Chapter 26 Into the Multiverse

9 BBY Nightside Space Station

Lando Calrission was many things and he considered himself a very patient man. After all, creating multiple galaxy-spanning corporations from what Han derisively called get rich quick schemes took a certain amount of patience in order for things to work out. Mining for gemstones rarer than diamonds in the gas giant of Yavin, his daring mining operation on Nkkllon. However, waiting on a Jedi master and his apprentice to show up when there were a bunch of goons around that might try to put him on ice made him itchy. Especially if those goons were attached to some crazy Sith wannabees or Imperial fanatics, as his sources had informed him. Still, the pressure was not enough for him to develop a tic, though. He calmly finished his game of sabbac with his trademark customary smile and excused himself after winning the relatively modest pot that had been collected in this trading port. As he left for the exit of the gambling establishment, his commlink buzzed, informing him his backup had finally arrived. Keeping an eye over his shoulder, he returned to the Lady Luck to find that Luke and his teenaged student, Kyp Durron, had arrived.

Lando internally sighed with relief. "Luke, buddy, I didn't think you were ever going to show."

Luke laughed. "If you could find places a little closer to Yavin, it might be a bit quicker to get here. But with the praxeum going, hopefully in 5 to 10 years we should have Jedi ready to respond in most corners of the galaxy within a few days."

"Yeah well, let's go inside," Lando said as he walked up the ramp. "More comfortable."

Luke nodded, recognizing it as a ploy to go somewhere where their conversation wouldn't be overheard. Lando quickly led them to his living room with its luxurious lounge chairs. Kyp quickly lay down on the couch, not caring in the least about the grownups' amused reaction, after 4 days in the much sparser Jedi academy ship.

"Don't get too comfortable, we're probably about to leave," Luke warned.

Kyp grunted noncommittally.

"So your transmission was a bit sparse on details, but something about a family being chased," Luke said.

"Yeah, by a group of Sith wannabes," Lando answered. "My information has it the family landed here in the last half hour, now whether or not their pursuers are here might be another story."

"Let's go find them," Luke said "Come on, Kyp."

Kyp groaned but stood nonetheless. Lando followed. As they headed through the streets, Lando quietly relayed that his sources in the New Republic had alerted him to a battle with Imperials in Wild Space that was extremely unusual because it was led by an elite unit of the Imperial Remnant. The unit had attempted to capture a single passenger ship. During the battle a Lieutenant had made contact with the vessel, saying they were fleeing the Sith. The fleet commander had disregarded the statement, but filed a report with his superiors where it had fallen on the desk of one of Lando's old subordinate had informed Lando that the flight lieutenant had given this location as a safe getaway. Though in truth, Lando could have thought of at least a dozen better places between here and Wild Space, including several New Republic bases, that would have been safer. Being in the general region, Lando took it upon himself to show up personally, having business on the station, and had contacted Luke. What had made Lando nervous, however, were rumors in the underworld that the Sith had reemerged and were actively seeking a husband, wife, and little girl. Anytime Lando had pressed anyone for more information the source always clammed up. Lando was continuing his conversation when Kyp Durron suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Kyp?" Luke asked questioningly.

Kyp stopped as if to listen, then looked over the edge of the banister they were next to. "There," he said. "3 stories below us. Three humans, one of them a child."

Luke and Lando both glanced over the rail.

"That's them," Luke said, then looked confused. "But the Force is drawing me away from them. What about you, Kyp?"

"Towards them or at least towards the child for some reason," Kyp said, "It's like we're connected somehow."

Lando mentally refrained from saying that Kyp qualified as a child as well.

"Alright, you and Lando head down there and get them to safety. Something else must be going on around here," Luke said.

Kyp darted for the nearest escalator and Lando rushed to follow.

Luke continued his way forward, suddenly sensing the presence of a dark Jedi. He sighed. Apparently, today was going to be one of those days.

Dathan was sliding through the crowd of the space station. Both he and his wife both knew they couldn't stay here long. The trick was going to be securing another vessel. He didn't know, however, where to go once he found one. The galaxy was a dangerous place. From the Deep Core to Wild Space, the scattered Imperial remnants were spread around the galaxy with toeholds in each major region of the galaxy. The fledgling New Republic was able to keep things together largely because the Imperials had been unable to agree on a single united leader. Thrawn could have pulled it off if the entire Moff council had aligned with him, fortunately they were too greedy to pull together. Dathan had enough cash to secure a trip to somewhere, but where? It was either that or steal a ship. He wasn't overly fond of that idea, but he could manage it if needed. It was right about this time that his danger senses went on high alert. While he himself was not a Force sensitive like his father, he had been accustomed to being able to sense danger. A cursory glance told him they were indeed being followed. Hopefully it was just some local muscle and not a dark Jedi from Byss. Either way, that eliminated plan one so now to find a suitable ship to borrow, without permission.

He quickly spotted just what he was after: a courier ship, probably for a mid-level manager at an up-and-coming corporation- either that or someone new to this end of the galaxy. Either way, the ship was about to be borrowed. He slid his way towards the ship. His wife, a former pirate, realized what he was doing and guided their daughter towards their new destination. Right then he saw one of their pursuers go for his blaster. Dathan's wife pulled hers first and shot the man down. The three then ran for the ship, firing blaster shots at their pursuers. "It's going to be close." Dathan thought grimly. He fired from the little protection provided in the hanger, covering his daughter as his wife worked the security lock on the ship. The firefight was getting fierce as their pursuers were desperate for them not to get away when Dathan saw something he never believed he would ever see.

A teenager fell from the floor above, but instead of pancaking when he hit the concrete floor, he rose quickly and ignited a green lightsaber. Dathan's mind went wide he knew for a fact dark Jedi and Sith only used red lightsabers. It was some weird thing about making crystals bleed or something. The figure had the blade deflecting blaster shots coming at them, shielding them from the incoming fire.

"Who is he?" Miramir asked ,glancing up from the console.

"Don't know but they could have rushed us by now, so I'd say that makes him a friend, at least for now," Dathan said. The teen was not wreaking havoc like Vader, nor acting ruthlessly like the Inquisitors. His answers would come soon as the teen backed towards them.

"What's wrong with the panel?" the teen asked.

"We don't have the codes. Who are you?" Miramir said as Dathan provided some cover fire.

"Kyp Durron, Jedi apprentice to Master Skywalker," Kyp answered.

"I thought the Jedi were extinct," Dathan said.

"Not quite all of us. There's a few left and more in training," Kyp answered.

Dathan was a bit shocked. The answer to his family's safety had been in existence all this time if what this kid was saying was true.

Kyp pulled out acommlink with one hand and kept blocking blaster shots with his other.

Two Stories Above

Lando was racing to get downstairs to help, hoping Kyp wouldn't get himself hurt. When Kyp saw the blaster fire start, he had simply jumped over the edge and leap-frogged the 4 stories in between himself and the people they were here to protect. Lando had to go the long way around. By the time he was nearly to the stairs to take him down to the last floor separating himself and the others, his commlink went off.

"Yes," he said while running.

"Lando, it's Kyp. I need the security override codes to one of your ships. We're stuck in the corner of the hanger with one of your courier ships from Bespin behind us."

Lando stopped and considered his options before giving Kyp one of his low-level override codes for his ships.

Kyp placed the code into the terminal. "Get in, get the engines started, and yell at me when we're ready to go."

He continued to block the increasing number of bolts, though they were more scattered as the goons had gotten nervous that their prey was escaping and a Jedi had appeared. Within a short time ,he got the call to get in. He did so, closing the doors behind him. He felt the ship lift off the platform and head into space. Kyp rushed into the cockpit to find the family waiting for him.

"Where can we find the other Jedi?" said the man.

Kyp slipped into the pilot's chair, glancing at the fuel. He grimaced. Lando was skimping on fueling his vessels, other than his own, for cross galactic trips. He did a quick check on the galactic map and realized Bespin was close enough to jump and refuel for a trip to Yavin IV.

"We don't have enough fuel to make it that far, but I know Lando won't mind us refueling his ship at his facility on Bespin. We will fuel up and head for the Jedi Praxeum."

With that he pulled the lever, taking the ship into hyperspace.

34 ABY

In all of his short 14 years of life, Ben Skywalker had never felt so hopeless. He and Jacen had been investigating a distress call on a planet when they were ambushed by the One Sith. Darth Warlock had personally led the charge on the orders of his master, the elusive yet deadly Darth Krayt. He was rumored to exist, yet few had seen the man and lived. All Jedi knights who had been rumored to have encountered him were presumed dead or their bodies found.

It had been nearly a decade into the tumultuousness of the Yuuzhan Vong war when this hidden Sith organization had been revealed. Grand Admiral Thrawn himself had discovered the likelihood of the organization's presence and had revealed that information privately to Luke Skywalker. With the Grand Admiral, the New Jedi Order was able to deduce the hiding point of the Sith organization and, as they had been found tampering in the affairs of the Empire and the Galactic Alliance, the had been confronted.

Luke, perhaps naively, had tried to talk the Order down and maybe coexist, but the Sith were arrogant and frightened by the Jedi's discovery of them. With Krayt being in stasis, they attacked the NJO on their approach.

The Sith lost over 60% of their effective strength that day, after which Krayt reduced the order by another 15 % personally after their lopsided failure. Agents had been detected and picked off through the years until the One Sith numbered no more than a few dozen.

This was the first time the One Sith had appeared since their last attempt at subterfuge had been exposed by a sloppy agent in yet another Corellian crisis with Centerpoint Station.

Now it was obvious to Ben that he and Jacen were their targets. Ben believed Jacen had escaped, though whether that was through strength in arms or that he was the target, Ben wasn't sure.

Neither thought was super comforting as he found himself faced with an Embrace of Pain on the other side of the room, with the writhing vines of the Yuuzhan Vong device Jacen had said that his old "teacher" had used it to try to get him to succumb to the best-case scenario was that Jacen was going for help. But he had better hurry.

The door opened and the feared Dark Lord of the Sith walked into the room. Ben sucked in his breath, The room had chilled considerably in front of his powerful presence. Ben noticed that Krayt wasn't as good at concealing his Force signature as Jacen was. Krayt was one of the most powerful Force users Ben had met, but he believed that his father and Kyp Durron were stronger still.

"The Skywalker family line is blessed with great power," the armored man intoned looking him in the eye, " My power has taken me a lifetime to attain, yet I will never attain what you and your father can."

"Why would a dark lord admit weakness?" Ben inquired.

Warlock reached out to smack Ben but Krayt blocked the blow with his armored gauntlet.

"Our guest is not one of us and deserves an answer. Discipline he will learn all too soon," Krayt growled to Warlock and motioned to the door.

The other Sith bowed his head and left the room.

Krayt looked at Ben with his discolored eyes, one green and one yellow. "The reason you are not dead before you can become a threat is because a very specific prophecy says the two of us must join sides to survive along with the galaxy. And the only way I would be on the same side as you is if you were one of us."

"The prophecy would also come true if you joined us," Ben replied.

He had been taught since his youth the story of his grandfather's redemption and while it was an extremely long shot it was worth a shot. Ben saw what he believed was a flicker of doubt in Krayt's eyes. And hoped.

After a moment's wait Krayt responded, "It's much too late for that, young Skywalker. If your grandfather had possessed your naïve optimism and belief in others that you share with your father, perhaps this path would not have been necessary. Unfortunately, it will also make this process more time consuming and painful."

With that final word blue lightning emerged from the fingertips of the Sith Lord. Ben was completely engulfed by the pain of his nerves frying.

So started the never ending nightmare it seemed. Endless bouts of torture: either lightning or the Embrace. The Dark Lord was attempting to break him with his taunts and his lack of access to the Force. In the Embrace it was only made worse.

Then came the day that Krayt took Ben to a training room after being subjected to hours of the embrace . He was given a lightsaber.

Ben looked at the saber through the fog of pain and up at the towering giant.

"If you wish to see your family again, you will use your hatred against me and strike me down. I am unarmed and my followers have been given orders to allow you to depart in peace if you do."

Struggling, Ben reached for the saber. He shakily got to his feet and ignited his saber. He could sense the Dark Lord's sense of triumph. But the man he feared greatly was now at his mercy. Ben drew on the force for strength. He prepared to strike. But then his family and teachings came to his mind. The Dark Lord was tempting him. He was an unarmed man. If he struck him down in anger, he would be giving into his own fear and anger at the torture.

Ben shut down the saber and threw it away. "No. I am a Jedi, like my father before me." He reached out a hand to the Dark Lord and continued, "I sense you were a good man once. It's not too late to turn back."

Krayt was stunned and speechless for a moment. Then his pride and anger got the better of him.

"It has been 50 years since I would be considered what you would consider a good man," Krayt growled. "I am going to bring order to this galaxy so no one will suffer from a corrupt government where the rulers can take my family away from me again and I will let no one, no matter how misguided, stop me."

Ben felt like this was the end. The Dark Lord's anger was great. He closed his eyes expecting this to be the end as he felt the lightning starting to course over his body again. All of a sudden it quit.

Ben opened his eyes shakily. And his heart lifted.

His father's lightsaber stood between him and lightning pouring from the fingers of the now afraid Sith Lord.

Luke, dressed in his black outfit and armed with his lightsaber, withstood the assault his eyes looking determined at the Sith.

"No one messes with my child," Luke said.

Ben felt hands around his shoulders. He looked up and saw Jacen and Kyp. Jacen lifting him and Kyp with his lightsaber at the ready. It appeared that Jacen had hidden their Force signatures from the Sith, allowing them to penetrate the facility.

Luke was able to send the lightning back at the Sith lord and expedited by a timely Force wave from Kyp Durron, sent the Sith through the room's wall.

"Let's get out of here." Luke said and led the way out of the room. The other Sith, thankfully, were too occupied with their Master's injuries to pursue the unknown foes through the facility.

Ben struggled to stay awake. He was barely conscious as they approached the Jade Shadow and the Falcon and what he dazedly perceived as a wing of X-wing fighters.

He was escorted to the medical room on the Falcon. Blinking, he saw his aunt and Cilghal and heard his uncle yell, "Chewie, tell Wedge we need to get him out of here. The others will cover Luke and the strike team as they hit the Sith."

Ben felt a needle in his arm and shuddered. He heard the Jedi doctor tell him to sleep. Fear, however, was difficult to master. The two of us must join sides to survive along with the galaxy. As the meds went into his system, he feared the day when he knew he must face that monster again.

Author's note

The first half of this chapter is an in universe adaption of the events of Shadows of The Sith but 50 times smarter for purposes of ,cough, plot Luke didn't have his apprentice with him in that story. Here in this universe Lukes is taking his apprentice like a jedi master should and Kyp Durron can save Rey and Family. Thus Rey Palpatine is still a jedi with all the workouts and training actually required.

See you guys next week.

Ben