Chapter 14 - Oasis

The voices in the cockpit blurred into a distant hum, unintelligible and far away. Edric stared blankly at the swirling blue vortex of hyperspace, his mind severed from the present. Beyond the twisting light, all he could see were two frozen figures—his father and his former master—locked in a deadly embrace. One fallen, the other victorious. Both had shaped him in their own way, and both were enemies.

A storm churned inside him, a pressure building that he couldn't ignore. Something dark and raw bubbled beneath the surface, clawing at the edges of his restraint, begging to be released. It wasn't just anger. It was deeper, more primal, like a monster that wanted to tear free and reshape itself into something unrecognizable. But beneath the roiling rage was a cold, numbing emptiness, like a droid that had reached maximum charge. Any more, and he felt like he might short-circuit, collapse under the weight of it all.

He could still feel his father's rough palm on his cheek, the coarse skin that spoke of a hard life. Doran's eyes, glistening with unshed tears flashed in his mind, the deep wrinkles etched into his face, the lines of a man who had lived through too much. The only time Edric even remembers seeing him was when he was at his oldest.

A gentle hand on his shoulder made him flinch, snapping him back to the present. He blinked, his surroundings in the cockpit coming back into focus. Lyra stood beside him, her face softened with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asked, almost a whispering. If only she knew what happened.

Edric swallowed hard, his throat tight. In the other seat behind, he glanced at Edwin staring into the nothingness similar to him.

"Not really," he admitted, his voice barely steady. He dropped his gaze, his shoulders sagging under everything he couldn't process. With a heavy sigh, he buried his face in his hands, trying to keep it together but feeling the world around him slipping away.

A sharp beep pierced through. Edric looked up just in time to see the lights on the console flash red.

"You've gotta be kriffin' kidding me," Max muttered under his breath, his voice laced with frustration as the Beast creaked and shuddered beneath them.

With a sudden jolt, the swirling blue of hyperspace vanished, replaced by the cold blackness of space and the pinprick lights of distant stars. But directly ahead, looming large in the viewport, was something much more immediate.

A planet.

"Remind me, kid," Max grumbled, his hands grabbing the controls as he tried to steady the ship, "not to sign up for any more of your family quests."

Edric barely had time to process his words as the Beast lurched violently, the gravity well of the planet locking its invisible claws around the ship, dragging them closer.

Lyra stumbled, tumbling into Edric's lap. A rush of heat flooded his cheeks, his heart skipping a beat as he instinctively reached out to steady her. For a moment, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of them, her weight against him, the awkward closeness catching him off guard.

"Sorry!" she muttered, quickly pulling herself up, her hand brushing his shoulder as she moved to the seat behind.

Edric cleared his throat, grateful the dim lights of the cockpit might hide the flush in his cheeks, then looked over at the bounty hunter.

"Max—" Edric started, gripping the armrests of his seat as the ship shook harder, but Max cut him off.

"I know, I know! Just hang on, I'm working on it!"

Max's voice was tight, focused, as he fought with the yoke, trying to wrestle the vehicle out of the planet's gravitational grip without much luck. The roar of one of the engines echoed through the cockpit, a sharp shriek of metal and power that abruptly died into a haunting whine.

"Uh-oh," Max registered.

The Beast shuddered as it dropped into a sudden freefall. Edric was quick to flip a few switches to deploy the emergency flaps, hoping to slow their descent. The ship groaned in protest, its systems straining as the flaps struggled against the planet's atmosphere now. Max's eyes darted between the console and the viewport while fighting to keep the ship level, using whatever power remained in the thrusters and the one remaining sub-light engine.

The ground rushed toward them faster than Edric would've liked, the jagged terrain looming larger with every passing second.

"Get ready," Max barked, his eyes flicking to Edric with a side glance. Edric's finger hovered over the switch, sweat beading on his brow as he braced himself.

"On my mark..."

The seconds stretched painfully long, the Beast hurtling toward the surface faster and faster, the landscape blurring outside the viewport.

"NOW!"

Edric slammed the switch, and the reverse thrusters came to life, screaming as they fought. The entire vessel groaned under the strain, the metal frame creaking from the violent forces tearing at it. The ground came up fast, but the Beast slowed just enough, hitting the sandy surface with a jarring thud.

They slid across the dunes, the ship kicking up clouds of dust as it skidded for what felt like an eternity before finally coming to a screeching halt. Silence followed, the rest of the systems dying with a whimper, leaving only the sound of their heavy breaths in the aftermath.

"Well, that was a very unhappy landing," Max quipped.

Edric grunted as he unbuckled his seatbelt, his muscles aching from the rough landing. He glanced over his shoulder, checking on the others. Max was already pulling himself up with a low groan, and Edwin, though a little dazed, seemed no worse for wear. A quick scan told him no one had sustained any serious injuries, just a few bruises from the seatbelts. After everything that had happened so far, Edric counted that as a small victory.

His eyes lingered on Lyra a little longer than he intended. She was raking her fingers through her tousled hair, adjusting a few loose strands that had fallen across her face. For a moment, something inside him stirred, but he quickly averted his gaze before she could notice.

"Where the hell are we?" Edwin groaned behind him, his voice still thick from the crash.

Edric shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "No clue. We dropped out at a random point, somewhere between Daiyu and... well, our emergency destination of Corellia, I guess. Could be anywhere."

"Let's hope 'anywhere' isn't worse than where we came from." Max glanced between Edric and Edwin, his expression softening, though his voice carried its usual gruffness. "Care to share what just happened back there?"

The scenes replayed in Edric's mind like a nightmare he couldn't shake. Master Asher standing there, drenched in darkness, his father collapsing in front of him, the red blade still sizzling away his blood. It was as if a knife had been twisted in his gut, each memory sharper than the last. He could still feel the searing rage that radiated from Kael, threatening to overwhelm him even now.

He glanced at his brother, hoping for some sort of guidance, but Edwin simply stared out the viewport, eyes distant, almost vacant. Yet, Edric could sense the calm radiating from him through the Force. It was like a deep, still pool. A serenity that felt unreachable, and it gnawed at Edric. How is he doing that? How could Edwin be so composed after what had just happened?

"Father's dead," Edwin began, his voice unnervingly steady, not a hint of grief in it. "We're all that's left now. But we got the data chip from him, so our priority is to relocate the holocron."

He didn't even flinch when talking about their father's demise, as though it were some footnote in the larger mission. Edric clenched his jaw.

Max raised an eyebrow, his usually sharp tone softening slightly. "That's it? You're just gonna drop that like it's the weather?" He shot Edric a side glance. "Kid, what about you? You look like you've seen a rancor."

Edric's throat ran dry. His hands curled into fists on his lap, knuckles white. "It wasn't just our father," he said, voice low. "It was... Kael who killed him. My Master." He spat the word as if saying it aloud made it more real, more painful. "He's alive. And he's an Inquisitor now."

Max's eyes narrowed and his mouth opened, but strangely the bounty hunter was at a loss of words. Edric could see the pity in the way he looked at him, or at least that's what he thought it was. Why is everyone still treating me like a child?

His nails bit into his palms, his heart thudded painfully against his ribs. "I left him behind, Max," he admitted, the words tumbling out before he could stop them. "After Tarnos. He was in a coma, barely alive. The Council said they weren't sure he'd ever wake up. I—" He stopped, his voice cracking. "I thought he was gone."

"Sometimes we leave things behind thinking they're gone for good," Max said quietly. "Only for them to come back and bite us where it hurts the most."

Edwin spoke up, his voice sounded devoid of any emotion to Edric.

"He's not the man you knew anymore, brother. That person's gone. What's left is just another enemy. Our focus needs to be the holocron. Nothing else."

Edric's frustration bubbled over. "How can you be so calm about this?" he snapped, turning to his brother. "Our father is dead, my former master turned to the Dark Side and is a kriffing Inquisitor, and all you care about is the damn holocron? Don't you feel anything?"

Edwin finally looked at Edric, his eyes sharp but not angry. "I do feel, Edric. But feelings don't change what we have to do. Father's gone. We can grieve later. Right now, our responsibility is to make sure we don't fail him, as he would want." His voice was even, steady, as though it had all been calculated, weighed, and measured.

"You are worse than the Jedi," Edric said, the words biting more than he intended. Without waiting for a response, he stormed out of the cockpit, his whole body trembling with barely contained rage.

He wanted to explode from the inside out and scream—no, he needed to scream, to let it all out. To let the monster that had been shackled inside him break free and destroy everything in its path. He didn't know where he was going, his feet moving on their own as he barreled through the corridors of the Beast. The walls felt like they were closing in on him, the large ship suddenly too small, too suffocating. He reached the ramp, slamming his fist against the control panel as the doors hissed open. The dry, scorching heat hit him like a wall, but he barely registered it.

He stumbled out onto the rough sand, his boots sinking slightly into the gritty surface. The barren landscape stretched out before him, vast and empty, offering no comfort, only silence and heat.

His legs gave way, and he collapsed onto his knees. His breath came in ragged gasps, the sand hot beneath his palms. He punched it once, then buried his face in his hands, trying to contain the maelstrom inside him, but the grief, the anger, the frustration—it was too much. It was all too much.

How could Master Asher have chosen the Dark Side? This was the man who had been Edric's pillar, his unwavering guide to the light every time self-doubt clouded his mind. How could the same person, who had never sought power, who only wanted to make the galaxy a better place, fall to such temptation?

It didn't make sense. It couldn't. And yet, the image of Kael's twisted face burned in Edric's mind, that once kind expression now distorted by hatred and rage. The eyes that had once looked at him with pride and wisdom were now bloodshot and filled with something far more sinister.

Was it my fault? The question echoed in his mind, a festering doubt. Had he failed his master so completely that it shattered Kael's faith? Had his leaving the Order, his inability to be an exemplary student, pushed him to this fate?

No... It couldn't be. Could it?

A single tear slipped down Edric's cheek, quickly followed by another. He let them fall, not bothering to wipe them away. He felt truly lost, like a wanderer stumbling through an endless desert with no hope of finding an oasis.

"Kid," Max's voice broke through, low and uncharacteristically serious.

Edric didn't turn around, but he could feel the older man's presence behind him, steady and grounded. The usual sarcasm and teasing edge were gone from Max's tone, replaced by something that sounded like concern.

"You know," Max continued. "Life's gonna throw a lot of things at you. Things you can't control, things you can't make sense of. And I know you've dealt a shitty hand, not even the first time. People change, Edric. And… it ain't your fault."

Edric's throat tightened, but he stayed silent, staring down at the sand beneath him. He wasn't sure he could trust his voice, not without it breaking.

Max took a deep breath, then crouched down beside him, the usual playfulness in his eyes replaced with a rare, fatherly seriousness. "I don't know much about your Jedi stuff. Or the Force and whatever that Dark Side really is. Hell, I don't know why people do half the things they do in this galaxy. But what I do know is… you can't carry it all. Whatever happened with your Master, that's on him. It wasn't your job to save him. Everyone has their own monsters in here," he said and pointed at his temple.

Edric's heart clenched, the guilt he had been wrestling with refusing to let go. "But what if I—"

"No." Max cut him off gently, laying a hand on his shoulder, his grip firm but comforting. His voice softened, but the strength in it remained. "No what ifs. I know you, kid. You'll run yourself ragged trying to fix everyone else. You can't keep blaming yourself for other people's choices. There's only so much a person can carry before it breaks them. You don't wanna be that person."

Edric finally looked up at the bounty hunter. Max gave him a small, reassuring smile, the kind that wasn't mocking or sarcastic for once, but genuine.

"Look, I'm not saying it's easy to let go of what happened. I'm not even saying you should right away. But you can't drown yourself in it either. You've still got the people here who need you—we need you. And you've got a mission. Your father or your true former master wouldn't want you breaking apart over this."

Edric wanted to believe Max's words, to let the weight lift, even if just a little. He nodded as thanks.

Max stood, giving Edric one last pat on his large shoulder before straightening up. "Alright, that'll be a thousand credits as we agreed last time," he said, his tone shifting back to its usual teasing self. "I'll just deduct it from your pay. Makes it easier for both of us."

"Kriff you," Edric replied with a weak smile tugging at his lips.

Max grinned, clearly satisfied to see Edric feeling better. "By the way, after you stormed out? Lyra absolutely lit into Edwin. Sent him to a warmer climate and then some." He gave a mock shiver. "That girl's got fire in her."

Edric's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "She really did that?"

"Oh yeah," Max nodded with a smirk. "I thought she was gonna deck him. Honestly, I wouldn't have stopped her."

"I'll have to thank her for that later."

Max chuckled. "You should. Might want to stay on her good side, kid. She's a keeper."

"Shut up, Max," Edric replied, feeling his cheeks burn yet again.

It took them about an hour to assess the damage. With their hyperdrive in its current state, they were stuck on the planet for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, as they surveyed the area, Lyra spotted signs of a settlement on the starboard side of the Beast, not too far away.

Short on supplies and even shorter on options, they quickly agreed to head there. While Lyra and Edwin would scavenge for provisions, Edric and Max were tasked with finding someone who could either fix the hyperdrive or at least sell them the parts needed for repairs.

The sun beat down mercilessly on the desert landscape, casting shimmering waves of heat across the horizon. Though the terrain wasn't full of towering dunes, the smaller mounds of sand still swallowed half of Edric's boots with every step. His tunic clung to his back, drenched in sweat, and he wiped his forehead constantly, the salty sting burning his eyes.

The journey wasn't long, but by the time they reached the crest of a dune, all of them were already parched. From the top, the settlement unfolded before them. It was larger than what they expected, a proper city even with a river cutting through it. The buildings were modest, constructed mostly from stone or whatever local materials were available. Rectangular in shape, they appeared weathered, their surfaces cracked and worn from the relentless sun. Small windows dotted their exteriors, while larger structures featured intricate symbols etched into the stone, their meanings lost to time. Towering over many of the rooftops were large domes, their surfaces gleaming with a faint turquoise hue, catching the sunlight. In the far back, a palace-like building sat on top of a hill, rising above the rest of the buildings. It had five cupolas, four in each corner, with one larger than the others in the middle.

It was a stark contrast to the desert around it, this cluster of life and architecture nestled against an otherwise barren horizon. The domes shimmered under the light, rising like sentinels guarding the town. From this distance, Edric could make out the movement of citizens below, bustling through narrow streets, their forms dwarfed by the tall minarets that stretched skyward, piercing the clouds above.

The place reminded him of something that was ancient but alive, as if it had survived through centuries of hardship. But that thought didn't bring him comfort, it just made him realize how out of place they were.

From their vantage point, Edric's eyes landed on what looked like a bustling market square. It was larger than the surrounding streets, dotted with makeshift stalls and awnings stretched wide, offering shade beneath their sun-bleached sails. The stalls below were filled with vendors, their voices rising and falling as they called out to passersby, haggling prices or advertising their wares.

"There," Edric pointed. "Looks like a market."

Max followed his gaze and nodded in agreement, while Lyra and Edwin glanced over silently, acknowledging the plan. Edric couldn't help but notice how quiet Edwin had been since their confrontation earlier. His older brother had barely said a word, responding with little more than grunts even when Max or Lyra tried to engage him.

Edric was secretly relieved he wouldn't be scavenging for supplies with Edwin, as he wasn't sure he was ready to confront him again just yet. But at the same time, a small knot of worry twisted in his gut at the thought of Lyra having to deal with him. Edwin wasn't the easiest to read after all. He cast a brief glance at Lyra, who seemed unfazed, her expression as steady as ever. She caught his eye and gave a reassuring smile. She was tough. Maybe tougher than he gave her credit for, so they would be fine. At least I hope.