Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter five of "Not So Far." This chapter introduces Vari, Hux, Dopehld, Luke, Han, and Chewie. I am so glad to finally feature the First Order. I have been wanting to do that since I started this fic. Stay tuned for chapter six.
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Chapter 5: Getting Word/On the Way
The Finalizer drifted through space in the Outer Rim. The control room bristled with activity. Some people moved about. Others monitored the computers. A young woman tapped her headset as Dopheld stood close to her. She proceeded to speak inaudible words. He moved his hands behind his back before running his tongue all over the inside of his mouth.
Twenty-eight-year-old Vari stood at the front window with her hands behind her back. She looked upward, her nostrils flaring. She was rather tall for a human woman. Her skin was pale to the point that she appeared to be a ghost. Her sandy blonde hair was long and straight. It happened to be braided down her back. Her blue eyes contained bags underneath them. Her lightsaber hung on a belt on her waist.
General Artimage Hux came up beside Vari. He placed his hands in front of him. They watched three comets shoot past the stars. They listened to the quiet chatter from their officers. Two more comets went by one after the other. She rubbed her nose before clearing her throat. He clicked his tongue three times while looking upward. She gazed at him.
"Hello, General Hux," Vari greeted.
"Hello, Vari," Hux replied respectfully as he glanced at her. "Space looks so vast, doesn't it?"
"I can't argue with that," Vari agreed. "Many stars actually have a system of planets."
"Anakin Skywalker was known for saying he wanted to be the first one to see them all," Hux said, shaking his head in disbelief. "It is ironic how 'The Hero with No Fear' was scared of losing his loved ones."
"Fear can be an amazing tool to fight an enemy when used properly," Vari pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Anger and aggression are just as effective tools. They give you more focus and make you stronger," Hux commented.
Vari chuckled. "That is very true. The Jedi say the dark side is not stronger, but it is easier and more seductive. They are right about it being easy and seductive. They are not right about it not being stronger."
"Supreme Leader Snoke is very powerful in the dark side. He is also very mysterious. He has never spoken of his past with the exception of several apprentices he trained," Hux said while furrowing his brow.
"He pointed me down the right path," Vari said, chuckling evilly. "I enjoy slaughtering people, even if they mean no harm. Every death makes me more powerful."
Hux smirked. "Whoever has the control has the power."
Vari brought her hands in front of her. She took her lightsaber off her belt and pressed the button. A red blade shot upward. She moved it from side to side three times. The blade illuminated Hux's face in a bath of red. He smiled in amazement.
"It is interesting that red blades are not naturally occurring, but they are powered by the dark side," Hux said.
"Ilum was where younglings would get crystals to build their lightsabers. Now, it has been converted into Starkiller Base," Vari said, a sinister smile forming on her face. "It means nothing to me now."
"Because of overmining for kyber crystals to power the first Death Star, the Empire left a trench that stretched across the middle of the planet. That made it the perfect place to build it," Hux said with a malicious snicker.
"It's not every day a planet sacred to the Jedi gets converted into a superweapon," Vari said, raising her eyebrows.
"No, it isn't," Hux agreed.
Vari deactivated her lightsaber and placed it on her belt. She rubbed the back of her neck with both hands. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. She blinked three times.
"Once Starkiller Base is operational, we will finally crush the Resistance by eliminating the New Republic on Honsian Prime," Hux commented while wiggling his eyebrows.
"Then we will eliminate the Resistance base," Vari said.
"We have to find it first," Hux pointed out truthfully. "It has been hidden from us for way too long."
"I believe we will find it before long," Vari said, chuckling to herself. "I can feel it."
Hux let out a sharp exhale. "You and your feelings."
Vari gave him a serious look. "If you were strong with the Force like I am, you would have similar feelings."
A clearing throat caught the duo's attention. They turned to see Dopheld, who stood a short distance away from them. They could see he had his hands behind his back.
"Commander Vari, General Hux, I have great news," Dopheld announced eagerly.
"What is it, Lieutenant?" Vari asked.
"We just received word from our spy on Plint. A team of Resistance workers are carrying out a humanitarian mission in Tovi. It is a small village surrounded by a forest," Dopheld explained.
Vari smiled. "Excellent, Lieutenant."
Dopheld nodded at her. "Thank you."
Vari looked at Hux, who scratched the back of his neck. She grabbed the side of her black cape so tightly that it seemed she was about to rip it.
"Inform the pilots that we are setting a course for Plint. It's time to capture and interrogate rebel scum on the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker," Vari commanded fiercely.
"Of course, Commander," Hux said, a sinister smile crossing his lips.
"Put Captain Phasma on notice. I want her leading the attack with the best of our stormtroopers," Vari said while flaring her nostrils.
"Yes, ma'am," Hux said, nodding at her.
Vari glanced at Dopheld. "You may go back to your post, Lieutenant."
Dopheld gave her a nod. "Yes, ma'am."
Dopheld turned and walked away. Hux repeated his actions while whistling to himself. Vari looked out the window. She moved closer to it, her hand curling into a fist.
"You will be in my hands soon enough, Luke. Once you die alongside Ben, the Jedi will never rise again," Vari whispered through clenched teeth. She observed a comet going by.
00000
The Millennium Falcon was going through hyperspace in the Unknown Regions. Luke stood near the dejarik board while holding his lightsaber. The blade illuminated his face in a bath of green. He had his eye on a training remote. Chewie was sitting there watching him. He tilted his head slightly before blinking three times. He propped his head up with his elbow.
The remote floated to the right. Luke moved a little bit, leaning his lightsaber forward. It headed to the left a bit. He narrowed his eyes at it. It went upward, firing a laser. He moved his lightsaber sideways in which he blocked it. The remote jerked to the left and fired another one. He moved his weapon to the right, blocking it. It shot two more lasers after going downward. He pointed his lightsaber down to block both of them.
"Very nice blocking, Luke," Chewie growled happily while shaking his fist in the air.
"Thanks, Chewie," Luke replied as he deactivated his lightsaber. He hung it on his belt. "It is important for a Jedi to keep his or her lightsaber skills up to par, even one as old as me."
"You are not that old," Chewie said honestly. "You are just fifty-three years old. So is Leia. Both of you are in excellent health."
"So is Han. He is thirteen years older than both of us are," Luke commented and looked around. "I remember when Obi-Wan began training me to be a Jedi in here. Han was in denial about the existence of the Force."
"I was also playing dejarik with Artoo. I got mad when he took down one of my characters. Threepio told me he made a fair move and that screaming would not help. Han said it was not wise to upset Wookies because we were known to pull arms out of their sockets when we lost. Threepio told Artoo to let me win," Chewie explained. "Of course, we never got to finish that game."
"I know," Luke said and stroked his beard. He took hold of the remote and turned it off. He set it on the floor. "Han was mildly impressed by my ability to block laser bolts with my lightsaber while wearing a helmet with its blast shield down." He tried to hold back a smile, but he could not help himself. "He contributed it to luck, though."
"In a Jedi's experience, there is usually no such thing as luck," a male voice said with a chuckle.
Luke and Chewie looked over their shoulders at Han, who stood a short distance away from them. Han smiled while waving at them.
"How long have you been standing there, Han?" Luke asked curiously.
"Long enough to hear you share some memories of the past," Han said, coming to his friend's side. "I thought I'd let you two know that we should arrive on Tihon in a little while."
Luke smiled. "That's good."
"Tihon may be a great place for people to hide, but I doubt we will find Ben there. It is a tropical planet filled with beaches and rainforest. The rainforest is very thick in its foliage," Chewie pointed out.
"We have to try to find him on that world, Chewie. I promised Leia that I would find him and bring him home. I am not giving up on that promise," Han said seriously.
"I understand. Still, we've been searching for six years and keep coming up empty-handed," Chewie said.
"That is true, but we can't just give up. Leia wants to see Ben again so much. Luke and I do too," Han replied.
"I also want to make amends with him for nearly killing him in his sleep," Luke added with a heavy sigh. "I can't believe I did such a thing. I would not blame him if he resented me for the rest of his life."
Han pressed his lips together. "You are not the only one whom he might resent forever. I wasn't there for him as much as I should have been. Neither was Leia. Before the temple disaster, he was already disillusioned with us for never telling him about his grandfather's Sith identity."
Luke frowned as he went over to a chair and seated himself. The memory of his temple burning played in his mind. He wished he could have kept an eye on his nephew more often. The fact he never felt him fall to the dark side gave him hope Ben was living peacefully somewhere. He knew he took on too much at once and should've just focused on him until his training was complete. His feeling Vari's fall was colder than anything he had ever imagined. He observed Han going over to Chewie and sitting down beside him.
"There is no doubt in my mind that my temple would have been destroyed, anyway. Darkness was growing in Vari at a rapid rate. She was very jealous of Ben's raw strength in the Force. She wanted what he had," Luke commented.
"No two Jedi have the same strength in the Force," Han pointed out truthfully.
"That was true in the old Jedi Order. It is very true now," Luke admitted with a slow nod. "When I encountered Vari for the first time in four-and-a-half years during a humanitarian mission to Oliss, I was astounded at how much darkness I sensed in her. Her face was so full of anger and rage that it seemed she was about to shoot fire from her eyes."
"She was basically much darker than Ben ever was," Chewie growled with a shake of his head.
Luke nodded in agreement. "That's right, Chewie. I fought and defeated her in a lightsaber duel. She vowed to kill Ben and me to end the Jedi once and for all."
"You've said that you are planning to search for another student to train in the ways of the Jedi if this trip was unsuccessful a few times. Chewie and I will miss having you with us," Han murmured in much sadness.
"I understand, but I do need to make another attempt to restart the Jedi Order. Someone needs to carry on in my place once I pass on into the Force," Luke answered, sighing heavily. "It sucks I won't be with you anymore, but at least I am not giving up on the Jedi."
Han stroked his chin. "I say you also made a mistake idealizing the Jedi of the past."
"I know," Luke agreed. "Now, I see they were quite arrogant. They believed the Sith were gone, but Darth Maul proved them wrong. The dark side clouded their vision. They didn't realize Palpatine was a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious until it was too late. It is okay to admire them, but their mistakes have to be acknowledged too."
Chewie sighed. "So true. No one is perfect, not me, not you, not Han, not Leia, or anyone else."
Luke shifted his attention to the ceiling. He wished Obi-Wan had told him the whole truth about Anakin from the beginning. He believed it would have spared him much pain. At the same time, he knew what the Jedi had told him was true from a certain point of view. It sounded strange to him, yet it made sense too. He eyed Han and Chewie.
"Vari is rather unique among dark side users. She chose to keep her name. She wants people to fear it," Luke said honestly.
"I never understood the practice of Sith changing their names to forget their pasts," Han said.
"They do not want to remember what they used to be. The focus on the future is very important to them. For the Jedi, they would rather focus on their immediate needs. Being mindful of the future is good, though," Luke explained.
"Yes, it is," Chewie agreed. "You never know what it might bring. I do hope Ben will reconcile with all of us."
"Luke, Leia, and I do too, Chewie," Han said, touching his best friend's shoulder. "Luke, Leia, and I do too."
Luke folded his hands and laid them in his lap. He proceeded to talk about the time Ben played a prank on him.