations of a base getting attacked, but that was more TIE Fighters and vehicles."

Lyle put a hand on her shoulder, handing her back the tool, "Well we can teach you how to shoot after this mission. But we'll keep you safe, especially that boyfriend of yours. He seems to like you, so I can't imagine he would want you to get hurt."

Feldt blushed and shuffled in place, her cheeks heating up, "Thank you." Lyle looked at the young woman, and she clearly was deeply nervous, but her shaking had stopped. She continued, "I'll try not to screw up."

Lyle laughed, "Hey, I'm not Tieria. We are relying on you, but do your best. Most of us won't judge you if you make a few mistakes."

Feldt smiled, "Alright. Thanks for the talk. I needed that."

"I'm your team leader. It's my job to make sure everyone is ready to go."

Bridge of the Vagabond

With Feldt more settled to go on the mission, Lyle headed up to his room to relax before the mission. He did feel bad for her getting thrown into the situation, but Tieria wasn't wrong in saying her skills might be needed. And not really paying attention as he peaked the stairs, he was jerked to Christina's station, now face-to-face with the Zeltron, her face nakedly showing worry, "Lyle, are you sure you want Tieria to lead this operation?"

The Corellian let out a long sigh, "Yes. He needs to learn the weight of leadership and what the cost of it is. Can't think of any other way to get through his head."

Christina looked into Lyle's eyes, begging for him to understand, "Lyle, he's liable to break if he messes up. You've seen how he reacted when mistakes were made on missions before."

Lyle tilted his head, "I didn't know you would care so much for Tieria's wellbeing."

"Lyle, he may not be my favorite crew member, but he still needs to be treated with some respect." She let out a breath, "And I'm worried about the team getting hurt, or even a major argument starting. We can't afford that right now."

Lyle pursed his lips, running a hand through his hair, "I don't know what to do. Tieria won't learn unless he faces the reality of command. I can't help if he isn't ready or if he is fragile."

"Just…please be fair to him if he makes a mistake. He probably has some deep-seated issues and rubbing failure in his face will do him no good."

Lyle took a breath. He really did want to shove potential failure in the face of his arrogant team member, but Christina's words took the wind out of his sail. He hoped just attacking the criminals would go well, but Tieria seemed to think like a soldier more than a commando. Lyle had tried to talk to him over the last couple months, to get him to relax, but the advice seemed to wash over him.

Lyle looked at his old crewmember, and just nodded, "Alright. But I won't let him off easy regardless."

Christina frowned, knowing there was no easy solution to this. Tieria did need a wake-up call, but someone getting hurt like that on the team wouldn't be easy for her. Her eyes drifted to Tieria's room, hoping she was wrong.

Bunkroom of the Vagabond

Allelujah looked down at the table in the middle of the room, feeling lightened by the revealing of his past, yet the weight of the past still weighed down on him. And a sinister voice crept up in his mind, taunting him, "So you tell them about everything but me? You say you want them to trust you, yet you hide the one thing that kept you alive?"

Allelujah frowned, "How do you explain that a split personality formed to protect you from falling to the dark side without it sounding bad? Weren't you the one who always said not to trust anyone?"

A dark chuckle emanated through his mind, "Oh I was. Just wanting to call you out as a hypocrite. We will always be alone, no matter how much you want to make friends or even find that girl you liked. How do you think she would feel if she knew what you did to survive?"

The taunting voice faded as the weight on him only increased. He fought off the thoughts in the back of his mind, but doubts still filled him about teaching Feldt and Setsuna, along with fears about what Marie would think. And the door opened, Setsuna walking in, his weapons already on him. Setsuna could sense a heavy mood from Allelujah, and sat down at the table, laying his sword across it. With an even tone, Setsuna spoke, "It must have taken a lot for you to reveal that secret. Was it willing or something else?"

"Well Wang Liu Mei apparently identified me, and Lyle and Tieria learned, so I thought it was unfair that they knew and no one else did." For a split second he thought of lying, but he could sense Setsuna unintentionally probing his walls, so he pushed that thought away. 'If I want them to trust me, I have to be honest.'

Setsuna just nodded, "That was brave of you. I completely understand why someone would hide their past. I am not the most open to sharing myself." Allelujah wondered what Setsuna's story was and if Feldt knew, but it felt wrong to press him on it.

"If you are here to ask about helping train with you guys, then I'm sorry to say that I'm still deciding." He let out a sigh, hoping the Kiffar wasn't disappointed.

But Setsuna just lightly smiled, "No. That is up to you. I won't press you." He cleared his throat, barely hiding his excitement, "I was wondering if you still had your lightsaber."

Allelujah couldn't help but chuckle a little at that, detecting a hint of embarrassment flowing off of him. His walls were there, though they could use some work. With a friendly smile, the rebel soldier replied, "I was wondering who the first one that was going to ask. A lot of people wanted to see it during the war."

Setsuna nodded, always wondering what the weapon was like. Some of the few veterans in the group had met Jediduring the war, and the lightsaber had always been something they had looked at with wonder, making a Jediwarrior seem invincible, blocking blaster bolt after blaster bolt. Setsuna joined Allelujah's chuckle, "I heard stories. And I will admit finding one was a pipe dream of mine."

Allelujah got up and opened his locker, pulling out a duffle bag, then the metal cylinder. It was a dark metal, with a smooth, straight handle. It was heavy in his hand, but he swallowed his doubts, and handed it over to Setsuna, pointing to a button on the side, "Press that button to turn it on."

Setsuna stood up, pressing the button as an emerald green blade shot out of the handle, a low hum in the air as he looked at in wonder. It felt like a cloud as he did a few practice swings, having to be careful as his arms swung further than he wanted due to muscles memory. He could sense the crystal powering it, reminding him of the one he found in the mining outpost. 'Is that what I found? A lightsaber crystal?'

Allelujah watched with bittersweet memories, reminding him of himself when he was a youngling at the JediTemple. More skilled than younger him, but just an enamored with the weapon in his hand. And with another few practice swings, Setsuna turned off the blade, handing the hilt back to Allelujah, "It's a beautiful weapon. I understand why people viewed it as a symbol of the Jedi."

Allelujah just shrugged, "Well when you have a weapon that can cut through most materials, you tend to get attached to it. One of the trials of becoming a Jediis making your own lightsaber." He looked down at the weapon with a heavy expression, "Though to say I have only happy memories would be… a lie."

Setsuna just nodded, knowing the weight of the past, "Have you thought about using it again? Not necessarily publicly, but in places you can get away with it."

Allelujah looked down at the table, an old question flowing back into his mind. It was a powerful weapon, but it would require he used his abilities, and accept that he was a Jedi. Out of practice he might be, but years of training like that never left him. 'I wonder what my master would say if he saw what I am now.' He would never have the answer to that question, and his mind couldn't settle on an answer.

"It's… a lot to ask. Not by you, but for myself. I need to think more."

Setuna nodded, running a hand over his own weapon, "It's alright. Maybe you can keep it on you just in case."

"Maybe…" The room filled with a tense, reflective atmosphere, Allelujah subconsciously tightening his force walls. Allelujah hated feeling like this, but he couldn't stop his well-practiced instincts he had developed surviving on his own.

Setsuna stood up, grabbing his weapon, "Thank you for letting hold your weapon."

"You're welcome." Setsuna just nodded and left the room, the former Jedileft staring at his own weapon, Setsuna's question bouncing around his mind. 'Why is it never easy?'

Dock of Port Athor

The assembled crew stood just off the boarding dock of the ship, ready for action. Everyone was in their normal gear, and Feldt was wearing light armor like Setsuna, a blaster pistol on her hip. She technically knew how to use one, but she hadn't practiced in a year. She could only hope that she didn't need to use it.

Tieria looked over the four members under his temporary command, seeing they were as ready as they could be. Standing straight, he focused on the group, speaking in a commanding tone, "Alright team, we do this, and we leave. Are you ready?"

The was universal affirmatives, and he walked past the group, everyone falling in line. Feldt stayed close to Setsuna, him unconsciously protecting her, while Allelujah fiddled with his uniform, straightening it out. Tieria let out a harsh breath. 'I'll show Lyle I can lead. That I know how to treat these criminals.'

Bridge of the Omen

Turbolasers raced through space, the rolling barrages even felt on the bridge of the Star Destroyer. The arrival of the Omen and escorting Tartans had revealed a small pirate fleet made up of two Nebulon B's, with a few supporting corvettes and two squadrons of Z-95 headhunters, with a few X-wings.

Waves of TIE Fighters and Tie bombers headed towards the small convoy of five transports, the wreckage of a few matching ones showing the imperials showed up just in time. Sergei's voice echoes on the bridge, "Send the Tartans to guard the civilian ships! Move the Omen to block line of sight to them! Once the civilians are secured, send the bombers to attack the larger ships!" The crew gave an affirmative and Sergei watched as the naval forces reacted like a well-oiled machine.

The large capital ship moved into position, cutting off the two large pirate ships and one of their corvettes, the guns focused on the Nebulon-Bs. The Omen shook from the hits, but the shields held up as the guns of the terror of pirates and rebels impacted the sides of enemy, Ion cannons weakening the shields, the turbolasers ripping into the hull of the long ships.

The crew performed their duty admirably, not shaking under pressure, despite being outnumbered. Sensors showed the TIE Fighters ripping apart the formations of enemy fighters. Sergei let the battle run itself mostly, giving out commands when he needed. Small corrections or giving orders in the ship were best done by the captain of the ship, and he wouldn't take glory from a subordinate if he could help it.

The ship rocked as a gun exploded on the hull, Sergei keeping his cool, "Damage report!"

A bridge officer responded, "Battery 1 is damaged. Sealing doors to the guns!" The damage was quickly corrected, damage control teams reacting fast to contain any damage. And with the fighters having already cleared out the enemy fighters and corvettes, with minor losses, they rushed to the enemy capital ships, hoping to get the killing blows.

One Nebulon-B was already on its last legs, smoking heavily, small explosions going along the hull. The other was more intact, already turning around. Guns and bombs ripped into both ships, the heavily damaged one falling apart as the central connector collapsed, the two parts breaking into debris as whatever crew remained launched into escape pods.

Sergei watched as TIE fighters attacked the pods, killing whatever crew survived. He was given orders for no quarter, and Sergei followed them even if the inhumanity of it bothered him. Those were his orders, and he would follow them. And seeing the battle was over, he opened up comms with the transports, a few seconds passing before a Bothan man in a lab coat appeared, his tone grateful, "Thank you for the rescue. We had no idea if anyone would show up. I'm Doctor Visk Girrasa." Behind him were a slight majority human crew, some other scientists, other crew of the ship.

Sergei nodded, a smile on his face. He saluted, "Nice to meet you. I'm Rear Admiral Sergei Smirnov. It was my honor to assist people in danger. We were lucky that we caught your distress beacon so soon. What are you doing out here?"

The Bothan took a deep breath, "We are a research team headed to a dig site. We work for a third party and have been hired to assist an excavation of a recently uncovered site."

Sergei looked at him curiously, "What sort of ruins? And what planet?"

Visk frowned, "I apologize, but I am unable to divulge this information. We are under strict orders to keep details on the down low. I wish I could tell you more, but professional obligations."

Sergei frowned, annoyed at imperial bureaucracy, used to it by now, "Can I at least know who told you that?"

"…The inquisition." Sergei could hear the reluctance in the Bothan's voice, and just nodded at him.

"Thanks for the information. We'll guard you till you are ready to move again."

"Thank you." The transmission cut out, and Sergei could only wonder why the inquisition was in the area. He knew one of the rebels was force sensitive, but why would they be excavating a ruin? 'I should also warn Marie. Another risk to her safety.'

The remaining TIE Fighters were headed back to the hangers, and the two tartans, both with superficial damage, stayed close to the transports as they did repairs. But Sergei could only sense something was off in this sector, and it wasn't just the rebels or pirates.

Author Note

And we approach the action, along with a fun little naval battle! We get backstory, character moments and lightsabers! I hope you guys liked Allelujah's history and master, and we'll definitely see more of them! Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to message me or ask in the comments on Ao3! I'll see you guys next time, and please review and comment!