Good morning, everyone! How are you doing on this warm day of Sunday, June 2, 2024? I'm all right, if pretty beat from finishing a light hike with my parents an hour ago. At least I got my exercise in for the day, so that's good. And I plan to finish a good book later today or tomorrow on General George C. Marshall, another good note. But in other news, I will be writing a lot in my spare time over this week, before I return to help my grandparents out a bit more the following week. Hopefully, I can get this chapter done by next Sunday, but I'm not optimistic about that, given how much I plan to squeeze into this piece. Well, I guess I'd best get started on this chapter, as I want to get a good chunk of it done today before I sleep. May the Lord be with us all in these Dark Times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
Relona 15th, 58 ABY
Kesh, Continent of Keshtah Minor
Takara Mountains, Jedi Forward Command Center
Aboard the Jade's Legacy
If one were to say that both Edaan and Ben were anxious, that would be a terrible understatement. A mere twenty-five kilometers south from the Lost Tribe's Sith Temple, perched deep inside the Takara mountains, where their shared quarry was commanding her people's faltering defense of their last stronghold, both Jedi instinctively knew that something was bound to go wrong soon in this siege. Having spent the last two weeks advising the Jedi Coalition on Darth Kitai's strategies, her followers' remaining assets and fighting strength, and their likely escape vectors, they were eager to rejoin the fray, take the fight to their enemies, and work to save the woman they both cherished, if it was for different reasons.
While the Jedi and their grand alliance had made significant strides towards penetrating the Lost Tribe's ancient domain, breaking the resolve of many rogue Zygerrian, Iskalloni, and Yaka legions and forcing their surrender, the rest of Kitai's forces were helping fill the land with countless corpses. Among the deadliest were her allied Dark Siders, with the Shapers of Kro Var using their unparalleled command of the elements to down many vehicles, while the Mecrosa assassins, renegade Mandalorians of the Neo Death Watch, and her Sith Sabers coordinated their part of the defense to slow their enemy's advance while killing dozens of top Jedi and officers., never mind the hundreds of everyday soldiers dying every hour.
But what puzzled most among the Jedi Coalition's leaders was how Kitai, her surviving High Lords, and the rest of her elite servants had not made one single appearance since the siege began. If the Lost Tribe's Grand Lady wouldn't make an appearance in defending her home, then she had her sights set higher than one major battle. Which was why Adari and her people's latest divulgence would be crucial in preempting the enemy's plans, and hopefully lead to a decisive victory for the followers of the Light.
If the Neshtovar's intelligence its spies provided was accurate, then there was a network of hidden passageways and a main hangar into and out of the Sith Temple, each recently constructed by Kitai and her people as a secret backdoor if events like these ever came to be. And apparently, one of her few agents embedded inside was able to secure a set of clearance codes to enter the small shipyard, giving the Jedi the perfect means to launch a sneak attack on their old foes. Tremendous risks aside, this might be the only way to minimize casualties on both sides and capture Kitai before she and her key followers escaped their falling home.
Finishing up loading their supplies and armaments aboard Ben's personal ship, the aforementioned Keshiri woman emerged from the cockpit and informed both Jedi, "Everything's prepared. All our teams are loaded and ready to fly on your order, and my spies have confirmed that the entire Circle of Lords is still securely hidden away inside the Mountain Temple." Pausing in apprehension, she advised the veteran Jedi Knight, "But are you certain that taking this ship is the best course of action? If Ship recognizes your vessel, or senses your presence, then our surprise attack could very well get us all killed before we even get to see the target."
"The Jade's Legacy is tougher and stealthier than you give her credit for, Adari." Ben defended his ship. "It can take a good pounding if we're prematurely discovered. And we can vanish in the Force long before we reach the temple, which will minimize the chances of us being detected to near-zero."
Appearing mollified, Adari acknowledged with a nod before asking one more question. "But are you sure you both are ready for this? Facing hundreds of lethal and highly experienced Sith aside, you'll both go up against the Grand Lady, and she'll do everything she can to kill you the second she lays eyes on you. You'd better be ready to face her again, because this'll probably be your last chance to try to save her."
"Master Yoda once said, 'Do or do not. There is no try.'" Edaan countered. "So, that's exactly what we're going to do when we face Vestara one last time." Checking his timepiece, he narrowed his eyes in frustration, before impatiently stating, "We need to do our final systems checks and take off. The strike force will be setting out in a few minutes, and I'm not going to be left behind on this mission because of negligence or sloth."
Seeing Edaan hurry to the cockpit to help get the Jade's Legacy ready for takeoff, Adari amusingly smiled at her boyfriend's youthful eagerness and noted to Ben, "Your order is lucky to have him in your ranks."
"In more ways than you can imagine." Ben solemnly agreed before he took the pilot's seat and finished readying his ship for this fateful journey. Even as he worked to get his ship in the air, he felt a trepidation he hadn't felt in many years at facing his first, and likely only love, again. Remembering the last heated encounter he had with Kitai, it filled him with such dread that he worried what he would do when he saw her again. If he froze in battle or let his old emotional baggage take hold over him… well, he would just have to make sure neither occurred.
Glancing at Edaan, seeing the determined glint in his eyes while helping run the final systems check, the excitement his posture presented, and the unbridled hope in his eyes, Ben recognized that feeling perfectly from his adolescence. Feeling the sensation slowly return to him, he somehow knew that this next encounter with Kitai, whether she was captured, driven off, or convinced to lay down arms and start atoning, she would soon be back on the path to redemption.
'I'm coming to save you, Ves. And this time, I'm not stopping until I finally and fully break through to reach your stubborn, hardened heart, mind, and soul.' Ben resolutely vowed as the Jade's Legacy's engines roared to life, the ship blazing off into the setting sun towards the final confrontation between the Lost Tribe of the Sith and the Jedi Order.
Ninety Hours Later
Relona 19th, 58 ABY
Sith Temple, Strategic Planning Center
Even as she observed the entirety of the Jedi Coalition's siege, saw and assisted her former master where needed, who gracefully oversaw the defense of the Lost Tribe's final redoubt on Kesh alongside her subordinate Lords and High Lords, Belot still could hardly believe the war had come to this point. Knowing the Sith would abandon their ancient bastion by the month's end, and that was if they were lucky to hold out that long, for such dreary worlds like Korriban, it saddened her more than she would ever admit, even to herself.
After all Kesh had achieved, all its people had accomplished in creating a great meritocratic society based upon Sith teachings, was it truly its fate to simply be absorbed by tattooed fanatics like those of Darth Krayt and his growing army of followers? Quickly banishing such heretical thoughts, Belot refocused her mind on the immediate danger, taking note of the Jedi's advances within the Takara Mountains, just as Kitai tasked her with after her recovery from her disastrous hunt for Edaan Palpatine and Adari Thayn.
By observing the tactical feed from both the ever-changing holomaps and dozens of comm reports coming in every minute, Belot acknowledged that the Jedi Coalition was advancing just as the Grand Lady told everyone that they would when the siege began. Despite the Lost Tribe's forward units putting up such fierce resistance, and their auxiliaries performing marvelously in conjunction with the Sith against their shared foes, forcing the enemy to sustain increasingly higher casualties, they were slowly being pushed deeper into the Takara Mountains with every passing hour. Provided their current pace could continue, the Jedi would be within striking range of the temple by the end of next week, and that was being extremely generous when considering the Tribe's dwindling supplies, growing number of wounded, and their increasingly unsustainable defensive positions.
But this precarious situation didn't mean the Lost Tribe wouldn't go down without a gruesome fight to the death. Despite the overwhelming odds, the Jedi Coalition had yet to breach their inner defenses, and once Kitai's promised reinforcements arrived, the defenders and all their loyal servants would be able to escape and regroup with the One Sith. And that didn't account for all the reinforcements and hidden assets the Korriban-based Sith order was gracious enough to provide their elder cousins. When they were unleashed upon the Jedi, the carnage and chaos they would soon unleash would be a joyous sight to behold before this shameful exodus finally began.
Sensing Ship intruding on her dark ruminations, Belot brusquely responded, 'I take it there's been a dire new development.'
'Lord Krayt and his spies have just uncovered and provided us with new information on the Jedi's attack strategy. It is quite urgent.' Ship calmly answered, oblivious to or ignoring Belot's sarcasm before transferring all intelligence into the minds of her and Kitai in a handful of seconds, astonishing both women with the Jedi's sheer audacity. By the Dark Side, were there any of the Lost Tribe's most valuable secrets that the Jedi couldn't get their hands on?
It was bad enough that Kesh was about to fully fall under the Jedi's control, but now they were bold enough to try and infiltrate the Lost Tribe's first Temple, never mind how they learnt of the secret passageways from deep inside the mountains. And leading this surprise attack were none other than Ben Skywalker, Edaan Palpatine, and Adari Thayn. At least the Tribe had a chance to avenge their humiliation on three of their most hated enemies.
Kitai, silently beckoning for her newest Saber to follow her, quietly ordered her, "Assemble seventy of our best Lords and Sabers, have them converge with me on the hangar. And have twice as many of our allies join us if they can spare the people. If the Jedi's best fighters are about to try and break into our old home, then it's only fitting we give them an appropriate welcome."
"As you decree." Belot faithfully obeyed before inquiring, "But do you believe we should accelerate our evacuation?"
Pausing for a moment, almost as if Kitai was considering how to adjust her strategy, she agreed, "Yes. Inform High Lord Yur and his retainer and have them make the necessary adjustments to our strategy." Squarely looking Belot in the eye, she immediately followed up, "Once the orders have been conveyed, you'll come with me to help repel the Jedi's assault and capture Jedi Palpatine and Skywalker alive. Lord Krayt has special plans for them both. The rest, we can deal with as we see fit."
Her eyes betraying the anger at the orders to keep Edaan and Ben alive, after every grueling humiliation they wrought on her, she nonetheless complied with a crisp bow, and briskly walked towards the main spaceport where Takaris would be ensuring the evacuation of the Lost Tribe's essential staff and artifacts.
But even as Belot followed Kitai's orders, her mind quickly drifted back to the massacre of sixteen days earlier, when the Jedi destroyed two companies of the Lost Tribe's best Sith and agents, and instinctively shuddered at the bitter and brutal memory. To think that her plan to finally take two of the Tribe's most dangerous foes out of the way backfired so terribly, it embittered her and replenished her resolve to redeem herself. She did not know why the enemy spared her back then, but before she left Kesh, she would be sure that they deeply regretted the fainthearted decision.
Belot still perfectly remembered how the ambush turned against the Sith so swiftly, with the Jedi, led by their Grand Master and an armed host twice the size of Jesko Umarn's. Engaged the Lost Tribe's force and recovered their targets in the immediate chaos, Kyle Katarn and his subordinates worked quickly to overwhelm the defenders, their numbers already depleted by their hunt for Edaan and Adari, with the leader of the Jedi himself dispatching the High Lord after a brief ten-minute duel.
And the Mandalorian Protectors' company that devastated the Neo Death Watch squads, with its leader using two beskar daggers to cut up several of his adversaries, also living up to their lethal reputation. The company commander and two of his best soldiers even managed to hold their own against several Mecrosa and used their poisons to incapacitate or kill three of their Master Assassins shortly after dispatching the Mandalorian supremacists.
As for the Shapers of Kro Var and the remaining Sith Sabers, though they knew the terrain best, their home field advantage was useless against the gunships' barrage that ripped apart most of them and left the surviving few completely exposed to the Jedi and their allied Force Users. Unwilling to surrender, the Dark Siders fought to the death, unable to take any of their enemies with them in the final five minutes of this one-sided slaughter.
Belot, the only one still conscious but unable to fight due to the numbing pain of the Mecrosa-made poison that one of the Mandalorian Protectors pilfered, she was prepared to kill herself before betraying her people. But she was unprepared for when the Jedi, rather than finish her off, let Kyle simply hit her with his deactivated lightsaber's pommel and knocked her out cold. She might not know why the Jedi Coalition left her alive to suffer such horrendous humiliation, but she would avenge the disgrace tenfold on all her enemies. And she'd hopefully start by being the one to attain the glory of capturing the One Sith's most important quarry before anyone else could.
Back in the Present
Relona 20th, 58 ABY
Takara Mountains, Sith Temple
Deep Within the Lower Levels
Reeling from the Dark Side's terrible power, with its cancerous infection trying to enter the souls of every intruder of the Lost Tribe's ultimate domain, every member of the invading strike force struggled to press on as they entered the chambers of what could only be an ancient dungeon. But every intruder was still alert, fully aware that behind every corner, an ambush may be lying in wait for them in this vile fortress.
After the Jedi Coalition ships dropped off their troops near the Mountain temple not six hours ago, the band of three hundred infiltrators moved quickly and prudently to arrive at the series of entrances Adari's spies provided the intelligence on. Using the clearance codes the Neshtovar gave them, the agents deactivated the rearguard defenses for the Lost Tribe's last temple and allowed the teams to split up into three separate groups, ready to finish this brutal war and decapitate the Sith's leadership with one final stroke.
Each company had a vital task to complete for this mission, and even one mission failing could result in death for all. With the group led by Ben and Edaan, their task was as simple as it was blatantly suicidal, for they were to try and reach Kitai through a forward attack on her Circle of Lords and secular cohorts. Numbering two hundred and seventy people in strength, this small army would be the most dangerous, but not the most important in terms of the campaign.
Meanwhile, the second Jedi Coalition division would quietly work to cut off the Lost Tribe's escape route, destroying every ship and hangar in the temple they could reach to prevent their adversaries' escape. Thanks to the old transcripts and newer records they and the Neshtovar had acquired to build a working map of the Tribe's first home, they should have a good enough overview to know where all its major facilities were located. One hundred brave souls, they would prove equally crucial as the frontal attack in containing and eradicating this batch of Sith from Kesh's surface.
Finally, the third Jedi-led task force would work with the most secrecy and speed, where its thirty members would hack into the temple's computers, crack their encryption codes, thereby giving the main army vital intelligence on the Lost Tribe's tactics and shifts in strategy so they could quickly counter. A terrifying risk, but necessary to accelerate the Jedi Coalition's victory and complete Kesh's liberation.
But this dangerous stratagem only worked if Kitai and her people took the bait, and the main unit kept her attention solely focused on them and not their secondary teams. To accomplish this, Adari's people needed to have played the part of the loyal servants and alerted the Lost Tribe to the incursion. Otherwise, they would have to do this diversion the old-fashioned way.
Making their way up to the lower levels where the service personnel would make their abode, Adari, cloaking her presence in the Force along with the rest of the Force-Sensitive, pressed on her comlink repeatedly in sending a coded message to her compatriots. But when she finished, the reply she received was one that sent shivers down her spine in a voice she despaired to recognize,
"I'll give you credit where it is due, Tyro Adari Thayn. You and your offworld compatriots certainly weren't lacking in courage and ingenuity. But this, I'm afraid, is where your story ends." Kitai's smug voice filtered through the comlink, before the darkness, erupting from a simmering shroud into a full-scale volcanic eruption, swept over everyone and nearly made the Jedi-led force collapse before they heard dozens of footsteps running towards them.
Everyone among the strike force, recognizing a well-timed ambush when they heard one, pulled out their weapons and prepared to take the fight to the Lost Tribe and their would-be allies. The Jedi, all sensing well over a hundred Sith and far more mercenaries and slavers, were ready to finish this fight. And Edaan and Ben, sensing the woman they were desperately trying to save leading the retaliation, they were prepared to break through to the woman who was once Vestara Khai, or die trying.
Relona 21st, 58 ABY
Kesh Orbit
Aboard the Galactic-class Battle Carrier Dodonna
"Sirs, multiple ships are exiting hyperspace at the system's edge." A sensor officer alerted Kara and Kral. "Looks to be composed of at least twenty warships and at least five dozen large passenger craft, each of a different configuration."
The Aporthad rear admiral and Quarren commodore, with both their fleets overseeing the blockade over the entire planet of Kesh and ensuring the Sith's attempted evacuation route was cut off in the Jedi Coalition's final push, acknowledged the warning before Kara, through her cybernetic implants, received a new message. Glancing at Kral, she quickly informed her subordinate and friend, "General Farlander and his Jedi report about one hundred Sith scattered throughout the enemy fleet."
Quickly realizing the implications of this development and vital opportunity, Kral advised his superior, "I'd suggest you send a message planetside immediately, and inform them that our hidden Sith targets have revealed themselves."
"Already done." Kara almost-smugly stated, before she began to violently shiver, almost as if she was having a seizure. Kral, seeing his friend quickly collapse onto the ground, breaths coming in heaving pants and her mechanical appendages twitching in every possible direction, bellowed out, "I need a medic and tech team up here for the Admiral! NOW!"
"Raze…" Kara hoarsely breathed out while grasping Kral's uniform at the ankle and warned, "Be… be careful of my old mentor. He's… he's here."
Raze? Wasn't that an old crime lord and information broker back during the First Galactic Civil War? Yes, Kral remembered now. The old Aporthad was a menace to both the Empire and Rebel Alliance before his consortium was decimated and he was driven underground for decades. He eventually recovered enough to regain a terrifying foothold across half the Outer Rim and made a pact with the One Sith before he was exposed and driven off Taris seven years ago. And if he recalled the reports correctly, several Jedi and the local authorities were crucial in removing that cancerous influence off the planet. If he was here now, then it appeared this batch of Sith was far bolder and more widespread than he first gave them credit for.
Prepared to give the order to open fire on the Sith and Raze's fleet, Kral was interrupted when Keyan's hologram burst into the Dodonna's bridge. Before the commodore could reprimand the general, the onetime Jedi anxiously began, "Shut down all nonessential systems on your ships and fall back to the secondary- karking Sith Sorcery- Heading for Kesh's surface any minute."
"General? General Farlander, the transmission's cutting out on your end. Please repeat." Kral called back before he felt a terrible shockwave rock his ship, systems across the Dodonna's shorting out, sparking, or outright failing altogether before a light with the strength of a supernova came over the battle carrier. Seconds later, he felt himself being flung across the bulkhead and felt at least two bones break in his left leg on impact, nearly rendering him unconscious from the sheer pain before the light vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Panting heavily while clutching his knee and doing his best to hold back the screams, Kral felt utter relief when a medic eventually rushed over to him and applied a bacta batch to his broken knee and injected him with a high-dose painkiller. Glazed eyes seeing the medic, he ordered her, "Get me, get me back to the bridge."
"Out of the question, Sir." The medic firmly denied. "Neither you nor the rear admiral are in no condition to give orders to anyone, and our fleets aren't in any position to help anyone but ourselves right now. We were flung halfway across the system, and it'll take us all at least a week to get our systems even halfway operational, if we're lucky and work quick enough."
The Force. Of course the Sith weren't going to play fair now, for when have they ever played by the long-established code of conduct in any war? As the painkillers and sedatives that the doctor injected into Kral's bloodstream started to take full effect, he only hoped that the rest of the Jedi Coalition's forces weren't in the same predicament and that the ground defenders would be ready to drive away the enemy fleet when the chance came around.
Six Hours Later
Relona 22nd, 58 ABY
Kesh Surface
Takara Mountains, Sith Temple
Ktiai, as fatigue slowly crept in, and her few remaining reserves of energy were rapidly depleting from the last forty-eight hours of continuous fighting. And her followers were faring no better - well, those of them that were still alive and making their attempted escape away from Kesh.
She was prepared to deal with the Jedi storming her people's most sacred domain and trying to prevent their escape. The Lost Tribe and One Sith were even ready to halt their shared enemies' technological sabotage of the mountain defenses and scorch the region when all their goals were accomplished. Better to obliterate a small piece of Kesh's history if it meant wiping out so many of the Sith's deadliest opponents at once.
However, what baffled and infuriated her beyond measure was how the Jedi and all their comrades simply refused to give up. No matter how many of their number died on any front, the rest pressed on, sometimes stepping over the corpses of their friends to move forward, and their tenacity oftentimes was enough to overcome the traps, superior positions, and Sith war beasts they faced, even if they were aided by the technological ingenuity of many freelancers of the Jedi Coalition employed. Between the few Mandalorians on good terms with the Light Siders and hardened mercenaries like that insipid Patrolian demolitions expert and the Delphidian privateer Sidon Ithano, their creative thinking allowed them to stay on relatively even ground with their superior foes and oftentimes overcome them.
Though it galled her to admit it, Kitai had to give Edaan Palpatine credit in gathering such a massive and versatile number of favors and allies to his side. The young Jedi had obviously planned for this endeavor for many years, employing such cunning and patience rivaling that of his ancestor and the most infamous Sith of modern history. This acknowledgement helped her begin to see just why Darth Krayt wanted him alive, for if he were to join the One Sith… well, then everyone would tremble at the thought of another Palpatine employing his full potential for galactic conquest.
As for Ben, the only man that she could ever truly love, she recognized that this was her last chance to draw him over to the Dark Side, and the brutality of what she would attempt tore at her heart and made part of her wish she could never touch the Force. Knowing what she was about to try could destroy his mind if he refused to surrender, she vowed to put him out of his misery if he was rendered catatonic, unable to do anything else for him aside from that single small act of mercy.
But all these reflections would be for naught if her quarry failed to reach the Grand Lady's personal spaceport, the only area of the temple that the Neshtovar's spies had been unable to scan or inform the Jedi of. Accessible only by members of the Circle of Lords and buried in the heart of the mountain, the dozen vessels, including her longtime friend, teacher, and personal method of transportation in Ship, were primed and ready to launch once the last stragglers were secure aboard. And, if her former apprentice was quick enough, she would be aboard one of the vessels before time ran out.
'Grand Lady, Lady Irola and her people are insisting us to finish our evacuation immediately.' Ship persisted in Kitai's mind. 'They cannot maintain our escape vector for no more than thirty minutes.'
"Not until we finish the job and get more of my followers to safety." Kitai sternly ordered him, sensing several familiar presences nearing her position along with at least ten Jedi in hot pursuit, helping her to banish her exhaustion to prepare for one last battle today. Unwilling to put her people in any further danger, she ordered the few Sabers and Lords standing guard, "Get yourselves aboard and out of here. I'll take care of these intruders with the help of our more esoteric associates."
Baffled by the seemingly senseless orders, the Grand Lady's fifteen protectors quickly obeyed and headed for one of the near spacecraft. Not bothering to ensure her people boarded, she reached out with the Dark Side, connecting with the Shapers of Kro Var aboard their enigmatically designed ships and commanded them to begin the ritual meant to subvert and twist Ben's mind to join the Sith. While the exact process of the spell eluded her complete understanding, she recognized enough from her studies to know how few could resist the attack on their soul, even fewer emerging whole from such an ordeal. If this failed to turn him to her side, then her heart would be truly broken for good soon enough.
Wait… something was terribly wrong. Kitai could now barely sense Belot's vibrant presence and sharp mind, and she wasn't moving with any urgency. A new sense of fear appeared, she tried to reach her former apprentice through their connection in the Force, only for the durasteel wall protecting the hangar being blown wide open by several explosives and a terrifyingly strong telekinetic burst of energy, interrupting any such efforts. Barely able to shield herself from the rubble being blown across the hangar, she knew what was coming next and ordered the Shapers through Ship to hurry with commencing their spell.
The instant the smoke cleared enough to allow her visibility, she expected the Jedi to charge in and try to finish off their delirious enemies. Instead, she heard at least ten individuals behind the debris begin screaming, making her realize her allies were fulfilling their part of her plan. And among that number, she lamented at realizing that Ben was among those suffering profusely right now. Closing her eyes for a moment, bitterly regretting how keeping her love alive came to this ultimate betrayal, she opened them again when she felt one singular bright light in the Force still pursuing her, and she recognized just who the chaser was.
By the Dark Side, just what was it going to take to stop Edaan Palpatine from hunting her down?! But before Kitai could lash out, she saw Takaris Yur and three of the Lost Tribe's apprentices hurrying away, the High Lord carrying a limp Belot in his arms. Fearing the worst for her friend and charge, she was prepared to forget corrupting Ben and leave Kesh behind, but reminded herself that there was one last loose end to tie up, preferably in Beskar chains, if she had any aboard Ship.
Seeing the Jedi prodigy charging ahead in hot pursuit of his prey, Ktiai interrupted him by hurling repeating barrages of lightning on Edaan, all while painfully screaming, "Are you happy, Palpatine?! You, your entire damned Jedi Order, and all the ungrateful rebels among my people that you allied with, you all took my home away from me for good, after I spent years working to return! Whatever happens to the galaxy next is all on your hands!"
"Oh, would you stop and listen to yourself!?" Edaan heatedly shouted back as deflected blow after blow with either his lightsaber or the Force, "You have allowed this Darkness inside of you to twist your mind, and for what? Look around you! Your people rebelled against you!"
"Because of you!"
"No, because of you and the Sith you blindly follow! Think of Ben! Think of how you've hurt him over and over for them, despite the fact you love him!"
"I am a Sith-"
"No, you are a lost and confused girl trying to be one!" he threw the next bolt right back at her, smashing the wall above her and sending her tumbling to the floor in a sprawl of stone. He didn't advance however, Kitai feeling a pitying shake of his head, "And you don't have to. You can be so much better than this. Leave behind the Sith, Vestara, and come with me. Be with the man you love... and be happy."
She looked up at him, tears pouring from her reddening eyes as for a moment, she considered his words. More than anything she wanted to be with Ben, to beg his forgiveness, forget the war between Jedi and Sith and they could just be people living everyday lives and enjoying the galaxy's countless wonders.
But as quickly as the thought entered her mind, a dark rage overcame her at remembering all those under her care and who died on Kesh, and whatever he did to Belot, filling her with a terrible presence as she got back on her feet and hatefully snarled, "You're an idiot, Edaan. You can't trick me, not after what you and your Jedi have done. I will make you and the rest of this galaxy pay for what you've done. The Sith will rule, as we always do... and if Ben will not stand beside me, then he will die with you."
"You can't beat me, Vestara, and I don't want to hurt you anymore." Edaan brokenly warned her, his own tears streaming down his face and presenting a desperation and determination she hadn't seen in any Jedi before.
"THEN DIE!" she screamed as she unleashed a single, powerful electrical torrent that turned the air ablaze. However, to her horror, she hit only the air. She found Edaan far above, sending her flying into the wall with a deafening blow before he landed on top of her. He grabbed her by the throat, slamming her into the wall again before he pressed his hands into her temple.
Sensing the Jedi preparing to direct the Force into her, she instantly realized his plan. He was trying to brainwash her with an influx of Light Side energy, fueled by his very essence.
"NO!" she snarled as she drew upon both the darkness inside of her and the very power being poured into her. With both, she channeled them into a concentrated repulse of energy, sending Edaan hurtling back with a cacophony that brought the roof down upon them. As her last bits of strength left her, she only hoped that Belot and her people could survive and continue the Lost Tribe, no matter what path this hostile galaxy forced them to walk going forward.
Two Days Later
Relona 24th, 58 ABY
Hyperspace, On Route to the Stygian Caldera
Aboard Ship
Her mind slowly recovering from the incredible influx of Light Side energy forcibly pressed into her being, Kitai struggled to open her eyes, only to wince when she saw and felt a beaming light shining down on her that resembled a sun's rays at full strength. She heard the familiar voice of Ship enter her mind, and his voice was as joyous as she had ever heard him speak,
"Ah, Good! You are awake, Lady Kitai! I feared that Jedi Palpatine would have destroyed your mind with his mental assault. He is very powerful, with almost as much raw strength as the Dread Lord himself, perhaps even his ancestor."
"Yes... I felt it," she groggily replied, turning over to see no more than twenty of her fellow Sith in various stages of recovery in the meditation sphere's central chamber, "How many of us escaped?"
"Just over five hundred Apprentices, Sabers, and Lords. The rest either fell in battle or succumbed to the Jedi's lies. As of now, twenty-two thousand humans and Keshiri are all that remains of the Lost Tribe of the Sith. We received orders to journey to Darth Krayt's stronghold to learn how to take revenge upon the galaxy for their affronts on us."
She nodded, tears flowing down her face as the losses they'd suffered. She focused her will, keeping her voice from breaking. "Order all ships to set course for Korriban at once. Kesh is lost to us. Our only option left for the Lost Tribe is to truly become a part of the One Sith now."
She rose and felt something in her robe pocket as she felt Ship's bitter acknowledgment. It was a message written in old paper, the ink a kind of Kaminoan design. As she read though, she was filled with a terrible, swirling concoction of rage and guilt. The latter left her despising that flickering weak side of herself even more.
Vestara, I encourage you to heed these words well.
Just as Master Yoda said to Count Dooku during the Jedi Grand Master's mission to Vjun to try and redeem the latter during the last six months of the Clone War, 'When you fall, catch you I will.' I will continue to have faith that you will make the right choice when the time comes. When that time comes, I know I will be there alongside Ben to guide you into the Light, no matter what it costs me. Until that day, may the Force be with you."
Forever your friend, Edaan.
Quickly using a small jolt of lightning to immediately incinerate the offensive note, Kitai slowly rose off the cot, testing her balance before getting back onto her own two feet. Nearly falling from numb legs before righting herself with the Force, she walked towards the Sith with her on this exodus, and noted one of great importance to her that was missing from the group. 'Ship, where is Belot?' Sensing Ship's hesitancy, she demanded of a bandaged up Takaris, "High Lord Yur, what happened to my former Apprentice?"
"She's alive, Grand Lady." Takaris regretfully started. "But her mind… the injuries she sustained from Jedi Palpatine and Skywalker sent her in a coma, and nothing we or our doctors can do has been enough to help her regain consciousness."
Gripping her rage in a tight vise, Kitai resolved to unleash her fury on the Jedi and their friends when next presented the opportunity. But meanwhile, she had her final few thousands of Kesh's free people to look after. And there was only one place left that would welcome them and help them one day retake their homeland.
Discarding her final shreds of regret for every crime she committed to return to Kesh, never mind the horrendous attack she committed on her love, Kitai felt Ship's approval and sympathy, and prepared to enter a meditation to focus her distressed mind and reforge the many shards of her broken heart. And after she did that and helped tend to her wounded, she would throw herself to the task of eradicating the Jedi and ensuring the Sith's inevitable dominance over all the galaxy's worlds, societies, and peoples.
Two Hours Later
Wild Space, Kesh
Continent of Keshtah Minor
Takara Mountains, Sith Temple
"VES!" Edaan terrifyingly shrieked, abruptly bolting upward from the comfortable bed he was on, heaving deeply and feeling a shadowy pall of despair wash over him. The last few moments when he was conscious coming back to him, his failures to reach Kitai and fully implant the Light Side energies and memories needed to start her redemption, the raw emotions alone nearly overwhelmed him before he remembered Ben's deathly ill condition.
Before he could try and rise from the bed, Edaan felt his body be immobilized by a familiar Jedi, whose voice could be heard just outside the door, "If you're trying to slip away before you're clinically discharged, then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, my able and willful apprentice."
Seeing Kyle enter the room, his gaze piercing through Edaan's exhausted eyes, the young man knew he could not overpower his teacher and released a defeated sigh. "I wasn't trying to escape, Master. I just wanted to see how Ben was faring and…" Ceasing to speak, sensing nothing but the Lost Tribe's echoes remain in their ancestral abode, he solemnly asked the Grand Master, "We won, didn't we? The Sith are gone from Kesh, right?"
Placing a firm hand on Edaan, Kyle gently answered, "Yes, the Lost Tribe has been shattered and its followers have either been captured, killed, or driven away. And it seems Kitai and five hundred of her followers escaped during the chaos that raged above Kesh, along with over twenty thousand civilians and the remnants of their allies."
A cacophony of emotions flowing through him, Edaan did not honestly know what to feel right now: joy that the planet had finally been liberated from Sith dominion, regret over all the lives lost throughout this arduous campaign, doubt that Kitai could ever be redeemed, or worry over what came next for the Jedi and galaxy. But one thing that was at the forefront of his mind was his concern of a friend, and he asked Kyle, "Master, how is Ben?"
His face appearing mournful, Kyle knew his pupil wouldn't accept any lie and truthfully answered, "He's not in a good place right now. Whatever Kitai and her people tried to do to him during that battle, it terribly damaged his mind and left several holes in his memory."
"What do you mean?" Edaan anxiously asked. "How bad is he?"
Reluctant to answer, Kyle admitted, "Kitai's spell wiped away his resolve to redeem her, and his heart is full of anger and hate for her again. Our best guess, she was trying to corrupt him to the Dark Side, but his mind resisted the efforts and caused the wounds to his psyche."
Recognizing the determined glint in Edaan's eyes, Kyle admonished him, "Don't even think of trying to talk to Ben now. Our healers are working to cleanse him of the darkness infecting him, but it will take time. Never mind how long it will take to help him recover his lost memories."
"But if he goes after Vestara now-" Edaan argued, only for Kyle to interrupt him,
"He won't. I'll see to it personally." Kyle assured his student before ordering him, "But I need to know just what transpired in this temple after you launched your attack. We all felt a great disturbance in the Force when we were making our final push, and I know you had something to do with it."
Knowing no deception or omission would do anyone any good, Edaan warned Kyle, "It's a long story."
"I have nowhere else I'd rather be right now." Kyle wanly smiled before pulling up a nearby chair and sitting down, biding Edaan to start the impromptu debriefing. The elder Jedi listened silently and intently, not once interrupting as his student recounted how the ambush failed, forcing the strike teams to launch a frontal assault against the Sith's trap and divide their forces. He heard how Edaan injured Belot and killed dozens of Sith and their allies in his zealous drive to reach Kitai, and how he was able to face the Grand Lady one last time before they were separated by a collapsing ceiling. But the final words, how the Jedi Apprentice tried to redeem his target, that was where the trouble lay, even as he regretted having to bring this up.
"Unless you give me a very good reason as to why you tried to brainwash Vestara, I may have no choice to expel you from the Jedi Order." Kyle ominously warned Edaan after he finished listening to his pupil's personal debriefing on the last battle.
"I wasn't trying to brainwash her, Master." Edaan earnestly corrected his master before further elaborating, "I was trying to implant memories from all my travels and my other masters in order to show her that she has more options than she believes."
"I'm not seeing much of a difference, Edaan." Kyle objectively raised an eyebrow.
"When I confronted her a month ago back in New Tahv, she believed that she was doomed to live as a Sith because of her lineage and her past sins, that she didn't deserve to have happiness. But if I can show her that she has more options than she thinks, and that she can still rise above her dark past to make something new for herself, then there is still a chance."
Sensing that his master was running out of his short patience, Edaan got to the point, "When I was journeying with Adari into these Mountains to try and find a hidden path to this temple, I discovered four more Force Spirits here. And not just any old ghosts. They gave me the final bits of knowledge I'll need to save Vestara after all. She just needs to listen to the Will of the Force and let it guide her to the truth and what she needs to know, not what she simply wants to hear."
"So, you're leaving it all up to what most think to be mere chance?" Kyle ruefully surmised.
"I'm going to believe that when the time comes, she'll rise out of the Dark Side to seek a brighter path. And if she can't do that, then I guess I'll have to be the one that will have to put her down for good." Edaan reluctantly confessed.
"Truly? You'd go that far if it came down to it?" Kyle pressed, surprised at Edaan's change of attitude and his shifting resolve.
"I can't have Ben do that, because in his current mindset, he's too filled with anguish and thoughts of vengeance. If he kills her now, it'll propel him straight into the Dark Side. I'm the only one left that can free her from her suffering out of pure love."
Seeing the earnest mixture of hope, determination, and dread in his eyes, Kyle knew that Edaan would carry through with his promise, even if it tore his heart apart.
So, instead of having him focus on what might come to pass, he'd prioritize on giving Edaan what support he could for the future. "Then you'll need to get some rest and put together a workable plan and team for going after Vestara and her confederates. I won't have the Order's newest and most famous Jedi Knight gallivanting across the galaxy alone to track down the rest of the Sith."
That threw Edaan for a loop, and he nearly stumbled before he stammered out, "You-you're promoting me to Jedi Knight? But what about the Trials?"
"Edaan, you showed great courage and skill with your final confrontation with Vestara all on your own. In addition, you showed incredible insight in forging an alliance with Adari and her resistance, which gave us the inside edge we needed to free this world without repeating the genocide of the Great Hyperspace War. And unless you received those scars outside of the torture Vestara placed you under when you were her prisoner in New Tahv, you passed the Trial of Flesh."
"And the Trial of Spirit? How do you believe I passed that?"
"You lost your family when Abeloth escaped Coruscant, and you felt their deaths along with the billions of others she killed, right?" Kyle sympathetically reminded his now-depressed pupil.
"You could have lost control and lashed out at the galaxy such an injustice, but instead, you have borne the scars she inflicted on you without letting them weigh your soul down. As far as I'm concerned, you're a Jedi Knight in all but name already. And it's about time the rest of the Order realized it."
"But there is one question I must ask. These four ghosts you met on this world; who were they, Edaan?"
"You'd have to ask that, Master." Edaan ruefully chuckled. "Well, long story short, they're Vestara's long-dead ancestors. They walked away from their predetermined paths in the Force to start a simple life of their own together, and that gave me the final piece I needed."
"I assume there's more to it than that, correct?"
"Yes, but I'd rather keep it a secret in case it somehow fell into the wrong hands. Something just doesn't add up about this campaign." Edaan remarked, his gaze becoming more contemplative as he mentally replayed the war's progression.
"What are you talking about?" Kyle recognized the change in Edaan's mood and focus before inquiring of his apprentice.
Seeing that there was nothing he could do to dissuade his master from voicing his suspicions, Edaan admitted, "Don't you think it was strange how Vestara and her armies were almost always one step ahead of us in so many of our battles and costing us more casualties than all but our worst estimates? It was almost as if she had someone feeding her inside information about our strategies."
"Are you suggesting that someone within the Order-?" Kyle incredulously began.
Thankfully, much to Edaan's credit, he clarified, "I honestly don't know about that. For all I know, it could be a network of spies from our support staff or among our allies. Or even pure dumb luck, if we're that unfortunate or incompetent. But even so, I think we ought to investigate this, quietly."
"It may turn out to be nothing, but if there's even a chance that someone is leaking our plans to the Sith, then we need to figure out who, and quickly. Maybe we can use this to our advantage somehow." Edaan mused, before hearing the amused chuckle of his master - former master, he frightfully realized – and gave a perplexed stare.
"Even after learning of such world-shaking events and carrying such a heavy burden, you still remain faithful to the cause which you've pledged your life to." Kyle proudly remarked before soberly adding, "I'm honored to have taken you this far on your journey in the Force, Edaan Palpatine. But soon, I sense you will have to walk your own path, one different from every other Jedi." Holding up a hand to forestall any questions, he detailed, "I have not had any visions, my friend. Only hearing what small whispers I can get from the Force and by trusting my instincts."
Silent for several moments, taking in the words, Edaan bowed in pure gratitude to his master, earnestly answering, "Then I am honored to have had you and all others to guide me in this journey for as long as you have. I will see your faith in me is well-rewarded when I finish the task that I have only just begun."
Placing a firm hand on Edaan's shoulders, Kyle, his voice full of pride for his pupil, firmly reassured him, "You already have. All you need to do now is have more faith in yourself for whatever lies ahead."
Well, I can't believe I finished this chapter in just four days! But it helps that I had about a quarter of it already written from excerpts in previous stories, I just had to modify them a bit to update the material and make a few revisions where needed. I just have 6 chapters to write, and then it's back to the drawing board for the sixth and final Jedi Odyssey Rewrite story. Man, I can't wait to start planning that masterpiece out, even if it'll be a giant undertaking for me, given I've already crammed so much into this saga and know the general idea of how I want this story to conclude. So, how are you all doing on this warm night of Wednesday, June 5, 2024? I'm all right, as I helped and hung out with my parents a bit today when I wasn't reading and writing. I don't have much else to report, as things are going okay with me so far, aside from worry over the maddening state of the country and world. I suppose I'd better publish this chapter in a little bit. After all, I still need to revise the outlines for my final few chapters of Jedi Odyssey V, and I intend to have this story conclude on a high note. May the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!