Hello all!

Apologies for the long, long hiatus. This story is actually fully finished and I'll be posting the chapters every week until completion. There's not many left. I am actively working on Book 5 right now but between work and my daughter and my wife and just life in general, things tend to get away from me.

Enjoy this chapter and the ones to come!

Also, I am also actively rewriting Book 1. I was 14 when I wrote that one and I'm 26 now. Lots of things have changed in my writing style so it needed a MAJOR rewrite. Premise and ending is the same in theory but far better fleshing it out. Keep an eye out for the rewrite. I'll leave the original version up too just so you can see how much I've changed.

Feel free to leave a comment!

Enjoy!

Chapter 18:

IN THE WAKE OF EXPOSURE

When Luke, Mara, and I had finally made it back to the landing pad, we were surprised to see that in place of my starfighter was the Millennium Falcon. Though, it was riddled in large blaster burns, showing carbon scoring and still cooling molten metal from a close encounter. Below one of the thermal exhaust ports - thank the Force it was closed - was Chewbacca with a hydrospanner, turning away at what I thought was a plate he was putting back in place from whatever had happened.

Han Solo was also outside of the ship, jabbing a finger into Lando's chest, his face red with anger. They were arguing, but it was impossible to hear what they were saying from across the landing platform. Another close inspection saw that Leia was on the far side of the platform talking with R9 and…my father?

I turned my head to the right, seeing my starfighter on another landing platform that was connected with the one we stood on by an adjoining bridge. The canopy was open and the droid port was empty, so I wasn't imagining that they both were with Leia.

Once they saw us coming, Leia turned away, running up the concourse to meet us, "I was hoping we'd hear from you soon. I was about to go looking for you myself with Mr. Kentic."

"Speaking of my father," I said, looking past Leia to see the slightly waving form of Ryan Kentic, "why is the Falcon where my starfighter was? And, why is the Falcon shot to shit?"

Leia half turned, "Once I made it to Han's position, he, Lando, and Chewie were being pursued by Shira Brie's soldiers. I was able to take out some of them but it became apparent that we weren't going to beat all of them by ourselves. We made it to the Falcon and tried to break away, but they had a fighter squad waiting below the city for just that moment. We took some hits, but your dad actually saved us."

I blinked, genuinely surprised, "How?"

Leia pointed to my starfighter, "He piloted your ship and took out our pursuers."

"My father did that?" I asked, looking again towards the man in question. He was now approaching us, the lightsaber Kane had let him borrow was hooked around his waist. Through the Force, I could feel the pride he held in himself but also the jitters, as if he'd done something hadn't been too sure of but had come out victorious.

In all honesty, that's probably exactly what happened.

"Flying ships now?" I asked, smiling at him. "Good to know you still remember how to do that."

My father nodded, "Well, I didn't have much of a choice. If I didn't, I'd hate to think of what would've happened."

"Speaking of what happened," Leia said, turning to Mara, "well, what happened? Where is Shira Brie?"

"She's dead." I answered first. "There was no time to capture her. Any restraint and…someone could have died."

That last part was hard to say. What I wanted to say is that someone else could have also died. As Luke, Mara, and I made our way back to the landing pad, I had asked them to keep the secret of my re-found power to themselves. The less people who knew this ability existed, the less exposure it would gain. Something like that needed to be regarded as a closely guarded secret.

Leia lowered her chin slightly, "That's disappointing. We could have tried to learn who she's working with."

I held up Shira Brie's communicator, "I have this. I'm sure that the data has been wiped, but no one ever thinks to wipe the cardinal drive. While we might not find any geo-location data from the calls received, but, we will find out what satellites closest to habitable planets were pinged during that call."

Luke looked over to me, "That's smart, Master Marko. However, that still could give us dozens of planets to check out. And, even if one of those planets is where a call originated from, who's to say they're still there."

"They won't be." I said, tossing the comm unit to him. "But, it's a trail. One of those planets will have had a camera or holo-sensor pick up something. All we need to do is calculate the timeframe of when the call with that voice here ended and the time when -"

"-when a ship, or ships, broke orbit around that planet." Mara finished, "And, we know that they have access to Gozanti-class ships. We just have to search for something similar."

"They also have some type of weird starfighter. Fast. Deadly." My father said, turning to regard me with arms crossed, "They aren't anything like what I've seen before, James. It looked like a cross between a TIE fighter and a Z95 Headhunter."

I placed a hand to my chin, "Interesting. Did the holo-cams on my ship capture an image, R9?" I asked the droid as it rolled up next to the group.

R9 tweetled and a line of Basic flashed across my eyes in projection form due to my HUD, [Yes. I can upload the image directly to your HUD if you would like, Master.]

"Please do." I said and R9 complied.

I looked over the starfighter and felt my breath hitch a bit once I saw the angled curvature of the central axis point. The cockpit was more linear than its normal companion fighter, but there was no mistaking what kind of fighter it was. It was some altered version of a TIE Defender, changed so that it would be more aerodynamic in spiral maneuvers.

"It's a TIE Defender." I said to the group, "But, it's been altered. These designs, however, shouldn't exist as well. Now, there's another question. How did Shira Brie and her brigade have access to these specs? We destroyed all schematics of the TIE program following the destruction of Palpatine's plan. I should know. I was there when they cracked into his files in the Works on Coruscant."

"Which means she somehow had access to those files." Luke said. "Is it possible a back up existed?"

I shrugged, closing down the holo, "It's possible. After our experiences in the last few days, anything is possible now."

"Right." Mara said. "I guess the next course of action is to slice into the cardinal drive and start pulling apart the backtrace data?"

I shook my head, feeling my chest fill with warmth from my next words, "No. Next, we go home."

Mara smiled and nodded, wrapping an arm around Luke's in a way that made Leia's eyes widen and her mouth slacken. When both Luke and Mara flushed a bit, Leia couldn't help but smile so wide it threatened to split her face in two.

"You two!" Leia said, coming to take both of them into her arms. "Finally!"

Everyone gave a laugh, a good, hearty laugh that spoke of nothing but happy cheer and a peaceful atmosphere. After about ten seconds, my father looked confused, as if he was hearing something that we all couldn't hear. His gaze turned to the lightsaber on his belt.

Immediately, I knew what was happening. This was a strange place for it to happen, but it was bound to happen sometime. However, I didn't think that he would have started to bond with a crystal he hadn't even used. In the past, my father never constructed his own lightsaber, vying to rather use training sabers or borrowing one if need be, but he had never had his own lightsaber. He had never connected with the kyber crystal.

All of a sudden, the saber flew from his belt to float in front of him. There was now an audible hum of energy as the Force surrounded all of us. My father sent me a glance, but all I did was focus my attention on the spectacle before me.

"James…"

"Use the Force, Father." I said softly. "The kyber crystal calls to you."

My father's eyes widened, but he nodded and looked at the lightsaber, reaching out with the Force. His presence was timid, almost childlike as he guided his thoughts towards the center of the saber. There was a click, and the saber separated in the middle, showing a golden chamber that held the heart of the lightsaber. It glowed red, hissing and spitting with Dark Side energy…but it was also calling out to my father, asking him to fill it with the Light Side.

And, my father did. His mind pressed and the crystal's hisses became hums of contentment, feeling the edges of apprehension and turmoil turning into serenity and peace. The connection between a Jedi and his crystal was a sacred bond, one not so easily broken by outside forces…or even by forces that had staked a claim before he came along.

The red suddenly receded, sending a small shockwave through the air with a bright flash of light. When the glow faded, the crystal was floating above my father's hand. The color had changed from scarlet to a powerful yellow color, more on the side of the midday sun in the sky. While Shira Brie's had a golden color, my father's saber radiated with newfound Light Side energy and positive thoughts, echoing my father's own disposition.

The crystal floated back into the chamber, the saber closing around it tightly with a hiss, then another click. My father looked at it for a few seconds before taking the saber back into his hands. He flicked his wrist upwards, depressing the ignition button. The bright yellow blade expelled into existence, a higher pitched hum echoing than the traditional lightsaber sound.

He closed down the lightsaber and turned to look at me, "Wow. That was amazing. It felt like the crystal and I had connected somehow."

Mara nodded, "That's how it goes. That connection is the most important one in the universe." Then, she blinked as if she had just now heard something for the first time, and she exclaimed, "Wait! You're…my grandfather?"

My father nodded, clipping the saber back to his belt, "If you're Mara, then yes I am. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to meet you."

Mara immediately walked forward, enveloping him in a hug, "Not your fault. It's great to finally meet you. My dad always talked about you."

Returning the hug, my father caught my gaze, eyes glistening, "It's great to meet you too, Mara." He then held her at arms length, confusion on his face.

"What's wrong, Dad?" I asked.

"She's a bit old to be your daughter, isn't she?" My father asked.

I nodded, "I adopted Mara at the beginning of the Shadow War. She's been my daughter ever since."

My father blinked, "And, here I thought maybe you made a mistake when you told me fifteen years had passed by."

"Nope." I said, reaching forward and clasping his shoulder, "I've counted the years with meticulous accuracy."

A sad gleam reflected in my father's eyes, and he smiled at me then at Mara, "I hope it's not too late to get to know you, Mara. I've got plenty of time to spare."

Mara returned the gesture, "As a matter of coincidence, as do I."

The two of them started towards the Falcon as Leia led them so that my father could meet Han and Chewbacca in the flesh. I knew how weird that was going to be for my father. He'd always been bad about meeting people he deemed as famous. And, Han Solo and Chewbacca definitely qualified in that category for the older man.

Once they were out of earshot, Luke said, "I'm glad your dad is alive, Master Marko."

"Thank you. You used to call me Uncle Blaze." I said, not turning my gaze as Leia, Mara, and my father reached the pilots of the legendary vessel before them. "You called me that during your Knighting Trials. What changed?"

Luke shifted somewhat uncomfortably, "Well, to be honest, you'll always be like an uncle figure to me, but if Mara and I are to be together, my respect towards you must be focused differently."

I raised a brow, looking at him now, "You know it's still me, right, Luke?"

Luke nodded, "I know." He looked towards the ship, "I love her, Master Marko."

"I know." I said, smiling softly, "I've always known."

"How?" Luke asked.

"There are things I won't tell anyone, Luke." I said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders in a gesture of kinship, "But, I'll tell you. In the future I changed, you and Mara were destined to be together. In this reality, I knew the same thing was going to happen. I just had to wait until you both realized it for yourselves."

Luke's face lit in understanding, "You could have given me a hint."

"No." I shook my head, "If I did that, I might have changed what might've happened. Plus, I saw both of you. I knew it would happen eventually."

Unsurprisingly, Luke said, "Sometimes, it seems like you know everything."

"Not everything." I said. "This whole situation should have been evidence of that."

Solemnly, Luke nodded, then said, "So, what should I call you now? Can't really call you Uncle Blaze now. Seems a bit strange."

I laughed, clapping his shoulder with my hand, "I think it's time you just call me Blaze."

"Alright." Luke smiled. "Blaze."

"Master Blaze."

"Wait, I thought you just said not to -"

"I'm just messing with you."

"Oh."

I turned halfway, gesturing to his ship, "Let's go home."

Once the group was altogether, R9 let us know that a transport ship, a heavily armored, oversized CR90 Corvette, and a group of V-Wings were on their way to reinforce them and transport them back to Crysia, as directed by Chief of State Mon Mothma. The docking bay was three times as large as on a standard CR90 to make room for the Millennium Falcon. With that space, both Luke and my starfighters would also be accommodated.

It was much sooner than R9s calculations, which happened from time to time, that the transport ship arrived. Han, along with Leia and Chewbacca, flew the Falcon into the docking bay while R9 and R2 transported the Jedi Starfighters alongside it. Once that was completed, the rest of us were able to board the ship once it had planted itself on the landing pad.

When the ramp came down to accept us, twelve Senate Guardsmen took their positions to the left and right as a woman, a few years older than Luke, Leia, and Mara, walked down to meet me at the bottom of the silver, ribbed line of metal plating. She was dressed in military grays with a Captain's insignia planted on her chest. Her hair was tied into the neatest bun I'd ever seen, a globe of copper coloring that gave her a sense of authority.

She gave a salute, "Grandmaster Marko. Captain Natasi Daala at your service."

I blinked, genuinely surprised at the woman before me. That was Natasi Daala? The woman who, in the timeline I'd changed, would go on to be the Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance and try to bring the Jedi to heel all while tightening her grip around any political opinions other than her own. She also, due to her own machinations as well as dangerous situations, would lose an eye and sport a black eye patch for many years to come. But, the woman in front of me was not that woman. This Natasi Daala was the captain of the ship that came to pick us up, a ship that was owned and operated by the Republic.

"At ease, Captain." I said, quickly getting over my own surprise. "I appreciate the swiftness of your arrival."

"Of course." Daala said, easing somewhat. "My instructions are to escort you back to your home planet. As per regulation standard with the Republic and the Jedi Rebirth, all ships - including the V-Wings accompanying me - have all been placed in Shadow Banned Protocol. All location data and scanners have been disabled and only the hyperdrive can receive coordinates, to which they will delete said coordinates once the jump has been calculated."

I nodded, "Perfect. I assume that the starfighters are slave circuited directly into the CR90's mainframe?"

Daala gave a crisp nod, then gestured to the sky where said starfighters were doing slow flybys above them, "Yes, sir. Each pilot has also been selected by Chief of State Mon Mothma herself to ensure the utmost confidentiality. As were the guardsmen you see before you."

A full step to either side of the military leader in front of me leading up to the entryway of the CR90 were Senate Guardsmen. They weren't your ordinary blue armored troops however. These guardsmen were armored in light gray, heavily designed blast-tech armor, designed for increased protection and faster movement due to the lighter weight of the material used. Each of them had a large blaster carbine in their hands, ready to engage a threat at a moment's notice.

"That's good." I said. "Means I don't have to check each one of them myself."

Daala's Force presence shifted a bit, as if she took slight offense by the mention of someone else checking the validity of her claims. Then, she settled. None of it was present on her facial expressions. True to her character, Daala was a wall of impassiveness.

"Quite right." She said.

I turned my head slightly to the left, regarding Luke, Mara, and my father, "Let's get aboard. The quicker we get out of here, the quicker we get home." I turned back to Daala, "Are there support staff on board that can tend to their wounds and get them a good meal?"

Daala nodded, a small smile on her face, "Of course, Master Jedi. I can escort them to our chief medical lead if you wish."

"I do." I said, ushering the group forward. Before my father passed, I caught his arm gently, "Hey, Dad. I know you've got adrenaline running through you still, I can feel it in your Force aura, but please try to eat something."

My father smiled, nodding, "I will. Aren't you coming with?"

"I am. But, first, I need to speak to Lando." I said, a tone of voice echoing that I knew he would recognize.

His eyes hardened, understanding lighting his gaze, "You think he knows something about Shira Brie's organization?"

I shrugged, keeping my voice low, "Possibly."

My father cleared his throat, "I'll tell you this, son, I don't think he's in league with them."

I chuckled softly, "You just think that because you saw the movie and can't imagine him working with Shira Brie. Might I remind you that in that same movie he sold out Han to the Empire and unwittingly laid a trap for Luke Skywalker by Darth Vader. If there's anything I've learned while you've been gone, Dad, is that we can't rely on what we think we know about the people here. We have to do our own investigative work to make sure our claims are valid."

"Fair point." My father said, then started off, "I'll try to save you something to eat too, James."

"Alright." I smiled, giving a slight wave. Once he was up the ramp, I turned to the nearest guardsman, "Keep your positions here with your fellow men, I'll only be a minute. Please relay that to Captain Daala."

"Yes, sir." The guardsman said, relaying the information via comlink.

As he did that, I walked over to Lando Calrissian, who was now next to Lobot. The group of security guards I had put to sleep were surrounding the baron administrator and brandished their blaster pistols as I approached. I held up my hands in a placating gesture.

"I come in peace. I come in peace." I said.

Lando moved his arm to the side, and the security agents lowered their weapons, "Stand down. This man saved my life."

"I appreciate it, Lando." I said, "We need to have a discussion."

"About?" Lando inquired.

"About Shira Brie." I said.

Lando's face fell slightly, "Right. Leia informed me what has been happening concerning that one."

"Then, you know she was engaging in transactions with your mining colony for tibanna gas." I said. "And, such transactions have been happening for some time."

"I knew there were purchases made for tibanna gas, yes." Lando said. "I did not know who they were. It isn't my business to pry into my client's personal lives."

"Maybe not." I said, then added, "But, if that wasn't always the case then you wouldn't keep backup drives on your clients without doing a bit of research into them first. And, you did for this specific client."

"If you know that," Lando said, shifting on his feet for a moment, "then you also know that in this line of business one must make assurances for themselves to avoid issues. Especially, when dealing with a client base that can range from reputable to despicable."

"I can appreciate that. Protecting yourself as well as your assets." I said.

"And, my people." Lando replied.

"What can you tell me about them, Lando?" I asked. "What knowledge did you obtain?"

Lando raised a hand to his mustache, smoothing it out before speaking, "They have been using my station for tibanna gas purchases for a few years at this point. They are in and out very quickly. No small talk. However, they only use two ships for the transactions. The Gozanti class that you destroyed – which will be a considerable cost to me to fix to let you know – and the ship that was in the hangar bay that they use to transport the gas from us to them. Their transponders have always been falsified and no location data was ever recovered."

"Hmm." I mused. "What about personnel? Any hits?"

Lando shook his head, "No, and that's what has me concerned. We've run facial scans on everyone they bring, well, the ones who don't wear a mask, and our intelligence network came back with nothing. No facial matches. No DNA match from fingerprint analysis. Nothing. They're ghosts."

"Which means someone has gone to a considerable length to make sure they can't be traced, either by their ships or on a personal basis." I said. "Anything else?"

Lando nodded, "In fact, yes. I saw a holo of Shira Brie."

"And?"

"I've seen her before." Lando said. "Not here."

"Where?" I asked.

"Five years ago." Lando said. "She was a part of a paramilitary group that operated out of Ringo-Vinda. It was a small group, maybe a hundred members that were hired for odd protection jobs or to squash a local skirmish on an Outer Rim world that didn't fall into Republic jurisdiction. At the time, I took a fancy towards her because of her looks. I mean, did you see her?"

"The Black Widow Trap." I mumbled to myself, then added, "Go on."

"She used her abilities to convince people to lay down their weapons. Sometimes, she even killed people with them. I'm no fool. I know about the Force and how it could be used. I assumed this was it. Seems I was right." Lando said, crossing his arms. "After the job I was on was finished, I never saw her again."

I raised a hand to my beard, giving it a thoughtful stroke, "It seems that she had her own life outside of whatever she was associated with before. If that was five years ago, then someone or some organization – presumingly the one she was a part of now – found her with the interest in training her in the Dark Side of the Force. Five years isn't a long time to train someone, but she had skill enough to best both Mara and Luke."

Lando made a noise, "What makes you think she wasn't the head of the organization you're referring to?"

"Because," I said, pulling up a comlink, "this belonged to her. When she didn't respond to an incoming call, I answered. Someone was there. We exchanged words. Based on attitude alone, she has a master or leader of some sort. And, they're still out there. Now, they're down one of their most prominent front leaders."

"That might cause issues for you then." Lando said. "They might come for revenge."

"No. I don't think so." I said. "Whoever is at the top is crafty and smart. They won't risk a clap-back so soon. Not without the appropriate foreknowledge to spearhead such an attack. We have a few leads we are going to follow up with. In the meantime, Lando, please do me a favor and if you see anyone that is associated with that group come back here, let me know. I'm sending you my comm frequency."

"Don't you mean your comm contact?" Lando asked, looking questioningly at my wrist comm.

"No." I said, sending him the frequency. "I mean my comm frequency. No one else uses this frequency but my Order. And, it can't be traced. So, do me a favor and don't share it with anyone. I'll know if you do."

Lando nodded, "I understand."

"Oh, and as far as compensation for the wind tunnel I destroyed." I said, reaching into my belt pocket and pulling out a small, rectangular case only about as long as my forefinger. I snapped it open and sifted through the prepaid credit chips until I found the one I needed. It was a gold chip with silver borders. I handed it to him, "This should be enough to cover the damage done to the wind tunnel. Plus, a little extra. I know you have a wide range of contacts and I'm in the business of making as many friends as I can. I'm hoping that this will be enough for you to become one of those friends, Lando."

Lando gave the chip a dubious look, then took it. He held his hand to the side, and Lobot put a datapad into his hands. He inserted the chip into the datapad and a row of financial data scrolled across the screen, showing Lando just how much money was actually on the chip. When he saw it, Lando's mouth dropped slightly, looking back at me with eyes a bit more open than they were before.

"Well," Lando said, handing the datapad back to Lobot, "consider me your newest best friend."

I smiled pleasantly, "I like the sound of that."

In the dulcet tones of a man who had too much money and didn't know what to do with it, Lando said, "I'll keep my eyes and ears out for any information on Shira Brie's group or any sightings of similar groups. Any tell-tales that will give me a better understanding on what to look for?"

I held out my lightsaber, "Anyone showing one of these or anything that remotely looks like it could be a lightsaber, you have them report to you and then you report to me using that comm frequency. Again, no one else but you."

Lando nodded, "I understand."

I held my hand to him, "Calrissian."

Lando shook the hand in a firm handshake, "Master Jedi."

I turned away and, when I got to the bottom of the ramp, I turned to face Lando, "One more thing."

"Yes?"

"Shira Brie's corpse is on Sub-Hangar 41." I said. "I'd send someone to dispose of it before it starts to smell."

Lando's face paled slightly but he nodded all the same, "Thanks. I'll get someone on it right away."

"Thanks, Lando." I said, waving backwards as I started the walk up the ramp. "Hopefully next time, it'll be a much more pleasant visit."

Once aboard the corvette and into the space above Bespin, I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I'd be holding in. In that breath held the anxieties and exhaustion of recent events. But, I could take a breath now. Mara was safe, everyone was alive, Shira Brie was dead, and my father had even made a miraculous return. All in all, while the endeavor was stressful, the ending was good.

As the stars before me stretched into the blue-white funnel of hyperspace, I pivoted my foot to turn around and walk towards the holoprojector in the center of the room strategy room beyond the bridge. Once I was there, I typed in my credentials and activated my comm frequency, tuning it for a specific person's comlink.

After a few blinks of the transceiver, an image expanded into view. It was the beautiful face of my wife, hood down but still dressed in the combat snowsuit that had no doubt protected her from the horrid winds and freezing temperatures of Rhen Var. Beside her was Ken Tarrak, my old apprentice, his hood down as well. Both looked tired but determined.

"Ahsoka. Ken." I said, smiling warmly at them. "It's good to see you're alright. How did the mission go?"

"You first." Ahsoka said. And, then, I knew she was also disheartened.

Nonetheless, I nodded, "Mara is alright. Luke and I got there in time."

Ahsoka smiled a smile that held a thousand pounds of relief, "Good. Remind me to have a talking with her about the dangers of taking endeavors like this into her own hands."

"Oh, trust me, I'll be with you on that one." I said.

"And, Shira Brie?" Ken asked. "What became of her, Master?"

I crossed my arms, tightening my posture, "She's dead."

"Mara and Luke?" Ahsoka asked, raising an eyebrow tattoo.

I shook my head, "No. I got there just in time to save them."

"I thought Luke was with you at the same time?" Ahsoka asked.

"We had to split up." I said, "Which brings me to another point. This might shock you, or it might not, but my father is alive. He was being controlled by another consciousness over his own. A product of the Dark Influence. Kane was also on Bespin but he denies being involved. I split my father from the other consciousness and the dark half got away."

Ahsoka blinked, absorbing information and filing it away into certain portions of her brain to better come up with a response. It was actually Ken that said, "That's a lot of information condensed. Plus, I feel like I'm missing something."

"I know. And, I'll go into it more when we all get back to the Temple." I said, avoiding the name of our planet while in the presence of personnel that, while picked out by Mon Mothma, weren't anyone I knew personally. That meant certain words had to be temporarily omitted from my vocabulary. "How did Rhen Var go? Did you find Qel-Droma's gravesite?"

Ahsoka and Ken shared a look of misgiving, no doubt reliving recent events. Those of which I could only assume, without explanation, weren't fond memories.

"Yeah. And, we found something else." Ken said, stretching his left shoulder.

"What?"

Ken sighed, "More enemies. Red lightsaber wielding enemies."

"Sith?" I felt my stomach drop.

Ahsoka shrugged, "It's possible, but they didn't expose anything that identified them as Sith beyond the lightsabers. But, you know as well as I, Sith aren't the only ones that use red lightsabers."

"What species were they?" I asked, hoping that this might be the missing link as to why the Keshiri Sith had vanished from Kesh. Ken's next words broke that theory.

"Human. There were four of them." Ken said. "Two of which we didn't learn their names before they died, but the other two identified themselves. One was a former Jedi Master named Jerec and the other was a young woman with black tattoos named Tavion."

That rang bells in my head. I took a step forward, "I had assumed Jerec to be MIA as he never reported back to the Temple following his stint in the Unknown Regions. If he never came back, he could have never become an Inquisitor."

"Inquisitor?" Ahsoka asked.

I nodded, "Inquisitors were former Jedi turned to the Dark Side to serve as…well, to serve as enforcers under Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in the Dark Future. When the Clone War ended, Jerec never returned from his posting. I assumed he'd just been delayed. Years later, I thought he'd been killed. Which, in all honesty, wasn't that bad of a thing. Now, it seems, he's back. And, Tavion. She's a Dark Side force user who would have tried to cause issues for the Jedi in the future, but if she's around now, then that means she's been plucked for whoever held Shira Brie's leash."

"You believe they are connected?" Ahsoka asked.

"Obviously." I said. "Too much coincidence and circumstance. What happened to them?"

Ahsoka half turned to Ken, then said, "As Ken mentioned, he eliminated one of the nameless assailants and I the other. Jerec and Tavion escaped."

"Nearly brought the entire cave down on our heads." Ken muttered.

"What about the gravesite?" I exclaimed.

Ken tapped his index finger on his right hand to his temple, "Qel-Droma's spirit gave me the information we needed. The obelisk was destroyed."

I nodded, somewhat relieved, "Good. I'll have you mind-meld with me later so I can learn the technique as well. It'll be good for all of us to learn how to combat any item that can siphon the Force from things or people."

"I agree." Ahsoka said.

Then, the dash lit up with another request for a communication line. I looked at Ken and Ahsoka, then pressed the button. Beside Ken, another hologram appeared. It was the ever familiar face of my younger brother. His red hair was a mess and his face was covered in grime, matching the splotches of black and brown that covered a good portion of his tunic.

"Jake." I said in greeting. "What happened to you?"

Jake's frown was prominent on his features, turning his face into a mask of irritation, "We encountered enemy forces. Jet was ambushed. He's alright and we obtained the Force Harvester, but our attackers got away."

I looked to Ahsoka, then said, "Ahsoka and Ken were also likewise attacked. It was coordinated."

Jake crossed his arms, "Our enemies were skilled, brother. I was able to get a look at the one who attacked Jet."

"Who was it?" I asked. "Because Ahsoka and Ken were engaged by Jerec and Tavion."

Jake's eyes widened slightly, "Jerec doesn't ring a bell, but Tavion is that tattooed woman who worked with Desaan to destroy the Jedi in the future. Kyle Katarn defeated her if I remember correctly."

"You're right." I said. "Who attacked you?"

"Well, first, we are dealing with an enemy force that employs not just people but droids as well. We were attacked by combat droids of a make I've never seen before." Jake said.

Ken piped in, "Let me guess, the ones you destroyed burst into blue flames when your combatant escaped?"

Jake turned to Ken, "How'd you know that?"

"Because," Ahsoka said. "The same thing happened to the ones our forces fought against. That confirms that the two groups that attacked were part of the same organization."

"And, the leader?" I asked Jake.

Jake gave me a look, then a sigh, then said, "A woman in a black, armored combat suit. It almost seemed like a stronger, sleeker version of Darth Vader's life support suit. Sounded similar as well."

"Well," I raised a hand to my beard, stroking it in thought as I'd seen Obi Wan do a thousand times, "suits like that have existed long before Vader and will exist long after him. But, it's distressing nonetheless. She also have a red lightsaber?"

Jake shook her head, "Blue, believe it or not. I thought I recognized the hilt but I never could get a good look at it to confirm my suspicion."

"A blue lightsaber." I echoed, reaching into my head to try to find a connection. But, no matter how deep I delved into the knowledge that was permanently burned into my brain, nothing came up that correlated to the situation at hand. "Stolen."

"My thoughts exactly." Jake said. "But, she was good. Fast. I cut off an arm, but it also burst into flames. No doubt, however, that there was a flesh and blood arm inside of the suit."

Ahsoka's face grew dark, "That means whatever device they have inside the droids for clean up control is also inside of the organics they use for their machinations."

"They could be as much a slave as the droids then." Ken said. "Do you think that's why Jerec and Tavion attacked us?"

"No." I said. "They are already people obsessed with chaos. They were always drawn towards power. Whatever organization holds the leash for those two, they joined of their own volition. No reason to put that inside of them. Shira Brie is dead and she didn't burst into flames. Unless, whoever is at the top is worried that the organics they employ might rat on them if given the chance."

"Or if subjected to Force persuasion." Jake said. "A good contingency plan."

"Effective." Ken agreed. "Now, we don't have any leads."

"Don't speak too soon, my old apprentice." I said, pulling out Shira Brie's comlink, "I have her cardinal drive. We can use it to backtrack transmissions from the man who called her and compare it with planetary departures from large numbers and small numbers of ships within the timezone of each planet."

Ken's face brightened, "That's something you never taught me."

"Or me." Jake said, crossing his arms.

I chuckled, "I've still got a trick or two up my sleeve. However, before we do anything to follow up on those planets, we all need to get back to the Temple, regroup, rest, and inform the rest of the Council of our findings. We need to be careful going forward."

"Agreed." All three of them answered at the same time.

Jake half turned, seeing something out of the view of the camera and nodded. He turned back to me, "We will jump immediately. I'll have my main transport make planetfall so we can figure out what to do with the Harvester."

"We are going to destroy it." I said. "Once we regroup, we will take it to the volcano on the eastern continent. The active one."

"Good idea." Jake said, then gave a waving gesture, "See you soon. All of you. Be safe."

"You too." I said and Jake's image faded.

Ken turned to the side, "I'll go have the admiral issue the order to return home." He walked off.

When he was gone, Ahsoka's strong face melted somewhat with love and concern, "There's something you're not telling me."

I blinked, "I was going to tell you in private when I saw you."

Ahsoka nodded, "Something not to be discussed over a holocall?"

"Right." I said, then reached out through the Force. Even lightyears away, I felt hers find mine and the two presences melded into one. Love, confidence, and passion flooded both of our systems, filling us with a sense of purpose and longing. That connection only could come from someone who was truly your soulmate, as she was mine.

"I was worried." Ahsoka said softly.

"I was too." I said, equally as soft.

"Come home." Ahsoka said, straightening slightly, "You look exhausted. I can feel your fatigue."

I chuckled, "I am tired. We all need some rest after today."

"You're telling me." Ahsoka said, then smiled, "I love you. Be safe. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you." I smiled back. "I love you too."

The connection faded away after that exchange and I turned to see Captain Daala coming through the outer doors into the room. She saluted, then moved to a command station.

"Captain." I said. "Take us to the Temple."

"Right away, Master Jedi."

When the main pearl metal doors to the main hangar bay, which was down the hall from the first level mess and a few corridors away from one of the communication centers, opened, I scanned the bay until my eyes fell upon the Millennium Falcon. Atop the Falcon was the person I was looking for.

Han Solo.

Without a doubt, Han had made a stupid decision by enforcing Mara's own need for…what? Mara had gone after Shira Brie to make sure that Luke didn't get hurt. An action that ended up with her demise and almost Luke's too. Yet, in that same thought pattern, the blame could also be laid at Leia's feet.

Leia was a strong willed woman and, even if this wasn't the exact same timeline, would never have let Han Solo dictate a course of action that would ultimately end in failure. Leia must have known that. Yet, she went anyway. It could have stemmed from the fact that both Han and Mara had the same goals in mind. However, those goals were driven by different philosophies; that much was certain.

Han was on the top of the Falcon, a welding torch in his hand, an apron around his chest, and a set of goggles protecting him from the sparks that emanated every time he touched the hull with his tool. He grunted as he tried to repair the damaged ship with parts and resources that the CR90 had on hand. A temporary fix, I assumed, but a necessary one if push came to shove.

A loud roar sounded from inside the cockpit of the Falcon, and I saw Chewbacca leaning towards the forward viewport, trying to get a vision confirmation before doing something. Han leaned back, then gave a nod to his Wookiee companion.

"Go ahead." Han said loudly, making sure Chewbacca could hear him clearly.

Chewbacca nodded, then flipped a switch on the top control board and waited. There was a whir, then a crackle, then the place Han had been trying to fix started sparking and crackling in different directions.

While defending himself from the onslaught of an uncalculated mistake, Han yelled, "Turn it off! Turn it off!"

Chewbacca quickly flipped the switch the other way and the sparks died down. He gave a gurf of irritation before Han leaned back on his haunches with a sigh that sounded like defeat.

I gave the Falcon a once over, seeing that, while this attempt had ended in failure, Han had already fixed a few of the other damaged parts of his ship very quickly. The mission he had personally supported had cost him in the end as well, it seemed.

I stepped into view of the man in question and called up, "Having trouble, Han?"

Han Solo looked over the edge, his face grimaced, and pulled up his goggles, "One of the conduits to the sensor relay was damaged. I'm trying to install a new wire line in place of the damaged one but it's giving me trouble."

"I see." I said, taking another step towards the ship. "So, this is a bad time, then?"

Han knew that my question was only a formality and he removed the goggles completely, giving a sigh, "If you're here to chew me out for taking Mara and Leia to Bespin, go ahead and do it now."

Using the Force, I catapulted upwards, landing on the hull of the Falcon beside Han, "At least you know why I'm here."

"Small talk from you?" Han scoffed. "Most of the time, I expect it. But, I knew from the look on your face that this wasn't going to be a fun conversation."

"You knew how dangerous Shira Brie was." I said, voice determined but flat. "Yet, you bolstered Mara's desire to protect Luke to the point of doing something stupid."

Han gave a single nod, "We took a shot. If we hadn't, then it's possible that crazy Dark Side lady would still be around planning my best friend's death."

"While I understand the sentiment," I said. "It doesn't disregard the fact that it was reckless and costly."

Han gave a look, "What are you talking about? As a result of the mission, Shira Brie is dead, a lot of her forces have been taken out, you got your dad back, and no one on our side bit the bullet. I'm struggling to see the cost of our trip."

I clenched a fist, then released it with the surge of irritation that rose in my chest. Lashing out did no good and I was far too disciplined to do that to someone I knew had good intentions, even if the act of putting those intentions to fruition wasn't brought about in the right way.

I bent down to his level, taking a seat on the ship itself, "Because, I absorbed that cost."

"What?"

"I'm going to tell you something, Han." I said softly. "Because I trust you. I know who you are."

Han looked confused, "You'll have to spell this one out for me."

"We did lose someone." I said, enunciating the adverb. "But, I brought this person back."

Han's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed, "As in, died?"

I nodded, "Right."

"Who?" Han asked.

"Mara." I said. "She died in Luke's arms."

Han looked beyond my shoulder as if he himself had the Force and could feel Mara lurking somewhere in the ship. Which, of course, was not possible.

"I've seen her walking around and talking. Hell, I've been talking to her." Han said. "She doesn't look much like a zombie to me."

"That's because she's not." I said. "I have a Force power that allowed me to bring her back from death. It's…new and dangerous, but it worked."

Han gave a shake of his head as if he was trying to add up a math equation and was running into a dead end at every turn, "Even if that's true, our cost would still be zero. You are acting like this endeavor cost us something forever. Which, to me, sounds like it didn't."

"But, it could have." I said pointedly. "By backing Mara's decision up…wait…" There was a flash of something across the legendary pilot's face and I saw it immediately, "It was your idea."

It wasn't a question or an inquiry, it was a statement. And, Han Solo knew it.

"Why would you push for them to pursue Shira Brie while knowing how dangerous it was?" I demanded, not caring if my tone was sharp.

Han didn't back down. He straightened his posture, "At the time, I thought it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Plus, Shira Brie had already lured a lot of my friends, your children as well, into a trap that almost got them killed. I thought we could get the drop on her and figure out what was going on as well as protect the people we cared about."

I blinked. Even though his actions had caused consequences – regardless if some of those consequences had been reversed – his reasons for doing it were pure to the core. He did it to protect Luke and everyone else, it gave Mara the opportunity to get the drop on Shira Brie and get some answers, and it also would have allowed the Rebirth to ascertain what organization she had belonged to.

"I see." I said. "Still. In the future, let's come up with a plan first."

Han rolled his eyes, "I'm starting to see where Ben learned that phrase from."

"A plan never hurts, Han." I said.

"No." Han said. "But, plans change all the time. They get interrupted. They go awry. Sometimes, making a decision in the moment without thinking about it is the only way of action."

"Though, not the best way of action." I argued. "But, I understand acting quickly without the whole picture."

"You said it." Han said, leaning back to weld another piece in place. "Not me."

I sighed, reaching out with the Force to depress the metal piece down so Han could focus on the connecting conduits. He nodded his thanks and went to work. After a few moments of focused work and flashes of sparks, there was a high pitched hum and Han moved his hands away.

He leaned over the side again, "Okay, Chewie! Do it again!"

There was a roar, then the sound of the Falcon came back to life. Han looked back at his handiwork and saw that the conduit was staying in place and sending power to the proper places. With a self-satisfied smirk, he pulled off his apron and goggles, placing them on the hull.

"Next time," I said, leaping down off the Falcon to rest atop the metal ground of the hangar bay below. "Just let me know what you're doing even if there's no plan."

Han smirked, tipping his head slightly, "I'll do my best."

Before I walked away, I said, "And, what I said about my power."

"What about it?"

"Do me a favor and keep it to yourself." I said. "I'd appreciate it."

Han shrugged, "Who am I going to tell? Who'd believe me? I barely believe you."

Nodding with a smile, I left the hangar bay.