A New Beginning

by DarkMoon2017

Luna Valerian has been hiding from the Empire ever since Order 66 was initiated. That is, until one day another Jedi just like her comes to save her. She joins Cal Kestis in the effort to rebuild the Jedi Order and takes this chance to start her life over again. Throughout the journey, She had no idea that she would meet the love of her life along the way. Cal Kestis x OC

23. Chapter 23: The Zeffo's Warning

Hey guys, it's time for a new chapter! We're almost done with the story, but we have a few more chapters to go! Thanks so much for supporting the story up to this point! I really appreciate it! If you want to leave a comment, please feel free to! Finally, here's the chapter!

Ch. 23: The Zeffo's Warning

(Luna's POV)

The Astrium locked in place once we placed it into the indention in the ground. I felt dust fall on top of our heads and looked up to see the vault shifting. It reminded me of some sort of astrology tower.

"It's like the vault itself is a Holocron," Cal commented as we looked in awe. In front of us, the vault moved the wall, revealing a dark and ominous surface. This had to be one of those "Zeffo" type things. Cal looked at me and pointed towards the surface.

"Let's see what the vault has to show us."

I nodded, and we approached the wall. Together, we touched the wall and were immediately transported to a dark hallway was adorned with Zeffo statues on both sides. There were Zeffo statues in front of us and behind us, too.

I glanced at Cal slowly, and he looked back.

"Is this the first time we've been able to talk to each other in these dream sequences?" he asked with a slightly surprised tone in his voice.

"I think so…I'm tired of being alone when these things happen, Cal."

He gave me a sympathetic look and wrapped his arm around me.

"I know, I am too, Luna. This time we're together."

We then heard a voice overhead that made us both jump.

"We offer this record of the Zeffo civilization," the voice said. The voice was calm, yet intimidating at the same time. The path before us lit up, and we began walking it as the voice continued.

"Despite our wisdom and intelligence, we faced extinction. We were too proud of a race, and because of this, we led ourselves to our downfall. The more control we sought, the more we lost it as time went on…"

I noticed that the statue north of us was the one speaking, so I set my attention to him.

"...I lead my people into the unknown, hoping that we finally find peace."

The Zeffo sage statue then disappeared into the darkness, and a green light appeared out of nowhere about five feet away from us. We looked at each other but didn't say anything as Cal touched the light. All of a sudden, an image of me and Cal showed up. We were talking to a group of children. As we walked, the story of these fake images progressed. It showed Cal and I teaching them the way of the Force. It took me a few seconds to realize this was our possible future once we obtained the Holocron.

"Cal…"

"Yeah…" he muttered back, realizing the same thing. The children expressed their concerns that the Empire would find them, but we reassured them that it wouldn't. It didn't last long before we moved to a point where the children began to scream. I tightened my grip on Cal's arm as they started to run away from us.

"It's the Empire! Hide!" they yelled. We came up to a wall and had to climb it. I clutched the ridges of the wall hard and hoisted myself to the top. Cal did the same. The sounds of blaster fire and Empire commands rang in our ears more and more as we climbed. At the very top of the wall, the children were either fighting the troopers with their lightsabers or hiding from them.

It was horrible.

I felt my eyes water as we came to a point where the troopers were killing the young padawans, shooing them until their bodies became lifeless. Was this really what our future held for us? Has our whole mission of rebuilding the Jedi Order been a pipe dream?

"Cal Kestis! Luna Valerian!"

We stopped at the sound of the Second Sister. Her menacing figure appeared in front of us, and it made my skin crawl. I knew she was talking to our fake selves, but it was still scary.

"On your knees, and I will spare the young ones!" she spat out. Cal and I watched ourselves lower to the ground in submission. It was horrifying. Would we really just give up like that!? I felt Cal getting more and more pissed as the events unfolded.

"This can't be…" he said to himself.

"That's right. On your knees," Trilla said before the floor beneath us fell through. I gasped as we fell a few feet before hitting solid ground. It didn't hurt, but the feeling of falling was definitely real. Instead of the dark and misty hallway, we were now in what looked like an Imperial base. I knew where this was going. We came upon a jail cell with all of the children in it. They were sad and scared of what would happen to them. We moved to the next room, and the children were being brainwashed and tortured so that they could be the Empire's pawns in their quest to conquer every single planet in the universe. After seeing all of this, I had to look away. I looked down so I wouldn't have to see, but gasped when I saw my clothes.

"Cal!"

He looked at me and then down at himself. We were wearing Inquisitor outfits. It matched the suit that Trilla wore, minus the helmet.

"No…No!" Cal yelled, trying to rip the armor off his body. I did the same, and the dark surface appeared in front of us once again.

"Get us out of here please!" I yelled. Gritting his teeth, Cal punched the surface, and we were suddenly back in the vault room. Everything was back to the way it was before we went in there. We were both out of breath and holding on to each other. The experience was so dreadful that I felt physically and mentally exhausted from it. Cal didn't seem much better.

"It's over…" I whispered.

"Yeah…Luna…Do you think that's our future once we find the Force-sensitive children?" he asked me. I thought about everything that we witnessed while in the dream sequence. I didn't even know if my answer would make sense or not.

"At the beginning, the Zeffo sage talked about how his people faced extinction and how he led his people into the unknown in search of a way to survive…Doesn't that sound familiar?" I asked solemnly.

Cal sighed and looked at the ground.

"You mean the Jedi?"

I nodded.

"The Jedi were viewed as people full of wisdom and intelligence. It felt like they were unstoppable. Then, one event took almost all of them out in one fell swoop. It felt like the Zeffo was giving us a warning of the future. It's like they took our current intentions and showed us the repercussions of those intentions if we follow through with them. There's no other way of explaining it. I'm certain that that's what we just witnessed," I said to him, saying some hard truths. Cal didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, I think you're right."

He turned his head to the center of the room, and a small green cube was hovering in the air. The Holocron. The Holocron that contained the list of all the Force-sensitive children in the galaxy.

"...Which means we'll have to do things differently so that that future doesn't happen," he concluded. He stood up and held his hand out for me. I took it and grunted as I got off the ground.

"When we get back to the ship, we need to plan this out. We can't afford for any mistakes to happen," I told him. He nodded in agreement, and we walked to the Holocron. The green cube was a bright green, and it was smaller than I imagined it would be. Cal reached his hand out to the cube but stopped at the sound of a lightsaber being ignited. We turned to the entrance to see Trilla standing there without her helmet. Cal slowly dropped his hand and turned on his lightsaber.

"You just won't leave us alone, will you!?"

Her face brightened in sick satisfaction.

"Oh, come on, you missed me. Both of you," she hissed, looking at me. I glared back at her and prepared my lightsaber.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

She laughed at the question.

"Absolutely not! I just love watching you both stumble from obstacle to obstacle, limping to your eventual demise."

"You mean our eventual victory?" Cal retorted. She shrugged her shoulders and took a couple of steps forward.

"You're persistent, I'll give you that."

"Kind of seems like you should have killed us when you had the chance back when we first met," Cal teased. Based on the look on Trilla's face, she was loving the back-and-forth banter.

"A scant mercy. Letting you live led me to the ultimate prize that will bring me the Empire's favor. A list of all the Force-sensitive children in the galaxy…I can't wait to bask in the glory of being the only Inquisitor to manage such a feat. And it all starts with killing the both of you," she said. She then rushed at Cal, swinging her saber at his chest. He ducked and hit her saber with his. They traded a few blows as I jumped at Trilla from the side. She dashed backward and then sprinted back to Cal. She seemed very fixated on taking him out first. Cal clenched his jaw and stopped another track from connecting with his skin. They stayed there for a moment, trying to gain the edge of the other. I tried attacking again, but Cal had a plan. He clicked his lightsaber off, and Trilla's eyes widened as she stumbled down. Without hesitation, Cal snatched her lightsaber from her, and Force pushed her away. Her body went flying before hitting the ground.

"Argh!" she screamed out in frustration. I stood there, dumbfounded. Cal had grown so much since our last fight with her. He knew how to deal with her as soon as she revealed herself.

"Good job, Cal!" I said to him. He didn't respond.

"Cal…?" I ran over to him, and he had his eyes closed tight. His left hand that was holding Trilla's lightsaber was frozen in place. It was as if he was in a trance. I put my hands on his shoulders and shook him hard.

"Cal. Cal! Come on, what's wrong!?"

Behind me, Trilla was standing up. She was out of breath, but she still managed to sound like a bitch when she spoke.

"I'd be careful if I was him. That lightsaber holds a lot of bad memories."

I stopped shaking Cal and realized her lightsaber was a Force Echo. He was seeing the memories that it possessed from Trilla's past life. I dropped my hands and looked at Trilla.

"He's seeing what you went through, isn't he?"

She blinked at me in confusion.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"He's witnessing the moment you were tortured by the Empire. The moment when you were so brainwashed that you became an Inquisitor for them, despite being Cere's apprentice!" I screamed at her. It was like she was playing dumb with me. The expression she gave me was one of uncertainty. She couldn't believe what I was saying.

"Yes, something like that I imagine."

She slowly stood up from the floor, her body dripping with water. The Holocron floated in between us. I moved to Force pull it to me, but she held out her hand to stop me. This led to the Holocron staying in the same place.

"...I'm surprised you know about that. Did Cere tell you everything that happened between us?" she asked with an interested chuckle. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. I shook my head, making her raise her eyebrows.

"No, it wasn't Cere. I saw you in that chair. The chair they tortured you in with all that machinery stabbing into your chest. Stormtroopers were restraining Cere as she was telling you she wouldn't let them hurt you. Then they knocked her out and made you into an inquisitor. I saw it all."

Trilla's eyes widened as I spoke, almost as if she wasn't expecting me to give an actual answer.

"That moment you said my name for the first time during our fight…You saw it then didn't you…?" she asked me. Thiswas the softest I'd ever seen her. The tough and dominating Inquisitor was now just an ordinary girl searching for answers. Her hold on the Holocron didn't falter, however.

"Yes…That's how I knew your name," I said to her.

"How did you see it all? How did you dive into my memories without me even noticing?"

I let out a dry laugh at the ground and shook my head.

"I've been trying to figure that out the entire time I've been looking for the Holocron with Cal. Throughout our journey, I kept getting visions of people's pasts. I noticed it would only occur if someone was feeling uncontrollable emotion within themselves. I even saw visions of myself from when I was a kid. When I touched your hand that day, I must've felt the incredible sadness you felt inside you from when you were a Jedi like us. From before you became an Inquisitor… That's how I knew your name…"

Trilla stayed silent and frowned.

"Sounds similar to Psychometry…Though, a bit more intimate…" she said, her voice trailing off. Why was she talking to me like this? It felt like she was trying to get to know me, but not in a deceiving way.

I took a step towards her.

"Trilla…Why are you going along with all this? Why are you letting the Empire dictate your actions? I know you were brainwashed, but surely there's some of the real you in there somewhere!" I pleaded. I could feel an intensity in the Force coming from her.

"Don't try to understand me, Valerian. You'd be trying for eternity."

"Why don't you run away with us? We would treat you like an actual human being! We could take you away from all of this! You're not-"

"I said stop!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. With her other arm, she extended it out at me, and Force pushed me across the room. I tried to stop it, but the amount of rage and anger was too much for me. I screamed as I flew across the room and hit the opposite wall. I landed on the floor with a painful grunt. I opened my eyes and shot off the ground to fight Trilla, but she was gone. The Holocron was nowhere to be found. I cursed under my breath and looked at Cal. He was still feeling the Force echo from Trilla's lightsaber. She wasn't kidding when she said it was powerful. Putting my hand on my arm, I walked over to him.

"Cal, please come back," I begged. Even though he was standing here, I still felt alone.

"L-Luna…?"

I looked up, and he was staring at me.

"Cal!"

I threw my arms around him and rested my face on his neck. He hugged me back and brushed my hair with his hand.

"You okay?" he asked.

"While you were gone, she kept asking me about my ability to see visions. About how I knew her name back when we first fought…She seemed vulnerable, Cal. It was like she wanted to let me in but couldn't because of all of the brainwashing the Empire did. She showed a side of her that was soft and depressed. I tried asking her to join us, but she broke! She got the angriest I've ever seen her, and Force pushed me into the wall. When I stood back up she was gone…with the holocron…" I trailed off in embarrassment. I felt Cal's hand on the arm that was hurting and I gazed into his eyes.

"It's okay, we'll get it back from her. The most important thing to me right now is you, Luna. Is your arm okay? Give her a healing stim, BD."

BD-1 shot out a healing stim, and I got it in my free hand. I injected it into my arm and felt the instant rush of relief come to my body. It felt much better now.

"Thank you, guys. It's better now. I'm just pissed she got away. I was so close to getting to her, too."

"Don't worry about it. We'll see her again soon, and then we can try again. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you. When I grabbed her lightsaber, it all came to me all at once. It was overwhelming," he said with a shiver.

"You saw her getting tortured by the Empire, didn't you?" I asked sadly. He nodded.

"Yeah, and I saw them try to do the same thing on Cere before she went berserk and killed all of the troops in the room. It was insane. I know she told us what happened, but it was completely different being there and witnessing it. No wonder she separated herself from the Force. After something like that, I don't know what I would do with myself."

"I know what you mean," I said, "Let's hurry back to the ship. She couldn't have gotten far."

We ran out of the vault and stopped when we saw stormtroopers. Of course, there were stormtroopers. They were analyzing the plants on the ground. We took this chance to take them out while they were distracted. There weren't a lot of them, so it didn't take long before we killed all of them and were back to the ship.

"Maybe Cere will know where she went," I said to Cal and BD-1. We stepped onto the ship, and Cere was pacing anxiously. Had she seen Trilla and her man land on the planet or was she just waiting for us? Her facial muscles relaxed once she saw us enter the ship.

"Cere, I saw what they did to you. I saw everything. I'm so sorry that I was angry at you for all those days. I was arrogant and had no idea what you had been through…" Cal apologized before she could even say anything. He was so sincere about it, too. He took out Trilla's lightsaber, and Cere stared at it.

"...Trilla has the holocron…"

Cere took a seat on the couch and looked down.

"Everything that Trilla's done up to this point has been my fault. I led her down the path she's on now…" she said softly.

"You couldn't have stopped what happened to her, Cere," I said, trying to cheer her up. Cal moved to sit next to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Our mistakes are the past. It's up to us to make sure we do our best in the future. You taught us that," he said, smiling at her. He was so sweet. Cere looked at me, and I smiled as well. She was still reeling from the experience she and Trilla went through, but I think it helped to hear us say something that she taught us herself. It was like she had meaning in the world again after losing her former apprentice. Her face lit up with renewed hope.

"I know where Trilla took the Holocron."

"Really? Where?" Cal and I asked in unison, surprised she knew so quickly.

"There's this fortress where the Inquisitors are located. They took us there to torture us back then. That's where she's going. I…just didn't know I would be going back there."

Cal stood up from the couch.

"You won't be going alone. You have your friends here for you."

Cere stood up as well, and a small smile appeared on her face. She turned her head to Trilla's lightsaber on the table, and Force pulled it to her hand. I jumped in surprise, not knowing she still had the capabilities to use the Force anymore.

"Not friends. I'll have my Jedi with me. Cal, Luna, kneel in front of me."

I didn't know what she was doing, but I followed the command. Cal did, as well. Igniting the lightsaber, a blaze of red revealed itself from the hilt. Cere began moving the saber in between our shoulders. She was knighting us!

"By the will of the council, by the will of the Force. Cal Kestis. Luna Valerian. Rise, Jedi Knights."

We stood up, and she looked us in the eye.

"You are ready. Both of you," she said.

"So are you," Cal said back. Cere nodded and walked to the cockpit where Greez was. Cal turned to me, and his eyes were a bit glossed over. Blinking, I realized mine weren't so different.

"That was…wild…" he murmured to me.

"Yeah…we're Jedi Knights now. I never thought that would ever happen to be honest with you," I replied, "Once Order 66 happened, I lost all hope of ever becoming more than just a padawan. I guess it didn't matter anymore at that point."

"I was the same way. But now that we are, Jedi Knight Valerian sounds pretty awesome," he praised. I grinned and hugged him from the side.

"So does Jedi Knight Kestis."

He chuckled, and we walked to the cockpit where Greez was raising us into the air.

"Luckily for us, the Inquisitor Fortress is not far from here. I hope all of you are ready because we'll be there before you know," Greez announced, forcing the ship to go into Hyperspace. I felt a sensation on the top of my head and a fluttering in my stomach.

Anxiety.

Cal must have sensed it because he put his hand in mine.

"It'll be okay. I know it will," he said. I loved his confidence, but this was the Inquisitor Fortress we were talking about. You know, where all the Inquisitors hang out! Now, it was unlikely that there would be a lot of them there since they're always searching for Jedi, but still! Maybe if we get there fast enough we'll be able to get the Holocron back and get out. That's probably just wishful thinking, though.

"We are going to a different place?"

We turned around, and Merrin was behind us. She's so quiet that she could be an assassin or something like that.

"The Inquisitor who's been following us took the Holocron, and we're going to get it back. Cere said that she most likely went back to her fortress, which is like a big Imperial base," I told her, trying to explain the situation the best I could. Merrin looked at me and then Cal before nodding.

"This is a chance to get back at the Empire for what they did to my people. I hope there are a lot of them."

She turned and walked away as I gulped.

"I'm glad she's on our side now," I whispered. Cal smiled and glanced at the cockpit. We were already in hyperspace and on our way to the fortress. It wouldn't be too long before we were in its vicinity. Cal put his hands in his pocket and looked around aimlessly.

"Looks like we have some time to kill before we get there…"

I know it would be smart to meditate or train before getting there, but I just wanted to spend as much time with Cal as I could get. I wanted to do something intimate with him now that we were together.

"Let's rest for the time being," I said, taking his hand and walking us to his room. BD-1 stayed behind to take care of the plants in the terrarium. Cal didn't say anything as we entered the room and sat on the bed. His face was red, and he looked a bit nervous. I didn't blame him. Jedi weren't used to anything romance-related. He, and myself for that matter, have never been in an actual relationship. A genuine one, I mean.

I got up from the bed and closed the door before sitting back down again. Cal was smiling but looking down at his hands. I was feeling extra bold, so I put my hand on his knee, causing him to look at me. By then, my face was only a few inches from his. We stared into each other's eyes for a second until he closed the gap between us. He placed his hand on my arm and squeezed it gently as he kissed me. His lips on mine made me feel at ease. We kissed for a long time, but it felt like a couple of minutes. At some point, I instinctively opened my mouth, and his tongue found mine. When that happened, stars filled my vision, and I leaned into him. It was like I couldn't get enough of him. I moaned quietly as he helped me on his lap and continued to kiss me. I wrapped my arms around his head and deepened our kiss. Lying down, his back hit the bed, and I laid on top of him. I had to take a breather after a while. When I broke the kiss, Cal was panting under me. His green eyes were big as they looked at me. It was actually kind of funny.

"Wow…" he managed to breathe out. I let out a laugh as I attempted to catch my breath.

"I know…" I said, shifting myself to his side and cuddling up to him. Laying there in silence, it made me think of what happened earlier with the Astrium. Was that future guaranteed for us if we pursued our plan of rebuilding the Jedi Order? What could we do to stop it?

"What are you thinking about?" Cal asked me. He brushed his fingers through my hair as he waited for a response. I hesitated for a moment before telling him.

"What happened earlier…We haven't gotten time to really talk about it."

"I want to say it won't happen but…It was pretty clear the Zeffo were warning us. I've been trying to think of a way to change fate but haven't come up with anything…" he said.

"This whole time, we've been searching for the Holocron. Have we thought about our path without it? I just don't want to put all those children in danger. Then again, if we don't find them, they may never discover who they are or what their true potential is," I muttered.

"Yeah…Ugh, it'll be easier having the Holocron with us," he sighed in frustration. I looked at him and brushed some of his fiery red hair off his forehead.

"Can we agree to figure something out once we get it before doing something rash?"

He nodded his head.

"Definitely."

I smiled and rested my face next to his. I felt drowsy and almost fell asleep, but Greez's yelling woke me up. It sounded pretty urgent. I sat up, and Cal was wide awake as well.

"We better go see what's up."

We got up from the bed and headed towards the cockpit where there was a large moon in view. It was blue with a lot of clouds covering it. It looked like most of the moon was made out of water. I couldn't believe we were here already! It wasn't long before I noticed two Imperial star cruisers guarding the moon. How were we going to get past them? Greez stopped the ship and got out of his seat.

"Alright, we're small enough and far away enough to not be seen by them, but we gotta come up with a plan if we're getting through their defenses. Merrin joined us near the hologram table and raised her hand shyly.

"I can help. I could do a ritual that would hide the ship. I hope so anyway," she told us. Greez was immediately freaked out.

"A ritual?"

"Greez, she's pretty good at this kind of stuff," Cal told him. She began walking to the pilot chair before Greez waved his arms at her.

"Whoa, whoa, what is this gonna require? I'm not gonna lose my baby, right?"

"Your baby will be safe, but I will need one of your arms as a sacrifice," she said in her usual monotone voice. Greez jumped back, horrified.

"Wait, what!?"

"Don't be so serious. I was joking. Join me up front."

She walked past him as he breathed a sigh of relief. I don't know, Cal and I thought it was funny. Cere just rolled her eyes and walked up front. I guess the tension was too high to be making jokes. With everyone in the cockpit, Merrin began showing us her skills in hiding the ship.

"Sisters. Mother. Lend me your strength," she chanted repeatedly. After a few times, an object appeared in her hands, and it was emitting more of that green magic that Merrin used back on Dathomir. The magic spread throughout the ship, and Greez slowly advanced the ship forward.

"Whatever she's doing, it's working," he said to us in astonishment. I looked at Merrin, and her eyes were closed in concentration. It looked like she would have to stay here to make sure we weren't seen.

"What do you think the odds are?" Cal asked. Greez gave him a grin and patted him on the arm.

"My money's on you, kid."

Cal smiled back and looked at me.

"Let's go."

I nodded, and we joined Cere near where the escape pods were. It was kind of assuring to know Cere was coming with us. She used to be a Jedi master, after all.

"Once we're inside, I'll focus on the defense system and then destroy their sensors so that the Mantis can get us out of there. Your job is to find the Holocron."

I looked at her in confusion.

"Wouldn't it be better if we were together?"

She shook her head and turned to the pod.

"I can feel the pull…Every child's life on that list is at stake. Focus on the holocron and get out. Don't worry about me."

I glanced at Cal as Greez's voice echoed to us from the front.

"We're closing in on the fortress!"

"It's time," Cere said flatly, sitting in the escape pod. The door closed behind her, and we turned to the pods on our side.

"I'll see you down there," Cal said quickly before pecking me on the lips.

"Okay, I'll see you down there."

He stepped into his pod, and I gathered the courage to step into mine. The door closed behind me, and I was by myself now. I could hear my jagged breathing and increasing heartbeat. It was so loud. These escape pods always made me feel claustrophobic. A sudden jolt told me we had launched from the ship. I closed my eyes tight and kept my hand on my lightsaber. If we face Trilla, this would probably be the last time. There was nowhere for either of us to run.

It's her or us, and I choose us. We're getting that Holocron back, no matter what!

And that is the end of the chapter! I decided to add in a little romance, which was fun! I finally finished this chapter! It took so long because I was dealing with medical school, so there was no way I was going to be able to finish it during that. It's summer though, so the next chapter will come out in either a few days or a couple also only have a couple more chapters left, so thanks so much for reading up to this point! Please review or comment on the story and let me know what you think! Finally, thanks for reading and I'll see you guys next time!