Once the sun rose on Alderaan, all three of the Jedi woke up bright and early to say their goodbyes as they headed to the spacecraft hangar and loaded themselves into a single ship.
The snow had been falling lightly in tiny flakes, but now it was thick and heavy like a cold cake frosting. Bail Organa helped Ahsoka and Reva to push their spaceship out of the hangar and started wiping down the repulsorlifts. As Reva checked the controls and calibrated the navicomputer, Kaeden kissed Ahsoka and left her with one last homemade meal. Obi-Wan hugged Rex and warmly shook hands with Bail Organa. Ahsoka blew a kiss to Leia, who was holding LOLA with one hand and waving frantically with the other. Reva ignored all of them, positive that nobody would be missing her.
Just then, Ahsoka bumped her on the arm lightly. "Look," she said insistently, pointing at Leia. "She's waiting for you to wave back."
Reva scowled. As she narrowed her eyes, she saw Leia jumping up and down, waving both of her hands even more frantically now. Beside her, LOLA flapped her wings desperately as if trying to catch someone's attention.
"Why me?" Reva asked, disgruntled.
"Because," Ahsoka said. "She likes you."
Reva paused and watched. Leia yelled something, something short with only two syllables that could have been her name. Maybe she was saying Reva, Reva, Reva! Or maybe Soka, Soka, Soka. Or maybe it was Obi-Wan, but a really quick Obi-Wan. Reva covered her face in her hands, hoping no one would see her flush. Ahsoka watched as she finally lowered her hands and looked back at the girl, waving shyly. Leia grinned and jumped higher.
"Stupid little brat," Reva muttered under her breath. Ahsoka chuckled.
As they watched Alderaan shrink into one small, glittering white dot, Reva leaned back in her chair and exhaled nervously. Soon, they would have to prepare for landing on Tatooine. She was not sure if she was physically ready to deal with the grueling, harsh landscape again.
"When we get to Tatooine, our first priority should be getting to the Lars farm," Ahsoka said as she paced the length of the spacecraft. Reva eyed her warily as she walked back and forth. "Obi-Wan and I can supervise the perimeter to ensure there are no break-ins."
"Break-ins?" Reva asked. "It's a farm, not a high-security prison. I'm sure that if the Empire wants, they'll just openly attack."
"Yes, but there may still be some attempts to infiltrate it," Obi-Wan noted.
Reva rolled her eyes internally. "Alright," she replied. So much for her interior knowledge of the Empire and their complex workings. "I'm just saying...I worked for these people. I know how they work. And let me tell you, they aren't exactly the subtle type. Most of them would rather just jump in headfirst and ambush you."
"That's what I'm worried about," Ahsoka frowned. "If the Empire sends a battalion to the farm, how can we fight them off without any damages to the family? Do they have an alternate escape route?"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "They're just humble moisture farmers, I'm afraid," he said quietly. "They could not risk joining the Rebels if it would mean putting Luke in danger. Doing this is already too risky."
Ahsoka sighed and sat back down. Reva immediately felt thankful. All that pacing and walking around was starting to vicariously stress her out.
This solar system sure is taking a while to get through, she thought to herself with some mild annoyance. How in the world are we supposed to get to Tatooine on time if we're stuck here forever?
As she looked out of the hub of their small spacecraft, she noticed something which made her blink in confusion. "What's that?"
"Just some asteroids," Obi-Wan said duly. "I'm afraid we can't use our hyperdrive at the moment. Once we've cleared this field, then we can get back to-"
"That's not what I was talking about," Reva said firmly, feeling frustrated. She wasn't stupid, and she obviously hadn't been referring to that. "There. I can see the glint of another hull," she pointed out. "There's a ship tailing us."
Ahsoka and Obi-Wan's heads immediately swiveled around.
"That's not good," Obi-Wan murmured. "Who is it? Do we have identification on their vessel?"
Ahsoka immediately rushed towards the navicomputer, forcing it to scan for familiar crafts. "None whatsoever," she breathed. "It isn't scheduled for any registered trade routes or hyperspace travel lanes."
Obi-Wan grimaced. "A pleasure trip, perhaps?"
Reva stood up. "Give me the controls."
"But-"
"Give me the controls!"
Obi-Wan finally moved aside and let her. Reva immediately sat down and grabbed hold of the steering wheel.
"The only way we're getting out of here is with a speed boost," she grunted.
"But it's not safe to-" Obi-Wan protested.
"He's getting closer!" Ahsoka panicked. "I know this ship has a cannon, let me get to it-"
"Wait," Obi-Wan said, frowning. "This ship looks familiar to me. I don't think-"
Reva jammed her foot into the hyperdrive fuel pedal. The navicomputer kept denying the input, insisting on canceling the operation due to having detected several possible collision threats nearby. "I don't care," she muttered. "We'll just have to blast through those rocks if that's what it takes-"
"Wait!" Obi-Wan suddenly shouted. "Look at the navicomputer screen, he's trying to send a message!"
"I don't care!" Reva shouted back. "I'm busy trying to save us!"
Beside them, they could hear Ahsoka hurriedly fumbling with the light cannon.
Hurry up, hurry up, Reva thought nervously to herself. We need to get out of here, we need to get to safety, once that ship catches up with us we are DEAD-
"I've got him!" Ahsoka said, finally ramming the light cannon into place. "Now just tell me when to shoot-"
"I said, hold your fire, both of you!" Obi-Wan yelled, standing up and startling them. "I know who that ship is!"
Both Ahsoka and Reva froze.
"That is not an Imperial ship. That is a Chiss aircraft," Obi-Wan heaved.
Ahsoka and Reva both paused and looked at each other with looks of confusion.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath, his brow now pale and saturated with sweat. "If you would please, use the Force and look without your eyes," he panted. "I can sense a person on board using the Second Sight. You, too, may feel it if you reach out."
Ahsoka took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Reva, too, did the same although she did not quite understand why.
The words came across jumbled, like they were being filtered through a radio across a field with poor reception. They were too faint at first, but now she could hear them.
Reva frowned, wishing she could better understand what they were trying to say.
"Do you hear it?" Obi-Wan asked. "What they are trying to tell us?"
Reva closed her eyes again and breathed in, forcing all of her anxieties to vanish. Under her breath, she quietly repeated the Jedi Oath until finally, her heart began to stop fluttering so rapidly. The noise in her mind began to die down, disappearing and making way for the message that was trying to be heard in the vast expanse of space between them.
No harm, a voice mumbled in a language that was unfamiliar to her. No harm, no harm, no harm...
She could almost hear a second, fainter voice...repeating the same words, echoing them together. But it might just be a figment of her imagination.
"It's Miri," Ahsoka gasped. "I recognize her voice now! But what is she saying?"
Reva blinked and opened her eyes. "Wait," she frowned. "You mean you can't-"
"Wait, we're getting a message!" Ahsoka exclaimed, rushing over. Before Reva could react, Ahsoka quickly grabbed her wrist and moved it aside so she could manipulate the ship's comlink herself. Reva snatched her hand back, her skin feeling unusually hot in the places where Ahsoka's fingers had touched it. "Here!" Ahsoka squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating, and turned the dial until she reached the right frequency.
"Hello?" A garbled pilot's voice called out, this time in Basic. "This is Che'ri, calling out to General Kenobi and General Tano...do you copy?"
"It's her!" Ahsoka gasped. "Quick, turn the ship around!"
Reva immediately reached out, but Ahsoka beat her to it. Blushing, she moved her chair aside so Ahsoka could control the spacecraft herself.
"Che'ri, this is General Tano, General Kenobi and..." Ahsoka paused, looking at Reva before grinning. "...and Jedi Commander Sevander. Do you copy?"
Reva felt her face turn bright hot red. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms silently.
"Yes," Che'ri replied breathlessly. "Message received. If you dock at the nearest exoplanet, I can meet you there."
"Noted," Ahsoka replied. "Reva? Can you get us to land safely?"
Dazed, Reva snapped out of her trance and nodded. "Yes," she replied. "I'm going to need some time, though," she muttered crossly. "It's not easy, navigating through an asteroid cluster."
"Of course," Ahsoka nodded back. "Take as much time as you need."
Reva looked down, hoping that the flush on her face wasn't too obvious. Ahsoka smiled and patted her encouragingly on the back as she began to take control of the ship and steer them out of the cluster.
Whoever you are, Che'ri, I hope this is worth it, Reva thought silently to herself.
Finally, after some time they were able to safely land on a nearby planet. "Careful," Reva warned. "I'm getting readings stating that the oxygen content of this body is unusually low. We should all bring respirators with us."
With that, all of them reached up into the glove compartment and removed their own individual breathing masks. Reva helped Ahsoka with hers and the two of them silently waited for Obi-Wan to finish fumbling to fit his mask over his beard. Finally, the three of them exited the spacecraft after being completely sure that there were no toxic gases in the planet's atmosphere.
As soon as they exited their small spacecraft, they saw that the ship that had been tailing them had finally landed near them. The exit hatch opened and two people wearing flightsuits climbed out - one of them tall enough to be an adult, and the second one so small that she had to be a child. Although they did not wear respirators of their own, they did not appear to need any. The adult, whose hair was tied back in two tight buns, walked over and introduced herself.
"Hello," Che-ri said, holding out her hand. Reva took it awkwardly before shaking it. She had personally never seen another Chiss before, except for Thrawn. However, as even Ahsoka seemed to notice, Che'ri's skintone was much more different from the usual deep blue color that Thrawn's was. Both her and Miri's skin had turned a light sky blue, almost as if their complexion was affected by the planet's lack of oxygen. "I am a friend of Ar'alani and Lieutenant Vanto," she explained in a slightly-accented voice. "I'm Che'ri, and this is my..." She turned towards Miri with slight hesitation.
Obi-Wan nodded understandingly. "Yes, I recognize both of you," he said gently. "Miri, was it?" he asked softly, kneeling down so he was at eye-level with the Chiss child.
Miri blushed and hid slightly behind Che'ri. Che'ri placed her hand on her head, softly patting her braided hair. "Yes," she said a bit more confidently. "This is Miri. She is a merit adoptive of Ar'alani's family. I am...sort of her momish now," she said sheepishly.
"I see," Obi-Wan nodded politely. "We are also allies of Admiral Ar'alani and Lieutenant Vanto. Speaking of which, where are they?"
"They are still in the Unknown Regions, trying to help our people escape before it is too late," Che'ri explained. "First, Thrawn had to think of a way to disrupt the mind control influencing the Grysk...he had the idea to create a subspace transceiver that would broadcast a signal at a frequency that would be high enough to interrupt them. It worked, but now they have to evacuate the entire planet. Now, everyone is fleeing from all of the planets within the Csilla system. They were too busy, so they sent us here to look for your help instead," Che'ri swallowed.
Miri covered her face again, looking miserable. Che'ri looked down at her and whispered some comforting words in Cheunh to her. Ahsoka craned her neck, wishing she could understand them. Since their last encounter, she had tried to research some basic Sy Bisti in the Organas' library. However, so far they could not find any dictionaries related to or on the subject of Chiss language.
Reva frowned, wondering why Che'ri was speaking of "sky-walkers" when clearly there had been no mention of Vader. Did she know something they didn't? And how exactly were they supposed to trust this ally of Thrawn's?
"As you may or may not know...the Empire is planning to stage a full-scale attack against the Ascendancy," Cheri resumed, her voice slightly shaky. "We have reason to believe they will be testing their new superweapon against our homeworld, just to show off their power. It will the first time that any ruling entity from within the Core will have managed to subjugate an entire civilization from the Chaos."
"The Empire...is building its own superweapon?" Obi-Wan said slowly.
All three of the Jedi's breath stopped in their throats as they remembered the story about the superweapon of the Infinite Empire that Rex had just told them about.
Ahsoka and Obi-Wan turned towards Reva, but she shook her head.
"I don't have that kind of clearance," she muttered. "That's something that only the Emperor and his closest servants would know about."
In other words, Anakin and Thrawn, Ahsoka thought to herself quietly.
"For many years, the Empire has been mining various heavy metals from all over the Galaxy. Although we were able to locate their sources of doonium and cortosis, we still haven't figure out where they're getting their phrik from."
Obi-Wan and Reva turned towards each other knowingly.
"Tatooine," they both said to each other. Ahsoka blinked, confused.
"Phrik is a metal that can only be mined in two places," Obi-Wan explained. "One of those being Tatooine. It's an incredibly indestructible metal, commonly used by the Tusken Raiders-"
"-And it's the stuff that makes up the Emperor's lightsaber," Reva sneered. "It's not something that any sane person would want to mess with."
Che'ri nodded. "Thrawn, Ar'alani and Lieutenant Vanto are already devising a plan to interrupt the Tatooine mining operation based on the plan they used during the Clone Wars to disrupt the cortosis mines. However, we don't have anyone targeting the operation on Gromas-"
"Gromas...that's near Mandalore, isn't it?" Obi-Wan frowned. "That would be further northeast. I'm afraid we can't-"
Che'ri blinked, her eyes widening. "But-"
"Our mission is just to ensure the safety of the child," Reva cut in. "I'm sorry to hear about your people. But we don't have the time to-"
"No," Ahsoka said suddenly, straightening up. "We're going to Tatooine ourselves. We can handle that, and you guys can tackle Gromas."
Reva closed her mouth and stared at Ahsoka. Ahsoka did not meet her eye. She groaned internally and crossed her arms, frustrated.
This wasn't what we agreed upon, Reva thought to herself with mild annoyance.
"But...we..." Che'ri said dejectedly, her expression crumbling with disappointment.
A beat passed, then suddenly Ahsoka spoke up again.
"Well...I guess I could come with you to Gromas and take care of things, if that would make you feel better," she said quietly. "You can tell Thrawn and Ar'alani to just focus on helping the Chiss escape."
Now it was Obi-Wan and Reva's turn to stare at her. Ahsoka bit her lip and turned away from them, unwilling to face them directly.
We're supposed to stick together, not split up, Obi-Wan thought wildly. Why are you so desperate to run away from us, my good child?
What the hell are you thinking? Reva wanted to scream at her. Have you lost your mind? Are you actually stupid? This is crazy!
But more importantly, she wanted to cry out loud. Because there was no way this wouldn't be a suicide mission.
"Gromas is in the Perkell sector," Reva whispered, reaching out and grabbing Ahsoka's hand fearfully. "It's not far from Korriban."
If Che'ri, Ahsoka and Miri were ever caught, the next threat they would have to deal with would be Vader himself.
"I'll be fine," Ahsoka said.
Obi-Wan still looked doubtful. "Are you sure that you can stop an entire mining operation, just by yourself?"
"I wouldn't be by myself," Ahsoka crossed her arms. "I have them with me," she pointed at Che'ri and Miri. "Besides," she said, reaching into her tunic and pulling out something that made all of them gasp. "I still have this."
Obi-Wan and Reva stared at the inactivated blaze bomb in Ahsoka's hand. "Where did you get this?" Obi-Wan asked quietly.
"Admiral Ar'alani gave it to me," Ahsoka replied. "I reckon it might get me through some obstacles. Besides," she smiled wryly. "You taught me the Shatterpoint technique, remember Master?"
Obi-Wan closed his mouth.
He had never particularly wanted to replace Anakin as Ahsoka's Master, nor did he now. But it seemed that she was determined to call upon the power of titles to silence him.
"Fine," he found himself replying reluctantly. "I trust your wisdom, Knight."
Ahsoka bowed her head. Reva suddenly became more conscious of the fact that this might be the last time she ever saw her.
"Please be careful," she said, her voice shaking slightly. However Ahsoka did not seem to notice, or if she did, she did not mind it one bit.
"Of course," she said, smiling confidently back at her. "I'll be back before you know it."
As it turned out, reaching Korriban did not take long. Not with the Sith technology that the Emperor had graciously provided him with. As Vader finally approached the Horuset system, he cursed silently under his breath. Weeks and weeks of dull, uninteresting hyperspace travel had finally rewarded him with his destination. Such a task would be considered too dull and mundane for others to perform...then again, another pilot would have needed to bring rations of food to offset the length of the voyage. Having no need of such sustenance, Vader was considerably ideal for such a long and tedious trip. All he really needed was the comfort of his hyperbaric chamber ever now and then. There was no need for meals or for sleep, and thus he was able to progress quite prodigiously without any encumbrances.
As he reached the planet's lifeless, gray rock-covered surface, he was not in the slightest surprised by what he found. He had not expected a Sith Homeworld to be full of life. However, it was somewhat depressing to think about it. With some difficulty, he managed to pry himself from his seat and started walking towards the equator of the planet. He had been told that Lord Nihilus' armor would be quite easy to find, even without the Sith Holocron he had left behind. All he needed to do was trust in the Force.
Fortunately, if there was one thing Vader certainly succeeded at, it would be using the Force. Even after he had fallen, he had never lost his connection to it; on the contrary, it remained in the palm of his hand, easily accessible and obedient like a whipped dog. When he stretched out his hand, it rushed to his side. When he ordered it forth, it eagerly rushed to do his bidding.
And thus, when Vader stretched out his arm above the biologically-dead surface of Korriban, the Force eagerly poured out and sought the remaining life force of Darth Nihilus for him. It did not take long for him to find it; the divot in the planet where the foul waters of the darkness ran deepest, where the core radiated a strange hunger and bloodthirst that could only be explained by the existence of a Sith. Vader turned heel and began to march towards it, not wasting a single second.
As he approached the place of burial, the dry gray dust began to swirl beneath his feet. Vader continued his work, digging until he finally unearthed what looked like an ancient piece of coal-black armor and a bone-white mask that had been painted with red stripes. As he did so, the dust began to shape itself before his eyes, taking on a form that was almost humanoid. The strange figure stared at him from behind their own mask, his expression cold and unreadable.
"My Master told me that I would need to fetch one more thing if I am to communicate with you," Vader said coldly. "A Sith Holocron of some sort. He promised to tell me where to find it, once I brought your armor back to him. But it's not here." He began to feel around the dirt, and the figure raised its hand towards him as if trying to protest the vandalization of its grave. "You're not real. You are just a figment, a shadow," Vader said bitterly. "You can't even speak to me."
A few seconds passed. The two masked figures both stared at each other. Vader did not flinch.
"Perhaps you do not understand me," he murmured. "I do not particularly care to hear whatever it is you wish to tell me. But I can use the Force to make it so you can comprehend what I am saying," he hissed. "When I was a child, I could speak more than nine languages, you know." He sneered, narrowing his eyes. "Speaking the Old Tongue is like breathing for me."
The figure conceded silently, waiting for him to finish his message.
Vader closed his eyes and allowed the Force to guide his lips. His voice became more quiet and serpentine. As he spoke, the words suddenly morphed until they could no longer be recognized as Basic but something else entirely. Some ancient and sinister.
"You are thinking that you could eat me," he said slowly in Darth Nihilus' tongue, the language of the Sith. "I know that it is on your mind. You're wondering what my power would taste like. You have eaten countless planets, lives, and souls...but you cannot eat me. Because you are dead, and there is nothing you can do about it. And do you know why that is?" The masked Sith's ashes stared at him. "Because you are not the Master of Death. I am," he snarled, "And when I have brought back your armor, your mask, and your holocron to my master, I will have everything that I desire at the tips of my fingers. My son...my wife...our daughter. Do you have the ability to not just take life, but recreate it as you please? I do not think so. No matter how many planets you may have eaten, you could never have even dreamed of doing what I am going to do. So I do not fear you, Planet Eater, Lord of Hunger, whichever title you choose to give yourself. You are of no interest to me," he snarled as he stomped his foot down and caused the ground to tremble under his might.
Finally, the shadowy figure shook and began to crumble into nothing but dust. Vader indifferently kicked at it.
Climbing back into his spacecraft, he began to set his path back towards Coruscant. Most pilots these days overrelied on their navigators, but Vader preferred to use his own intuition and the Force to guide him. As the repulsorlifts whirred to lift, he heard a faint beep coming from the ship's holoprojector. Technically, he was no longer required to answer to anyone else now that he was on a personal mission for the Emperor. However, he could use some entertainment now. Intrigued, he decided to give the message a listen.
"My Lord, there's been a disturbance in the mines on Gromas," a voice gasped out loud.
"A disturbance?" Vader wanted to snort. More useless investments, all in the name of Project Stardust. It was no wonder the entire operation had started to fail before truly beginning.
"Yes sir. All of the mines have been destroyed by a rogue Togruta accompanied by two Chiss females," the terrified officer replied.
Vader immediately stiffened, his hand tightening upon the steering controls. The officer on the holoprojector paled immediately, his face turning nearly as white as Darth Nihilus' mask.
"My Lord-"
"That brat," he snarled, his fingers curling furiously. "How dare she...after all she did to me...and now, this blatantly impertinent mockery of hers..." The officer watched with wide eyes as Vader's angry breathign began to grow louder, barely filter through the vocoder of his mask.
Gromas was just a few hours away. He could be there within the next day and catch her red-handed, right on the scene of her crime. The thought of it filled his entire body with anticipation, his fingers itching to crush and destroy, the Force running through his veins and screaming for violence. For a moment, he felt himself straighten up as his senses became sharpened with bloodlust.
Then suddenly he stopped. It was if all the tension had left his body as he sat perfectly still, not moving an inch in his chair. The officer waited in silence, chills of dread running down his spine with every passing second. "Never mind."
"N-never mind?" the officer asked, confused.
Vader glared at him coldly. "This is none of my concerns," he said.
"But...the Emperor wants you to go there and investigate-"
"The Emperor and his Project are of no consequence to me," Vader replied calmly. "I am going to Tatooine."
"Sir, you cannot-"
"This is an attempt to distract me, to waste my time," Vader waved his hand. "I know her like my own. She wishes to turn my attention away from what matters the most, from my true goal. I will let her distract me no longer," he narrowed his eyes. "Yes, I can see it already. Kenobi is also behind this somehow, I can sense his filthy touch from a lightyear away."
The officer just stared back at him with a flabbergasted expression.
"W-what am I supposed to tell the Emperor then?" he stammered weakly.
"I am going to Tatooine and that is final," Vader replied. "Tell the Emperor to send someone else to Gromas. I have already fulfilled the last of his meaningless quests," he glared behind him at the useless mask and armor of Darth Nihilus. "That is all."
"But sir-"
"Silence!" Vader roared. "I have already lost my focus once, and it cost me one of my most precious acquisitions," he muttered regretfully. "Today, I will not repeat my mistakes. To Tatooine, I must go. Begone!"
With that, he ended the transmission and turned around his starcraft, resetting the hyperspace path entirely.
"That was a clever little trick you pulled, little sister," he snarled. "But I'm afraid you're still not smart enough."
And thus, it was with renewed vigor that he set his new course for Tatooine.