Author's Note: A big thank you to the YouTuber, Skywalker Stories, for his amazing videos and inspiring me to have ideas for this chapter!
I don't own Star Wars or its characters, but Nadia Aomori and my other OCs I own only.
Enjoy!
Fire of the Rebellion
Chapter 28: Future of the Force
From his private chamber, Darth Vader stood staring at the empty dark space view outside from his Imperial I-class Star Destroyer known as the Devastator.
As he gazed at the distant stars on the screen, a deeply buried memory pushed its way into his consciousness.
It was the memory of a wish.
A wish to visit every star in the galaxy.
But that wish, and the dreams that went with it, had belonged to someone else.
A child who lived a long time ago and was no more.
Those were the dreams of a boy named Anakin Skywalker.
It had been over nearly two decades since he had broken from the Jedi order to become a Sith Lord and in all those years, he had not thought about whether Jedi had nightmares or dreams for that matter.
Not since the end of the Clone Wars.
The Dark Lord of the Sith let out a mechanical breath as he suddenly felt a presence of somebody approaching him.
A presence of someone familiar and haven't seen since the events on Mortis.
"You shouldn't have come, Jedi."Darth Vader retorted.
The being standing not far from the Emperor's Hand was the ghost of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
"I am not here to fight you, Anakin."Qui-Gon declared.
Darth Vader's blood boil at being called by his former identity.
The identity of a failure.
"That name means nothing."Darth Vader scowled.
"Then why do you react when I speak it?"Qui-Gon asked.
"Why are you here?"Darth Vader questioned.
"To speak. To understand."Qui-Gon responded."To remind you who you once was."
In his mind, Darth Vader scoffed at the Jedi Master's respond.
"What I was once no longer matters."Darth Vader snarled."That boy is gone."
Qui-Gon looked at Darth Vader with a soft yet firm look.
"The boy who dreamed of freeing slaves?"Qui-Gon questioned."The boy who loved his mother? The boy who wanted to help people?"
Darth Vader glared at Qui-Gon from behind his mask.
"What did that boy gain for his dreams?"Darth Vader asked coldly."His mother died in chains. His wife…"
The Dark Lord of the Sith paused himself from finishing his sentence upon remembering his beloved angel.
"That boy had a heart."Qui-Gon reminded."A heart that burned with hope. With Compassion. It was that heart that made me believe in you."
"You believed in a weapon. A tool."Darth Vader scowled."You spoke of prophecy and destiny as if I was some price to be claimed. And yet, you were not there when I needed guidance."
A glimpse of guilt appeared in Qui-Gon's eyes.
"I failed you. I see that now."Qui-Gon stated, his voice mixed with regret and compassion."But I see something else now. Beneath all this anger. Beneath the armour. There's still a glimpse of the boy I met on Tatooine."
Darth Vader became furious at the words from the ghost Jedi Master.
"Enough!"Darth Vader snapped.
"You can't bury the truth of who you are, Anakin."Qui-Gon informed."The Force remembers."
"The Force is a tool."Darth Vader replied."Nothing more."
"No. It is not."Qui-Gon answered."It's a guide. A balance. It is life itself."
"Spare me your Jedi platitudes."Darth Vader retorted."Your order's obsession with balance brought only chaos. You taught me to suppress emotion. To deny passion. To reject power. And yet, it was power that saved me."
Qui-Gon frowned a bit at the respond from Darth Vader.
"Saved you or imprisoned you?"Qui-Gon asked.
"You speak as if you understand."Darth Vader complemented."But you cannot. You never knew loss. Not as I did."
A hint of sadness appeared in Qui-Gon's face.
"You think I do not grieve for you?"Qui-Gon questioned.
"You are wasting your time."Darth Vader scowled."I have no need for your pity."
Qui-Gon shook his head.
"It is not pity, Anakin."Qui-Gon declared."It is sorrow for the man you were. For the man you could've been."
An irritated feeling grew within Darth Vader.
"Do not speak as if you knew me."Darth Vader warned.
"I knew you better than you realise."Qui-Gon admitted."I saw your pain. Your fear and I see it now. Still buried within the mask. You have become the very thing you once sought to destroy."
Darth Vader glared at the ghost Jedi Master from behind his mask.
"And what would you have me do?"Darth Vader asked darkly."Beg for forgiveness? Crawl back to the light?"
"No. Only you can choose your path."Qui-Gon answered."But I would like to ask you one question, Anakin. Was it worth it? Was it worth Padmé?"
Darth Vader became furious at the mention of his beloved.
"Do not speak her name."Darth Vader scowled.
"She believed in you."Qui-Gon declared."Even at the end."
"She's gone became of me."Darth Vader snarled."Because of my weakness."
"No."Qui-Gon said with a honest expression."Because of Palpatine's manipulation."
On hearing this, equipment and droids began to rapture and burst as Darth Vader lashed out in all directions with his Force powers.
"Leave me."Darth Vader demanded in a deadly tone.
"I will always be here, Anakin."Qui-Gon stated."The Force is not done with you."
The ghost of Qui-Gon then disappeared, leaving Darth Vader by himself once again.
He recalled choking Padmé on Mustafar.
Watching her body crumple and fall on the landing pad.
He failed to save her…and their unborn child.
Just like he failed to save his own mother.
Anakin Skywalker was gone.
After all, Padmé had fallen in love with Anakin.
Not Darth Vader.
Gwendolyn Olin was running for her life in Salis D'aar; the capital city of Bakura.
In the fourteen year old girl's arms was a male red-skinned Mikkian infant dressed in a green clothing named Taran.
The city was laid out in a roughly circular design, with its major streets either concentric circles or spoke boulevards.
Salis D'aar's three districts were also concentric circles identified by different-colored streetlights.
The inner district, the Arden Ring was primarily for public buildings and lit blue-white, the middle Danisai Ring was mostly divided between residential and commercial buildings and lit pale yellow, finally, the outer circle, the Bakur Ring, was reserved for service buildings and light industry and lit deep red.
Salis D'aar was the location of the Bakuran Senate, the Bakur Memorial Building, the Bakur Senatorial Academy, Tiarest University, the old headquarters of the Bakur Mining Corporation, the Old Hemei Gardens, the planet's primary spaceport located just south of the city and a massive stadium.
Taran gurgled lightly as Gwendolyn embraced him tightly while running from their pursuer, who was none other than an Imperial Troop Transport.
Gwendolyn carefully rushed past a bunch of civilians, trying her best to not look back at the Troop Transport that was heading after her.
An irritated scowl escaped from Gwendolyn's mouth when she heard her comlink beeping.
"Gwen, where are you?!"Zachary demanded.
"Where am I?! Where are you?!"Gwendolyn scowled."I am at the Danisai Ring district of the city!"
Up arriving to an alleyway, Gwendolyn used the Force to jump over the wall that blocked her way to the other side.
The fourteen year old girl panted to catch her breath as she held Taran, who looked at her with his curious green eyes.
Gwendolyn pinned herself against the wall as a bunch of stormtroopers rushed past from where she was hiding.
"But it seems the Fourth Sister has backup."Gwendolyn warned.
"Don't worry."Ferus instructed."We're on our way."
"Please hurry, dad."Gwendolyn begged.
Gwendolyn looked at Taran.
The infant male Mikkian began to whimper upon sensing the brunette's fear.
"Please, don't cry, little boy."Gwendolyn murmured, trying to hide her fear."It will be all over soon and you'll be back to your mummy."
Taran began to calm down and started gurgling happy at Gwendolyn.
"No need to worry."Gwendolyn remarked."I'll protect you."
Gwendolyn carefully headed out of her hiding place before she continued walking in the street to make her way to the Salis D'aar Spaceport.
Her ruby red eyes grinned in relief upon arriving to her destination, only to become troubled when she found the entrance closed.
"Crab sticks."Gwendolyn muttered in annoyance."It's closed."
Taran suddenly started crying causing Gwendolyn to become alarmed when she sensed a dark presence.
"I sense it too."Gwendolyn said with a frown.
The brunette turned her head to see the Fourth Sister staring at them as she began approaching them.
Gwendolyn glared at the Fourth Sister while Taran cried in her arms.
The Fourth Sister activated her spinning red blood lightsaber.
"You would be wise to hand over the child, Jedi pest."Fourth Sister retorted.
Gwendolyn slowly moved her free hand to touch her lightsaber that was around her waist.
But before she could activate it, a speeder arrived in the space between the Fourth Sister and Gwendolyn, revealing the drivers to be Ferus and Zachary.
"Have no fear, little sister."Zachary sneered."You saviours are here."
Gwendolyn frowned. "Shut up."
Ferus glared at the Fourth Sister as he stepped out of the speeder and activated his blue lightsaber.
"You want the child?"Ferus questioned as he stood in his fighting stance."You have to go through me first."
"Ferus Olin. Siri Tachi's precious pupil."Fourth Sister mocked."At last, you finally decided to show yourself."
"I was always fighting."Ferus informed with a small smirk."But it seems I have to deal with another of Vader's dogs."
Fourth Sister glared at Ferus.
"You won't have that smug look once I removed your head from your neck."Fourth Sister snarled.
With her lightsaber grasped in her hand, the Fourth Sistrr took a single forward step and performed a lightning-fast underhand sweep to slash Ferus.
Spinning, Ferus and raced forward, feinting a diagonal slash from the left, then twisting his blade around to the right and surging forward.
His royal blue lightsaber bashed against his opponent's crimson red blade that was eager to cut him in half.
After opening the entrance, Zachary and Gwendolyn made their way inside the Salis D'aar Spaceport with Taran in their custody.
The Fourth Sister attempted to slash Ferus by the legs, but his royal blue blade blocked her attack.
She knocked the Jedi Knight back again, and threw her lightsaber at him with enough force that it spun.
Ferus parried and took his chance.
He rushed forward and brought his lightsaber down.
The Fourth Sister pulled her own blade back in time and they locked blades, each pushing as hard as they could.
Ferus released the tension and as the Fourth Sister fell deeper into her strike, he jumped and spun in midair, his lightsaber blade catching her descending hand and severing it completely.
However, despite the hot stump on her arm, the Fourth Sister's severed left hand revealed to be a mechanical one.
Ferus became shocked at what he just saw.
"You already lost an arm."Ferus muttered.
The Fourth Sister scoffed coldly as she summoned her spinning crimson blade back to her, making Ferus jump out of the way from being hit.
"Being an Inquisitor taught me no set-back is too great."Fourth Sister declared as she recalled being trained by Darth Vader."When you've already lost yourself, a limb's easy".
Ferus glared in disgust as the Fourth Sister went back on her feet and the two of them resumed their fight.
"You can't stop the Empire, Olin!"Fourth Sister scowled."So why don't you just let me cut you out of your misery?"
Ferus blocked the Fourth Sister's blade.
"Because unlike you, I still carry hope for the best!"Ferus informed with a stern look.
With a Force push, the Fourth Sister sent Ferus flying backward.
In respond, Ferus just went back on his feet and blocked Fourth Sister's attack with the Force before pushing her back to retrieve his own blade.
"I carry hope for the future!"Ferus continued and gripped his lightsaber tightly as the Fourth Sister attempted to attack him like a wild animal."I have friends! I have a family!"
Ferus had parried and dodged the Fourth Sister's attacks, trying to tire her.
After a while, he released his own blast of Force energy.
The Fourth Sister stumbled, but did not fall.
The dark side rolled off her in waves.
All he could feel inside her was hate.
Anger.
Fear.
Eating her alive.
Feeding off of her.
However, there was no room for fear in Ferus' mind.
After all, he was a Jedi Knight.
They locked blades.
Sparks flew, but neither of them gave up an inch.
"Lyn. I know what you've been through."Ferus admitted firmly."You've experienced great suffering. It's not too late to let it go".
On hearing this, the Fourth Sister's stared deep at Ferus eyes.
There was fire in her eyes.
More than ever now.
"You're a fool, Olin!"the Fourth Sister growled, her voiced mixed with venom and hate."I'm stronger now because of the pain!"
The Fourth Sister lunged forward a final time, but it was a desperate angry blow.
Ferus knocked it off to the side, and moved with impossible speed, lightsaber at the ready.
It was more than a glancing blow, but not a fatal one as his lightsaber skimmed along her shoulder.
The Fourth Sister cried out in pain and fell to the floor.
"Hate and pain doesn't make you stronger."Ferus stated as he stared down at his defeated opponent."It only makes you suffer even more from the inside and the outside."
The Fourth Sister tried to attack Ferus again with her crimson red blade again, only for her stomach to be impaled by the Jedi Knight's royal blue blade.
Shocked to see herself being defeated, the Fourth Sister gave Ferus one last hateful gaze before dropping her blade and collapsing lifelessly on the floor.
Ferus stared at the female Inquisitor's dead body in silence before noticing Imperial Forces coming to his location.
The Jedi Knight immediately made his way inside the Salis D'aar Spaceport to join his children and the Force Sensitive infant that they rescued in the Arcturus.
The Arcturus flew out of the spaceport before flying away from Bakura'a capital city.
Inside the Arcturus, Gwendolyn rocked Taran to sleep after feeding him a bottle of milk.
"Now all we have to do is bring this little guy back to his mother."Gwendolyn murmured kindly.
RG-G1 let out a beep as Zachary went over to Ferus.
"Dad, are you alright?"Zachary questioned.
Ferus gave Zachary a small yet assuring smile.
"Yes, son. I am fine."Ferus commented, feeling a bit troubled that couldn't bring the Fourth Sister back to the light."You know that Inquisitor I fought used to be a Jedi Knight."
Stunned looks appeared on Zachary and Gwendolyn's faces at their father's declaration.
"She was?"Gwendolyn asked.
Ferus nodded in respond.
"She used to be known as Lyn Rakish."Ferus exclaimed."But after falling to the dark side and becoming the Fourth Sister, she hunted down Jedi mercilessly killing them."
Zachary folded his arms.
"So the Empire kidnaps Force-Sensitive infants from their families to have them trained in the ways of the dark side, so that they won't become Jedi in the future?"Zachary assumed.
A stern glare appeared on Ferus' as he stared at the empty space.
"Most Force-sensitives discovered by the Empire however, were killed due to three possible factors."Ferus explained."The threat of other powerful Force wielders was a fear of Darth Sidious' and as such most were simply eliminated on sight. Discovered alien Force-sensitives were likely killed upon discovery or some were eliminated due to lack of sufficient power during vigorous 'tests' performed by Imperials."
"That's disgusting."Gwendolyn retorted with a hint of anger before changing the subject."But now it's up to us to protect the Force-Sensitives like Taran from the Empire's grasp?"
Ferus smirked at Zachary and Gwendolyn.
"Exactly."Ferus agreed in approval.
RG-G1 let out a beep as Zachary smirked down at him.
In the Devastator, the Sixth Sister struggled to breath upon having to have reported him of the Fourth Sister's demise by Darth Vader.
Darth Vader jerked his hand out and squeezed.
The Sixth Sister's eyes widened as she was lifted off the floor, her helmet clattered to the deck as her boots jerked in futility while her throat constricted.
She gagged and clutched at her armour, feeling the grip of the Emperor Hand's power as he restricted her breathing.
"The Fourth Sister may have trained you, Offee."Darth Vader retorted, saying the female Inquisitor's former identity."However, she didn't seem to have taught you the price of failure well."
The Sixth Sister gagged and choked, gasping and grasping at her throat as her vision began to blur.
Was she going to die here?
She didn't want to die.
"T-There's more, Lord Vader."Sixth Sister muttered as she struggled to breathe."It…seems that…Ferus Olin has…two offsprings-"
On hearing this, Darth Vader's hidden angry expression became an interested one and released the Sixth Sister from his deadly grip, making the female Mirialan cough violently while rubbing her through.
"Go on."Darth Vader instructed.
The Sixth Sister stopped coughing as she continued to speak to the Sith Lord and went back on her feet.
"A male and a female that appeared to be around the same age. Each of them wielded a lightsaber."Sixth Sister declared with a frown."The boy had Olin's eyes and the girl's eyes seemed to be Aomori's."
Darth Vader became silent at the report he got.
Ferus and Nadia were married and had two children of their own.
Not only that, it seemed that his former close friends had been teaching their children the ways of the Jedi.
Those children could be problematic for the Empire, if Ferus and Nadia's rebellion were training Force-Sensitives beside recruiting them to their cause.
"If the offsprings of Ferus Olin and Nadia Aomori don't know the whereabouts about any surviving Jedi, I want them dead, Sixth Sister."Darth Vader ordered coldly."I expect better results from you in the future. Remember I am not as forgiving as the Emperor."
The Sixth Sister's eyes widen in terror, seeing the Sith Lord's gloved hand that was ready to choke her again.
"Yes, Lord Vader. I understand."Sixth Sister answered firmly with a bow."I will be sure not to fail you next time."
The Sixth Sister then left Darth Vader, silently cursing the names of the two Jedi Knights on causing what appeared to be almost her own death.
See you all in the next chapter and have a wonderful day!