Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars! It belongs to George Lucas not me! The same goes with Fate of the Jedi book series!
A/N: This here was the first SW story that I wrote on this site. It didn't really turn out too well, so I decided to get rid of it. I wanted to post it up here because I have nothing else to post up and it's to show you how bad my first SW fanfic was.
Also, if anyone has read Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi or read stuff about Luke after the whole Caedus incident, then you'll know that Ben is sixteen and is traveling with is dad. They both encounter a 'Lost Tribe of the Sith,' which was apart of the First Sith Empire (the one that was destroyed in the Great Hyperspace War). There, Ben meets a Sith named Vestara, who is attracted to him. In this story, I've decided to make them a couple.
With that out of the way, here it is.
A long time ago, in a galaxy, far, far away...
Two years have passed since the fall of DARTH CAEDUS. The Jedi have maintained peace and justice throughout the entire galaxy. However, DAALA, the Chief of State of the GALACTIC ALLIANCE, has forced LUKE SKYWALKER into a ten-year exile from Corusant with Kenth Hammer acting as the Grand Jedi Master.
To prove that the actions of Darth Caedus was not the fault of the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker and his son, BEN SKYWALKER, travel the galaxy to search for the steps that led Caedus down the dark path. But as Luke Skywalker tries to solve one matter, another falls into the hands of the Jedi Order...
Leia Organa Solo waited in the Academy hangar for the Millennium Falcon to arrive. A month passed since she last saw her husband, Han. He was taking care of some private business that only the Skywalker and Solo family knew... 'Jaina,' Leia sadly thought as a tear ran down her face.
"Aunt Leia," a voice said. Leia wiped away the tear before she turned around to see Ben Skywalker and Vestara Khai walking towards her.
To her, Ben seemed to look more like his father everyday, except for the red hair that he got from his mother, Mara. He had Luke's kindness, but also Mara's pride. As for Vestara, Leia didn't trust her at first, as she felt she was hiding something, but came to know her in time. In fact, most of the Jedi on Ossus and Corusant came to know her as well.
Leia smiled at her nephew. "Ben," she hugged him. "How are you?"
"Good, Aunt Leia," Ben smiled back.
Leia then turned to Vestara. "Vestara, how have you been?"
"Good, Master," Vestara replied.
Leia couldn't help but smile at that. Many times, she told Vestara to call her by her name, but the former Sith would always address her as 'Master.' Leia then looked at Ben. "So, what are you two doing?" she politely questioned.
"We came here to see how you were doing," Ben replied. "After you know what happened."
Leia nodded, knowing what he meant. Vestara, however, had no idea. But before she could ask, they all saw the Millennium Falcon fly above the Jedi Academy. Leia smiled, seeing Han fly about in the sky before landing in the hangar. The platform on the Falcon lowered and out came Han. He no longer was his young self with him growing gray hairs, but he still had his quick remarks and smug attitude that Leia adored. "Hi Leia," Han greeted before kissing his wife on the cheek. He noticed Ben and Vestara. "Ben, Vestara."
"Hello Mr. Solo," Vestara nodded to him.
"Still with the formalities, huh?" Han ran a hand through his hair. Like Leia, Vestara would call him 'Mr. Solo,' despite the number of times he hold the former Sith to call him 'Han.'
Ben then stepped forward a bit towards his uncle. "How have been, Uncle Han?" Ben asked with concern.
Han smiled a little. "Everything's fine, Ben."
Ben gulped a little. "I'm sorry about Jaina, Uncle Han," he glumly stated. "I wish I could've done more."
Han tried to hold back his tears. "So do I, Ben," Han hugged his nephew. "So do I."
Vestara noticed the sadness flowing from the trio as she stood back. It seemed somewhat strange to her at first because as a member of the Lost Tribe of the Sith, she was taught to use emotions like anger as a weapon against her enemies. In time, she soon understood such feelings, like compassion... even love.
The former Sith was brought back to reality as she noticed Leia and Han walking away with Han's arms around his wife, comforting her. As Ben walked to her, Vestara asked, "What happened Jaina?"
Ben looked at her with a surprised look. He didn't expect her to ask that so suddenly, but she wasn't told happened to his cousin, so Vestara did deserve to know. "A month ago, Jaina seemed to be acting a bit weird," he explained as he began walking to the exit with Vestara. "We don't what was happening to her, but dad thought that Jaina wasn't over killing Jacen." Vestara noticed that Ben held back a little on saying 'Jacen.' "A few days later, Jaina was found dead in her apartment. The reports said she killed herself, but Uncle Han doesn't think so."
"So Mr. Solo was checking to see what happened," Vestara deduced.
Ben nodded, a sad look appearing on his face. "Yeah, but from what he told us, he couldn't find any evidence."
Vestara looked at Ben for a moment. "I'm sorry for your loss," she said as they entered the halls of the Jedi Academy.
"There's no need for you to be sorry," Ben smiled at her. He placed a hand on her belly. "Besides, we've got other things to worry about."
Vestara smiled back at Ben. They brought their faces closer together, hoping their lips would meet...
"Ahem!"
The two jumped suddenly and turned around to see a smirking Kyp Durron. Both of them were blushing. "What is it, Master Durron?" Ben asked.
"I was looking for your father," Kyp replied. "I couldn't find him, so I thought you knew."
Vestara replied for Ben, "Master Skywalker said he was taking a stroll outside of the Academy."
Kyp scratched his hair. "Do you know when he's going to be back?"
"He never said." Ben shook his head.
Kyp sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, then. Thanks for your help."
As Kyp turned to leave, a thought entered Ben's mind. "Uh, Master Durron," Ben started, gaining Kyp's attention. "What do you need my dad for? I can tell him for you, if you want."
Kyp shook his head. "Sorry Ben, but it's something that only your dad should hear."
"Come on," Ben 'begged.' "I can keep a secret."
Vestara could only smile at Ben's act. Kyp sighed. "Alright," he said before looking around the hangar to see other Jedi walking past them. "But not here."
Ben and Vestara followed Kyp to a secluded spot. Once they arrived, Kyp looked at them with a stern face. "Now, what I'm about to tell you is strictly confidential," Kyp whispered, so only they could hear. "At least an hour ago, a ship arrived at Jedi Temple on Corusant."
Ben looked at Kyp. "What's so strange about that?"
"Well, for one, there was no one on board," Kyp replied. "No living thing, no droids. The only thing out of place was a small holorecorder. From that holorecorder, we found out that the ship was from Pravus VI."
"You mean that planet where that team Jedi disappeared?" Vestara questioned.
Kyp nodded. "Yes and we've found something disturbing from that holorecorder... the Jedi team is dead."
Ben's and Vestara's eyes widen. How were all Jedi on the team dead? "Master Hammer wanted me to tell your dad," Kyp explained. "We don't what's going on, and we need to discuss it with your dad."
Ben raised an eyebrow. "But what about Daala? She exiled dad from Corusant, and prevented him from ever coming to any Jedi facility. We're only here because Aunt Leia pulled some strings!"
"Don't you think I know that?" Kyp spat. "If we're going to face this problem, we need more level-headed Jedi and your father is the only one who can do that!"
Vestara then stepped in. "We'll tell Master Skywalker when we see him," was Vestara's answer.
"Thank you, Vestara," Kyp nodded to her.
The trio stepped away from their secluded spot and out into the open halls. "Make sure you tell Master Skywalker what I told you," Kyp said.
With that, Kyp turned around and left, leaving the two alone in the hall. Vestara looked at Kyp's form fading away into the halls. "Is what he said really true?" Vestara thought aloud as she turned to face Ben.
Ben sighed. "I don't know, but we have to find dad."
Vestara nodded as she followed Ben to look for Luke. The question was: Where was he?
Speaking of the Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker walked the forests grounds of Ossus. It was almost a year since Luke was exiled from Corusant. Since then, he and his son, Ben, had to deal with ancient Force orders, a "Lost Tribe of the Sith," and a darkside being responsible for the Force Psychosis epidemic. However, there were still no clues in finding how Jacen fell.
After dealing with the Lost Tribe of the Sith, Vestara Khai, a member of the Lost Sith Tribe, decided to travel with Luke and Ben. As for why, Vestara did claim she was tired of being a Sith and wanted to know more of the Force with Luke, but it was obvious that Ben and Vestara became a couple, and they wanted to be together. It was so obvious that everyone knew about it. Even C3-P0 knew about it and that's saying a lot!
Ben and Vestara were helpful to Luke's search, but he recently had little to no success. He would find dead ends upon dead ends. There were even times he almost lost hope. To clear his mind, Luke went back to this planet, Ossus. He knew he wasn't suppose to be near any Jedi facilities, but thanks to Leia pulling some strings, he was able to get inside. Ossus seemed to be the only place of peace he had left in this chaotic galaxy.
Luke's thought were interrupted when he heard a 'beep' from his comlink on his belt. "Master Skywalker here," he reported in. "What is it?"
Kyp's voice came through asking, "Master Skywalker, where are you?"
"I'm in the Ossus woods," Luke replied. "I was heading back to the Jedi Academy when you called."
"Well you have to get over here, quick!" Kyp exclaimed. "The council needs you for an emergency."
Luke said, "I'll be right over there!"
The council attended on Ossus, those came personally or by hologram. Attending personally were Kyp and Saba, while the rest were attending by holographic projector. Luke stood in the center of the chamber, while the others sat. "Master Skywalker," Kenth Hammer nodded to him.
"What is it, Master Hammer?" Luke asked.
Kyle answered for Kenth. "At least an hour ago, a ship arrived at Jedi Temple on Corusant. There was no one on board. Not a single living thing, and no droids. The only thing out of place was a small holorecorder."
Kam continued from there. "From that holorecorder, we found out that the ship was from Pravus VI."
Luke remembered about it. He planned for Jedi to explore Pravus VI before he was exiled, but since he was gone, it was left to Kenth to deal with that. "From that holorecorder, we've found something disturbing," Tionne said.
"What was it?" Luke asked.
Cilghal let out a sigh. "Best if you watch."
A flat, holographic screen projected itself in front of Master Skywalker. Luke watched with curiosity as the screen began to play the jungle grounds of Pravus VI. He watched as the holorecorder suddenly turned and Luke's eyes widen in horror at the sight of the motionless bodies thirty Jedi lying on the ground. Over one of the bodies was a male, black armored figure.
His features were covered by the shadows of the jungle, except for what appeared to be a red visor. The figure seemed to have noticed the holorecorder before walking towards it. The figure seemed to have picked it up and the, static filled the screen, ending the recording. The screen disappeared before it finished, but Luke got the message. "One person did this to thirty Jedi?" Luke asked in shock.
Kyp nodded. "Yes. We don't who did it, though."
"But whoever did is hiding something," Cilghal stated.
"We need you're to help," Kenth stated. "You're the most experience Jedi Master of the entire order, so it would be best to let you decide what to do."
Luke pondered for minutes. What to do, indeed. With someone like this, they need more experience Jedi, but where to-
It hit him. Luke looked at the council with determination. "I'll go."
It took a couple of days, but they arrived at Pravus VI. At first, the council was worried of what would happen to Luke if he left. The Jedi Master assured them that will to bring Ben and Vestara, and he did, after explaining to them the situation. To Luke, Vestara and Ben were powerful in the Force, and their experience could help them in this situation. Just in case, the council decided for Kyp came along. To Luke, Pravus VI's landscape was similar to that of Yavin VI's before the Vong War. They landed their ship, the Jade Shadow, in a large free space.
Now the team of four Jedi were now standing in the wilderness with the Jade Shadow right behind them. "Alright," Luke called out to the others, "we head towards the sight where the Jedi team were killed. We won't separate unless if necessary, understood?" Everyone else nodded. "Good."
With that, the group left the Jade Shadow alone, unaware that they were being watched by mysterious male figure in the trees. The branches and leaves concealed his figure, so they Jedi couldn't see. 'They're here,' he thought.
Darkness spread throughout the entire room. The only source of light was a large beam that hit on a red circle. For moments it was empty, until an figure walked into the light. Once he stepped in the beam of light focused a bit on him, bouncing off of what seemed to be armor armor. "Report," a booming masculine voice commanded.
"Four Jedi have arrived on Pravus VI," the figure reported. "One is Vestara Khai, a former Sith, Kyp Durron, a member of the Jedi Council, and Luke Skywalker, the Grand Jedi Master, and his son, Ben Skywalker."
Silence.
"This is an interesting development," the same voice finally spoke. "Did they come because of the previous Jedi?"
"Most likely," the figure replied.
"The galaxy is great danger, then," another voice, feminine this time, stated. "Do what you must."
The figure looked into the darkness. "Are you certain?"
"Yes," a young, masculine voice replied. "Only you can help."
"Very well," the figure said.
"However, remember this," the first voice spoke. "Only engage the Jedi when they try to get near it."
"Understood." The figure nodded.
Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours as Luke, Ben, Vestara, and Kyp walked throughout the jungles of Pravus VI. The group didn't split up but had some distance from each other, so they could cover more ground without being separated.
Ben sighed. He had no luck in finding anything. Ben looked to his right to see Kyp walking in a direction parallel to Ben's. "Found anything, Master Durron!" Ben called out to Kyp.
"Nothing!" Kyp replied.
Ben sighed. It seemed like the others weren't having that much of success. He noticed Vestara walking up to his side. "What is it, Vestara?" Ben asked as they walked together.
"Ben, I think we should tell him," Vestara told him.
Ben knew what she was talking about. "After the mission," was his response.
"Ben, we don't know if we're going to come back," Vestara argued.
They stopped talking once they saw Luke walking beside them. "What are you two talking about?" Luke asked them.
"Nothing dad," Ben smiled.
Before Luke could ask anymore questions, they heard Kyp shout out, "Master Skywalker, I've found something!"
Luke, Ben, and Vestara turned to see Kyp standing at what seemed to be a box. The three ran over with Kyp to realize that it was an entrance that lead underground. The rectangular door was wide with a lock that binded the handles together. The two Jedi Masters nodded towards and used the Force to remove the lock. The doors swung open, revealing a staircase that seemed to lead to somewhere. The end was covered in darkness, so no one could really tell. The Jedi looked at each other before Luke said, "I'll go in first."
With that, Luke removed his lightsaber and igniting its green blade. He walked down the steps with the others following him, their lightsabers activated as well. They walked down the steps for what seemed to go on forever as they lost light of the entrance and depended on their sabers as the only source of light. The Jedi continued to walk down the steps. Once the finally reached the end, the four Jedi were shocked.
They found themselves in a underground cavern. To say it was large was an understatement. It was gigantic! The walls had their usual brown color. However, it was perfectly dug out as everywhere was smooth with no uneven edges. Even the floor was flat and smooth, not rocky like a natural cave should be. They looked at the underground structure with amazement.
The four Jedi deactivated their lightsabers when they noticed that there was single source coming from the roof, but it was only a large been that seemed to be focused on a cubic structure. The structure was white with some moss on it, making it clear that it was here for quite some time. Though there was some moss, the Jedi can tell that there were white square plates on the faces of the cubic structure with a green gem in the center of each plate.
Luke just stood there in shock as the others walked slowly. He was amazed at this place, but was cautious as he felt an ominous presence from the cubic structure. It was almost cynical. 'Who could've built such a structure?' Luke thought. 'And for what purpose?'
Luke's thought were interrupted as he felt a warning in the Force. A warning that made Luke activate his lightsaber and raised it...
ZOOM!
… in time to block the red blade of another lightsaber. Luke moved his eyes towards his attacker.
His attacker was male, wearing black armor underneath the gray bodysuit. He had a black chest plate, round shoulder guards, boot and gauntlets. Black fabric hung from the white belt to his knees. His head was covered by a black round damiyo helmet, and a pair of horns protruding from a white gem emblemed into the forehead. He wore a black mask over his mouth and nose, and had a red visor over his eyes. Around his waist was a silver belt with a red gem in the silver rectangular buckle.
At first, Luke thought the figure was a Sith, but he could sense any evil intent from him. However, he could not feel any anger or any other form of the Dark Side in him, only calmness and serenity. 'Who is he?' Luke wondered.
"A Sith!" Ben shouted as he reached for his lightsaber with Vestara and Kyp pulling out theirs.
"Stay back!" Luke ordered.
The three Jedi reluctantly removed their hands from the lightsabers and remained as Luke ordered. They stood there, watching the fight between the Jedi Master and the 'Sith.' With the others not interfering, Luke concentrated on the figure as he used the Force to push the figure back. The figure caught himself and raised his red lightsaber, preparing for Luke's move.
Luke and the figure stared at each other. Luke used this chance to swing his lightsaber at the figure only for him to parry it. The figure backed away with both hands on his lightsaber, the blade pointing towards the ground in front of him. The Jedi Master noticed it was a stance of some kind, but was unfamiliar to him. He focused more on his attacker as he charged at the figure with his green lightsaber.
When Luke thrust his saber forward, the figure raised his red lightsaber to parry the thrust. Luke tried again, but the figure countered the slash with a parry. The figure arced his lightsaber upward, sending Luke's lightsaber up into the air before landing onto the ground. Before the Jedi Master could react, the figure waved his hand through the air and Luke felt a force dragging his feet that sent him sprawling on the ground. He was about to get up, but stopped, seeing the red blade a few centimeters away from his neck.
"Dad!" Ben shouted, as he was about to run to dad, but Kyp and Vestara held him still.
Luke looked up to see the figure towering over him. His red visor hid any emotion the figure had, but Luke could still feel the calmness and serenity the figure had before. The Jedi Master waited for the figure to finish him. To everyone's surprise, the figure deactivated his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt. "I will give you this warning Jedi: leave."
"Why?" Vestara demanded. "Why do you want us to leave?"
The figure turned his head towards Luke's son. "That's none of your concern."
Kyp turned his attention towards the cube structure as he walked up to it. "Stay away from that!" the figure shouted his lightsaber not leaving Luke's throat.
Kyp ignored the figure. "Does it have something to do with this?" he asked as he brought his hand closer to the cube structure.
"Don't!" the figure shouted to Kyp.
However, he was too late as Kyp already placed his hand on the cube structure. It began to glow with a bright light. The figure grabbed Luke by the arm arm and dragged him over to Vestara and Ben. After doing so, the figure got in front of them with his hand out in front of him as the light began to engulf the entire chamber. The last thing the three Jedi saw before blacking was Kyp being engulfed by the light before it blinded them.
Luke's vision blurred for a second as he opened his eyes. He shut them close and opened them to clear his vision. His eyes were focus on the cavern ceiling. The Jedi Master groaned as he was about to sit up, a hand on his head. "Easy there," a masculine voice told Luke as someone happened to help him stand up.
After staggering for a bit due to the dizziness, Luke turned to see who helped. It was the black armored figure who attacked him. "You!" Luke exclaimed as he back away.
The figure raised his hands in front of him. "Just calm down!" the figure shouted. "I won't harm you!"
"Then why did you attack me?" Luke demanded as he used the Force to bring his lightsaber hilt from the ground to his hand.
"To keep you away from that!" was the figure's response as he motioned his head towards the cubic object.
Luke turned to the cubic structure to see that the moss was gone and instead of looking centuries old, it looked brand new. In fact, it shone in the light that beamed down upon it. Luke turned to face the figure as he clipped his hilt to his belt. "What happened to Kyp?" he asked.
"There," the figure responded as he pointed to a pile of ashes that was next to the cubic structure.
Luke just stared in shock. Kyp Durron, one his most promising students was now ashes. "I warned him no to touch it," the figure sighed before turning his attention to the others. He noticed that Vestara seemed to be stirring into consciousness.
The figure walked towards Vestara, intending to help. However, he froze at the sight of Ben between him and Vestara with the lightsaber hilt in the young Skywalker's hands. "Get away from her!" Ben shouted as he activated his lightsaber.
"Calm down, kid," the figure said, but it fell on deaf ears as Ben remained still.
Luke turned his attention to the commotion, and ran up towards his son. "Ben, put your lightsaber away!" he exclaimed. "He's here to help us!"
"But his lightsaber was red!" Ben objected. "He has to be a Sith!"
"The color of a lightsaber does not reflect one's conscious," the figure stated. "The Sith tend use red because it's more easier to identify who is friend or foe. Besides if I was a Sith, you would've been dead by now."
The three Jedi looked at the figure. The tone of his words sounded like he had many years of experience. Years that were longer than Yoda's, in Luke's opinion. Vestara looked at the figure as she stood up. "Just who are you?" she asked.
The figure looked at the group and answered:
"My name is Ruusan and I'm the only hope you have left to save the galaxy."
The three Jedi just stared at the figure, now identified as Ruusan, standing before them. He first attacked them, then helped helped. Now, he was declaring himself as the galaxy's last hope. Like any other being, they didn't believe him, like Ben, who scoffed. "You save the galaxy! Yeah right!"
"Ben put down your lightsaber!" Luke ordered.
"Not until he tells us what happened to Master Durron!"
Ruusan sighed. "Your friend here activated the Pandora-the cube over there-and it released a large energy wave that destroyed him."
The three Jedi looked at the figure before them in disbelief. They wondered how could such a structure produce that much power. Yet, it was the only explanation they had. "How come we're not dead?" Vestara asked.
"I put a force field around you that protect me and you three from that wave," Ruusan quickly answered.
Luke looked at Ruusan with curiosity. Not only for the fact he was able to make a force field, but as to why did it to save them. 'Why did he protect us?' he wondered. 'He attacked us first. What reason would he have?'
Ignoring that thought, Luke turned to face his son. "Ben, put away your lightsaber."
Reluctantly, Ben deactivated his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt. Luke then turned to face Ruusan. "Now tell us everything."
Ruusan looked at the Jedi Master. "It's a long story."
"We have time," was the Jedi Master's response.
"No we don't," Ruusan argued. "As of now, your galaxy is in danger from being destroyed!"
Their eyes widen at that. "Is that true?" Vestara asked.
"I'm afraid so," Ruusan replied. "Everything you know is on the brink of destruction. The Jedi, the Galactic Alliance, everyone."
Everyone froze in horror at that as they looked at the cubic structure, now identified as the Pandora. To them, it was just a cubic structure. They wondered how could it have that much power. In fact, they wondered who would even built such a device. What purpose would it serve?
The three Jedi huddled together, wanting to keep a quiet conversation, between them. "Should we trust him?" Luke asked.
"I don't think we can," Ben stated. "Don't you remember he just attacked us!"
"But why would he help us?" Vestara argued.
Luke pondered a bit before saying, "You do put up a good point," Luke said. "But so does Ben. "
"Master Skywalker, what if he's telling the truth?" Vestara questioned. "What if he is the galaxy's only hope for survival? I sensed he was telling the truth."
"Look," Ruusan said, making the Jedi trio turn their attention towards him, "I know you may not trust me, but you're going to need my help, whether you like it or not!"
Luke stood there before looking at Ben and Vestara. "Fine then," Luke answered.
"Good," Ruusan began walking towards the stairs, "we leave, immediately."
"Where do we have to go?" Vestara asked.
He turned around to face them. "We head to Animus."
Ben, Luke, and Vestara sat in the main hold of the Jade Shadow along with Ruusan. Almost a day past since they all left Pravus VI for the planet Ruusan called "Animus." In what system this Animus was in, was unknown to the Jedi. Fortunately, they had Ruusan plug in the coordinates into the Jade Shadow. The quarters were already filled, but it was not a bother for Ruusan for he decided to stay in the cargo hold.
Since it would take some time to get there, Luke decided to take this as an opportunity to ask Ruusan some questions. At first, Ruusan wasn't cooperative, but after they kept on bothering him, he finally decided to answer there questions. "What do you want to know?" Ruusan asked them as he sat down.
"Tell us about that structure," was Luke's request. Sensing Ruusan's confusion on what Luke was talking about , the Jedi Master clarified, "The Pandora."
"Very well then," Ruusan nodded before beginning his story. "Long ago, before the formation of the Jedi or the Old Republic, a terrible weapon was unleashed upon the galaxy. It decimated planets, destroyed suns, and nearly half of the single Force Sensitives in the galaxy."
Vestara's eyes widen in horror. "What was this weapon called?"
"The Pandora," Ruusan replied as he continued. "It seemed that nothing would stop it. Fortunately, a group of beings were able to stop the weapon, but they could only hid it, not destroy it. After hiding the Pandora, the beings hid in the Unknown Regions on a planet called Animus."
"But what does that have to with you?" Ben demanded.
He looked at Luke's son. "My job was to guard the Pandora, and make sure no one obtained it. Then, a group of Jedi came a few months ago. Sadly, the Jedi eventually killed each other, wanting to gain control over it."
Ben couldn't help but feel somewhat skeptic. "Are you serious?" Ben asked in disbelief. "Did this really happen?"
Though they couldn't see his face, the Jedi could sense Ruusan's calmness being replaced with a hint of anger. "When it comes to the safety of the galaxy, I'm always serious!" was Ruusan's response. "The galaxy is reaching its end and the only way to stop it is by deactivating the Pandora, which I know how to." Ruusan leaned back on his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. "Is there anything else?"
For a few moments, the three Jedi looked at each to see whose turn it was to ask. Vestara decided to take that position as she asked, "What can to tell us about the Pandora?"
"Like I said, it's a weapon that has the power to destroy the galaxy," Ruusan explained. "It's a machine like any other, but it's a complex piece of machinery that takes about ten days for it to unleash a wave of incredible energy that can annihilate every sentient being in the galaxy. "
"Ten days?" Ben raised an eyebrow. "That long?"
Ruusan nodded. "The builders of the Pandora put billions combinations of locks on it, so its power would not be unleashed all at once. The Pandora is capable of going unlocking these combinations, but it would take time. That gives us time to deactivate it before anything happens."
The three Jedi were astonished by this. A species capable of creating such a terrible weapon, but putting restrictions on that gave them time they needed to save the galaxy. Such a species must have been truly great. Despite they all had this in their heads, a question popped into Luke's. The Jedi Master looked at Ruusan. "Do you know who built the Pandora?"
Ruusan nodded. "Yes."
"Will you tell us who they are?" he continued.
"No."
"Why not?" Ben demanded.
"Because they're on Animus," was Ruusan's response. "It would be easier for them to tell you than me."
There was an awkward silence, before Vestara asked, "Did any Jedi knew about the Pandora?"
"There was one," Ruusan confessed as he turned to face Luke. "Your niece, Luke."
Everyone's eyes widen. "Jaina! But how! She never said anything about that!" Luke exclaimed.
"She wouldn't if her memories were erased," he responded. "She once crashed on Pravus VI and came in contact with the Pandora. I erased her memories, so she wouldn't come back for it. But, I watched her just in case."
"And?" Ben asked.
"Jaina's memories began to resurface," Ruusan sadly replied. "I had no choice at the time, but to intervene."
Everyone's eyes widen in shock at this. They knew what the figure meant when he 'intervened.' Ben curled his hands into fists. "You killed her!"
"If I didn't, Jaina would've activated the Pandora! She could've possibly destroyed the galaxy!" Ruusan reasoned. "I'm sorry, I really am, but it was necessary."
What he said fell on deaf ears as Ruusan saw Ben's blade at his throat. He turned to face an angry Ben. "I wouldn't do that Ben," he advised.
"And why not!" Ben growled.
"Have you ever seen the Pandora in action before?" Ruusan questioned. "I have, and let me tell you it's not a pretty sight... The surface of planets burning, suns collapsing, black holes forming, cries for help that are never answer, the skin of being burned away into crisp!" Everyone looked at the figure in disbelief. "I've lived through such chaos. I know how horrible the Pandora is," Ruusan continued. "If Jaina ever activated it, then you all would have been dead by now."
Luke placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Ben, calm down," Luke said. "Even if you kill him, it won't bring Jaina back."
With a frustrated sigh, Ben removed his lightsaber from Ruusan's throat and deactivated its blade. Ruusan merely stood up and said, "I'll go to the cargo hold," before walking away to his destination.
Another day past. Ever since Ruusan revealed himself to be the murderer of Jaina Solo, the Jedi had been on the edge, Ben the most. Vestara and Luke were on their guard, but Ben seemed to have the urge to kill Ruusan. The other two Jedi recognized this and tried to keep a close eye on him.
Now, Ben sat in the cockpit of the Jade Shadow with Luke and Vestara. They were both in the front seats, dealing with flight and navigation, while Ben just looked at the controls with nothing to do. He looked the two. Now was the time. "I'll be going to the refresher," Ben said as he stood up.
"Don't take too long," Vestara called out.
Ben smiled at her before he walked out of the cockpit. Once he was out of their eyesight, Ben's smile was replaced with a snarl. He didn't head to the refresher as he told his dad and lover, and instead, headed towards the cargo hold, his hand on his lightsaber hilt. Ben walked into the cargo hold to see Ruusan leaning his back against the wall of the cargo hold, his arms crossed. It seemed he was expecting this. "So you want to kill me," Ruusan said. It wasn't a question.
The young Skywalker grabbed his lightsaber and ignited its blue blade. Ruusan took his back off of the cargo hold as he stood up straight. "You really think you can take me?" Ruusan asked, his hand on his lightsaber hilt.
Ben took a stance. "Yes."
Ruusan smiled underneath his helmet. "Well, then," he activated his red lightsaber, "prove it."
With a roar, Ben charged at Ruusan, swinging his blue lightsaber at him only for it to be blocked by Ruusan's red lightsaber. "Tell me, how close were you to your cousin?" Ruusan asked.
Ben snarled as he quickly slashed at him. Ruusan blocked it again. "You must've been very close if you're going this far to try and kill me," Ruusan stated as he forced Ben back with a simply Force push.
"Shut up!" Ben shouted as he slashed his lightsaber again.
Again, Ruusan blocked the attack. This time, their blades never separated from each other as Ben's blue blade locked onto his red. Ruusan used this as an opportunity. As Ben pressed his lightsaber against Ruusan's, the young Jedi could feel his mind being penetrated. "So, that's why," Ruusan said. "You think that Jaina will rest in peace if you kill me. I can tell you she won't."
Ben gritted his teeth as he was able to parry Ruusan's blade away from him, leaving the black armored figure open. The young Skywalker swung his lightsaber with all his might... only for it to stop in mid-air. Ben's eyes widen seeing Ruusan's hand up in front of the blade, using the Force to stop the blue blade in its place. Ruusan noticed Ben's surprise and kicked him in the stomach, forcing him back.
As Ben caught himself and stood himself, Ruusan pointed his red blade towards the ground. Ben recognized it as the stance that defeated his dad. Ben raised his blue lightsaber, his eyes cautious on Ruusan's position. Seeing Ben was making no move, Ruusan slowly pranced forward towards Ben. The young Skywalker seeing his opponent on the move, he thrust his lightsaber at Ruusan. Ruusan raised his red lightsaber to parry the thrust before he arced his lightsaber, like his fight with Luke, sending Ben's saber out of his hand. Before he could get his lightsaber, Ben found Ruusan's red blade pointed at his face.
"Ben, what's going on?"
Ruusan and Ben turned to see who said that to see Luke standing at the entrance to the cargo hold with Vestara running up behind Ben's dad. Ruusan lowered his lightsaber from Ben's face. "It's alright, Luke." Ruusan looked at Ben. "We were just training."
Ben looked at Ruusan in shock for moment before looking at Luke and Vestara. "Yeah, everything's alright, dad," Ben lied as he wiped away dust on his robes.
Luke looked at Ruusan and Ben. "Alright," he said with an edge in his voice as he turned around. "Meet us in main hold."
"Why did you protect me?" Ben asked.
Ruusan said nothing as he hooked his lightsaber to his belt and walked out of the cargo hold. Ben watched Ruusan walk out of the cargo hold. He used the Force retrieve his lightsaber and hooked to his belt before walking following Ruusan to the main hold. There, Ben saw Vestara and Luke sitting across from each other, both looking at Ben with disappointed looks. However, they turned their attention to Ruusan. "How long will it take to reach Animus?" Vestara asked.
"At the rate we're going, another day or so," Ruusan said as he sat down across from her. "Hopefully, nothing should happen along the way."
Ben glared at Ruusan, who merely stared back at him with his red visor. "What makes you think I won't kill you?" Ben asked.
"Ben!" Luke glared at his son.
Unlike Luke, Ruusan calmly looked at Ben. "First, it's very un-Jedi for you to act like that," Ruusan pointed out. "Second, if I'm gone, then the galaxy doesn't have a chance. And third, I don't think Vestara will be happy when she knows the father of her child is dead."
Luke's eyes widen as he turned to face Ben and Vestara. "What!" Luke nearly shouted.
Ben, his face blushing a little, faced his dad as Vestara went to Ben's side, her face blushing as well. "Is there something you're not telling me Ben?" Luke demanded as he stood up.
"You didn't know Vestara's pregnant?" Ruusan looked at the Jedi Master as he crossed his arms.
Luke shook his head. "No. I didn't even notice!"
"Can't you sense it at all?" Ruusan raised an eyebrow. "It was pretty obvious to me."
Luke turned to Vestara, and concentrated. It was pretty faint but he could sense another life form inside. "It's a girl," he said in shock before looking at the two. "How long?" Luke meant how long Vestara was pregnant.
Vestara smiled sheepishly. "About a few weeks."
The Jedi Master stared at the two in shock. "I think I need to sit down," and he walked out of the main hold.
Once Luke was gone, Ben glared back at Ruusan. "How did you know!"
"I could sense another life form coming from your girlfriend," Ruusan said. "Since she's human, it's easy to deduce that she's pregnant."
He stood up and walked out of the main hold. Ben and Vestara just watch Ruusan's form disappear into the halls of the Jade Shadow. Once he was gone, Vestara said, "Just who is he?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to get my answers," Ben determinately stated. "One way or another."
A day passed since Luke found out he was going to be a grandfather. Luke Skywalker sat in the cockpit of the Jade Shadow, piloting the ship through space. Ben and Vestara were in different rooms, trying to get some sleep. As he piloted the ship, his thoughts were mainly focused on the revelation of Vestara being pregnant. Many questions filled his. One was 'Why didn't they tell me?'
"Funny isn't it."
Luke turned around to see Ruusan standing at the entrance of the cockpit. The black armored being continued as he slowly walked in. "After all these years, you thought you know everything and then," Ruusan snapped his fingers, "just like that, something extraordinary happens."
The Jedi Master nodded. "Yeah, I know." He turned his attention to the vastness of space.
Ruusan sat down on the chair next to Luke. "Aren't you happy for them?"
"Why are you?" Luke quipped. "Ben did try to kill you, after all."
"He's rash..." Ruusan smiled underneath his helmet, "... in many ways like his parents."
Luke looked at Ruusan in shock. How much did he know about the Skywalker family? Did he know about the fall of Anakin Skywalker? Luke shrugged those thoughts off and paid attention to Ruusan. "But I'll ask again," Ruusan stated. "Aren't you happy for them?"
"I am," Luke replied as he looked off into space, "but I'm also disappointed that they didn't tell me."
"And that they didn't get married first," Ruusan added in.
He turned his head towards Ruusan. "That too," Luke stated before asking, "Do you have and kids?"
"Yes," Ruusan replied as he leaned back in his chair, "but that was a long time ago."
There was a silence between the two. Luke looked at the black lightsaber hilt that hung from Ruusan's metallic belt. It's design was unique seeing that it was fashioned more of a katana since the hilt had a silver rectangular guard and the button that activated the saber was just below that. Ruusan seemed to noticed as he asked, "Are you interested in my lightsaber?"
Luke responded with a nod. "Yes. It's design is quite unique."
"It is," Ruusan said as he placed a hand on the hilt. "I first used a regular sword, but found a lightsaber to be more useful."
A question popped up in Luke's head. "I don't mean to be rude, but I must ask. Why is your lightsaber red?" Luke asked.
The black armored being was silent for a second. Luke could faintly feel a wave of sadness flowing through Ruusan. Then he responded. "A reminder," was all Ruusan said.
Not wanting to impose any longer, Luke decided to not ask anymore questions. Once again, there was a silence between them. Minutes passed and no words were exchanged between the two. Then, Ruusan looked at Luke. "I think I'll take over," Ruusan offered. "You look tired. You should go get some sleep."
It was true. Luke was getting bags under hid eyes, and he could feel a small tinge for the need to sleep. "You're right," Luke yawned as he stood up. "See you later."
Ruusan said nothing as he watched Luke leave the cockpit. Once the Jedi Master was gone, he stared off into space, his thought dwelling on the present situation. It would take about another day to reach Animus. When they arrived, Ruusan would have to take the Jedi to them. Despite it was his idea, Ruusan had some doubts. 'I hope I'm doing the right thing,' Ruusan thought as he stared off into space.
Vestara yawned as she awoke. She stood up from her bed, and stretched her arms and legs. Vestara noticed her lightsaber hilt on the table on the side of her bed. She used the Force to make the hilt fly towards her before clipping it to her belt. She wasn't sure what the time was, but it didn't matter. Her first thought was to go check on Ben, but she thought of the possibility that he could be sleeping. She used the Force to sense if there was anyone in the cockpit of the Jade Shadow. There was one... it was Ruusan.
There was no one else aboard. It was perfect for her to ask some questions. Quietly, Vestara walked towards the cockpit, hoping to not make a sound that could alert Ruusan. She reached the cockpit to see Ruusan manually taking care of the controls. He sat in the pilot's that, whose back was faced towards Vestara. Despite all of this, Ruusan stated, "So you're awake."
The former Sith was surprised by this. Ruusan never even saw her come in! "How..." she began but Ruusan cut her off.
"I sensed your presence," Ruusan stated. "I thought that would have been obvious to a trained Force User."
Vestara said nothing as she walked to a chair. Ruusan turned to Vestara. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I'm just checking on you," she replied.
"To ask questions or to see if I won't kill you?" Ruusan lied.
Vestara was taken aback by this, but said nothing. The black armored figure merely shook his head. "Even if I tried to kill you, I think I would easily win," he stated.
Anger rose in the former Sith, but she kept it at bay. "Why is that?" Vestara asked.
"For one, you're pregnant," Ruusan pointed out. "That gives you a disadvantage, does it not?"
Vestara blushed a little at that fact. "That is true."
Before she could ask another question, Ruusan asked, "So what are you going to call the girl?"
Vestara couldn't help but smile as she placed a hand on her belly. "Ben suggested we call her Jade, after his mother." She looked up at him. "What do you think?"
"Jade Skywalker." Ruusan smiled. "Yes, it's a beautiful name. I'm sure Ben's mother would've liked that."
With that he turned around to face the emptiness of space. Vestara however, just sat there. "You're a strange person," she said.
He turned to face Vestara. "Why do you say that?"
"You killed Jaina Solo." Ruusan winced at that. "Not only that, you attacked Master Skywalker, and acted harshly before, but now, you're nice. Why the sudden change?"
He simply looked at the former Sith before answering, "Look, I told you before, I had to kill Jaina. She would've tried to use it for her own needs, but would, instead, end up destroying the galaxy."
"But you don't know that," Vestara stated.
"Actually I do," he retorted. "As for Luke, I only wanted to keep him away from the Pandora. And I only acted harshly because I wasn't sure how you would react when I told you about Jaina."
She understood Ruusan's justification for his actions, but it still didn't calm her suspicions. "That still doesn't answer my question," Vestara stated.
"It was because I learned about you being pregnant," was his response.
Vestara raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?" she asked incredulous he had a change of heart at the fact she was pregnant. Sure, it can change lives, but this seemed to be ridiculous!
Seeing her confusion, Ruusan smiled underneath his helmet. "Let's just say children are what carries the on legacy," he replied.
With that Ruusan turned back around, his red visor looking at space once more. Vestara was going to ask one more question but held it back. Vestara turned around and left the cockpit. She asked enough questions, for now. Besides, she needed to check on Ben.
Ruusan sighed as he walked through the halls of the Jade Shadow. He decided put the ship on autopilot after sitting at the cockpit for what seemed to be forever, which wasn't that far off, since he was there for about three hours since Luke decided to get some sleep and an hour after Vestara was questioning him.
As he began to get closer to the cargo hold, he felt a presence there. Ruusan took out his lightsaber hilt, but did not activate its blade just yet. Once he entered the cargo hold, he saw the young son of Luke and Mara Skywalker at the end, his blue lightsaber in his hands. To Ruusan, it seemed to be frustrating for Ben to attempt to kill him, despite all he did for the young Skywalker. "So you want to kill me again?" Ruusan demanded, his hand on his lightsaber hilt.
Ben shook his head. "No, I just want to spar," he stated, raising his lightsaber.
The black armored warrior raised an eyebrow underneath his helmet. "You don't hate me?" he asked, his hand still gripping his hilt.
"I do hate you," Ben claimed, before adding, "but I'm also confused."
"About why I lied?" Ruusan questioned. "About why I didn't kill you like I did with Jaina?"
The black armored warrior noticed the young Skywalker's grip on his hilt tighten a little at the mention of Jaina. Instead of doing anything rash, Ben merely nodded. "Yes. I want to know."
"I've been around for a long time Ben," he said, activating his red lightsaber. "I've seen things no one in the entire Jedi Order could possibly comprehend."
"Still doesn't explain it," Ben irritably stated as he thrust his lightsaber forward.
Ruusan parried the thrust. Before swinging his saber at Ben who blocked the red blade in time. "No, it doesn't," Ruusan agreed.
Ben slashed his blue lightsaber for Ruusan to block again. "Then why?"
Ruusan forced Ben back with a Force push, which the young Skywalker quickly recovered from. Ben stood there at the sight of Ruusan deactivating his lightsaber. Ben didn't deactivated his lightsaber but he lowered his blue blade, so it was pointing the ground. "You remind me a lot of myself when I was young," was all Ruusan said. "That was before..."
Ruusan stopped himself from completing that sentence. Ben wanted to ask, but prevented himself from doing so, remembering his promise he made to Vestara...
(Flashback)
"Is that all he said?" Ben whispered to Vestara.
After Vestara questioned Ruusan, she immediately went to Ben to let him know what Ruusan said. Ben knew sooner or later Vestara would ask Ruusan, but his answers, if you could call them that, were vague and did not clear things up.
Vestara nodded. "That was all."
Ben let out a frustrated groan as the same questions that he had for hours ran through his head. Why did Ruusan lie to protect him? Why did he do all of this? Despite him having all of these questions, none of them were being answered. Ben then turned to the entrance and began to leave when Vestara got in between him and the exit. "Where are you going?" Vestara demanded.
"I'm going to wait for him in the cargo hold," Ben stated as he walked passed his pregnant lover.
Vestara grabbed Ben by his arm and turned him around to face her. "Are you going to try and kill him again?"
"No, I won't," Ben assured her. "I'll just spar with him and ask questions."
"Be careful of what you say, Ben," Vestara warned. "Ruusan may not be such a harsh man, like we think he is."
"I have to know," was his reponse. "For all we know, he could be making this whole thing up!"
"I don't know, Ben," Vestara said. "I could sense his words were sincere. There wasn't a trace of betrayal in him."
"But still..." Ben started, but he was cut off.
"Ben, I know you'll question him, but promise me you'll stop yourself from asking any touchy questions?" Vestara begged.
Ben nodded in defeat. "I promise."
(Flashback end)
Ben's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the footsteps of his father entered the cargo hold. He turned to see his dad standing at the entrance. Luke looked at his son for a second before facing Ruusan. "What is it?" the black armored figure asked the Jedi Master.
Luke answered, "Vestara told me we're arriving at Animus."
Ruusan hooked his hilt to his belt. "Good!" he smiled under his helmet.
Then, Luke walked out of the cargo hold with Ruusan following him. Ben deactivated his lightsaber and hooked it to his belt as he followed the two warriors to the cargo hold. Once the three arrived at the Jade Shadow's cockpit, Luke took the pilot's seat with Vestara in the navigator's seat. Ben and Ruusan took the seats that were on either side of the cockpit. "So how much longer?" Ruusan asked.
"Just a few more seconds," Vestara replied.
A few more seconds passed and the ship's computer beeped, announcing that they arrived at their destination. "Alright coming out of hyperspace!" Luke announced as the ship came out of hyperspace. What the Jedi trio saw astonished them.
The planet that was before them was beautiful. The planet had blue oceans that were partially covered by the white clouds. On those oceans were five large continents, each perfectly shaped like seven-pointed stars. "Behold," Ruusan stated, "the planet of Animus."
"It's nothing like I've ever seen before," Ben stated in awe.
Despite he had a mouth guard covering his mouth, Ruusan couldn't help but smile at that. The moment was ruined when the Jade Shadow's computers beeped once more. Everyone went on alert as they head towards their stations. "What is it?" Luke asked Vestara, since she was at the navigator controls.
"We're being followed!" Vestara announced, seeing another blip appeared on the scanner.
"By who?" Ruusan asked.
Ben checked the readings. "It's a Corellian YT-1300 freighter," Ben announced. His eyes widen in recognition. "It's Uncle Han and Aunt Leia!"
The Jade Shadow entered the atmosphere of Animus. The watched as the clouds faded way from the window of the cockpit, revealing a rocky desert. The ship landed in the dead center of the desert. The hot sun glared upon its metal hull as steam shot out of the Jade Shadow.
The ramp lowered, and out walked the Jedi Master and Ruusan. The two stopped where they were as Ruusan stared off into the distance to see a range of dry mountains. He turned around to see another range of mountains, however, they seemed to be covered with snow. "Luke come with me," Ruusan ordered as he walked off the ramp and onto the barren wasteland.
"Where are we going?" Luke asked him as he followed..
"I'll tell you along the way," was all Ruusan stated.
The two were about to leave when they heard, "Wait!"
They turned around to see Ben and Vestara on the ramp of the Jade Shadow. "What do you want us to do?" Vestara asked.
"Stay here, and keep Han and Leia busy until we come back," Ruusan ordered. "Tell them everything."
Ben gulped a little. "Even Jaina?" he nervously asked.
Ruusan nodded. "Even Jaina."
With that, Ben and Vestara were left alone as Ben's father and Ruusan left for what appeared to be the range of snowy mountains. Once the two were gone from their vision, Ben and Vestara turned their attention towards the Millennium Falcon landing right next to the Jade Shadow. The ramp lowered, revealing an angry Han and a demanding Leia running down the ramp, and towards Ben and Vestara. "Ben, what is going on!" Han demanded.
Ben scratched the back of his head. "That's a long story."
To Luke, it seemed hours passed, since they left Ben and Vestara to deal with his sister and brother-in-law. As they walked, Luke's curiosity of this planet increased ten-fold as the environment changed from a barren desert to a frozen wasteland, which reminded the Jedi Master a bit of his time on Hoth. Fortunately, Luke learned a Force technique that allowed him to keep himself warm, but had a little difficulty. Luke looked at Ruusan, who was walking a few feet ahead of him, and seemed to have no trouble, whatsoever. "How much farther!" Luke shouted to Ruusan, for the wind would deafen speech at a regular level.
Ruusan looked over his shoulder. "Just a mile or so! It shouldn't take too long!" he assured the Jedi Master.
Apparently Ruusan was right as within a mile, the two reached a cliff top. They looked down below and Luke was surprised at the sight he saw. 'This is incredible!' Luke thought.
Down below was a temple shaped like a pyramid with the top cut off, revealing a flat square. The temple was colored a beautiful white, camouflaging it perfectly with the snow. For some reason, the shape of it almost reminded Luke of the Massassi Temples on Yavin IV. Luke was about to ask Ruusan, but saw him already climbing down from the cliff. The Jedi Master followed in suit, carefully making sure he didn't fell off.
Once they both reached the bottom of the cliff, which pretty much was a flat marbled floor, they continued towards the vertical stairs that led to side of the temple. "What is this place?" Luke asked Ruusan.
"It's the Temple of the Ancients," Ruusan replied. "It stores almost ever bit of knowledge of the galaxy inside that place."
Luke's curiosity piqued a little. "Anything I should know?" he inquired.
"Yeah. This place is guarded," Ruusan told Luke.
"By who?" the Jedi Master asked as he took out his lightsaber hilt.
He got his answer when he heard metal pounding on the ground coming from behind them. Luke and Ruusan turned around to see what that was, only to find themselves back to back for they were surrounded by a large groups of... "Sanctuary Guard Droids," Ruusan stated.
The Sanctuary Guards Droids, as Ruusan called them, seemed to be mummies. They were clearly not sentient as each was bulky as a Wookie in armor (if that ever did happen) with a wide, barrel chest and thick, strong arms that were covered by white bandages that seemed to brand new. The Jedi Master activated his green lightsaber. Luke turned to Ruusan. "Any suggestions?"
"Well, they're immune to regular Force powers," Ruusan pointed out, "so just stick with lightsaber techniques."
"What about you?" Luke questioned.
Ruusan smirked under his mouth guard as he activated his red lightsaber. "I've got my ways," he said.
Each droid that surrounded the two raised their right arms. "When I say 'now,' we attack them, got it?" Ruusan told Luke, who nodded back.
A panel in each droid's arm opened to reveal a black blaster. "Now!" Ruusan called out.
The two separated, charging at the droids with incredible speed. The droids fired red bolts of energy at Luke and Ruusan, but they were fortunate enough to dodge them as the charged towards the droids. Once Luke met with droids, he slashed at the nearest one, severing its arm before cutting it into two halves that fell onto the marbled floor. He slashed at two more, cutting them into pieces. Luke ducked as another swiped its large arm at him, and the Jedi Master send a hard punch to its metal body. It proved to be a failure for the Jedi Master shook his aching hand as he backed away.
As Luke fought, the Jedi Master noticed Ruusan was doing well. Ruusan slashed off one droid's arm before stabbing his red blade into another droid's chest. The black armored warrior dodged a blast from a droid before slicing its head off. Luke watched with amazement at Ruusan's skills. His fought seemed to have exceeded greater than a Jedi Masters. Luke focused back on the battle as he raised his green lightsaber to reflect a blast back at a droid. 'This may take a while,' Luke thought to himself.
Oh, yes it would.
Elsewhere, two beings met inside a dark room. The room concealed their identities from the rest of the world. "How goes the plan?" a masculine voice asked.
"It is going well," another voice, this time female, replied. "The Jedi are on Animus."
"Good," the male voice stated with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "And what of Ruusan?"
"He is at the Temple of the Ancients with Luke Skywalker," the female voice answered. "I believe they are requiring that."
"It is of no concern," the male voice shrugged it off. "They'll be too late anyway to do anything."
"If you are certain/" the female voice said with some concern in her voice.
"I am," the male voice confidentially stated. "Now quick! The others will appear soon. We must hurry before they suspect anything!"
For Luke and Ruusan, their fight with the Sanctuary Guard Droids would continue on for quite sometime, but the outcome of it was droid body parts littered all across the marbled floor. The victors standing amongst the carnage were Ruusan and Luke Skywalker. The Jedi Master still held onto his activated green blade as he turned to face Ruusan. "Is that all of them?" he asked, panting a little from the fight.
Ruusan panted a little as well. "I think so."
Luke sighed with relief as he was about to sheath his green lightsaber, until he heard "Get down!" from Ruusan.
Luke moved to the side at the sight of Ruusan's lightsaber being thrown towards him. It turned out the Jedi Master wasn't the target for Luke saw the red blade go through one final droid. The Jedi Master watched as the droid's mechanical body fell on the ground and let out a groan before it deactivated for good. Luke turned to face Ruusan. "Thanks for that," he said.
"No trouble," Ruusan merely stated as he walked towards fallen droid to retrieve his lightsaber.
Luke nodded as he followed Ruusan up the long, vertical stairway of the Temple of the Ancients. Once they reached the end, the two warriors found themselves to be inside of a long rectangular aisle that seemed to go on, forever and ever. As they walked, Luke decided it would be the best time to ask questions. "Who built this place?"
"The same people who built the Pandora," the black armored warrior answered.
The Jedi Master found it irritating that the species who built the Pandora wasn't given a name by Ruusan. "Are you going to tell me who they are?" Luke inquired.
"When we're with the others," Ruusan stated. "It'll be more convenient."
Luke said nothing as they continued to walk down the aisle. Once they reached the end, Luke noticed a circular door to a vault with a panel next to it. Ruusan walked up to the panel and pressed a sequence of buttons that opened the door. The door slid opened revealing a chamber filled with holocrons. 'Tionne would love this,' the Jedi Master thought.
Ruusan turned his attention towards the chamber. Minutes passed as he searched, looking for a specific holocron. Luke stood there, watching Ruusan continue his search. What it looked like was something that Ruusan only knew, so the Jedi Master could not give him any help. Ruusan froze, his hand on a certain holocron. "Got it!" he happily exclaimed as he picked it up.
Luke looked at the holocron with curiosity. The holocron was shaped like a pyramid, making one think it would be a Sith holocron, but it wasn't. Instead of it having black or red, it was glowing pure white. "What is that?" he asked.
Ruusan faced Luke. "The key to our salvation," was his answer.
For what seemed like hours, Ben and Vestara stayed with Han and Leia, explaining the entire situation. They told them everything. From their encounter with Ruusan and the Pandora to the revelation of Vestara and Ben's unborn child. The two did not leave out a shred of detail as they told their story, save for Jaina.
Leia and Han, at first, thought it was ludicrous. Then again, who wouldn't? A large box that could destroy the entire galaxy? Despite all their attempts, it seemed that Ben and Vestara could not convince the Solos. However, their opinions changed once the two young Jedi talked about Jaina and her involvement with all of this.
Like Ben, Leia and Han were infuriated that Ruusan was the murderer of the daughter. They were even more enraged that Luke was actually working with this guy! Ben and Vestara attempted to calm them down and explain to them of what Ruusan told them, which did not really help. Fortunately, the Solos were able to calm down after some time, but still kept that anger inside of them.
Leia rubbed the bridge of her nose. "So let me get this straight," she began as she looked at Ben and Vestara, "There's this box called the Pandora that can destroy the galaxy if we don't deactivate and this guy, Ruusan," she spat out that name like curse, "is the only to help out?"
Ben nodded. "That's about it."
She then turned to Vestara. "And you're pregnant?"
The former Sith blushed. "Yes, Master Solo."
Han sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "This is just crazy!"
"We know," Ben agreed. "We didn't think it was possible, but after all that's happen, it's true."
"But to be working with the man who killed Jaina!" Han exasperatedly exclaimed.
"We know Mister Solo," Vestara held out an assured hand. "Whether we like it or not, we have to trust Ruusan."
Before anyone could say anything, they all heard footsteps closing towards them. There were two figures walking towards Leia, Han, Vestara, and Ben. It was Ruusan and Luke. Luke walked up to his sister and brother-in-law. "Han, Leia," he smiled to them.
"Luke," Leia smiled back, while Han just nodded to him.
Ruusan stepped forward. "You must Leia and Han," Ruusan said.
Leia glared at him. "And you must be Ruusan."
"I'm assuming Ben and Vestara told you everything?" he asked.
Han nodded. "Yes," he said, glaring at him as well.
He ignored them as he face everyone else. "Now, we're heading towards those mountains over there," he announced, pointing to the rocky mountain range. "We'll leave as soon as possible."
"Wait!" Leia halted.
Ruusan turned to face Leia. "What is it?"
Han answered for his wife as he stood next to her. "We're not leaving until you tell us about Jaina!"
Ruusan looked at Leia and Han. "We don't have time for this!"
"Leia is right," Luke said. "We've trusted you haven"
He looked at Ben and Vestara who seemed to be agreeing with Luke, Han, and Leia."Fine," Ruusan sighed in defeat. "I might as well tell you, but believe me, it's not pretty."
Everyone gathered in front Ruusan. They were finally going to learn the reason for Jaina's death, something that they have been begging to know for quite some time. Ruusan sighed. "Alright, it all began when Jaina crashed on Pravus VI," he began. "At first, I thought she was just some random idiot who happened to stumble on Pravus VI. I thought I could easily persuade her to leave."
"But it didn't work," Luke deduced.
He nodded. "Unfortunately, Jaina evaded me for quite some time, most likely because she thought I was a Sith. I eventually found her at the Pandora. I tried to stop her from touching it and I did. But something happened."
"What?" Ben anxiously asked.
Ruusan paused. "The Pandora was activated."
Everyone froze. They heard about the power of the Pandora, but knowing it was activated just recently was frightening. "It was just for a second," he explained, calming everyone down. "But that second was all Jaina needed to saw. I knocked her out before erasing her mind. I then send her back on her way, hoping she would never remember."
"You said, you followed her, right?" Vestara recalled.
"I did." Ruusan nodded. "I had to make sure she didn't remember. Unfortunately, she did."
"But why kill her?" Leia demanded, rather harshly.
"You know Jaina felt guilty for the death of her brother?" Everyone nodded and he continued, "Well, when she started to remember about the Pandora, she soon started to have plans."
Vestara raised an eyebrow. "What plans?"
Ruusan stared at everyone. "She thought could use the Pandora to resurrect her brother," he replied.
Everyone looked at Ruusan in shock. Reviving the dead? A structure that was meant to destroy was capable of creating life again? The builds of the Pandora must have truly been geniuses! "Is that even possible?" Han questioned.
"With the amount of power contained in the Pandora, maybe," was Ruusan's answer. "However, the Pandora's power is only capable of destroying, not creating. If she ever tried to use it, Jaina would've destroyed the galaxy just to bring her brother back. I knew I couldn't risk it, so I had to kill her."
Leia and Han were affected by this most. "That's why you..." Leia tried to bring herself to say the words "killed Jaina," but Ruusan spared her of saying the words with a simple nod.
There was a silence amongst everyone for a while. None dared to speak, save for the armored being before them. "Look I know so much has happened to you," Ruusan stated, "but there's more you have to know. We have to go now."
"To where, though?" Leia asked him.
"There," he said as pointed towards the range of dry, barren mountains he spotted earlier. "The builders of the Pandora are there and they can answer your questions, but we must hurry!"
"Why?" Han asked. "What's the rush?"
Ruusan turned to Vestara and Ben. "Didn't you tell them about the time limit?" He received nervous shakes of their heads as a response. Ruusan only groaned in frustation. "Listen, we have about seven more days till the Pandora is fully activated," he explained to Leia and Han. "We can't waste anymore time."
With that, Ruusan turned around and headed towards the dry mountains with everyone else following him. Luke walked with him. "You keep saying the Pandora can destroy the galaxy," the Jedi Master stated. "How powerful will the Pandora be when it's activated?"
"It will be as powerful as when it was first activated," Ruusan replied. "I should know. I was there, after all."
That statement shocked Luke as his pacing slowed down. Ruusan continued to walk towards the destination, making himself yards ahead of Luke, who walked with everyone else. As he walked, more questions began to fill his head. 'He was there when it was first used?' Luke repeated. 'Just how can such a being live that long?'
Luke stopped asking so many questions, remembering about the builders of the Pandora can answer his questions. He shoved them in the back of his head. Luke would ask those questions to those responsible of this entire mess and he will get those answers, one way or another.
Hours passed as day turned to night. The group decided to rest until the morning. No one was hungry for Leia and Han brought some rations with them. All except for Ruusan ate. Now, a campfire was in the center with Luke and Ruusan on watch duty. A few feet away were Vestara and Ben, who were hugging each other as they slept. It was likewise with Han and Leia.
Luke looked down into the fire, this thoughts focused on the situation at hand. They now had six more days until the Pandora was activated. Six days seemed a lot of time, for it only took just two days to arrive on Animus. Still, if the Pandora was a threat as Ruusan described, it would be best to take care of it as soon as possible. That thought made Luke remember the holocron device that Ruusan picked up from the Temple of the Ancients. 'How would that help us?' the Jedi Master thought.
"Something's on your mind," Ruusan stated, interrupting Luke's thoughts.
He brought his face up to look at Ruusan's red visor. "Yes," Luke nodded. "I've been wondering about that holocron you took."
Ruusan reached to his belt and detached the "holocron" from his belt and held it out, showing it to the Jedi Master. "This, you mean?" Receiving a nod from Luke, he explained, "Well it's not really a holocron. It's called simply the Lock."
Luke looked at the design of the Lock, as Ruusan called it. It was strange for it's pyramidal shape as well as the lines that were engraved on it seemed to making it look like a circuit board. "What does it do?" he asked.
"It was built to shut down the Pandora, at a cost though," Ruusan stated.
"What cost is that?" Luke asked.
"It requires the life force of a Force user," he responded.
Luke was taken aback by that. Such a small thing required the life force of a Force user? He decided to be quite and let Ruusan continue. "It is helpful, but the Lock is deactivated and requires one of the builders to activate it."
"You keep referring to these people as 'builders,'" Luke stated. "Do they have a name at all?"
"They're called the Whills," he answered. "Do you know about them?"
Luke merely shrugged. "I've heard that they were beings deeply connected with the Force. However, that's all I know. Any records of the Whills were lost."
"Well, then you're not far off," Ruusan said. "The Whills were from another plane existence, but came to this galaxy over a million years ago."
The aging Skywalker nodded, understanding Ruusan's reply, yet he had one more question. "But why build the Pandora?"
"That's something you'll have to ask them," Ruusan replied.
Luke said nothing more. Ruusan answered all the questions he had, for now. Besides, if he had anymore, those would be reserved for the Whills. Luke yawned a little. He was starting to feel a little tire, which Ruusan noticed. "You go get sleep," Ruusan told him. "I continue watching."
The Jedi Master nodded as he laid on the ground and closed his eyes, hoping to get some shut eyes for the journey ahead.
When morning arrived, everyone woke up to find Ruusan still awake. They got ready, stashing their rations and prepared to head off to meet the Whills. Ruusan lead the group through the rocky desert, and arrived at the mountains. Thanks to some wide ledges that served as passages, Ruusan safely led everyone to their destination, which turned out to be inside of a cave. What they saw inside shocked them.
The inside of the cage was enormous, its size as huge as a Star Destroyer. Like the cave at Pravus VI, the walls of the cave were smoothly hollowed out. In front of them was a large temple, one that looked exactly like the Temple of the Ancients that Luke and Ruusan went to. The Jedi and the former smuggler couldn't believe this.
The group continued to walk until they were at bottom of the staircase. Instead of continuing, Ruusan drew his lightsaber hilt and activated its red blade. "Get your weapons out," he told everyone.
"More Sanctuary Droids?" Luke asked Ruusan as he drew his green lightsaber.
"What?" Han raised an eyebrow as he drew his blaster.
"Them," Ruusan pointed to the entrance of the temple.
Leia, Vestara, Han, and Ben looked up to see a group of Sanctuary Guard Droids walking out of the front entrance. The droids then raised their arms and fired their blasters. Han hid behind Leia, who deflected the blaster bolts, while Ruusan, Luke, Vestara, and Ben charged towards the droids. Ruusan was the first one to reach the droids as he slashed his lightsaber at the closest one, slicing its head off. Ben first tried to use a Force push on them, but that didn't work for the droids remained. Ben was confused by this while he deflected some blaster bolts.
Ruusan noticed this and called out, "Force powers don't work on them!"
"Now you tell us!" Ben exasperatedly stated as he blocked another bolt.
Ruusan turned his attention back to the droids as he slashed one in half. Vestara, Luke, and Ben swiftly dodged the blaster bolts as they charged forward. Once they reached the droids, they began slashing through their ranks. Droids parts flew through the air, as lightsabers touched metal. Some droids even fell to their own blaster bolts that Leia reflected back at them as well as Han's blaster bolts.
Time passed and there were no more droids left. Mechanical limbs were spread all across the stairs, and some even fell from the main entrance and onto the rocky ground of the cavern. Vestara and Ben sheathed their lightsabers, while Ruusan and Luke drew them from the mechanical corpses of the droids. "Is that all of them?" Leia asked Ruusan as she and Han reached the top of the stairs.
Ruusan nodded. "I think so."
"Still swift as ever, Ruusan," a masculine voice suddenly spoke.
Everyone turned towards the front entrance to see who said that. The owner of the voice was not a being like they've seen before. The being looked like a human male in his late thirties, but was made of white energy. He had long white hair that went passed his shoulders and green eyes. The being wore a white robe over his entire body. "What's the meaning of the droids, Rughal!" Ruusan demanded from the strange energy being.
The being, now identified as Rughal, chuckled. "You can't be too careful now can you?"
Ruusan sighed as he sheathed his red lightsaber. He turned to everyone who had their weapons out. "Put your weapons away," Ruusan told them. "He's a Whill."
"A Whill?" Han asked.
"The species that build the Pandora," Luke answered for Ruusan, gaining stares from everyone. "Ruusan explained it to me."
Rughal gained everyone's attention with an 'ahem.' "Anyway, the others are waiting for you," he told them. "Best for you to come inside."
Everyone nodded as they put away their weapons. They walked passed Rughal and through the front entrance to see a small, but cozy chamber that could fit them. "This way," Rughal motioned his hand to an entrance that led to another chamber.
The four Jedi and the former smuggler were about to enter with the Whill, but stopped seeing Ruusan just standing there. "Are you coming?" Vestara asked.
Ruusan shook his head. "No. You guys go on without me."
Han, Luke, Leia, Vestara and Ben just looked at each other before they entered the chamber, while Ruusan simply walked back down to the bottom of the stairs. The vast main chamber was pyramidal shaped, and had lights hanging from the ceiling as well as a table on one end with five seats. There seemed to be a staircase that led to the floor of the chamber. As they walked down the staircase, the four Jedi and Han looked in amazement at the chamber. Once they all reached the bottom, Rughal sat in the seat on the far left, while the Jedi remained standing. "Where are the others?" Leia asked, motioning to the empty chairs.
Rughal simply motioned his hand. "They should be appearing right about... now."
Once he said that, four more beings suddenly appeared in the other four seats. They all were Whill judging from their bodies being made of pure white energy and wore the same wardrobe as Rughal. Rughal stood up and motioned towards the Whill next to him. She looked to be a thirty-year old woman with short brown hair and blue eyes. "This is Dhil," he said.
"Raqib." He was a man in his mid-forties with black hair and blue eyes. He sat on the far right.
"Sami." Sitting next to Raqib, Sami was in her late forties with black hair that reached to her shoulder and green eyes.
"And Noora," Rughal motioned to the center one. She was in her late twenties with long blond hair and brown eyes.
"And we are the council of the Whills!"
When Han agreed to follow his brother-in-law, he didn't expect to be caught up in some affair that may determine the fate of the galaxy. Before he fought Imperials and the Yuuzhan Vong, both were admirably strong and efficient in ruling their parts of the galaxy. Now, however, he found himself standing before a bunch of energy beings who were responsible for the mess that Han was in. The name didn't seem to ring well to him.
"Council of the Whills?" Han repeated.
Noora nodded as Rughal sat down in his respective seat. "Yes," she answered, her voice soothing and calm, "we five council each other on the state of the Pandora and discuss on what should be done."
Sami stepped in, stating, "However, we're rarely called for a meeting. It's not that often that the Pandora activated by some careless idiot."
Anger in the humans rose a little at Kyp being called "a careless idiot." However, they kept it in, and calmly faced the creators of the Pandora. "Sami," Dhil stated as she faced her, "the Jedi did not have any information regarding the Pandora and was only curious."
"That curiosity has activated a weapon that'll destroy the galaxy, Dhil!" Sami refuted as she whipped her heard towards Dhil.
Leia, seeing the tension between the two Whills, decided to intervene before any bad blood would be drawn. "There more of you?" Leia asked.
The two Whills put their differences aside for the moment as they turned their attention back to the humans. Noora looked at the former Chief of State of the New Republic. "Yes, but they have..." she paused, trying to think of the right words, "returned to our home. We five have remained in this realm for generations, only watching the events of your galaxy."
Vestara looked at the Whills curiously. "This realm?" Vestara asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"We Whills come a higher plane of existence," Raqib explained. "A different plane where we don't need to have corporeal forms."
"What made you came here?" Ben inquired.
"Simple, we were curious" Rughal replied. "We never knew anything outside of our own plane. However, the galaxy, back then, was a different place."
Noora decided to continue as she narrated, "Long ago, the galaxy was once filled with technology. Hyperdrive technology, then, exceeded your own. However, the galaxy was separated by social and political barriers that kept them constantly at war with one another. Once we arrived in this plane, we were able to stop the fighting and brought peace that lasted for decades."
"During our stay," Raqib continued, "we realized the beings of this galaxy could use the Force. For years we taught them how to use the Force."
"The Force?" Luke asked, receiving a nod from Raqib.
"But it was not like the teachings of the Jedi or the Sith," Dhil added. "We believe that the Force is nothing more than an energy field that encompasses the entire universe. To us, there's no such thing as Light or Dark Sides. The Force is what should be used to bring peace and stability. We taught that to many of our students for centuries."
"Soon, we left our students, believing they were capable on their own," Sami stated. "They spread knowledge of the Force all across the galaxy. There was no order, like the Jedi, to keep the peace, though. Crime would soon spread as a result."
"To face this, the Force users at the time became rulers of their own sectors of the galaxy," Noora continued. "We thought it would be best to not interfere at the time for we thought everything was fine. The rate of crime was going down through the galaxy and the people seemed to be happy." Noora hung her head in shame. "But we were wrong. We were so wrong."
"What happened?" Ben anxiously asked.
The Whills remained quite at that question, save for Rughal, who replied, "They soon started an all out war with each other that spread throughout the entire galaxy. Millions died in cold blood at the hands of those we called our students."
"Why do that?" Leia asked.
"To prove who was the strongest," he answered. "Every being of this universe tries to prove itself to be the best of the best. The only way to do that is to fight for it."
The mortal beings stood there in shock. It would be expected for a Force user to become corrupt with his or her own power, but to use that power and cause destruction at that scale was unimaginable. Then again, they have never experienced such a thing occurring in their life. "Anyway," Sami said, interrupting the thoughts of the humans in front of her, "The Force users at the time waged a war that encompassed the galaxy. More and more people died and we decided to intervene."
Luke knew where this was going. "By creating the Pandora," he finished.
The Whills all nodded. "The Pandora was meant to be the final solution," Raqib explained. "We designed to destroy all living matter within its range."
"What good will that do?" Han questioned. "That would just leave nothing but ashes!"
"We knew that when we built it," Noora clenched her teeth tightly, "but would you just stand around to see millions die before you had all the power in the universe to end their suffering?"
Han froze at that, thinking of what to say. When there was no response, Noora said, "I thought so. Besides, we were responsible, so we tried for fix our mistake."
"Thus, we made the Pandora, to eliminate them," Dhil continued. "The Pandora was used only once when Ruusan activated it."
"Ruusan activated it?" Vestara said, surprised by this development.
"Yes," Raqib nodded. "He thought it would help the galaxy, but instead, he nearly destroyed it due to a small fault in the design and it almost destroyed his body. Fortunately, we saved Ruusan by putting him in a suit of armor that still keeps him alive. As for the Pandora, we decided to hide it on Pravus VI, hopefully where no one could find it. To be safe, Ruusan guarded the Pandora."
"But why?" Leia asked, curious as to why Ruusan would commit himself to such a duty.
"Retribution," Rughal replied. "He believes it was his own fault that he nearly destroyed the galaxy and is willing to fix that... even at the cost of his own life."
"How come you couldn't stop the Pandora from activating in the first place?" Luke asked.
"Ruusan wired the Pandora so only he or any other Force user could activate it," Sami answered, rather solemnly. "Also, we knew if we stepped in again, we would only cause more harm than good."
"But you have all of this power," Ben began but was cut off.
"We may be powerful, but we're not gods," Noora firmly stated. "We're not perfect in any way, shape, or form. We can not know or do everything."
Rughal then added, "Also, Ruusan's a stubborn one. That's a trait he definitely passes onto his descendants."
Leia raised an eyebrow. "His descendants?"
"Did he not tell you?" Rughal asked, shocked at that. They all shook their heads. "Ruusan's your ancestor."
The humans' eyes widen in shock. "He's..." Luke began.
"...Ruusan Skywalker," Dhil finished. "The first of the Skywalker line to ever use the Force."
Vestara stood there in realization as she placed a hand over her stomach. 'That's what he meant when he said that,' Vestara thought, remembering his words on the Jade Shadow. 'I'm carrying his own blood!'
Ben looked at Vestara and noticed her shocked look. He didn't need the Force to tell him what she was thinking for he had the same thought as well. Luke, Han, and Leia stood there in shock at the fact that they've been traveling with a man who was their own ancestor, yet they didn't treat as such. Noora stood up from her seat. "I see this is a shock to you, but now you know everything, you must leave immediately," she stated.
Luke looked at them. "Why?"
"There's not much time left," Dhil replied. "The sooner you take care of the Pandora, the better."
"No one's going anywhere, just yet!"
Everyone turned to the entrance to see who said that. It was Ruusan who was now walking down the steps. "What's going on, Ruusan?" Luke asked him.
Ruusan ignored him as he walked passed the humans and stood in front of the Council of the Whills. "What are you doing here Ruusan?" Sami said.
"I brought them here to gain some answers," Ruusan said, pointing towards the four Jedi and former smuggler. "And apparently, my questions were answered as well."
Rughal looked at him. "Explain."
"You know the previous Jedi who came to Pravus VI?" Ruusan asked as he looked at the five Whills. They all nodded. "The Jedi before the Skywalkers showed up were being controlled by someone,"
Ben raised an eyebrow at that. "Couldn't any Force user do that?" Ben asked.
"Yes, but only to small degree," he answered, not taking his eyes off of the Whills. "However, this person had complete control over these Jedi. The only being capable of that would have to be a Whill."
Dhil shot out of her chair, glaring at Ruusan. "You dare accuse one of us!" Dhil demanded.
"Yes, I dare!" Ruusan spat at Dhil. "I'd dare anything at this point!"
The Whills glared at Ruusan, except for Noora, who simply stood there. "Why carry such an accusation upon this council?" Noora demanded.
"Like you said, the Whills aren't all perfect. A Whill is even capable of becoming corrupt with power," Ruusan stated. " When I came to this place, I felt something was off. I tried to figure out what it was, but I couldn't until I remembered about the Jedi. That was when it hit me. A Whill was responsible for all of this." He then pointed to the council. "Specifically one of you."
"Why one of us?" Sami demanded.
"The other Whills are in their higher plane, not interfering at all with this galaxy. That leaves only you five," he deduced.
The Whills looked at each other. They couldn't deny Ruusan's logic. All the evidence seemed to be directed at them. Noora sighed in defeat. "Very well then. We'll let you search our minds."
"Thank you Noora," Ruusan nodded as he begun the mind probe.
However, Rughal fired a beam of white energy towards Ruusan. Before it could hit him, a green lightsaber came in its way, deflecting it to the ground. Ruusan saw Luke standing in front of him with his green lightsaber ready. The others walked in front of Ruusan as well, drawing their weapons.
Ruusan would thank them, but had to worry about Rughal for the moment. "So it was you," he said as he activated his red lightsaber.
Rughal let out an insane laugh as he walked away from his seat and towards the wall of the chamber. Noora glared at her fellow Whill. "Rughal, what is the meaning of this!"
"This galaxy is a place filled with fools!" Rughal shouted. "The galaxy is slowly wasting away because of fools like the Jedi. For years, I've stood, doing nothing, but no longer!"
The other Whill got out of their seats, and walked next to the humans and Ruusan. "How did you plan this whole thing out?" Dhil demanded as she took a stance.
Rughal grinned. "I had the Jedi kill each other so it would attract more Jedi. They would activate the Pandora and make Ruusan go on this goose chase!"
Ruusan clenched his fists. "You planned this whole thing out to destroy the galaxy?"
Rughal looked at him. "Creation can't begin without destruction," he replied.
"Enough of this!" Raqib shouted as he charged forward.
However, everyone watched as the Whill suddenly froze. "GAH!" Raqib shouted in pain.
Everyone's eyes widen as Raqib's form dissolve away into nothing. Everyone turned to the side, revealing Sami with her right hand stuck out, white electricity crackling all over it. Everyone backed away from her. "Sami," Ruusan's eyes widen at the female Whill, "you're in this as well?"
"Since the beginning," she said. "Like Rughal said, the galaxy is a place filled with fools. It would be better to destroy it than it suffer at the hands of idiots."
Dhil and Noora got in front of everyone else. "What are doing?" Leia asked.
"We'll hold them off!" Noora shouted. "Just get to the Pandora!"
"But we can't leave you!" Vestara pleaded.
"Just go!" Noora shouted.
With a wave of Noora's arm, they all were engulfed in a bright flash of light. Leia, Han, Ben and Vestara were headed back to the Jade Shadow and Millennium Falcon, but Luke and Ruusan had a different destination... Pravus VI.
PLOT: Ruusan and Luke arrive at the Pandora to shut it down. However, it activates again, which destroys the entire galaxy, leaving only Luke, and Ruusan for Ruusan uses the Force to shield him and Luke from the blast.
Before they can do anything, they're both attacked by droids, led by Rughal and Sami. Fortunately for Ruusan and Luke, Noora and Dhil appear to hold them off. As Noora and Dhil take care of the Rughal and Sami, Ruusan and Luke destroy the droids as they head towards the Pandora.
Ruusan is knocked out and the Lock flies into Luke's hand. Luke decides to use the Lock to shut down the Pandora at the expense of his own life. He does so, but once half way done, Ruusan wakes up and moves Luke away from the Lock. Ruusan unleashes a wave of energy that reverses the affects of the Pandora and brings everything back to normal, while at the same time destroying the Whills present at the Pandora and himself.
Luke stands there in shock until Ruusan's Force Ghost appears before him. Ruusan tells Luke that his final act of forgiveness is done and he can finally rest. Before he leaves for good, Ruusan tells Luke to look after Ben, Vestara, and their kid.
Ruusan leaves and Luke goes back to the others, telling them they won. Luke looks at the child in Vestara's womb and states, "Where there is life, there is hope."
AN (10/30/2017): ... And that's the terrible tale of Star Wars: Apocalypse, and BOY is it bad! Go ahead and flame this one all you want-it deserves it!
Raika out.