Kye's mind stormed as strange dreams came and went, providing distorted images of places she'd never been to in person. She saw jungles filled with ancient trees rising towards the sky, damp swamps with dangerous creatures in their marshy waters, and beautiful cities so similar to Nar Shaddaa and yet so different. Unease, fear and excitement all boiled inside her, alongside an unshakable feeling of something calling to her.
She woke up with a small gasp.
Glancing around, it took her a minute to gather her bearings. The spaceship she'd slept in was a small, nondescript freighter with beige-and-white walls and floor. She could feel the soft hum of the engines as she left her comfortable bunk, and was surprised at the slight chill that stung her. Putting on her shoes, she checked for the small hold-out blaster in her secret pocket and walked out of the small bunk room.
Entering the small lounge between the ship's cockpit and cargo hold, she found the alleged Jedi - Luke Skywalker was apparently his name - sitting on a circular couch and hunched over a deactivated holotable. A welcoming smile decorated his face as she warily took her seat opposite to him on the couch.
"I take it you've slept well?" He asked, a mug filled with some steaming liquid in his right hand.
"I suppose so." she said with a shrug. She often had trouble sleeping with others nearby, so the deep slumber was definitely a surprise for her. "How long till we arrive?" she asked.
"Not long." He said as he poured her a mug of the same liquid. Accepting the drink, her mouth nearly watered at the smell of the brown liquid. It wasn't an aroma she was familiar with, but it was certainly a nice one. Her first sip confirmed that the taste was even better, and she had to suppress the urge to make her enjoyment too apparent. "What kind of drink is this?"
"It's called hot chocolate." He explained as he took a sip of his own. "A friend of mine introduced me to it in a diner on Denon. My droid has kept a pack in his storage compartment ever since."
The Tholothian nodded nonchalantly. "Can't say I ran into it on Nar Shaddaa. Not exactly something for the local tastes." She said, before noticing that it wasn't a datapad he was hunched over, but a stack of flimsi bound in leather. "What is that?"
"I found it in the vault. It's an ancient Jedi text." He explained. "A Jedi historian wrote it, and from what I gather, it looks like it chronicles different battles from The Mandalorian Wars."
She snorted. "Sounds like a real page turner." she said wryly. "But I guess it's more interesting to someone who's actually been to war." She added in an attempt to probe him.
He raised an eyebrow at that. "What makes you say I fought in the war?"
"You're a Jedi. The Empire killed them all. Doesn't take a genius to figure out you had the motive to side with the rebels." she said before taking another sip.
"Fair point, although being a Jedi is relatively recent for me." He said with humor. "I was born around the end of the clone wars, so I thankfully wasn't exactly around for the purge."
The Tholothian narrowed her eyes, and gestured at the book. "So, you learned how to be a Jedi from stuff like this? Or did some surviving Jedi teach you?"
The man gave her another one of those appraising looks that left her feeling slightly exposed. "A bit of both, but mostly the latter. The ways of The Force are not easily mastered, and I was lucky to have teachers; considering The Empire wasn't exactly kind to surviving Jedi."
She nodded, another piece of the puzzle settling into place in her mind. "And what exactly is this Force? Is it the magic the Jedi use?"
Skywalker's expression became amused, and she tried not to take that as condescension. "I wouldn't say that exactly." he said, pausing to look for the right words. "The Force is the energy created by all forms of life. It connects the entire Galaxy, binding everyone and everything together. It isn't something one can see, but there are people who can sense it and wield it in various ways."
"And those people are the Jedi?" She asked nonchalantly, hiding her eagerness to learn more.
Luke shook his head slightly. "No. Knowing what a Jedi knows doesn't make one a Jedi. When it comes to understanding The Force, The Jedi path is only one of many different ways. Being a Jedi is about a lot of things, but above all it is about dedicating yourself to helping those in need."
Kye raised an eyebrow at that, wondering if that strange man was truly who he claimed to be. In all her life, she had never met someone who preached altruism. "Nice speech." she said somewhat sardonically. "I don't think that's how things work, but I suppose it's nice to be able to believe in such things."
"I take it you're a bit of a cynic." He said matter-of-factly, although his tone held no judgment.
The Tholothian simply shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I grew up on the unofficial capital of Hutt Space. On Smugglers Moon, you couldn't really afford to think about someone else most of the time. Not when you had to steal, cheat and lie just to make it to the next day."
Skywalker's expression turned nostalgic, and more than a little sympathetic. "You sound a lot older than you are." He noted. "And I have to say that you remind me a lot of someone I know."
"Someone good, I hope?" She asked wryly, before taking another sip from her mug.
"One of the best." The strange man said with an earnest smile as he turned his attention back to the pile of flimsi. A comfortable, if somewhat awkward silence stretched between them for a few minutes, until Kye decided to break it.
"Are you from the mid rim?" she asked, for he didn't seem like one of the core types she often heard about, nor did he seem like the outer rim scoundrels she was familiar with.
"No, but close to it." he answered. "I grew up on Tatooine."
She frowned, the planet's significance eluding her for a few moments. "You mean that desert world in the Arkanis Sector? The one Jabba The Hutt ruled from?"
"That's the one, yeah." He said with another hint of nostalgia. "Not exactly an important world by any means. I actually used to say that it was the farthest planet possible from the bright center of The Galaxy."
"Yeah, to most people it's a backwater dustball." she acknowledged. "But Jabba's name was pretty well-known on Nar Shaddaa. You'd think that old worm ruled the outer rim's whole underworld the way some people talked about him. Were you a spacer?"
"A moisture farmer, actually." he corrected "But I did grow up dreaming of becoming a pilot. I even wanted to go to the Imperial Academy just to escape Tatooine. And I hated the Empire even back then."
The Tholothian nodded. "I'm guessing you jumped ship then?" she asked, surprised by the fact he'd apparently been something as mundane as a farmer. This Luke guy certainly kept getting more interesting.
He seemed to hesitate before shaking his head. "Was planning to. Didn't get the chance to go through with it." he explained. "One day, we came across something The Empire was very interested in, although we didn't know that at the time. Then the stormtroopers came knocking, and when they didn't find it, they decided to remove any potential leaks." he paused, and Kye could almost feel his loss and pain in spite of how calm he seemed. "I wasn't there at the time, and when I did arrive, it was to a burned down home and a dead family."
The tholothian found herself at a loss for words, so she turned her attention away from him and took another sip from her drink. A part of her felt bad for him, and wanted to sympathize. But another part envied him for having a family in the first place. "I guess I can see how that would send someone straight to the rebels." she said awkwardly, before her thoughts drifted to her own situation.
Yesterday she'd been another scrum rat trying to survive on Nar Shaddaa. It had been a dangerous, difficult life that promised many hungry nights. Then this strange man had arrived out of nowhere, and basically said that he could give her a better life, with no strings attached.
It naturally didn't feel right at all. As far as Kye was concerned, if something seemed too good to be true, then it usually was.
"So,...what happens to me now?" she asked, mentally running through her options if she had to walk away from him. She didn't have much, but she wasn't entirely without resources. They'd made a quick stop to fetch her hidden savings and the few things that somehow qualified as her belongings, although the do-gooder had asked her to send Dosan his money with one of his men. "I'm assuming you have a plan."
He gave her an earnest smile that somehow eased her worries even though she knew it logically shouldn't. "Well, I'm not part of the New Republic's Armed Forces anymore, but I still have friends in high places. They can help you learn or become whatever you want." he said as he handed her a datapad.
She frowned at the device. She wasn't sure she liked where this was going. "The New Alderaan institute of basic education and training?" she read the screen, unsure of her feelings. "You want me to go to school?"
"Something like that." he answered, slightly amused. "It's not exactly the academic type of education, but it did produce a lot of great pilots and mechanics. I can help you get a scholarship, so there's no need to worry about tuition. You'll have board, room and an allowance until you graduate. From there, they can help you get a good job."
Kye took the datapad and started reading about the place. It seemed nice. Certainly nicer than any place she'd ever lived in. Skywalker's plan didn't seem like it would lead her to swimming in credits, but it seemed like a safer, better life than what she had on Nar Shaddaa, although that wasn't saying much. All in all, it wasn't a bad offer by any means. She certainly knew that many of her fellow scrum rats would kill for something like that, perhaps literally in some cases.
It was a promise of no more hungry nights or looking behind her shoulder every minute. So, why did she feel so disappointed? What had she thought would happen if she went with Skywalker?
"I…. don't know." she found herself saying. "I mean, I don't wanna sound ungrateful, but it's not really what I expected."
"What did you expect?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.
She paused for a second, and awkward silence briefly stretched between them. "You said that some people can use The Force. Do you think I can use it?"
He gave her yet another appraising look, before grabbing a small device. "Only one way to find out." He said, before flipping open the upper half of the device. "I'll need a blood sample."
Somewhat reluctant, she nodded and stretched out her right hand, and he placed the tip of a small, stylus-like device on her thumb. There was a prick, and she winced as a small sample of red fluid entered the extractor, which Luke then inserted into the small device.
"This scanner is linked to the ship's medical unit." he explained as he used a small cable to connect the device to his datapad. "It should be able to tell us whether or not you were sensitive to The Force."
Now it was her turn to raise a skeptical eyebrow. "The Force is something in the blood?"
His amused-but-somehow-not-condescending smile returned. "No, it isn't. But there are ways to measure how The Force interacts with life in the physical world."
She pursed her lips and nodded. "And was this Force how you scared those thugs away? Because that is one trick I'd love to learn." she said with a smirk, which turned into a frown when she remembered that her mug was now empty.
"I didn't scare them away." He objected while pouring her another round of the drink.
"Right, you're just persuasive." she said skeptically, before taking yet another sip.
"In a sense, yes. And when that's not enough, The Force can have a strong effect on the weak-minded." He clarified. "That's one of the first things my teachers taught me."
Her frown returned as her mind considered a scary possibility. "So you basically hypnotized them into doing what you want." she noted "You... use that ability often?"
He gave a barely-detectable sigh, possibly picking up on her subtle accusation. "Only when I'm trying to defuse a situation without drawing a weapon. A Jedi is supposed to attempt everything first before taking a life."
"So you did it to avoid killing the lowlifes." she noted. "I'm sure the next kid they mug is sure going to appreciate your restraint."
It was now Skywalker's turn to frown, and she could tell the thought made him uncomfortable. "Choices…..can have complicated consequences. And I guess I know from experience that the right thing to do isn't always clear. But I can't take a life if it can be avoided. I've done enough killing during the war."
She was contemplating his words when the datapad lit up with a small beep, and he picked it up with his thoughtful frown still on his face. For a moment, she couldn't tell what was going through his mind as he read the report. "Well, there are no infections or anything worrying in the report, so that's good news."
"Does it say that I could use The Force?" Kye said, barely keeping the anticipation away from her voice. And he seemed to hesitate for a second before nodding. "With time and training, you probably could."
Despite her best efforts, she was certain that her shock was at least somewhat apparent as her mind raced through the possibilities. "You finding me was not a coincidence, was it?"
"I don't believe so, no." he said with a resigned expression. "I was already heading to Nar Shaddaa when I saw a vision, and you were part of it. Then The Force led me to you when I arrived on the moon."
"So you're getting visions now." she noted, this time with somewhat less skepticism. "You're saying it was…destiny for us to meet?"
"I'm not sure about that." he admitted with a strange smile. "Visions can often have more than one meaning, and it's dangerous to put too much stock into them. Also, I'm not sure if I believe in destiny."
That wasn't what she'd expected him to say. Kye simply stared at the Jedi, once again trying and failing to figure out who and what he was. She had never met anyone like Skywalker, which only made getting a read on him all the more difficult. The Tholothian simply found it difficult to believe that the man was who he claimed to be, but there was something drawing her to him that she couldn't understand either. Was it The Force? All that time, were the uncanny instincts that'd served her, and often saved her life, something greater than anything she could've imagined?
"Will you…. teach me how to use The Force?" She asked, hating the hint of pleading in her tone of voice. Skywalker simply regarded her again with those eyes that sometimes seemed to look at her very soul.
"I don't know." he said cautiously "Perhaps I will. When the time is right."
When people spoke of the powers that ruled the Galactic Core, The Empire always seemed like the logical choice for the greatest one. And that wasn't wrong, from a certain point of view. But the people who knew how things truly worked understood that many, seemingly smaller powers were necessary to keep the cogs of the imperial machines spinning. That was especially true those days, considering the gradual decline of the Empire's economy during the war.
The truth was that the core had become somewhat depleted during the Empire's reign, at least when it came to the raw materials necessary for the imperial war effort. And with The New Republic expanding its borders to encompass the outer and mid rims, access to those materials was becoming somewhat scarce in the core, with most of the available materials being diverted to the more essential channels, mostly on Corellia, Kuat and other industrious worlds. This created a lucrative black market for materials like doonium and other alloys essential for shipbuilding.
To put it bluntly, Xizor was very happy.
The Black Sun syndicate had always maintained an amicable relationship with the Empire, with the late Emperor Palpatine tolerating much of their activities in exchange for his demands. The symbiotic relationship continued under the reign of the Council of Moffs, and the fact that the official channels for obtaining some of their needs were restricted to their trade with the New Republic had been very good for business. After all, The Council was not above supplementing The Empire's needs via the black market. And in The Core, Black Sun was the largest fish in that particular lake.
And so Prince Xizor's working hours, which he regarded to be a necessary evil, were often spent reading reports on the syndicate's various operations, usually to root out problems or determine courses of action that would then be delegated to the Vigos and their own lieutenants and underlings. Most people would never guess how many tedious meetings Black Sun's underlord had to endure, but being in charge of The Core's largest crime syndicate was not always as glamorous as a hypothetical holothriller would portray it.
Still, Xizor couldn't deny that his position came with plenty of privileges, which was extremely fortunate given his passion for the finer things in life. It could be a delicious meal made of nearly-extinct Alderaanian wasp-fish, an evening with yet another beautiful humanoid female, or a performance at the Coruscant Opera; Xizor lived for those small things. And for the sheer elation that came with taking down a rival, or watching the numbers representing Black Sun's wealth go up on his screens.
Settling into the luxurious chair behind his ornate, wroshyr-wood desk, The Underlord grabbed his datapad and sent a command that would summon his assistant, Guri. An incredibly rare - and expensive - human replica droid, Guri was uniquely suited for the role of Xizor's right hand. For The Prince didn't bestow his trust on anyone, even his closest associates, and a droid was far less likely to betray him. With her sharp computer-mind, impressive strength and martial arts programming, Guri was the perfect combination of secretary and bodyguard.
And for someone who deeply appreciated the female form the way Xizor did, Guri's beauty was a nice bonus.
Most people didn't know what Guri was, and occasionally found her unsettling. Xizor deeply enjoyed the air about her, because it ultimately reflected on him. The fact that he could communicate with her non-verbally by sending messages directly to her electronic mind was both a practical function and occasionally a source of bewilderment for those around him, much to The Underlord's amusement.
The door slid open, and the human replica droid walked in with her usual catlike grace. "Captain Hadrion is here, as per your instructions."
"Excellent." Xizor noted. "How long as he been waiting?" He asked. The Prince found that the long waits usually made his underlings more nervous, and easier to catch off guard.
"Two hours." Guri answered with a perfect sabacc face. The Underlord smirked in response "Hmmm. You're getting soft with them, my dear." he said with amusement. "Anyway, I don't have time to further torment the poor man. You may fetch him."
Guri nodded before leaving the extravagant office, and returned a few minutes later with the man in question. Like Xizor, Hadrion was a Falleen of imposing height, a muscular build and green reptilian skin. He was, however, significantly less handsome than Xizor, in no small part due to the ugly scar running over the bridge of his nose. The Black Sun lieutenant seemed self-assured enough, but the Underlord knew that he was simply good at controlling his fear.
"Greetings, your highness." Hadrion said with a bow. "How may I be of service?"
"You may rise, Captain." Xizor said with a bored tone. "Do you understand why you were made to travel all the way from Nar Shaddaa to Coruscant for this meeting?"
"My only understanding is that your highness would like to inquire about a recent incident in the warehouses I'm in charge of protecting." Hadrion answered. "Although I am surprised that a mere break-in warrants attention from–"
"It was no mere break-in." Xizor interrupted sharply, and he could almost hear the man's heart skip a beat. "And only I decide what does and doesn't warrant my attention."
"Of course your highness. I did not mean to assume." Hadrion said, his fear ever so slightly leaking. "I did however send everything I had about the incident to Vigo Avrak."
"That you did, Captain." Xizor said with coolness that could chill just about anyone. "I've read the report, and watched the camfeed from the drones. It showed a human male and a young tholothian girl sneaking into an old abandoned warehouse of seemingly no value. You and your men followed them into the warehouse approximately twenty minutes later, which implies some tardiness by the people monitoring the camfeed. The man and the girl then walked out of the warehouse unharmed with several hovering crates, leaving behind one dead man, and two more wounded. All the survivors were later found immobilized by a stun weapon, yourself included. Does that cover it?"
"Y-Yes, your highness, it does." Hardion said, seemingly genuinely baffled.
"Excellent. Now, Captain, can you explain how a single man managed to dispatch an entire squad of vicious, trained killers?"
"Like, I told Vigo Avrak, your highness; the man was a Jedi. He had a laser sword, and definitely knew how to use it. He could also use their sorcery." The Captain explained.
"Could he, now? I find it somewhat…. regrettable that we have no recordings of the skirmish. I would've liked to see the alleged Jedi in action." Xizor said menacingly while stroking his chin. "Thank you for your time, Captain. You may return to the waiting room now. Guri will soon deliver your next assignment."
"Th-Thank you, your highness." Hadrion said with another bow, before leaving the room with more steadiness than Xizor expected.
"I must say that I'm impressed by old Grakkus." Xizor said as he leaned back in his chair. "I mean, I always admired his taste for art, even though I found it to be lacking in diversity. But hiding his most valuable pieces under our nose? That took courage and ingenuity. The electromagnetic scramblers hiding the room from sensors were also a nice touch."
"And you think Hadrion discovered the secret room and then faked the alleged Jedi's attack to plunder it?" Guri asked stoically.
Xizor got up with a small sigh and started pacing around the room "I've considered the possibility, but now I'm inclined to think it's a long shot." He said as he stroked his chin. "Hadrion's profile paints a picture of an unambitious muscle content with what The Vigo gives him. Meeting him in person reinforced that. And you know I take pride in being an excellent judge of character."
"Hence why you wanted to meet him in person." Guri noted. "You think the rumors of a Jedi running with the New Republic are real?"
"They're hardly rumors at this point, My Dear." Xizor corrected. "Yes, I'm inclined to believe that our sources within the Empire were indeed correct about the boy's existence. There are few other logical explanations for the demise of Darth Vader and The Emperor at Endor."
"And you truly think this boy was strong enough to kill Darth Vader himself?" Guri asked skeptically. Xizor simply snorted. "Stranger things have happened. The boy's father was a powerful warrior, and I have my suspicions that Vader wasn't the force of nature the propaganda would have you believe."
The Underlord took a subtle, deep breath. "Have you seen the stuff from the room that the boy left behind? Impressive pieces. Quite valuable." He pondered. "I didn't know I had it, but that collection of artifacts was mine. I'm not known for allowing people to take what is mine and walk away without consequences."
"If you're right, then the boy isn't to be underestimated." Guri noted. "He's powerful, and has powerful friends. You've said it yourself that you don't want to make enemies of The New Republic."
"Not just yet, at least." The Prince conceded before stroking his chin once more. "You're right. But we should probe around and gather whatever intel we can for now. I have a feeling such data would prove valuable in the future. Particularly to our partners. In the meantime, demote Hadrion and have him closely monitored. There's still a small possibility of treason from that one."
"Understood." Guri said. "Now, would you like Moonglow for your lunch today?"
"You know me too well." Xizor said with a smirk. "With a side of Alderaanian Wasp-fish, please."
Author's Notes:
I'm not dead! But this chapter was very difficult to write. I had a lot on my plate, was struggling with writers block, and the lack of feedback didn't help. Still, I'm overall happy with how this chapter came out. Maybe. Possibly. I don't really know. I do know that I obviously took some liberties with Xizor's story from the EU, so hopefully you still enjoyed him.
As usual, please let me know what you think! Likes, Dislikes, thoughts...it will mean the world and (hopefully) get the next chapter here quickly.