Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Run. Faster. Go. Keep pushing. Jump. Slide. Almost there. A little farther.

I crashed into the clearing, crossing the finish line. Immediately, I dropped to the ground, my chest heaving. Everything ached. My arms were on fire, my feet numb, and my legs limp. But it was over. I smiled as I lay there on the ground, finally catching my breath. I was calm, at peace with all I had accomplished. Master Kessna had given me the ultimate test of my strength, speed, and smarts and I passed.

"You act like that was hard," Brenni said as he pulled me to my feet.

"Let's see you complete the course, then. Go ahead. I'm waiting." I crossed my arms and just stood there, knowing he would never take me up on the offer. "That's what I thought." I turned from him and started back to the hut where Master Kessna and Qi'ran were waiting.

"Hey!" Brenni called as he caught up to me. "I'm just not stupid enough to challenge a Jedi."

"A Jedi? You know I'm still far from becoming one, right? I don't even have a lightsaber."

"Well, yeah, but you wave your hands around and stuff happens."

I giggled like a child as Brenni flailed his arms in the air. "It's called the Force. There's more to it than simply wiggling my fingers. You have to concentrate and feel the energy not just inside you, but in everything around you. It kinda glues the universe together."

Brenni stared at me with a blank face. "Uh huh. Well, you still look like you're waving your hands in the air."

"Fine," I said, elbowing him. "Have it your way."

"I see how it is," Brenni said back, digging his own elbow into my arm.

"Oh come on. That was real mature."

"Are you kidding? You elbowed me first," he retorted, knocking into me.

"Get off," I grumbled, shoving him back.

Brenni stumbled and fell backwards to the ground. He sat there in the leaf covered dirt, just staring up at me, his eyes wide. All I could do was stand there and look down at him. What had I done? My mind was blank. I had no explanation.

"Oh gosh," I blurted as I began to process everything. "I am so sorry. I--I didn't mean to do that. I don't know what that was." I offered Brenni my hand, but he smacked it away.

"No. It's never your fault, is it?" he snapped as he stood. Brenni brushed past me, returning to the hut on his own.

I lingered there for a moment, examining the palms of my hands. What possessed me to shove him like that? Yes, Brenni was being childish, but I really didn't mean to knock him to the ground. Was I defending myself or teaching him a lesson? I threw the first elbow, but he retaliated and pushed me when I called him out for being so immature. What did I do? I sought revenge.

No. Revenge was not the Jedi way. I taught him a lesson. I gave him a taste of what would happen if he tried it again and continued to be such a child. Brenni was a little brother to me. I pushed him to be better. I had to do everything I could to make him better. It was tough love.

Shortly after, I arrived at the hut. I pushed aside the curtained door and joined Master Kessna, Brenni, and Qi'ran around the fire. Qi'ran passed me a plate of food. I ate slowly, my appetite ruined after my confrontation with Brenni. Every so often I would glance at him, but each time he looked deep within the fire, paying no mind to what was happening around the hut. I had no intentions of hurting him. I just wanted to teach him a lesson.

"Ari, my dear," Master Kessna spoke up, "you have once again proven yourself. You have taken to heart all the knowledge I have passed on to you. I have taught you all I know."

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

"You have passed your final lesson. It is time you move on to the next step in your training."

"But Master, if that was my final lesson, how can there be more to learn?"

"Ari, I just told you. I have taught you everything I know. Tomorrow, you will go to the outpost and find a pilot to fly you to your true Jedi Master. There, you will complete your training and become a real Jedi."

"A real Jedi," I whispered to myself. I couldn't believe it. Everything I had worked so hard for was coming true. I would have a real Jedi Master to teach me, a real lightsaber to wield, a real place in the universe. With most of the Order destroyed, there were maybe only a handful of Jedi left in the galaxy to stand up to the Empire. It was my responsibility to join them and restore peace. 

I stood and bowed. "Thank you, Master."

"My dear Ari, I am so proud of you. Now, get some rest. You have a big day ahead of you." Master Kessna slipped into the back room of the hut and retired for the night. 

Brenni was busy cleaning the plates as Qi'ran packed his bag for the trip back to his parents' house. With the two of them occupied, I sneaked out of the hut and sat in the dirt, staring up at the stars. 

You're not ready for this, I thought to myself. You're too brash. What you did today was wrong. 

It was wrong. I didn't know my own strength. I thought I was helping him. Had I known it was the last day I'd spend with any of them, I would have said or done things differently. I couldn't change the past, though. All I could do was learn from it. Brenni could, too. Maybe I did teach him something. Maybe I wasn't wrong.

"You okay?" It was Qi'ran. His bag was thrown over his shoulder and he wore his brown traveling coat. "You don't have to go alone, you know. Bren and I are here for you."

"I know, but your family has to come before me. Brenni can live with you, too. Just don't leave him alone, alright? Take care of him for me."

"I will." Qi'ran stood there for a moment and began to turn away before coming to sit next to me. "I know there's more going on here than you want to let on. Open up to us for once. We may not get it all, but we're here for you. What's really going on inside your head?"

Where was I supposed to begin? What could I say? "Master Kessna believes I'm ready to move on to the next steps, but I don't think she's right."

"Of all people, you're going to be the one to question her? Come on. You're nervous. That's all."

"I--I shoved Brenni down on the way back from the course," I blurted. "As a Jedi, I should only ever defend myself. There was no reason for me to do that."

"It was just an accident. He told me before you got back. I'm pretty sure he's over it now. Just a little aggravated at first."

"Was it an accident? I'm not so sure. I'm supposed to be the wise and mature one. A Jedi does not take revenge or lead with aggression. Jedi are protectors. We teach with gentility."

"You were just defending yourself. Bren got on your nerves so you protected yourself from him. It was just an instinct. And if you're that worried about it, I'm sure this Jedi you're supposed to find will help you. Without a Jedi background of her own, Master Kessna can only do so much. You'll be fine, Ari. Go sleep. I'll see you off tomorrow." Qi'ran patted me on the back and headed through the dark forest to his home. 

I made my way to my small shelter and curled up under the blanket on the cot. It was the last night I'd spend under the stars I had known my whole life. That was okay. I'd return to my friends one day a true Jedi Master and atone for what I had done that night.  

Chapter Text

The first light of the morning peeked in around the makeshift door. I crawled out from under the blanket and stretched, barefoot on the dusty dirt floor. I slipped on my boots, taking care to ensure my pants were tucked in right, and slid on my fingerless gloves. There wasn't much to take with me on the journey, just the wooden replica of a lightsaber I had made myself, which I strapped across my back.

I stepped outside of the shelter and into the woods. A light shroud of fog lingered in the air, blurring the trees in the distance. Two parvinoths fluttered by, their silvery wings glowing in the streams of light shining through the gaps in the canopy above.  Small amounts of smoke rose from the fire pit in Master Kessna's hut.

I made my way to her hut, which was just across the clearing. When I pushed aside the curtain, Master Kessna looked up from her pan over the fire. She smiled softly and gestured toward a seat nearby. I pulled the wooden saber off my back, sat on the cushioned chair, and laid the weapon across my lap. A moment later, my master passed me a clay bowl, full of the food she had prepared over the fire. 

As Master Kessna filled her own bowl, Bren entered the hut and tossed down his bag. I caught his eye, but quickly looked away. On the edge of my vision, I watched as the master handed Brenni his own food and he took a seat directly across from me on the other side of the fire pit. I kept my head low and focused on eating. It was best to say nothing at all.

When the dishes had been cleared, I exited the hut, leaving behind my lightsaber replica. Behind the hut was the tree I often used for solitary meditation. The perch I had found so many years ago was inaccessible to everyone except me. Not only was there a single pathway up, but it also required the aid of the Force. No one that I knew of could climb the branches and successfully reach my perch. 

I stuck my toes in a notch in the trunk of the tree and began my ascent. Pushing myself up, I grabbed a knob above my head and pressed my other foot against the trunk. I pulled my foot out of the notch and above my right foot. Up and to my left was another handhold. Reaching out with my left arm, I caught hold of it and brought the rest of my body with me, careful not to misplace my feet and slip. 

The next part was a little tricky. A ways above my head was the notch in the tree I had to catch onto. I brought my legs in close, then bounded upward. My hands found the notch in the bark and held on tight as my feet gained traction on the wood and settled in place. On my right was a branch sturdy enough to hold me. I turned toward it, leaving just my left hand to hang on to the tree. I jumped in the direction of the branch and grabbed onto it with my arms.

Once I had pulled myself up, I stood on the branch and waited a moment. Patience was one thing I had not yet mastered. It was a virtue critical to the Jedi way, but for the love of a mynock I just didn't get it. How long did it take the Jedi generals of the old war to plan and execute their attacks? Oftentimes General Skywalker's actions seemed too spontaneous to be calculated and meditated upon. However, I supposed those Jedi were not the perfect examples. The only true victor of the war was the Empire.

I climbed up to the next branch, and the next, and the one after, calculating each jump with exact precision. Finally, I reached the final jump where the Force was needed the most. High above my head and to the left was a large branch with a somewhat flat top. I crouched low to the branch I was standing on and took a deep breath. Once I visualized where I needed to land, I launched upward, the air rushing around me. 

My feet hit the hard bark as I knelt down to lessen the impact. I crossed my legs and sat against the trunk of the tree, trying to clear my mind. Silence, peace, and patience were what I needed to empty my head of all thoughts and focus on the Force. There was the Force, and only the Force. The Force was with me, and I was one with the Force. 

+++

"Ari? Ari? Where are you? Ari!"

I came out of my meditative state and back into reality at the sound of my name. As I looked toward the hut, there was Brenni, calling out to me. He looked around like a lost child.

"Up here!" I yelled as I stood. Brenni searched through the other trees before spotting me. "I'll be down in a second."

I hopped from branch to branch on my way down the tree. When I had reached the final branch, I dropped to the ground and rolled out of the fall.

"Master Kessna wants to see you," Brenni said as I walked up to him.

I nodded and we went around to the front of the hut. When we entered, Qi'ran perked up in his seat, gave a smile, and waved. He had a large bag at his feet. Master Kessna was nowhere to be seen, but soon emerged from the back room with her arms full of brown fabric. 

"I've been working on these for a long time now. I figured if you were to train under a Jedi Master you should dress the part as well. Here," she said handing the pile of clothes to me. "Go put them on."

Master Kessna ushered me into the back room and left. Once I undressed, I pulled the dark brown turtleneck tank over my head and slipped into the matching pants. I wrapped the tan sashes over my shoulders and around my waist and covered myself in a cape-like robe. A real Jedi robe. I was almost an actual Jedi now. I only needed a lightsaber and to complete my training. 

I stepped back out into the common room. Master Kessna gave a warm smile. Brenni nodded and Qi'ran's face lit up. Qi'ran ran up to me and examined the robe, rubbing it between his fingers. 

"Wow, Ari. You really are a Jedi now," he exclaimed. "It's just like in the books."

"Oh come on. Anyone could wear those clothes," Brenni chimed in. "Wearing that does not make you a Jedi. You need the Force, a lightsaber, and the right training."

Master Kessna cleared her throat. "That is quite enough, boys. Now, if you are going to find a pilot, you best be off."

I picked up my lightsaber replica and attached it to the sash around my waist. "I will return to all of you one day. Thank you for everything."

"My dear, what are you thinking? Bren and Qi'ran are going with you." Master Kessna looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed. 

"What?" I scoffed. "You can't be serious. I'm the one that has training to do, not them. Besides, Brenni's never been off-world and Qi'ran, you have a family. Neither of you are coming with me. I can't risk anything happening to either of you."

Qi'ran placed a hand on my shoulder. "My parents want me to see the galaxy. They don't want me to stay here, condemned to the jungles of Ashas Ree. I spoke with them about what's going on. They know what's at stake."

I turned to Brenni. "Please. Don't come with me. You're safer here with the master. I don't want you getting hurt."

Brenni chuckled. "Hurt? Are you kidding? You're literally just training. It's not like we're getting tangled up in a war or fighting pirates. Besides, I'm tougher than you think. Maybe I've lost in fights with you, but in case you've forgotten, there's almost no Jedi left. I'll be fine."

"Master, you can't let them go," I begged. "It's not safe."

"Oh child, it was my idea to have them go with you in the first place. We are all doing this for you."

"I. . . I guess I can't stop you can I? Just. . . stay safe, okay?"

"Easy," Brenni retorted as Qi'ran said, "Of course."

"Master, I--"

Master Kessna cut me off when she wrapped her arms around me and held me tight. "I know, Ari. I have loved you ever since you were given to me as a child. Everything I have done was to prepare you for this and I have succeeded. Come back to me when you become a Jedi Master. And when you find your pilot at the outpost, tell them to take you to Rikki Depot on Florrum." 

Master Kessna released me and I headed to the door. "Thank you," I mumbled as I pushed aside the curtained door and exited the hut for the last time in who knew how long. 

Brenni and Qi'ran followed me out and into the woods. They stayed close to me and were silent for the most part of our trip. The jungle was fairly quiet as well. Of course that was normally the case. Being this far out from most settlements provided the privacy that Master Kessna and I needed. If the Empire had caught word there was a Jedi on Ahshas Ree they'd have been there in an instant. It would have meant certain doom for not just the four of us, but the whole planet as well.

Ahead of us was the outpost. It wasn't very large, just a small market, tavern, and maintenance shop run by the locals. The morning shipments would have been in by now, but travelers were still making their midday stops to refuel and restock. It was out of those ships we would find our pilot. 

We entered the tavern and took a seat in the corner booth. There were people and species from all over the galaxy enjoying lunch or sitting at the bar. Among them were a few locals, blending into the background with the dark hues of their brown and green tunics. A Weequay and Devaronian were deep in conversation in the booth in the corner opposite of us. The bartender scurried around, serving the humans, a Nikto, an Ithorian, and a Duros. A waitress took our order and soon brought back our drinks and soup. 

"See anyone, yet?" Brenni asked between sips. "What about the Weequay?"

I shook my head. "I'm not interested in getting involved with pirates. Besides, I don't trust him or the Devaronian. Something just feels wrong about them. Trust me."

"Okay. See that guy at the bar with the big hat?" Qi'ran asked. "Think he'll work?"

I looked at the man over my cup as I took a drink. "Hmm. I don't know. I can't get a good sense of who he is. I don't want to risk anything, so my answer is no."

I scanned the tavern again. No one here felt right for the job. A pale woman with dark blue hair entered and sat at the bar. I wasn't sure about her either. Master Kessna had made it sound easy. All we needed to do was come to the outpost and we would find our pilot. Well, we were here, but we still hadn't found them.

The Devaronian approached the woman. "I heard you delivered my cargo."

She took a shot of whatever was in her glass and slammed it back down. "And?"

"I want my payment," he growled, taking the second shot for himself. 

The woman sighed and finally looked at the horned man. "Listen, I was the one that delivered the cargo, so I'm the one that gets paid. That's how it works. If you want the money you have to do the job yourself." She picked up the next shot glass, but the Devaronian grabbed her arm.

"It was my job. Then you--"

"Yeah, I know. Your ship broke down right after you received the cargo and you gave the shipment to me to complete. If it hadn't been delivered, you'd be out of a job and have a bounty on your head. You're welcome." The woman shook her arm free of the man's grip, took the shot, tossed credits on the bar, and headed toward the door.  

"Oh, I don't think so," the Devaronian snarled as he threw her to the floor. "You will give me my payment."

With a swipe of her legs, she brought the man to the ground with her. She launched forward and tackled him. The people in the tavern began to run outside, but we stayed in our booth. The woman punched him twice before he shoved her away. He stood and kicked her in the stomach. 

"Where's the money?" he bellowed, standing above her. 

She was curled up on her side. Taking a closer look, I watched as she fumbled around with something on her belt. The woman shot a cable into one of his horns and pulled him toward the ground again. She clipped the line and met his face with the heel of her boot. Grabbing his horns, she kneed him in the stomach and slammed his head against the floor. An awful sound escaped his throat, sending a chill down my spine. I watched helplessly as she continued to bash his head on the ground. 

The Devaronian brought his arm up and his fingers slid around the woman's neck. She ceased attacking and instead gasped for air. They rolled over and she was now on the floor. He was laughing. Then silence. The Devaronian slumped over. The woman holstered her blaster. She stood, downed another shot, tossed more credits on the bar, and left. 

"Come on," I said to Brenni and Qi'ran as I followed the woman out. 

She stomped across the outpost, heading straight for the dock. I struggled to keep up and the boys lagged behind me. We weaved our way through the market, dodging shoppers and vendors alike. I pushed by them, trying not to lose sight of the pilot. She was fast and elusive, but nothing I couldn't handle. Her escape from the outpost wouldn't last much longer.

Once out of the market, I caught up to her. "Wait. Please, I have a job for you."

She whipped around to face me. "Look, kid. I've already got a job. The shipment is gonna be late if I stay here much longer or make any more stops. I came in for a quick refuel, and now it's time to go."

"It's not cargo. We need passage to Florrum. Just the three of us," I said as Brenni and Qi'ran ran up behind me. "You can drop off your cargo first, then take us to Florrum. I promise we won't be any trouble."

She rolled her eyes. "Florrum? Are you kidding? That place is swarming with pirate scum. Why do you kids want to go there?"

"I. . . I have a contact there. She, uh. . . "

"Here," Qi'ran said, handing the woman something. "I think this should suffice for payment."

She took the small object from Qi'ran and examined it. "Is this. . . is this real? Where'd you get it?"

"No more questions and it's yours." Qi'ran crossed his arms.

"We're off to Florrum, then." The woman turned and continued to her ship. 

We began to follow her and I leaned in close to Qi'ran. "What was that?" I whispered. 

"Oh, nothing. Just an Imperial Captain's Medallion."

Brenni and I both looked at him. I blinked a few times. "And you have that because?"

"Found it."

I furrowed my brow and stared at him for a minute. "I'm grateful and concerned at the same time."

"As long as it doesn't get us into trouble later, I'm not going to question it," Brenni spoke up. 

Soon after, the woman ushered us into her ship and we took our places in the cockpit. She warmed up the engines and checked that everything was in order for takeoff. Once the ship was prepped, she turned to us. 

"Name's Nyx. Welcome aboard Halyx."

Chapter Text

"Coming out of hyperspace in five, four, three, two. . . "

The blue hue of hyperspace travel disappeared and a large planet covered in millions of lights came into view. Some ships were leaving the planet's surface, while others were pulling out of hyperspace like us. I rose from the copilot's chair and leaned over the dash. Brenni and Qi'ran came from their second row seats and stood on either side of me. 

"What?" Nyx scoffed, leaning back in her chair, feet on the dash. "Never seen a planet from space before?"

"Are those cities?" I asked. "Where are we?"

"Coruscant. It's covered in cities. The underworld here is ruthless. None of you would last long."

Brenni laughed. "I'll take that bet. We're a lot tougher than you think we are."

"Well, by all means, be my guest then. But don't expect me to drag your dead body back to the ship. I'm only here to deliver the cargo, collect my payment, and leave. If you're not back in this cockpit by the time that's over, then you're stuck here. Got it?" Nyx looked us all in the eyes. 

Brenni swallowed and Qi'ran nodded his head furiously. 

"Why don't we all just stay on board?" I suggested. "If we stay here, we can't get lost or in trouble."

"Fine," Nyx said, sitting up. "Just stay outta my way. You are not to be seen or heard. My client thinks I am the only one aboard this ship. I'd like to keep it that way."

Nyx turned to the controls and piloted the ship into the atmosphere of Coruscant. Far to our left were the sky high buildings of one of the metropolitan centers of the planet. Why we were flying so far from the main civilization was a question I was afraid to ask. This was Nyx's business and we were just along for the ride. 

Nyx spoke into the comm channel. "This is Halyx requesting permission to land. I have the commander's shipment."

"Code," the gruff voice on the other end of the channel demanded.

Nyx glanced toward us, then back to the comm. "A-one-thirteen-V-Z-two-sixty-six."

"Permission to land granted. Proceed to Dock 3."

Nyx took the controls and guided Halyx to Dock 3. She landed the ship, shut down the engines, and lowered the cargo ramp. I watched, intrigued, as she flipped multiple switches in succession and pulled and pushed on levers. What exactly she was doing I had no idea, but Nyx definitely did. She hardly looked at the switches and levers as she moved her hands between them. 

At last, she turned back to us. "The three of you will stay here in the cockpit. You will not touch anything. You will not make a sound. You will not do a single thing until I return. Do you understand?"

We nodded. 

"Good. If all goes well, I'll be back in a minute."

Nyx headed out of the cockpit and and shut the door behind her. I leaned back in the chair and withdrew into myself. Soon I would be on my way to Florrum and take my final steps toward becoming a Jedi. I needed peace. It wasn't like I was nervous or afraid or anything; I just had a couple parvinoths fluttering around in my stomach. The future was not clear to me. Not that I was particularly good at seeing the future anyway. It was most certainly not a Force power I was strong in. 

So I sat there, concentrating on nothing and everything at the same time. The Force would guide me. It surrounded us all and brought the galaxy together into one coherent being, alive in the Force. I was a simple stitch in the tapestry woven by the Force. Right now, the Force flowed peacefully around me, like a stream running its course. Brenni and Qi'ran were, well, at least themselves. Nyx was nervous though. I could feel her trembling clammy hands. Her heart raced. Something was wrong.

I started for the door. "Stay here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going?" Brenni asked, rising from his seat. 

"Just. . . stay in here. Please. You can't help. It's my job and mine alone."

Qi'ran put his hand on my shoulder. "But it's not. Master Kessna told us to come so we could help you. Whatever's going on, we're here for you. We might not understand everything that goes through your head, but we'll always be by your side. Right, Bren?"

Brenni had moved to the dash and was looking out the viewport. "Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. Of course. It'll be the three of us forever. Don't let this hokey Jedi stuff make you to forget that. Now," he said coming toward Qi'ran and I, "let's go help Nyx."

I grabbed my lightsaber replica and the three of us headed out of the cockpit and down the hall. At the end of the hall was the ladder down into the cargo bay. I peered over the edge of the hole in the floor and into the hold. Nyx stood at the top of the ramp, blocking the entrance into the ship. Her usual cool demeanor had been replaced by frantic gestures. She stopped as heavy boots pounded on the ramp. A few large men pushed their way by her and began to unload the crates. Nyx tried to step aside as a Stormtrooper placed binders on her wrists, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the corner of the bay.  

With the men busy, I dropped down the ladder and crouched behind a crate. I waved on Brenni and Qi'ran, both of whom joined me behind the box. For a moment, I peered over the crate, checking the movement of the cargo. When the coast was clear, I slid around the containers and toward Nyx. Qi'ran stayed close to me, but Brenni lagged behind. As long as he remained hidden, that was fine with me. 

I sensed someone getting close. If they retrieved the crate we were hiding behind it would all be over. We'd have to fight our way off Coruscant. That wasn't going to happen if I could prevent it, though. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying the man wouldn't blow our cover. His steps went silent. There was a click and the sound of a hover mechanism activating. The man's boots sounded off the floor again as he took the container away. We were safe. 

I sighed to myself and scurried to the cover of the next cargo box. Qi'ran and I were almost to Nyx. I glanced around the crate and caught her attention. She rolled her eyes and glared at me while I tried to give her a reassuring smile. Nyx looked at the control panel on the opposite wall. I knew what had to be done. 

Qi'ran and I turned to go back the way we came. Brenni was a container away, his back to us. I checked what was happening in the rest of the hold. One of the men was coming for Brenni's cover. Without him facing us, I couldn't help Brenni. He was on his own. This was exactly the thing I never wanted to have happen. I made it my duty to protect Brenni. He needed me and I couldn't do anything. I had to have patience and wait for the situation to unfold. 

The man approached the crate and activated the hover mechanism. He began to pull it away, but as he backed up with the container, Brenni became visible. "Hey!" the man shouted. "What are you--"

He never finished his thought. Brenni kneeled there, blaster still pointed at the man as his large body dropped to the ground. I watched, frozen, as Brenni's chest heaved. His eyes widened when he turned to look at me. What could I have done? There was no time now. The shouts of Stormtroopers and the other men echoed in the mostly empty cargo bay. They ran up the ramp, blasters firing. Brenni launched himself toward us and hid behind our container. 

"What do we do?" Qi'ran asked, a hint of desperation in his voice. 

"There's a control panel on the other wall. It should close the ramp." I peeked over the crate, looking for Nyx. "Qi'ran, you have to make sure Nyx is on the ship before we close the ramp. That Stormtrooper still has her, but they're behind the wall of them that's blasting us. Brenni, I need you to get to that panel and bring up the ramp. Can you do that for me?"

Brenni stared blankly at the floor. "I. . . I think so."

"Good. I need both of you for this to work. I'll give you cover. Let's go."

I slipped around the container toward the ramp with Qi'ran. The Stormtroopers ceased firing and began to fan out to search for us. I turned on the hover function of a small cargo box and shoved it at the nearest troopers. The soldiers fell forward. I grabbed my wooden lightsaber and turned to the group next to them. With a few lightening fast swings of the saber, they were soon all unconscious on the ground. 

A blaster bolt flew over my head. I ran toward the trooper, kicked in his knee, and smacked his helmet with the saber. At another trooper I threw the wooden replica, hitting him in the center of the forehead. He fell to the floor and I used the Force to return my weapon. Another trooper fired blaster bolts at me. I slid to the side, taking cover behind one of the few remaining crates. He continued to fire, hitting the box. Once I took a second to recenter myself, I launched over the container, kicking the trooper square in the chest. With a clatter, he fell to the ground. 

Qi'ran ran by with Nyx and they scurried up the ladder. It was almost time to go. I took a deep breath and focused on the Force. With so many of them and small window of time, this needed to be precise. The engines roared to life. We were taking off. 

"Now, Brenni!" I shouted across the cargo hold.

The ramp began to close. With all my strength, I pushed forward with the Force, sending the Stormtroopers tumbling off the ship. The room began to spin. I stumbled back to the wall. Brenni ran up to me, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. His hand was on my shoulder, shaking me. I blinked a few times and shook my head. 

"Come on, Ari. Talk to me. What happened? Ari. Ari! What's going on?"

"I, uh. . . I'm fine. It was nothing. Let's just get back to the cockpit." I removed his hand from my shoulder, ascended the ladder, and ran back to the cockpit. 

Brenni stomped into the room. "What was that? Were you trying to get us killed?"

"I can turn this ship around and drop you off to the Empire, if you'd like," Nyx  suggested. "Now, if you kids would shut the hell up and let me make the calculation for the jump to hyperspace, that'd be great."

"No, I don't think I will," Brenni snarked. "We're not going anywhere until you tell us what that was."

"The Empire knows my ship. If we don't get out of here now, they'll arrest us. Life in a work camp is not what I would call luxurious."

"Maybe getting arrested wouldn't be that bad. Never have to put up with you again."

We launched into hyperspace and Nyx spun around in her chair. "You might not care, but your friend over there, she wouldn't make it. I've heard the rumors. What they do to her kind, I wouldn't wish on anyone."

Defeated, Brenni took his seat. He glanced at me, but I sunk low in my chair and pretended to mess with my training saber. Nyx knew what I was. She wasn't going to hand me over to the Empire, at least not yet. If Brenni could learn his place, we'd get through this fine. Probably. 

Chapter Text

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"No, no, no! Are you kidding?" Nyx began pushing buttons on the dash.

"What happened?" I asked cautiously. 

"We're leaking fuel. They must have cut the line back on Coruscant. We have to stop now if we don't want to be stuck drifting through space. A hyperspace lane's a dangerous place." She scrolled through the navigation panel. "Looks like we'll have to look for fuel on Anaxes. It's the closest planet."

"Anaxes?" I repeated. "There's an old Republic base there. Isn't it an asteroid belt now, though? I thought the planet was destroyed."

"Maybe. I've never been there. It's the only option we have right now though, so it'll have to do."

Shortly after, we pulled out of hyperspace and came upon the dusty remains of Anaxes. The planet-turned-asteroid wasn't much to look at. Whereas Coruscant was a sprawling city-planet, what remained of Anaxes was, well, just rocks. Everyone who survived the destruction of the planet abandoned the place. I wasn't sure what we would find at the Republic base, but I knew it would be haunted by the ghosts of the Clone War. 

Below us, built into the rock, was the base. The landing strip was covered in dirt that had rested untouched for years. Nyx set Halyx down halfway down the strip. She cut the engines and terminated all power. A leaking fuel line, I assumed, was not something you wanted to take your chances with. 

"Alright, kids, let's check this place out. Hopefully there's enough fuel to get us to Florrum."

The four of us hurried off the ship and toward the base. Brenni, Qi'ran, and Nyx didn't seem bothered by the stale air. Something inside of me just felt wrong, but I couldn't place it. I sensed a cold darkness somewhere out there. We needed what fuel we could find, though. It didn't matter what was here. 

The base was dark as the power generators seemed to have failed a long time ago. Nyx pulled out a light and illuminated the base. Decaying Republic gunships were crumbling inside the hangar. Supply crates were tipped over and scattered around the area. The hairs on my arms prickled up. 

"There's some over here," Nyx called. She kneed and examined the red barrels. "Rhydonium. This is nasty stuff. Extremely volatile. But it's all we've got. Carefully roll these back to Halyx. I'll get to work on the fuel line. Try not to blow anything up."

Brenni rounded up all the barrels Nyx had selected as Qi'ran rolled the first one out of the hangar. I felt something again. There were. . . eyes. We were being watched. Creatures, lots of creatures, were crawling in the darkness. They were waiting. But for what? And where were they? What were they? One was approaching. The muscles in its legs coiled up.

"Brenni!" I shouted as I shoved him out of the way. 

The creature pounced over our heads, snarling. Its glowing yellow eyes glared through the darkness. I could feel the others closing in. There were so many. We couldn't take them all. The emptiness left by fear had taken hold in me. I knew it wasn't the Jedi way, but I was not ready to die by the claws of rabid animals, nor was I ready to defend the others. 

"Run," I breathed. "Run!"

I pulled Brenni off the ground and we raced for the ship. That thing  was on our heels. Its friends were in pursuit as well. It would take a miracle for us to reach the ship before they reached us. Qi'ran was coming around the ship. He made a hard stop and slowly backed away. Brenni and I stormed up the ramp and into the cargo hold. 

"Nyx?" I shouted between breaths while climbing the ladder. "Nyx? Where are you?"

Her blue head popped out of the floor boards. "What is it now? Don't tell me those barrels are empty. What nerf-herder would do that? Why not just dump them somewhere else?"

I shook my head. "Worse. I don't know what they are, but it is not safe here."

Nyx muttered something under her breath, then pushed herself out of the floor. "What are you talking about? There wasn't anything out there earlier."

"I am not going back out there," Brenni butted in. "I don't care how bad we need the fuel, those things were going to eat us."

"What are you talking about?" Nyx demanded.

"It was purple and growling and had glowing eyes, lots of teeth, sharp claws, and huge ears and a tail. Let's just go find fuel somewhere else."

"Listen, kid, I believe you. But what other option do we have? There's not enough fuel to get to the next planet and besides, we can't go anywhere until I get this fuel line fixed. I don't. . . I don't want anyone getting hurt, but there's only one way out of this." She rolled her eyes. "I'll finish the repairs, then I'll be out there to help. Make sure they're not outside my ship waiting for us right now."

Brenni and I went back down to the cargo hold and met Qi'ran. He sat on the ramp, chin on his knees. Poor kid. He never was one for action. Rarely did he run the courses back on Ashas Ree with Brenni and I. Instead, Qi'ran waited on the sideline with Master Kessna. However, when I meditated or poured over the Jedi texts, he was always right there beside me. Brenni would train against me, but Qi'ran would study with me. 

Brenni pulled Qi'ran to his feet and the three of us circled the ship. Nothing. Not a single one of those creatures was to be seen anywhere. I paced in front of the ship, trying to understand what was going on. They attacked us in the hangar, but obviously they didn't follow us to the ship. Maybe they were just protecting their home. If they were a territorial species, that would make the most sense. We were intruders and had to be dealt with. 

With no news to report, we headed back inside. Brenni and Qi'ran continued past where Nyx was making repairs and settled down at the dejarik table. I started to turn down the other hall and head to my quarters to meditate, but something was nagging at the back of my mind. With a sigh, I doubled back and plopped on the floor next to Nyx's hole. She was banging away at something. 

Nyx didn't look up at me. "I know what you're going to ask. Go ahead. Get it outta the way."

"How did you know?"

"That you're a Jedi?" Nyx chuckled. "When you wear clothes like that, it's not hard to tell you apart. You stick out like a sore bantha."

"Oh," I muttered to myself. 

"Come on, kid. I'm just messing with you. Lighten up." Nyx stopped what she was doing and peered up at me. She laughed again, but her smile quickly faded. "My, uh, my father used to tell me stories all the time. He admired their fearlessness. They were great leaders and strong warriors. You should be proud. We could all use a little hope right now."

Nyx ducked her head back down and the clanking resumed. Every once in a while I could hear cries of frustration from Brenni as Qi'ran was most likely beating him in dejarik. Brenni preferred a more forward approach which would often leave him quite vulnerable to attack, especially when playing against someone as calculating as Qi'ran. He would always rush into things and it was my duty to save his skin. It wasn't just in dejarik, either. He'd always find a way to get into trouble back home and I bailed him out every single time. Whether he had bad luck or enjoyed it, I didn't know. One thing was certain, though: wherever Brenni went, trouble was not far behind. 

"Finally," Nyx sighed as she climbed out of the hole. She pushed the grated flooring over the compartment. "Glad that's over with. Now, if we can just get the rhydonium from those creatures out there, we'll be on our way to Florrum. The boys done with their game yet?"

"No," I said. I hesitated a moment before continuing. "Hey, what happened back there on Coruscant?"

Nyx crossed her arms. "Well, when credits are tight, you take whatever job you can get your hands on. I don't take jobs from the Empire all the time. But when you need the credits and it's all that's available, you do what you have to. It isn't about living. It's about surviving."

"So, what went wrong? You didn't get your credits. They almost arrested you. Had we not stepped in--"

"I know." Nyx paused. She looked around the room before coming back to me. "Thanks. My guess is I was setup. That Devaronian in the tavern on Ashas Ree was part of a crew I had worked with before. We had done a few jobs together, but we didn't get along very well. I showed up to rescue their heads after their ship broke down some time later. I delivered the cargo, I received the payment, and they didn't get a bounty out for them. Well, they sent the one to kill me on Ashas Ree, but that obviously didn't work. I think they alerted the Empire next and had them waiting for me. Hopefully we never have to see them again, though."

Brenni came up to us. "If the fuel line is fixed, what's next?"

Nyx pulled out her blaster and clicked off the safety. "Let's go hunting."

The four of us headed back outside Halyx and down the landing strip toward the hangar. Those creatures had disappeared, but I could still feel them. They were nearby, waiting for us to return. I wasn't eager to learn what they would do to us if they did manage to drag one of us off. Thinking of a fate such as that chilled the air around me. 

I wasn't the only one spooked. Nyx's caution overshadowed her usual cool demeanor. Brenni was tense. I could feel his tight muscles and twitching trigger finger. Qi'ran was most afraid. Although I didn't know what they were, a million thoughts ran through his mind. I glanced over at him. He was paler than normal and he clutched his left hand, probably to keep it from shaking. I tightened my grip on the hilt of the saber. 

We were almost to the hangar. I could sense those creatures waiting for us, just beyond the edge of the darkness. A small one paced back and forth, anxious to attack. He bared his teeth and growled. Qi'ran swallowed. I drew my saber and the small creature pounced into the light. It yelped and scurried back inside. 

"The light," I mumbled to myself. "They can't stand the light."

"If you've got something to say, Jedi, you're going to have to speak up."

"Nyx, I know why they didn't follow us back to the ship. They can't be out in the light. If we can get the rhydonium out of the hangar, then the worst will be behind us."

Brenni chuckled with slight hysteria. "And how to you expect us to get the rhydonium? Huh? I'm not about to stroll in there and let those-those things come after me."

I hadn't gotten that far, yet. At least I figured out they could not withstand the light of the sun. If I used to the Force to pull the rhydonium out, I risked blowing everything up. From what Nyx had said, any harsh movements could set them off. One of us would have to buy the others time. I had a feeling that job would be left to me.

"Got any good tricks up your sleeve, Jedi?" Nyx asked. "You guys had all kinds of powers back in the day."

"Like what? It's not like I can just. . . no, that might work."

"Whatcha thinking, Ari?" Brenni inquired. "I know that look. You've got an idea."

"You're gonna think I'm crazy. And I'm not sure if any of you will trust me. I've never tried it before, but I've read about it. There's a chance I can connect to those creatures through the Force and keep them from attacking us just long enough for you guys to get as many barrels of rhydonium out of there. I won't risk it unless all of you agree."

Three pairs of wide eyes stared back at me in the ensuing silence. Then, Qi'ran smiled and finally piped up. "I'd trust you with my life. I've always trusted you."

Brenni nodded his head in agreement. 

Nyx rolled her eyes. "Unless someone else has a better plan, let's get moving. The sun's going down and we need to get out of here."

I crossed over into the darkness of the hangar and reached out. There were so many of them. Their aura was dark and cold. They were living in fear: fear of us. We had to get this done as quickly as possible. However, if I let my own fear control my thoughts and actions, it didn't matter how long we were here. The moment I let my guard down, let my mind waiver, was the moment we all lost. Those creatures would overrun us and it would all be my fault. I couldn't let that happen. 

I sat, legs crossed, between the rhydonium and the animals. More of them approached, but I pressed out harder, trying to calm their minds. Some of them struggled against me, attempting to push me out of their heads. They twitched their tails and snarled through gnashing teeth. One crouched low to the ground and crept toward us. I pushed out again, forcing them all to sit.

I am not your enemy. We want nothing from you. I tired to reassure them as they fought my control. We have invaded your home, and we are sorry. We only need the fuel so we can leave. 

Most of them were further quelled by my words and fully submitted to my control. A calm mind was more open to suggestion than one so consumed by rage. As peacekeepers and master negotiators, Jedi needed to learn to contain and even control situations to establish peace. Fear was a force to be reckoned with. Even the slightest hint of doubt could have catastrophic results. That served to reinforced why what I was doing was so important. Keeping them calm and out of the way gave us a chance. 

I reached out further as more and more creatures drew near. Everything grew colder as I searched deeper into the hangar. There was a strong anger and hatred emanating from the darkest depths of that place. Its darkness washed over me like the morning frost and my connection to the creatures was severed. I blinked as I awakened back into reality. I reached out again, trying to reestablish the connection, but I didn't have the strength to overcome the combined rage of the animals. They crept forward, stalking their prey. I stepped back and pushed again with the Force, but nothing happened. It was over. 

"Go!" I shouted, stumbling backward. "Go! We have to move!"

Brenni, Qi'ran, and Nyx dropped what they were doing and scrambled out of the hangar ahead of me. They would make it. I wasn't so sure about me. I could sense them on my heels. One caught my cloak, pulling me back. 

"Sorry, Master," I mumbled as I threw the cloak off and continued to run.

I slid behind the cluster of rhydonium barrels where the others were waiting. We sat in silence, catching our breath. Nyx looked at me and shook her head. Brenni let out a disproving puff of air. 

Qi'ran looked up at me with wide eyes. "I don't wanna do that again."

"Okay," I laughed. "I like the way you think. Let's get this to the ship."

Brenni, Qi'ran, and I rolled the barrels back as Nyx filled the fuel tank with rhydonium. We left the extra fuel on the landing strip as Nyx wasn't too keen on having a cargo hold full of explosives. She wanted to dump the fuel when we reached Florrum and refill the tank with whatever they had there. Like she said, "Anything's better than being stuck in a flying deathtrap."  

Chapter Text

I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. I am one with the Force and the Force is with me. Those words echoed through my mind as I meditated in my dark quarters. From the first lesson I could remember, Master Kessna ensured the Jedi saying was burned into my mind. No matter where I was or what was going on, faith in the Force would bring me through. 

That faith was exactly what I needed, too. Soon I would begin the final stages of my training as a student of a real Jedi Master. To prove myself worthy of their teachings and the Jedi ways, I had to be reliant on the Force. It connected everything around me. The Force was my guide.

"Alright, kids. We're coming up on Florrum," Nyx announced through the ship. "Take a seat so I can land."

I sighed and slid off the cot. Meditating would have to wait. Brenni and Qi'ran stomped down the hall as I grabbed my training saber. A moment later, I joined them in the cockpit and we soon pulled out of hyperspace. In front of us was the beige desert planet Florrum. Blocking our path forward, however, was a large silver saucer ship. 

"Karabast," Nyx muttered. She flicked a few switches on the dash and turned to us. "I need one of you to climb up to the turret and someone else to go down to the nose-gun. Put on the headset and fire only if I give you the word."

Brenni jumped out of his seat and stormed down the hall. Qi'ran placed his hand on my shoulder and followed him out. I looked back and forth between Nyx and the ship. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the saucer ship in silence. A button on the dash blinked. Nyx hesitated, her thumbs hovering over the triggers on Halyx's controls. Her thumb twitched, almost firing the blasters. With a sigh, she brought her hands away from the controls and pressed the flashing button. 

"Greetings, friends!" came a voice from the comm. "Welcome to Florrum! Before you land, I would love to personally conduct an investigation of your ship to ensure you're not bringing any illegal substances to my beautiful world. All I ask is that you cooperate with me or there will be consequences. I will be boarding your ship momentarily."

"Kriffing pirates. I knew it," Nyx growled. She flicked switches on the dash and spoke into her headset. "Everyone to the smuggling compartments in the floor. Make sure you have a blaster. I'm not going down without a fight." Nyx tossed the headset on her seat and stomped out of the cockpit. 

I followed her through the halls to the smuggling compartments where we met Brenni and Qi'ran. Nyx and Brenni pulled the floor panels out of the way and the four of us hopped inside. The compartments were only as wide as the narrow halls of the ship, but they stretched the entire length.

Nyx looked down to one end of the hall. "Go far enough and you'll run into the ventilation system. Might be your way out if we get stuck down here."

It became a waiting game. We sat in silence, anticipating the moment when the pirates boarded the ship and began their hunt. Halyx jolted as the pirates attached to Nyx's ship. Soon after, the muffled sound of the docking door opening echoed through the compartment. Pirates rushed onto the ship, their pounding boots growing louder with each step. Nyx placed a finger over her lips as they passed overhead. They quickly marched by, eventually leaving us alone again. 

Brenni stared up at the floor panels, arms crossed, as a frown grew on his blank face. Qi'ran gazed around the compartment, wide-eyed and Nyx checked her blaster. I simply observed them while sitting cross-legged and listened for more signs of the pirates. When they realized we were hiding, it was only a matter of time before they tore through the ship. They would pull it apart until they found us. If the pirates had any brains, they would know to start with the smuggling compartments. 

Brenni fidgeted around. He finally stood and sighed. "I'm tired of hiding," he grumbled. "Let's just face them head on." 

Nyx chuckled. "Listen, kid, if you really want to go after those pirates, be my guest. If they capture you, it's not my responsibility to risk my life to rescue you. Of course if you die, I won't have to worry about saving your skin anyway. The choice is yours, but staying down here might keep you alive longer."

Brenni huffed and sat back down. He was slowly learning not to cross Nyx. Back home on Ashas Ree he would argue with me all the time. Brenni never knew when to quit. I tried to be the role model, the good influence, but no matter how many times I put him in his place, he continued to defy my instruction. It was almost like he refused to take my advice. All I had ever tried to do was teach him right from wrong. Despite my efforts, Brenni was still so immature. It was a trait I was afraid would one day prove fatal. 

The footsteps grew louder again. I sensed only two of the pirates approaching this time. They gradually slowed and stopped on the floor panels above us. Brenni looked up with narrow eyes, his jaw set. Qi'ran covered his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut. Nyx held up her hand and I tapped Qi'ran on the shoulder. His large eyes stared at me as I nodded my head. We focused on Nyx, waiting for her signal. 

"What'll we do now, boss?" came one of the voices. "If Hondo were--"

"No! I will not hear that sleemo's name ever again!" the other one shouted. "It is his fault the gang was broken up anyway. If he had not been so careless, the Imps never would have caught us. Now, I want these womp rats found. A fine cargo ship like this is bound to have smuggling compartments. Turn this ship inside out. They have nowhere to run."

"Right, boss," the first one said as the pirate leader continued down the hall. 

Nyx pointed down each wing of the compartment. Something banged on the floor nearby. She held up three fingers. Then two. A knocking came right above our heads. One. The panel began to slide away. Nyx pointed. I turned and ran, weaving my way around below deck. When I was sure I was safe, I stopped and waited, but no one appeared. I was alone. The others must have fled in different directions. I couldn't turn back and look for them, though. The pirates had their entry to the smuggling compartments. There was no going back. My only way out was forward. 

Before long, I came upon the ventilation system. I popped the grate off the shaft and crawled inside. It certainly was not as spacious as the smuggling compartments, but when being pursued by pirates, I supposed I had to take what I could get. My training saber, which was strapped to my back, scratched the top of the vent every time I moved. If I was trying to hide, the sound of scraping metal was not going to help. While I was lying on my stomach, I reached behind me and pulled the saber off. Once I had secured it in the sash around my waist, I continued my crawl through the shaft. 

I was not entirely sure where I was going. Sure, I supposed I knew up from down as the ship's artificial gravity kept me pinned to one of the four walls of the shaft, but where I was positioned in the ship and where I was headed were mysteries. Was I approaching the stern? Or perhaps the port side?

It doesn't matter, I thought. As long as I'm out of reach of the pirates, I'm safe. 

I may have been safe, at least for now, but what about the others? If Nyx was caught, however unlikely, we would have no way out of here. Brenni would put up a fight, yes, but he was no match for these scum. And poor Qi'ran. I shuddered at the fate before him if he were captured.

A group of the pirates ran by overhead. I paused as their thundering boots made the shaft tremble. Had they found Brenni, Nyx, or Qi'ran? I was doubtful they would leave the ship without at least one of us. At best, they would take what remained of the cargo from Coruscant and leave us alone. At worst, we would all be dead and whatever they wanted from us wouldn't matter anyway. Just as Nyx had said, it was about surviving, not living. 

If this was about survival, then I needed to stop hiding down here and be the selfless Jedi Master Kessna had raised me to be. Remaining here and protecting only myself was cowardly. To ensure the others' survival, it was my duty to step forward and risk my life for theirs. I was not taught how to withstand torture. What I was taught was to rely on the Force, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

First I had to figure out a way to get all the pirates back to the airlock. I'd have to lure them all to their docking ramp before I could disengage it and send them on their way. With the pirates all over the ship, that was nearly impossible. To herd so many of them into a small area without getting caught myself was a daunting task, but the least I could do was try. If it gave Brenni, Qi'ran, and Nyx a chance to get away it was worth it. 

Just ahead was a panel which would allow me access to the rest of the ship. As I approached it, I reached out with the Force to see if any pirates were patrolling the corridor. There was nothing. I pushed the panel out of the way and pulled myself out of the shaft. The panel slid back into the floor and I stared down the hall. No one was coming from either end of the hall, but I still had an emptiness in the pit of my stomach. 

"I have a bad feeling about this," I whispered to myself.

Master Kessna was always telling me to trust my feelings because they were guided by the Force. I usually did, but this time I wasn't so sure what was right. Despite every warning I felt, I still had that selfless instinct telling me to keep going. I had to do something, right? Doing nothing was selfish. Hiding was cowardice. They all needed me, especially Brenni. Without me there to keep him out of trouble, he would not have lasted long. 

Putting all my doubts aside, I ran down the hall. Just around the corner was a group of pirates. With a few whacks of the training saber, they were all dazed and on the ground. Knocking them out would have been pointless; I needed them to follow me to the airlock. Of course, a head start didn't hurt. Besides, dodging that much blaster fire was not what I called fun. 

The next group of pirates was a hall over. Again, I roughed them up with the lightsaber replica and continued on my way. There were at least ten pirates on my trail now. That also meant there were ten less pirates searching for the others. When I rounded the next corner, I found four pirates lining the hallway. The first one I took out so quickly none of the others had noticed I was standing there until what seemed well after their comrade dropped to the ground. Pirate number two ran at me with a large Vibro-ax. I blocked his blows easily and by exploiting his weak defense, sent him to the ground as well. The last two pirates fired their blasters. Without any cover in the hall or a real lightsaber to deflect their blasts, I resorted to zigzagging around their bolts. I reached the first one, knocked the blaster from her hands, and swept her off her feet. The other pirate slowly backed down the hall, still firing. I kicked his legs out from under him and with a strike of the saber he was out of the fight. 

I took the next corner to find a group of at least eight pirates, blasters drawn, waiting for me. There was no way I could take them all at once, not without a real lightsaber. I started to head back the other way, but another large group of pirates were almost upon me. I reached out, searching for an escape, but the floor here was solid and the vent was bolted shut. It was time to step up and see what I was made of. I took a deep breath and felt the Force surge through me. My fingers tingled with its power. 

I heard the door behind me open and a voice called out, "Goodnight." An electric pulse surged through my body. Everything blurred together until there was nothing. 

Chapter Text

There were murmuring voices in the distance. They were too cobbled up to tell one voice from the next. It was just unintelligible sound. Gradually they grew louder, and I could tell one was a woman and the other a man. I tried opening my eyes, but everything was a blurry mess. After a few blinks, I began to make sense of where I was. I was in a dark room with a single window and a barred door. 

I tried to sit up and immediately felt the dull ache in the middle of my back. Everything started to come back to me. I was running through Halyx, trying to lead the pirates to the airlock. Then, I had rounded a corner, but the pirates were waiting for me and I was surrounded. The door behind me opened. He made an odd remark and the last thing I remembered was the sting of an electric pulse. 

I rubbed my eyes, still groggy from the device that had knocked me out. On the other end of the room were the two individuals I assumed were talking before. They looked at me, then back at each other. The man ran over to me. I still couldn't make out who he was so I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. When I opened them, Brenni and Nyx stood over me. 

"Ari!" Brenni shouted, making my ears ring as he placed his shackled hand on my shoulder. "Glad you're finally awake. We waited all night. What happened?"

I muttered something, but the words wouldn't flow. I wanted to tell them what I tried to do on the ship, how I had planned to lure the pirates away from from them. But nothing, not a sound, fell from my mouth. My eyes only shifted around the dim room, searching for what was not there. Whatever was missing was more important than how any of us ended up here. 

Finally the words came, but it was not an answer to Brenni's question. 

"Where's Qi'ran?"

My voice echoed in my head. Brenni and Nyx were here, but Qi'ran was not. What awful things were they doing to him? His absence gnawed a hole inside of me. Not only had I failed to rid the ship of the pirates and got us captured, but I condemned Qi'ran to whatever fate lied before him. Again, I tried to speak, but nothing came. I could only stare dumbly around the room. Qi'ran's blood was on my hands. 

Nyx looked me dead in the eye. "Listen, Jedi, whatever's going on in your head has to stop. If you're gonna be stuck in this state of mind, we are never getting out of here. You are our best bet right now. Neither of us have seen Qi'ran either. If we find him on our way out, great. If not. . ."

As Nyx trailed off, every lesson Master Kessna had ever taught me ran through my mind. No one was perfect, not even a Jedi. When plans failed and things went wrong, sometimes the only option was to move on. Lingering on the failures of the past did no good unless there was something to learn. Sometimes a sacrifice had to be made for such was the price of high stakes. 

"We keep going," I said, rising to my feet. 

Brenni's face lit up and Nyx nodded her head. I looked down at the binders on my wrists. They didn't seem electrified or reinforced with plasma, so I reached out with the Force and got to work on the locking mechanism. It wasn't that complicated. A few seconds was all it took for the binders to open and drop off my arms. 

Once I had freed Brenni and Nyx, I went to the door and surveyed the situation outside the cell. Presently, there were no guards posted anywhere in the hall. I craned my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the lock on the door. Unable to view the locking mechanism, I used the Force to find out how the pirates were keeping us here. To the left of the door was a slot made for scanning key cards. With no cards conveniently lying around and no pirates nearby, we would have to improvise. 

I turned to Nyx. "Please tell me you have something we can insert into that slot and unlock the door. Anything thin should work."

"I'll see what I can find." Nyx rummaged around in the various compartments on her belt. She pulled a few odds and ends out and examined them before replacing them in the pockets she withdrew them from. Eventually, she produced a shiny flat disk. "How about this?" she asked, holding up the disk for us to see. It was the Imperial Captain's Medallion Qi'ran had given Nyx as compensation for flying us around the galaxy. 

I lifted the medallion from Nyx's fingers with the Force and passed it through the bars of the cell door. It slid perfectly into the slot. The lock clicked and the door cracked open. Brenni pushed it open all the way and I retrieved the medallion for Nyx. She admired it for a moment before slipping it back into a compartment on her belt. 

"Even when Qi'ran isn't here, he still helps us," I mumbled. 

Nyx elbowed me gently and nodded her head down the hall. There was still work to be done. We weren't out of this mess until we were far from the pirates' compound. Only until after we made it to Rikki Depot and found the Jedi Master would I be fully at ease. From what I understood, scum like these pirates had large presences on Outer Rim worlds like Florrum. The Empire hadn't quite reached the furthest most reaches of the galaxy, but that didn't mean we were safe from every kind of trouble.  

The three of us slinked down the hall past other cells just like ours. Most of them were uninhabited, but a few contained exotic creatures. My heart felt for them, but we could not risk our lives any more by setting them loose. When we reached the first junction, Brenni took us right. It didn't feel like we were going the wrong way, so I let him lead on. He took us down a few more halls, and there was still no sign of the pirates. 

"I don't like this," I whispered as we slipped by an empty room. "Where are all the pirates? You'd think we'd have run into a few of them by now."

Brenni glanced back at Nyx and I. "Can't you just be glad we haven't seen any? We've had enough bad luck already. Let's get out of here, and fast. I don't like the way this place is making me feel."

Brenni was right. It was nice to have a stroke of luck when everything else had gone wrong so far. He was also right about his feelings. The longer we wandered the halls of the pirate hideout, the more uneasy I had felt. I knew something wasn't right, but I couldn't quite place it. Was it the compound itself or the people in it? Were the pirates hiding something here? I shook off the thought and concentrated on following Brenni. 

"You're right," Nyx whispered to me alone. "We're missing something. Whatever's going on isn't right. We should have been spotted by now."

The four of us came to another crossroads. Brenni slowly stepped into the center of the corridors and stopped. I reached out with the Force to sense what may have waited for us down each of the hallways, but there was nothing. I could not tell which way would lead us out of here or if there were any pirates waiting for us. The Force would not show me anything. Nyx reached for where her blaster should have been. 

If the others felt the sudden foulness floating in the air, they didn't say so. Instead, we placed our backs to each other and faced down different halls. Brenni's arm gently brushed up and down against mine as he breathed quicker and harder. Nyx stood slightly farther away than Brenni, but I knew she could hold her own. Brenni, on the other hand, needed my help. I couldn't let him face anything on his own. 

Out of the shadows stepped the pirates. Their weapons were drawn, blasters pointed at our chests. They pushed closer, circling us save for one side. From the darkness of the hall we had just traveled down, came a single Weequay pirate. He strolled down the corridor, a certain bounce in his step, with his hand on his belt. His dark eyes glinted from under his wide-brimmed hat in the minimal light. 

The Weequay chuckled, a gold tooth catching the light. "Well, well, well. I am impressed. It is rare, my friends, that someone escapes these cells. However, I should have expected no less from the pilot of Halyx, Miss Masani."

Nyx stepped by me and crossed her arms. "Yeah? And what makes you think you know so much about me anymore, huh? A name isn't worth much, anyway. You got nothin' on my record. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a bump in the road."

A wide smile spread across the Weequay's face as he walked closer. "That is somewhat true. To me, you mean nothing. To the Empire. . ." He paused a moment and narrowed his eyes. "Well, let's just say a name is all they need. I give you up to them, they reward me handsomely, and I become significantly richer than I am right now." His smile faded and he stepped directly in front of Nyx. "Unless, of course, you would come back and work for me again. I might be able to clear your name. You could be the most notorious pilot in the galaxy! But, ultimately, the choice is yours."

Nyx stared up at the pirate, a smirk growing across her face. She let out a soft laugh and spat in the pirate's face. The pirate drew his blaster at lightspeed and stunned Nyx. She fell to the ground with a soft thud. I focused in on the head pirate as Brenni moved behind me. The pirate nodded his head and blasters began to move. I wanted to run, to do anything but stand there and take the stun blasts that sent Brenni and I to the ground just like Nyx. 

+++

Once again, I sat up on the floor of the cell. As the effects of the stun wore off, everything came into focus. The others were slowly waking up, too, their forms moving against the darkness of the cell. Brenni stood up and stumbled his way over to Nyx. He grumbled something before pulling her up and shoving her against the wall. She remained silent, but something in her narrowing eyes betrayed her levelheaded facade. 

"What do they want with you?" Brenni growled in her face. "What have you dragged us into?"

"Brenni, please," I begged. "This isn't the time. We need to--"

"Stay out of this, Ari. I'm doing this for you and Qi'ran. It's her fault we're in this mess." Brenni turned back to Nyx. "Qi'ran could be dying because of you. Our friend's life is on you. You have us stuck here because of some stupid problem these pirates have with you. Had we chosen any other pilot we wouldn't be caught up in your bad choices."

Nyx took in every word he said. "You're right. You wouldn't be trapped in this cell. In fact, you never would have made it to Florrum. Any other pilot, if they even agreed to haul you around the galaxy, would have handed her over to the Empire, and you and Qi'ran along with her. They would have made quick credits and you'd all be dead. The Force brought us together and it will influence whatever happens next. Now," she said, easily shoving Brenni off of her, "we need to find a way out of here."

Nyx stepped to the door and looked up and down the corridor. She turned to us and rolled her eyes. "Guards everywhere. We're not getting out of here easily this time. Besides, these binders are inescapable, even for a Jedi. The reinforcements will have to be remotely deactivated. Tell me you've got something useful, Jedi."

I looked down the hall and, sure enough, there were too many pirates to escape that way. The window might have been an option if the bars weren't so close together. Removing the bars would have caused too much noise and further ruined our chances of getting out of here. The others were looking at me, waiting for an answer. Brenni raised his eyebrows and I shook my head. My Jedi tricks couldn't get us out of this one. Nyx grumbled something under her breath and Brenni kicked the wall. 

A rumble shook the compound as a siren wailed in the distance. The pirates outside our cell scrambled down the hall, leaving us alone. We looked at each other, trying to make sense of what just happened. Once the hallway was clear, a single pirate with a helmet that covered his face ran up to the barred door. He inserted a card in the slot in the wall to open the door and deactivated our binders. The pirate waved for us to leave, but we remained firmly planted in the cell. He cocked his head to the side and pulled off his helmet. 

"Qi'ran!" I shouted. He was here. He was alive. I ran out of the cell and threw my arms around him. Qi'ran showed no signs of being tortured, but most importantly, he was alive. "How?" I breathed, pulling out of the hug.

He shrugged. "Luck, I guess. I'll try and explain once we get out of here. We've only got a small amount of time to get to the ship before they realize what I've done."

Qi'ran led us down the corridor the opposite way we attempted to escape by earlier. Like before, the halls were empty. This time, however, I felt no warnings from the Force. We traversed the compound, hallway after hallway, until finally we entered into the Florrum sunlight. The planet was an unsightly yellow-brown monotonous desert with dry air. It would definitely take some getting used to. 

Across the shipyard was Halyx. We sprinted through the yard, eager to leave this miserable place. Nyx stormed up the ramp ahead of us, shouting to man the guns. Her and I scrambled to the cockpit. She flipped switches and hit buttons to initiate the startup sequence. Pirates began to pour out of their stronghold, blasters firing. Nyx muttered something and we lifted off from the ground.

"Weapons free!" she ordered into the headset. 

Halyx quivered under the light blaster fire. I assumed a freighter like her could hold up to this barrage, though. These individual blasters couldn't have compared to the turrets on starfighters and battleships. Those were made for space combat where most ships larger than the starfighters had shields. And if I thought I knew anything about Nyx, it was that she wouldn't take her chances without reliable defenses. Her business was risky, so she needed to be prepared. 

We soared over the wall of the shipyard and the rumbling died down. I told Nyx we needed to reach Rikki Depot and she entered the information into the navicomputer. Brenni and Qi'ran joined us in the cockpit as we traveled across the barren desert. Soon I'd be with my new master and one step closer to becoming a Jedi. The future was fast approaching, but with Brenni and Qi'ran by my side, I was unstoppable. 

Chapter Text

"I'm not really sure how they didn't find me. I stayed in the vents until well after they had landed the ship at their compound," Qi'ran explained as we sat in the cantina at Rikki Depot. "Then, I kind of just wandered around their place until I found an armory. I grabbed some stuff: armor and explosives and whatnot and headed back outside and sabotaged one of the ships. So once I detonated the thing remotely I found you guys."

"Well," Brenni said, leaning back in the booth, "we're not dead. I say that's all that really matters here."

Nyx rolled her eyes. "Yeah, flyboy, it's kinda convenient to be alive. At times. Course if everyone thinks you're dead, they don't come lookin' for ya." She smirked and stared Brenni in the eye.

He squirmed. Qi'ran slowly returned the fried crispic he was about to eat to the platter and Nyx took a swig of her glowing drink. As the mug clunked on the table, she chuckled and swiped one of the crispics. I paused for a moment before taking one for myself. While I ate, my mind wandered to the immediate future.

It was time to find this Jedi Master and complete my training. Of course, Master Kessna had never mentioned their name, or what they looked like, or precisely where to find them. She only told me to travel to Rikki Depot on Florrum. Well, we were here, but there was no Jedi in sight. Nothing worthwhile was ever easy, though. Every challenge I faced under Master Kessna's guidance was meant to better my skills and mold me into a Jedi. Every step forward was step closer to my destiny.

When we finished our meal, Nyx led us back to Halyx for the night. The others went directly inside the ship, but I lingered at the top of the ramp. I sat and stared across the desert. The sun hovered just above the horizon, casting deep oranges across the dimming yellow sky. Qi'ran returned from the interior of the ship and joined me. We sat in silence, taking in the strange beauty of the sunset, unobscured by colossal trees.

A chill ran through the air. I glanced at Qi'ran, but he didn't seem fazed. Maybe it was nothing. I closed my eyes tight and shook my head, trying to clear my mind. Once I was recentered, I looked across the horizon again. Something out in the desert glinted in the light of the setting sun. I rubbed my eyes and there, vaguely outlined by the sun, was a person. I hopped to my feet and placed a hand where my training saber would have been had we not ran into the pirates.

"What is it?" Qi'ran asked, looking up at me.

"There's someone out there," I replied, pointing to the sunset. "Do you see them?"

Qi'ran followed my finger to the desert surrounding us. "I don't. . . I don't see anything. Are you sure it wasn't an illusion?"

I shook my head. "I know what I saw. If it's what I think it is, I have to go. Tell the others what I'm doing, but don't let them come after me." I headed down the ramp. "I'll be back."

"Wait!" Qi'ran shouted, following me. He pressed something into my hand. "Take this. It has a tracking device in it. Activate it and we'll be there soon. Be safe."

I clipped the comlink to my belt and smiled. "You know I will."

I set off across the dim, cooling desert. Rikki Depot seemed to be the only settlement in the area. There was no sign of life out here. There was no sign of that person, either. But I kept going. I knew if I continued in the direction I last saw them, I would find them. They were watching us, almost like they wanted to be found. If there was any chance it was the Jedi Master I was sent to find, I had to take it.

So I continued to wander the desert. The sun dipped lower on the horizon, sinking behind the distant dunes. I shuffled along, kicking up sand. Thankfully, my boots were tall enough that none of it found its way inside. The sand may have been soft, but it got everywhere, unlike the damp soil of Ashas Ree. Still, it was worth the experience. I had seen more of the galaxy in the past day than I had my whole lifetime. Master Kessna had taught me many things about the rest of the galaxy, but actually seeing it was something else.

Before long, I came across a herd of large quadrupedal animals. Their skin was thick and leathery and they had two tusks pointing out of either side of their mouths. They didn't pay much attention to me as I passed by. Near them were sizable protrusions from the sand. A few of them gave off steam. The wind rose as I walked by one, bending the steam to blow over me. My nostrils immediately burned and my eyes watered with the foul fume. I fell to the ground, coughing and spitting, doing anything I could to purge the fumes from my system. I remained there for a moment, catching my breath and collecting myself.

When I stood back up, the herd of creatures I had just passed through was doubling back, running straight for me. Geysers were erupting behind them. I turned and ran, my feet slipping in the sand. Ever since I left Ashas Ree, not a second went by without something going horribly wrong. It started with the Empire on Coruscant. Now, I was about to be trampled by monstrous creatures as acid rained down from geysers. Best. Day. Ever.

Nevertheless, I kept running. No Jedi trick could get me out of this one very easily. A few seconds later, the creatures caught up. Most of the geysers had stopped erupting, but I was now trapped in a stampede of large animals. I searched for a path out, and, consistent with my luck lately, there was no escape. Here in the middle of the herd, however, there were smaller individuals of the species. I reached out, tapping into one's mind via the Force. It was afraid. I tried to calm it enough to let me ride. Reluctantly, it submitted to my control. I pushed off the ground and landed on the coarse skin of the animal's back. Our connection snapped and the adolescent creature bucked. I held tightly to the hump at the base of its neck, but the scared animal jerked around enough to throw me off. I rolled across the sand, the creatures dashing around me. The last animal of the herd, unperturbed by my presence, stormed over top of me. I narrowly missed three of its leg, but its fourth leg caught me on the side of my head. I stared up at the first stars of the night as for the third time that day everything faded to black.

+++

Pain. Terrible pain. Fear and anger. But more importantly, sorrow. There were tears, many tears. Enough tears to flood an entire system. Some were from the fear and anger. Many were from the pain. Most were from the sorrow. There were many events that had come close to these feelings, but none of them hurt as much as this did. Physical pain and psychological torture were bearable. This emotional torment was enough to want to die.

+++

I clutched at my heart as I bolted upright, a solitary tear rolling down my cheek. Was it real? Had I really felt all those things? Or was it just my imagination, a dream? It felt real, but it couldn't have been me.

I looked around. I was in a small building, big enough for one person. A fire was lit in the opposite wall and I seemed to be sitting on the only cot. A person entered the room. They were wrapped in many white robes, a hood obscuring their face. The person moved to the pot above the fire and dished out whatever was cooking into a bowl. They turned and approached me. Hidden under the hood was woman's face. Her skin was so pale it almost glowed and I wondered if she was an Angel from the moons of Iego. As she came closer, I could see faint wrinkles around her unusually pale eyes and paper thin lips. She passed the bowl into my hands with a gentle smile and looked aimlessly just above my head to the wall. Once the bowl left her hands, she returned to the pot and filled another bowl. The woman then sat on the mat on the floor facing me and began to eat. Cautiously, and more out of courtesy than hunger, I took small bites of the bland porridge-like food.

Once we had finished, the woman rose and took our bowls to the sink, all in one swift motion. She turned, and this time, stared deep into my eyes. The woman remained silent, as did I. She stood still, like a statue. I thought about moving or looking away, but I knew better. Although I doubted she could physically see me, there was something else going on. I could feel it. In the back of my mind, I felt a slight tugging, almost like a forgotten memory was being pulled forward. The woman's eyes quickly widened and the feeling faded. I let out the breath I had unknowingly been holding back. She muttered to herself and practically glided back and forth around the hut, collecting various items.

"Sit, Ari of Ashas Ree," she instructed, gesturing toward the mat. Her voice was airy and almost like a song. I slid off the cot and onto the floor where she had laid the items down. "Choose."

There were four marbles in front of me: red, blue, green, and purple. I studied them for a moment before glancing up at the woman whose eyes were shut. Without much thought, I reached out with the Force and tried to connect with the marbles. All of them called to me, but none more than the green one. I picked it up and the woman cleared the other marbles. She then snatched the green marble from my hand and dropped it in a small bag full of other items. With the aid of the Force, I searched the contents for my marble. When I found it, I raised it from the bag and let it hover in the air between us. The woman pulled it from the air and pocketed it.

"Very well," she said, opening her eyes. "I will teach you. The Force is strong within you. A fine apprentice you will be. For now, you rest. At twilight, we travel to the temple." With that, she ascended to her feet and began to walk away.

"Wait!" I called after her. She stopped and turned to face me. "Who are you?"

Her laughter rung like chimes. "As someone so adept in the Force, I would have thought you could have figured it all out by now. Perhaps I have misjudged you. Nonetheless, you are here and in one piece, so you shall be my apprentice. I am Master Ali-Aba Anyalyyn. You are here to complete your training, are you not?"

I was right. This was the Jedi Master Kessna told me to find. I bowed. "I am honored to learn from you, Master Anyalyyn."

"Excellent," she smiled. "Now, you have earned your rest. A stampede of skalder is not a charming experience to entangle oneself in."

Master Anyalyyn exited the hut and I repositioned myself on the cot. I unhooked the comlink and activated the tracking beacon. Voices came through the speaker.

"Oh, you're lucky I know better, Jedi," Nyx scolded. "When Qi'ran told me what you did, I about took off to look for you myself. There was no way I'd come this far without getting something out of it."

"Don't worry guys. I'm safe with Master Anyalyyn. We made it." I couldn't help but smile at what I had finally accomplished. After a rough journey, I was one step closer to becoming a Jedi. My dreams were about to come true. It was almost time to take my place in the fight against the Empire.

"Yeah, well, don't do anything stupid. I can't stop you unless I'm there."

"Brenni, how could I do something like that if you're not here? You're the one I have to keep an eye on. How about you hurry up and get out here before you do something stupid?" There I was again, putting Brenni back in his place. If only he'd learn to think.

There was a pause before Qi'ran spoke up. "We can't wait to meet up with you, Ari. We'll be there soon."

The others signed off and I rolled over on the cot, hoping to get some rest. Master Anyalyyn was right--messing around with those skalders was not fun. Everything was starting to feel sore. Hopefully it would wear off before I began any serious training. This temple didn't seem like a very hard task. Besides, it was only the first phase of my education here.

Chapter Text

An engine roared nearby. I ran out of the hut to find Halyx landing a safe distance away. Once the engines cut off, the ramp extended and out ran Brenni and Qi'ran. Nyx followed behind. Qi'ran threw his arms around me and Brenni and I grabbed each other's wrists and shook when Qi'ran let go. Nyx crossed her arms and nodded in my direction. I brought them into the hut to wait for Master Anyalyyn's return. The boys took the cot, but Nyx remained by the door and leaned against the wall.

"Master Anyalyyn is taking me to the Jedi Temple soon," I explained. "I'm sure she won't mind if you guys hang around while we're gone. At least I hope she won't."

"We'll stay out of the way," Qi'ran smiled. 

There was a moment of silence before Nyx spoke up. "Are you sure you can trust this Master Anyalyyn?"

Of course I could trust her. Master Kessna believed in her enough to send me to her for my Jedi training. She took me in after the skalder stampede. Master Anyalyyn had given me no indications to not trust her. Sure, she seemed a little off, but she was the first Jedi I had ever met. I didn't know what to expect. Maybe they were all like that. Was I going to end up like her? That was irrelevant. 

I turned to Nyx. "I have to. Unless you've seen any other Jedi Masters on Florrum, this must be who Master Kessna sent me to find. I trust her. I ask that you trust me."

Nyx just rolled her eyes. What did it matter if she disagreed? It wasn't her mission anyway. She delivered us to Florrum. As far as she should have been concerned, her contract was up. There was no need for her to stay. But here she was, questioning what came after her required duties were over. If she wanted to stick around that was fine, but the lifestyle Brenni and Qi'ran shared with me was not meant for her. She would do better on her own, free to do as she pleased. Yet something kept her here with us. 

Master Anyalyyn swept into the hut and surveyed her new guests. Brenni narrowed his eyes while Qi'ran hunched over. Nyx focused hard on her, staring daggers into her back. 

I bowed to Master Anyalyyn. "Master, these are--"

"Leave. You are not welcome here," she commanded. "My apprentice is the only guest I will entertain in my home. Outsiders are not allowed. Go."

Nyx glared at me a moment before slipping out the door first. Qi'ran then scrambled to his feet and scurried outside as well. Brenni boldly approached Master Anyalyyn, staring at her, jaw set, as he too exited the hut. I watched in silence, as without much protest, all three of them submitted to Anyalyyn's demand. 

"Master, please for--"

"Silence. Only you are my apprentice. You will force them to leave within three rotations, else I will not teach you. Lesson one: let go of your attachments. I thought Kessna would have taught you better. Now, you must leave as well. I have final preparations to attend to before we may visit the temple."

Master Anyalyyn disappeared into a side room so I heeded her warning and joined the others outside. I dragged my feet up Halyx's ramp for what was probably the last time. Brenni, Qi'ran, and Nyx were seated around the blank dejarik table when I arrived. Their eyes rested heavily on me as I entered and took a seat at the nearby console. I pulled my knees to my chest and lowered my head. I hated to be selfish, but what other option did I have?

Brenni, Qi'ran, and I had stuck by each other's sides our whole lives. Could I really drop a lifetime of memories and friendship just so I could become a Jedi? Was it worth it to forget my past and the people who made me who I am in order to move forward? It was my destiny to become a Jedi and help destroy the Empire and its Sith rulers, wasn't it? Master Anyalyyn was right. Attachments were forbidden. But how could I abandon my friends, my family? They had nowhere to go. Nyx certainly wouldn't have wanted them. She'd have to split her pay and they'd get in the way, Brenni more so than Qi'ran. 

I looked up at the three of them. They were silent, paying mind to only themselves. "Guys, I. . ." I started. Qi'ran looked at me with his large childlike eyes. "I'm sorry. I had no idea. It's nothing I did. I promise. Master Anyalyyn--"

"No, it's never your fault, is it?" Brenni shot back. "You're the perfect Jedi and you can't do anything wrong, can you? When will you see the world doesn't revolve around you?" He  stepped across the room. "Everything you do has a consequence."

"Speak for yourself, Brenni." I stood, too. "You're too immature to see it, but our whole lives I've been trying to tell you right from wrong. You've never listened to me a day in your life!"

"And why should I? Just because you're a Jedi doesn't mean you know what's best for everyone. You can't tell me how to live my life. You're bossy, and pushy, and you only care about yourself."

"Brenni, you know that's not true! I care about all of you. All I've ever wanted was what's best for you guys. Please, just listen to me for once, Brenni!"

"As if! Everything you tell us serves only you. And stop calling me that. I have always hated that stupid nickname. My name is Bren! Bren!"

"Brenni," I pleaded. 

"No! You're still not listening! You've never had my best interest in mind. All you care about is you. If that's the way you want to live, fine. Go be a Jedi. I'm done getting in the way." Bren stormed out of the room. 

I started after him, but Nyx grabbed my arm. "Don't," she whispered. I took a deep breath and nodded. What was done was done. Pursuing him would only make things worse for all of us. He'd come back when he cooled off. "Go to Master Anyalyyn. I'll take Qi'ran and head back to Rikki Depot so I can dump the rhydonium and get some real fuel. We'll worry about getting Bren back. You work on your training."

I looked at their smiling faces while holding back emotions of my own. At least I could count on them when everything fell apart. I slowly left Halyx and returned to the doors of the hut. I sat in the sand, watching the golden sun disappear below the horizon. The sun's last rays and the sand were warm, but I felt cold on the inside. It was my fault Bren walked out. It may have been the last time I saw him, and I sent him away in anger. I was still a long ways off from becoming a Jedi. 

The door to the hut opened. "Rise," Master Anyalyyn instructed. "We go to the temple now."

I followed after her billowing white form into the direction the sun had set. She seemed to glide over the sand, her footprints barely making impressions. She was moving fast, too. I almost had to run to keep up. Whatever our reason for entering the temple, it must have been important. In crossing the desert, we passed many more geysers and skalder herds. Thankfully, the geysers were inactive at the moment and the skalders were content grazing the sparse shrubs. 

A few stars twinkled in the inky sky behind us as a structure came into view. It grew as we drew closer, its shape becoming more apparent. The temple was fairly small--only slightly larger than Master Anyalyyn's hut and made of stone that mirrored the color and texture of the desert. Glyphs written in the old tongue created an archway where a door may have been. 

"Unlock the temple," Anyalyyn instructed.

I placed my hands on the wall inside the arching text and allowed the Force to flow through me. The wall began to vibrate and the scraping sound of stone on stone echoed from within the temple. I pulled my hands from the door as it slid into the ground and opened the way inside. 

We passed under the arch and into the main chamber of the temple. Torches lit up on the walls, illuminating the mostly barren hall. At the far end of the temple was a mural depicting three figures. The tall central figure was adorned in grey robes and wore a tall pointy hat with an equally pointy white beard and commanded an air of authority. On his right stood a man with the likeness of a Pau'an in black and crimson robes and a scowl on his face. To the far left was a pale woman with a halo of green hair and white robes whose blue eyes, albeit kind, bore a certain sadness. A circle had been carved into the floor in front of the mural. 

Anyalyyn sat just inside the circle with her back to the mural and began to meditate. I sat facing her and fully opened myself to the Force as well. The Force was strong here, as I expected it to be. However, for the most part, there was silence. In the distance, I could feel something calling to me. Every time I reached toward it, it moved away, remaining just out of reach. It was there, glowing gently in the darkness, forever untouchable. Something shifted and the object disappeared. The whole temple began to vibrate. I opened my eyes. 

The mural had split in half and was now opening to a dark staircase leading into the ground. Master Anyalyyn gestured for me to descend the steps first. The long way down was illuminated by small white lights not unlike the parvinoths of Ashas Ree. We continued down the tight spiral stairs until the passage opened up into a large pyramid-shaped chamber deep under ground. A central tower contained a red light which cast odd shadows on the black walls. When we fully stepped into the room, red light embedded in the floor and walls began to glow and made the temple completely visible. Master Anyalyyn led me to the far wall.   

"I will open the first door, but you must lift the second," she explained. 

Without issue, she raised the outer door. I slipped under that door and worked on the next one. The problem was it wouldn't budge. I dug deeper into the Force and pushed up on the door harder, but it was no use. It was not going to move. 

"I can't," I grunted. "The door won't open. There has to be another way."

"This is the only way," she answered with a dead voice. "You are not strong enough yet. Reach deep inside you. Use your emotions."

"Emotions? Master, a Jedi never relies on their emotions."

"Of course. However, the only way forward is through that door and in order to open it, you must use your anger. I would not ask you to rely on your emotions if you need not to. If you were further along in your training, you would not have to use such powerful feelings. Now, open it."

I called upon the Force again, pulling from the emotions I had suppressed from the argument with Bren. The door still wouldn't move. I dug even deeper from within myself, and just as I thought I hit the bottom, the door raised. It opened into an empty square room. 

Master Anyalyyn passed through my door and allowed the one she was holding up to fall. "Now, I will reveal the holocron, but you must obtain it for me. You must do so quickly. If either of us falter, you will be trapped in this room and I will die before you." 

She reached out with her hand and a soft red light appeared in the center of the room. As I passed by her and dropped the door, I noticed tiny circles on the floor and walls. I quickly shook off the fear of what might happen if we failed. I'd rather not test fate today. Carefully, I stepped my way toward the holocron. Its light grew as if it were calling to me. Whispers appeared in the back of my mind. Was this the object from my meditation? No. I couldn't let my mind wander. The holocron. I had to get the holocron. 

It wasn't like the blue Jedi holocrons Master Kessna had shown me. This one was red and shaped like a pyramid, not unlike the previous chamber. I grabbed the object from the air and the room lit up with a white light. The circles around Master Anyalyyn opened as did a triangular hole in the wall.

"Quickly!" she shouted. "Place it in the keyhole!" 

I ran to the wall and slid the holocron in place. Nothing happened. I looked around, making sure this was the only hole the holocron would fit into. Then, the doors from earlier lifted up and Master Anyalyyn sighed.   

"Excellent work, my apprentice." She pulled the holocron from its place in the wall. "Now we have a chance to take down the Empire. With the knowledge stored in this holocron, we can learn the weakness of the Sith."

I knew holocrons stored information, but they had to be opened to access it. "This isn't a Jedi holocron."

"Correct. It is a Sith holocron."

"But only a Sith can open it. What good is it to us if we can't open it?" The room seemed to grow darker and a chill crept over my skin. 

"Come. I will explain." She led me out of the small chamber and back to the pyramidal room. "Two individuals are needed to open this: a master and an apprentice. You will help me open it right now."

"I--I can't open it though. I'm a Jedi. What you ask of me is impossible."

"You will help me open this." Anyalyyn produced a gold-hilted lightsaber from within her robes and ignited its crimson blade. "Or I will kill you."

I took a few steps back. I had to get out of here. But how? There was no time to think. I pulled down on the tower, collapsing it on top of Anyalyyn. I ran for the stairs, her scream of anger echoing in the chamber. She was buried under the pile of stone for now. I flew up the staircase and out of the temple to the black desert.  And I ran. I ran faster than I ever had before.

"Nyx!" I shouted into the comlink. "Nyx! Are you there? Please pick up. Nyx!"

"Kid? Kid, what's going on? What's wrong?"

"Get Halyx ready to take off. We're leaving."

"Leaving?" she almost yelled. "What do you mean, 'We're leaving'?"

"Anyalyyn's not a Jedi. Just. . . just go." There was nothing else I could do.

"Okay, kid. I understand. We'll be ready when you get here."

I ran past the geysers and the skalders. I ran past what could have been. I ran past my future, once so bright and certain. I ran into the unknown. But I kept running. 

Because running was all I could do. 

Finally Halyx came into view. The engines were hot and ready to fly. There was another ship, one I had never seen before. Standing outside of it was Bren with two others I didn't know. They were talking with Nyx and Qi'ran. However, when I approached, there was silence. They stared at me, all sweaty and out of breath.

"Bren," I begged. "Bren, please we have to go."

"I know," he said, "but I'm not going with you."

"But. . . but we're a family. You can't just leave!"

"Ari, you're going down your own path. If I follow in your shadow my whole life, I'll never become anything. This is my one chance to do something with my life and I'm taking it. Good luck, Ari. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime." Bren and his new companions boarded their ship and prepared to take off. 

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Anyalyyn, tearing across the desert. Nyx knew right away it wasn't good and ran inside Halyx with Qi'ran. Anyalyyn rapidly closed the distance between us. I stumbled backward into the cargo hold. The ramp lifted up and we hovered off the ground. Anyalyyn sprang into the air, lightsaber ignited. As she came closer, I stomped back, my feet lead. I couldn't breath. Everything was cold. The ramp closed. A single red slash appeared and we flew off into the sky.

I climbed out of the cargo hold and shuffled down the hall, collapsing in the doorway of the cockpit. I was in pain. Physical or emotional, I didn't know. There was a darkness in my heart. I wrapped my arms around my knees and held them tight. All of a sudden I was shaking and crying and utterly lost. Qi'ran pulled me in and I latched on to him. We clung onto all that was left of our innocence.

"I'm sorry, guys," Nyx spoke up. "I know what it's like to be so empty you can't do anything, but we have to move on. I need to know where we're going next."

Qi'ran picked me off the ground and put me in the copilot's chair. There was not a thought in my head. Master Kessna never told me where else to go. Except maybe one place. 

"Ilum," I mumbled. "Take me to Ilum. I've got to make my own path forward and it starts on Ilum."

"Never heard of it," Nyx said back. "But whatever you say. Put the coordinates in."

They were the first coordinates other than Ashas Ree that I memorized. It was a sacred place, but full of challenges. If I was ever going to become a Jedi and bring Bren home, this place would prove it. 

Chapter Text

"Look at all those Star Destroyers!" Nyx gasped. "You sure this is the right place?"

There were two Star Destroyers and many other Imperial ships above the icy planet. A huge trench seemed to encircle the planet as well. This had to be the right place, though. I could hear a buzzing sort of song through the Force. I reached out to make sure my kyber crystal was here, and somewhere, deep within the ice caves, came a strong melody, calling out to me. With such an allure, it had to be my crystal.

I nodded. "I can feel my crystal. It's here. Can you check around the other side of the planet? Maybe the Empire is only interested in something on this side. Although I couldn't image what they would want."

Nyx maintained a safe distance from Ilum as we flew around the planet. There was an ancient Jedi temple here which connected to one of the largest kyber crystal deposits in the galaxy. But what interest would that be to the Empire? What would they want with the kyber? It couldn't have been anything good. To travel to one of the most sacred Jedi sites and destroy it the way they had was an insult. They would get their reward for this in time.

The dark backside of Ilum was devoid of current Imperial activity. Nyx took us down through the atmosphere and I could hear my crystal's song grow louder. The wind battered against Halyx's hull and I could tell it bothered Nyx. Her eyes were narrow, shifting between the scanners and the viewport. She grumbled something in a language I did not understand and flicked the controls with her finger. Then, she groaned in frustration, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

At last, she found a suitable landing place just north of the equatorial trench. Once everything was shut down, Nyx sighed and turned to me. "You are so lucky I like you, Jedi. If it was anyone else I'd have taken you back to where I picked you up. I might be one of the best pilots out there, but I am not going to risk my life and my ship like that for just any sleemo."

"Thanks, Nyx. Point taken," I said back. "I hate to ask anything else of you, but if you have any spare parts laying around that I can use when I get back, could you please set those out for me?"

She smiled. "Of course. Anything for the Jedi."

"I'll be back eventually," I said, heading out of the cockpit.

Nyx spoke up again. "Hang on, kid. Are you really going out there in just that? You'll freeze before you make five meters. I think I've got something you can wear." She led me down the hall to her quarters and tossed me a large navy parka from her closet. "Might be a little large since you're no bigger'n a loth-cat, but it'll keep ya warm. Stay safe. Keep in contact." Nyx patted me on the arm. "Good luck out there."

I nodded and ran out into the snow, the roomy parka zipped to my chin. The wind nipped at my bare face and made my eyes water. Winter on Ashas Ree was mild. There were days when it would get chilly, but it was never cold enough to snow and the trees blocked most of the wind. Ilum was dreadful. Despite the weather, the moon's light still made the snow sparkle, illuminating what was left of the planet's natural beauty.

I listened closely for my crystal's song. It was still there and louder than before. Somewhere from within the trench it called me. I moved out of the ice wall alcove and headed south across the frozen wasteland. There was no sign of the Empire here, at least not anymore. They must have stripped the trench of what they wanted and moved on. Still, their acts of vandalism were a disgrace to Jedi heritage. It didn't matter if the Jedi were gone. They would return one day. Future younglings would need to make their pilgrimage here to obtain a crystal for their lightsaber. Force-sensitives would continue to appear around the galaxy. Just because they were all slaughtered didn't mean they wouldn't rise again. I was proof of that.

The trench stretched out in front of me. It extended endlessly to my left and right and its southern edge was too far off to see. I tested the rim where I was standing and began my descent. With the frigid temperatures, the ice was sturdy, but slick as well. It took a great deal of concentration not to slip and plummet to the ice bed hundreds of meters below. Thankfully, the Empire wasn't too interested in keeping the walls of the trench smooth. Large chunks of ice protruded from the wall all over the place. Most of them were large enough to stand on and plan my next move. It was almost like my meditation tree back home. The handholds were spaced out just right for me to climb between them without dropping very far.

Finally, I reached a point where the next ledge was a ways below me. I carefully plotted my path and grabbed onto the first piece of ice. Then, I climbed straight down for a few meters before I had to swing to my left so I was directly above the ledge and would have an easy way down to it. I jumped from my handhold to the next mass of ice and hung there a moment to recenter myself. Then I heard it: a gradual crackling in the ice. Before I could move on, the ice snapped. I scrambled to grab another chunk of ice, but every one I caught broke off and tumbled down the wall with me.

I hit the ledge, feet first, and fell to the side. Whatever I yelled disappeared into the wind. Even with the Force, my knees hurt. I couldn't let that stop me, though. My crystal continued to call to me, daring me to find it. I pushed myself up. In front of me was a narrow crack in the wall. As I peered inside, I could see glittering kyber crystals, waiting for their Jedi to find them.

I squeezed through the gap and entered the cave. Other than my crystal's song and the faint howl of the wind, it was silent. There were large ice pillars supporting the cavern ceiling, along with icy stalagmites and stalactites of various sizes. Large crystal formations also grew in groups around the cave. Everything in here seemed safe from the Empire, at least for now.

There were three paths that led out of the cave. I listened once more for my kyber crystal and felt a pull through the middle passage. This opened up into a large cavern with a steep drop where much of the ice had collapsed. I stuck close to the wall where rock made up most of the floor. Somewhere in the darkness of the cavern beyond I heard the soft trickle of water. I had no intentions of finding out what caused the ice melt, so I turned and continued on the rocky path. When I did, however, there was a figure standing in the archway to the next part of the cave system.

As I approached them, their appearance became more apparent. He was about a head taller than me with a head full of messy brown hair. His tan jacket had awfully familiar ribbing on the sleeves and back. I tried to get closer, but he walked away. He picked up his pace and began to run as I followed him through the winding narrow corridor. One sharp turn after the next I pursued him, but he was always just out of reach. I meant no harm. I only wanted to see if he was who I thought he was. It didn't seem right for him to be here.

When I entered the next cave he was gone. Where he went I had no idea, but I had a task to accomplish. My kyber crystal was my first priority. The crystal was not in this cave, but I did sense something. I turned around and Nyx was standing there. She looked over my shoulder, even though nothing was behind me.

"How?" I breathed, a puff of chilled air forming at the sound. "What are you doing here?"

"I shouldn't have agreed to take you off Ashas Ree. You've done nothing but get me into trouble. I've had enough. You can freeze here for all I care. One failed Jedi could never defeat the Empire. They wiped out thousands of you in a single day. This trip is over."

She was right. Nothing had gone the way it was supposed to yet. What Nyx was saying didn't make sense though. "You said the galaxy needed a Jedi to bring it hope. If you didn't believe that you'd have turned us over to the Empire or left us on Forrum. Maybe I can't stop the Empire myself, but I can at least try and help somehow. I know you know what's at stake."

Nyx turned around and disappeared down the hall. Ice crumbled, blocking the passageway while also opening a way to the cave above me. I climbed up the shattered ice and emerged into a small cavern with thousands of shining crystals in the icy walls. I listened closely, but none of these were mine. Off to the side, a rather large crystal had fallen over. I sat down on it to refocus myself.

It was said everyone faced a unique challenge when searching for their kyber crystal. Of all the things Master Kessna taught me, the mysteries of Ilum's crystal caves were never explained. It didn't seem like something anyone talked about. The younglings would come here, pass some sort of test, and find their kyber crystal. So what was my test? I had much more training than the younglings would have had when they came to Ilum. In fact, if I had received traditional training, I'd be a few years away from facing the Trials. Of course, times were different now. None of that mattered anymore. The Order was gone.

I looked up to find Qi'ran standing across the way. He stared at me with his big blue eyes and I knew something was wrong. I moved toward him, but he stepped back. He rubbed the backside of his hand.

"I want to go home, Ari," Qi'ran's voice shook. "I can't take any more of this. Please, Ari, just go on without me. If this is what the galaxy is like, I don't want leave Ashas Ree ever again."

I knew the journey was going to be rough on him. But we had already come this far and I wasn't going home without Bren. "You're the one that saved us from the pirates. If it weren't for you, we'd probably be dead. Jedi aren't the only ones who have to face their fears. You can do it, too, Qi'ran. I believe in you."

With that, Qi'ran passed through the solid ice wall and left me alone again. Beyond the wall was another corridor. I placed my hand on the ice and focused the energy of the Force. The wall vibrated and cracked, eventually shattering. I followed the hall back and forth as it wound its way uphill, leading to a dark cavern, void of any crystals. In the center of the otherwise empty room stood the man I was chasing earlier.

"Bren? Brenni, is that you? Answer me!" I cried, my voice echoing.

He turned and faced me. "Go away. I don't want to see your face ever again. You're the reason I left."

"I never—"

"No!" he thundered. "It's your fault. It's always been your fault. Everything was about you becoming a Jedi. It was never about us. It was all for you."

I reached for Bren's hand, but I passed right through him and he disappeared. "I'm sorry." I fell to my knees. "Bren, I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" I sobbed. I doubled over, putting my face to a patch of ice on the ground. "Brenni, Qi'ran, Nyx, please forgive me. I will make this right."

A soft glow appeared under the ice. I blinked a few times, ridding myself of the last few tears. The song inside my head was stronger than ever. It was my kyber crystal. I wiped my face and once again used the Force to shatter the ice. I plucked my crystal from its cubby and the sound faded.

Just then, a section of the ceiling collapsed, revealing sunlight. I jumped up out of the hole and to the surface of the planet. To my left was Halyx. I ran inside the ship, thankful to finally be safe and warm. Qi'ran and Nyx were waiting for me around the dejarik table.

"This," I said, waving my crystal in the air with a large grin on my face, "is a kyber crystal."

Nyx jumped to her feet and Qi'ran's face lit up. They ushered me to a workbench in the engineering room. There were various pieces strewn across it, most cylindrical. I closed my eyes and allowed the Force to dictate which parts created my lightsaber. The saber began to take shape in my mind, my hands following the forming instructions. The pieces connected like a puzzle. A moment later the lightsaber was constructed and rested on the bench. The hilt was dark silver, scarred with carbon scoring, and ended in a black pommel. Around the switch and sleeve was shallow ribbing. For being made with odds and ends from around the ship, it blended together nicely. I picked up the lightsaber and ignited it. A deep green blade extended from the black emitter. It was time to quit acting like a Jedi and start being one.

Chapter Text

"I already told you, I don't know where to go next," I sighed, sliding even further down my chair. Just because I was working on becoming a Jedi, didn't mean I had all the answers. Master Kessna never said, "If your friend disappears, try looking for them on these planets." Few things were ever that simple. "Nyx? Any ideas, yet?"

"The only thing that stood out to me was a patch on one of their jackets. It was a gold 'S' on black."

"What does that mean?" Qi'ran asked.

Nyx leaned forward. "Listen, kid. I know you want your friend back, but I'm not about to get involved with them. Not again."

"Nyx, you need to tell us what's going on." I sat up in my chair. "Bren's life could be in danger. We won't hold anything against you. You've helped us get this far. I trust you."

She looked at us a moment then sighed. "They're part of the crime ring Syndicate. Last I heard, Halcyon Anders was still running the show. They've got their hands in with the Pykes and the Zygerrians in addition to their own gladiator fights. Those people bathe in violence and power."

"And what do the Pykes and Zy-whatevers do?"

"Right. You two don't get out much. Well, the Pykes provide the galaxy's supply of illegal spice and the Zygerrians run the most successful slave market. Galaxy's a lot bigger than you think it is."

I nodded. I still had a lot to learn. "How do you know so much about Syndicate?"

Nyx shifted her gaze. "I was young. I had no idea. It was the first job I ever took and I needed the money. They gave me Halyx with the promise I'd return what she was worth and then some. I ran three shipments for them, gave them their credits, and disappeared. And I wasn't delivering spice. I—" She paused to collect herself. "I was sending innocent people to their graves.

"I saw how broken they were. It was in their eyes. Most of them were Wookiees on their way to work camps. My last shipment, though, was a group of beautiful young Twi'lek girls. They paid the most for them. To the slavers, Wookiees were expendable, but having those poor girls as your servants proved you had wealth and gave you a higher status among the slavers.

"I hated to think about what happened to those girls. I've ruined countless lives by serving Syndicate. There was no way to stop it, either. Even if I didn't deliver them to the slavers, someone else would have, me along with them."

There was silence. Nyx had never explained her past before. She had mentioned the Devaronians once and told me her father used to tell her stories about the Jedi, but that was it. This was the first time she truly opened up to us. It was personal, too. No one shared anything so sensitive with just anybody. She trusted us enough to share a piece of herself with us.

I thought back to my Jedi teachings and reached across the cockpit to her. "What's in the past is in the past. What matters now is that you move on from it and fight for what's right. The good we do defines us as well. Do you have any ideas as to where Bren might be?"

The was concentration in her eyes. "No one ever knew where Hal kept her headquarters. Numidian Prime would be the place to start, though. Every piece of filth knows about that place. I'm sure we can find something there."

Nyx pulled up the star map and set the coordinates for Numidian Prime. We buckled up as she lifted off Ilum and entered hyperspace.

+++

Numidian Prime was covered in thick green rainforests. Whereas Ashas Ree was comfortable, even on the hottest days, Numidian Prime was humid and unpleasantly sticky. The tight canopy and leafy flora didn't help to alleviate the moist atmosphere. Neither did the poncho Nyx had lent me. She was afraid I'd attract unnecessary attention with my Jedi-like clothing and lightsaber. Nyx wouldn't let me leave my saber on the ship, though, in case we needed it as a last resort.

The hideout we were headed to was housed in an ancient stone temple. No one knew what it was originally built for, but it now provided a haven for smugglers, thieves, and other criminals on the run. The old temple was crowded and loud, full of drunkards and gamblers. A large group of them huddled around a table covered in various forms of money where five of them were playing some card game. One set his cards down face up and the crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and aggravated groans.

Nyx sat Qi'ran and I at a table while she ran to the bar to grab drinks. She said we looked too out of place if weren't participating in some form of so-called "normal scum behavior." Afraid of what the alternative was, we complied. Having a mob of drunk criminals coming for us was not something I imagined as being fun.

"Find anything?" I asked when Nyx returned.

"Well, I thought the Dagobah Slug Slinger sounded good. Course I like to stick with my Dorian Quill." She took a swig as I stared at her with narrow eyes. "Fine," she said. "Fine. I haven't seen anyone wearing a Syndicate patch. Just keep a look out. They aren't the only ones you need to watch here."

I took a few sips of the fizzy fruit drink Nyx brought me and glanced around the area. There were all kinds of people here, from humans and a Latero to Rodians and Grans. Some were dressed over the top and others blended into the background. All were busy gambling or making a deal with their fellow scum. What a place.

A drunk patron stumbled backwards into Nyx who was in the middle of taking a swig. The alcohol spilled down the front of her grey shirt. She slammed the bottle on the table. Nyx rose and towered over the man.

He looked up at her with wide eyes and tried to shrink into the crowd. "Let me, uh, let me buy you another drink. How about that?"

A Mirialan man approached the first man. "You kriffing skug!" He punched the human in the gut and the man doubled over. "How dare you apologize! This shabuir ain't worth a thing."

I wasn't sure what half the words he said meant, but Nyx understood. She shouted, "Ne shab'rud'ni!" and proceeded to tackle the Mirialan.

The crowd pushed back and created a circle around them. I reached for my lightsaber, but Qi'ran grabbed my arm. He was right. It was best that I didn't get involved. Nyx said I could use it as a last resort only. I nodded and peered around the group to see what Nyx was doing to the Mirialan.

She had him pinned to the ground, her hands wrapped around his throat. He tore at her hands, his green skin paling every second. Then something changed. The Mirialan was now on top of Nyx, going for her throat. She kicked his gut and he fell back grumbling. Nyx jumped up and swung for his face. He leaned back and kicked in her knee. She snarled. His fist collided with her nose. Both her nose and his fist bled. He swung again, but Nyx caught his fist, a wild look in her eye. She twisted his arm and he screamed. I thought I heard something cracking.

Nyx held him there and hissed, "Nar dralshy'a!"

The Mirialan twisted around, catching Nyx around the neck with his good arm. She indulged him for a moment before stamping on his foot and elbowing him in the side. He let go, his broken arm hanging limp. They each took a second to catch their breath.

Nyx ran for him, hitting her shoulder into his chest. I could hear the air leaving his lungs as he fell into the crowd. A patron held him while Nyx grabbed the front of his shirt and repeatedly bashed in his face with her fist. She stopped and the patron dropped the man. He fell to the floor and Nyx turned around triumphantly. Her face may have been bloody, but she was beaming. She found Qi'ran and I, but before she could take another step, the man grabbed her leg and pulled her to the ground.

As she fell, someone pushed their way behind me. On their jacket was a Syndicate patch. I followed him as he slinked through the crowd. He pushed through the people like he was in a hurry. With all the commotion caused by Nyx and the Mirialan and the drinking and gambling, it was easy to sneak out of there mostly unnoticed. To a Jedi, however, no one was invisible.

Once he reached the jungle, he slipped off down a hidden side path. He was only a few meters down the path when he stopped and turned around. I dove into the large leafy plants on the side and huddled there out of sight. I could sense him scanning the area. When he finally continued on his way, I popped out of the leaves and climbed the nearest tree. I would be hidden and out of the way up there. Most people couldn't run the branches like I could, let alone reach the canopy. 

I moved from branch to branch, silently slipping along the trees. The Syndicate sleemo had no clue I was above him. He strolled down the path like nothing was happening. For the time being, he was right. When he reached his ship, though, it was going to be his lucky day. I hoped he liked surprises. 

At last, we reached the small clearing where his ship was. I climbed out of the tree and emerged into the clearing behind him. 

"Hey!" I shouted. He turned around and I threw off the poncho. "Ever thought of capturing a Jedi? I heard they're pretty rare these days." I tossed my lightsaber between my hands. "Imagine the reward Halcyon will give you if you turn me in to her. You will be famous. Think of it: your name will be known all over the galaxy."

"Put-put that laser-sword down," he stammered, raising a shaking blaster pistol. 

I rolled my saber across the dirt to his feet. He picked it up and clipped it to his belt. One step at a time, he came closer, his blaster still trained on me. He placed binders on my wrists and pushed me into his ship. I was shoved into a cell and soon we were on our way to Syndicate. I was ready to save Brenni. 

Chapter Text

Shortly after we landed, the man shoved me out of the cell and off his ship. The open-top hangar was hot and slightly sandy. I could have been anywhere in the galaxy. A small woman flanked by two burly guards entered the hangar. Halcyon was serious about security. With a Jedi, though, it was best to be careful.

The woman grabbed my jaw and inspected me. "Lady Anders will be pleased with the specimen." She signaled to the guards.

One smacked me in the abdomen, causing me to double over. The other tied a blindfold over my eyes. They pushed me forward, their weapons pressing into my back. Pain, intimidation, fear, and confusion--that was how Halcyon ruled. That was how she stayed in power and gained the respect of other crime lords.

They led me down winding hallways until they gave me one last shove into what I believed was another cell. New binders were clipped onto my wrists and ankles and I lifted off the ground. My blindfold was ripped off. I was floating in a blue containment field. There was no escaping this. Of course, escape wasn't my plan.

The guards remained at the door for a while. Eventually, someone came to pay me a visit. Unlike everyone else, she was dressed in a gold cape and wore many elaborate pieces of jewelry. Her hair was dyed white and well kept. The only thing that threw off her air of elegance was a large crackling scar on her left cheek. She carried my lightsaber in her hand.

"So you're the Jedi," she said, a bit of wonder in her voice. "I can't say I've ever had the pleasure of entertaining one of your kind before. Of course, there aren't many of you left in the wild. What a rare specimen, indeed."

She walked around me. "You are in extraordinary condition, albeit quite small. That is nothing I can't work with, however. You possess other desirable features." The woman grabbed my jaw, pulling my face toward her. "Strong jaw, soft skin with such a rich tawny color, and those eyes. They put to shame the brightest emeralds.

"And look at this hair!" she exclaimed, running her fingers through my hair. "It is of the purest ebony! Oh, how silky and healthy! You, my precious, will make me rich." The woman gathered my hair at the base of my neck and ignited my lightsaber. "Ah, what a lovely color. Matches my eyes, no?" She laughed and sliced through my hair, burning the ends.

My short hair fell into my face as the woman and guards left. Who did she think she was? How dare she come in here and inspect me like some prize. That vile woman had to have been Halcyon Anders. Only she was wicked enough to treat a person like an animal. What would she do with me now? No doubt she would sell my hair, but was I to be sold as well? Or would she keep me as her personal pet? It didn't matter. The second I found Bren, I was leaving. This was all for him.

My cell wasn't the only one here. There were many others, packed together around the perimeter of the room. The ones closest to me were empty, but in the far corners there were figures huddled in the darkness. What had they been put through? Halcyon had no right to break and trade living beings. Obviously she had gained a fortune from it, but at the cost of other's lives. The galaxy was indeed a much bigger place than I had thought.

New guards barged into the room and threw a red Nikto into the neighboring cell. The Nikto curled up on the stone floor and drew jagged breaths. He muttered something over and over again. It almost sounded like a prayer.

"Hey," I called out as gentle as possible. "Hey. Where are we? What's going on?"

The Nikto sat up and stared at me, his eyes hollow. A fresh scar ran from his forehead and down his neck. "You are at the mercy of Halcyon Anders. There is no hope. You belong to her." He leaned against the wall.

"What's your name?"

"Griz."

"Okay, Griz. I'm Ari. Can you tell me what goes on around here? Where is everyone else?"

"Most of them are servants. A few of the others are laborers. The ones sent to the arena are lucky. Their suffering ends quickly." He curled up into a ball.

This place was getting worse by the second. "What do you do, Griz?"

"I work in the field. Halcyon prefers her food locally sourced."

It wasn't very useful information, but I'd take it. "Have you heard of anyone named Bren? He's my friend. I'm looking for him. I think he's a member of Syndicate."

"I do not know the names of anyone who voluntarily works for Halcyon."

A dead end. Surely Halcyon kept that information somewhere. "Thank you, Griz. Now, what do you think they'll do with me?"

Griz pointed at the door. "I think you are about to find out."

Four guards were coming our way. They opened my cell and let me down from the containment field. My cuffs were removed, making me free from any shackles. I was escorted down numerous halls and stairwells until they locked me in another dark room.

A hidden door opened, revealing a passageway. Sunlight spilled into the hall and a cheering crowd echoed off the walls. I entered the large, sandy, open-top arena. The stadium was electric. Every seat was filled and the roar of the chanting crowd was deafening. It grew louder as they caught sight of me gaping around the coliseum.

A gravelly voice full of too much excitement came over the speaker. "And now, for our final entertainer of the day. She's a blast from the past, the last of her kind. Our Lady Anders' most prized possession: The Jedi!"

The crowd lost their minds. They screamed louder than before, threatening to burst my eardrums. What a strange group of people. Every one of them was beyond excited to watch people and animals be mutilated. How barbaric. Since the days of the fall of the High Republic, lawlessness and immorality reigned supreme in the galaxy. Not even the iron fist of the Empire could stop that. In fact, they seemed to encourage some of the activity.

"Release the beasties!" He shouted. A door on the other side of the arena opened. There were eyes glinting in the darkness. "Oh, and somebody get her lightsaber."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the sun reflect off something metallic. I reached out and my saber streaked though the air to my hand. It ignited as I caught it. Three creatures crawled out of the shadows. They were giant spiders, most likely wyyyshockk from Kashyyyk. Wyyyshockk were some of the most deadly animals on Kashyyyk, and that was saying a lot. Everything was dangerous there, even the plants. But I had the advantage. We weren't on their home turf.

I waited in the center of the arena as they crept closer, their long legs skittering across the sand. The one on the right pounced. I parried and for the moment it was stunned. I jumped across its back, slicing into its abdomen. Its legs curled in and it was dead. Another shot its web fluid toward me, but I dove into the sand. I scrambled up, spitting out sand and reigniting my lightsaber.

I slashed at the spider a few times, managing to sever one of its legs. It reared up and scurried backwards, obviously hurt. I felt for the spider, but there was no time for pity. The other wyyyshockk charged, knocking me down. Its legs kicked my saber from my hand. I grabbed the spider's mandibles as it lunged upon me. We struggled back and forth as it tried to snap at my face. Once I kicked it a few times, it backed off. I ignited my saber and sliced the spider's underside as the lightsaber flew toward me. One wyyyshock left. I ran for it, no reservations. The spider danced around my blows. Finally, it reared up. I thrust upward, impaling the spider through the head with my saber.

I moved with purpose around the arena, stepping around the dead wyyyshockk. The crowd was quieter.

"Is this it?" I shouted to the enclosed viewing box. "Is this all you can conjure, Halcyon? I'd have thought you'd give me more of a challenge with a place like this."

A new door opened. The monster inside was slightly illuminated and definitely ugly. It was a large grey blob with arms and legs and a smashed-in face. As the giant creature lumbered out of the holding area, it rocked back and forth between its man-sized legs. It sniffed the air, turning its black eyes upon me. Then, it let out a grumbling roar, showcasing its sharp claws and sparse, pointy teeth.

The animal charged, wildly slashing the air with its claws. When it came closer, it swung on its arms and kicked. I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the beast. It came around, flailing its arms. I scrambled away, kicking up sand. Whatever this thing was, it came to kill. But I wouldn't be the one dead.

I recentered myself and prepared a new strategy. Running wasn't going to work forever. The creature charged again. I slipped to the side, slicing its leg. It roared, warming the air with its foul breath. Then, it swung its massive arms around, but I skipped backwards. I lunged forward, adding another scar to its mottled belly. The beast swatted me back with a hand. I rolled to the side, trying to catch my breath. It hurt, but I couldn't let that stop me.

I approached the beast. It watched me from above, baring it's teeth. When it swung at me this time, I ducked under its arm, severing the limb from its body. The poor creature howled, striking back with a kick. It tossed me across the arena and sent me rolling through the sand. I forced myself to stand, though my ribs ached. If anything was broken, it would have to wait. There were more pressing matters.

The creature stumbled about, coming toward me. I ran around it, striking its leg again. It threw its single arm through the air and fell to one side. I went to attack, but the animal caught me in its hand as it sat up. I squirmed, its fingers squeezing me tighter. The crowd cheered louder. I would not let it end this way and give Halcyon the satisfaction of my defeat. Brenni needed me. I reignited my lightsaber, the green blade piercing the beast's hand and arm. It let go and I fell to the ground. With a quick strike, its remaining arm was cleaved. I sliced into its gut and the creature slumped over.

I clipped my saber to my belt and headed toward the passage that led me to the arena. I had enough of Halcyon's game. She wasn't going to get any pleasures out of me. The crowd booed at my departure. If they wanted to see someone be ripped to shreds by monsters, they chose the wrong contestant. This Jedi was not so weak.

What happened next was a blur. Another door opened and a red beast pounced out, knocking me to the ground. It bounded around the arena, snarling. I picked myself up and pulled out my lightsaber. The creature pounded the ground with its massive arms and snorted.

The announcer came over the speaker again. "Ladies and gentlemen, give a warm welcome to our final combatant and reigning champion. Straight from Vanqor, it's Snuggs the Gundark!"

The crowd flared up once more. Snuggs didn't seem too snugly. Bloodthirsty was more like it. The gundark charged, rampantly flailing his four arms. I backed to the wall. If I didn't get this right, it was over. The creature came closer, fury in its yellow eyes. A little further. I dashed out of the way. Snuggs rammed into the wall, cracking the stone. Patrons screamed and many of them in the front rows fled. The gundark spun around and howled.

"That's right, ya filthy beast. Come get me," I taunted.

Snuggs charged again, crumbling another wall. I struck with my saber, slicing off most of his tail. He flicked his arm, flinging me back. I slid across the arena, coughing up sand. I was going to be feeling that tomorrow. The gundark leaped toward me, but I dove out of the way. Using the Force, I pulled a block of stone out of the wall and flung it at the beast. Without the balance from his tail, his fell back. I threw two more, each hitting their mark. The beast shook his head and thundered across the arena again. I slipped between his legs as he pounced. I jumped up his back, hanging on tightly to his brown fur. Snuggs bucked back and forth, threatening to throw me off. I pulled out my lightsaber to give the final blow, but the gundark plucked me from his back and tossed me across the arena.

I stayed there for a moment. Was Brenni really worth all this? Attachments were forbidden, yes, but I couldn't let Bren risk his life this way. I had to survive and save my friend. I stood up, ready to face the gundark again.

Snuggs charged once more and I slid to the side. I pulled the crumbling wall down on top of him, trapping him for the moment. The rubble quivered as he tried to escape. His face, a mess of gnashing teeth, was still exposed. I ignited my saber and streamlined it through the air between his eyes. Snuggs struggled for a few more seconds before going limp. This fight was over.

What was left of the crowd was silenced. After all, I did just defeat their champion. Guards seized me and retrieved my lightsaber from the gundark. They escorted me back to my cell, throwing me on the cold floor instead of trapping me in the containment field. As I would soon learn, being tossed around by Halcyon's thugs was about to be the least of my worries.

Chapter Text

I hardly slept that night. Between the pain all over my body, the nightmares of Ali-Aba Anyalyyn, and the quivering cries of the other prisoners, it was difficult to find peace. When the guards returned at first light to escort Griz and the other laborers to the fields, they hooked me up to the containment field. I floated in silence, disconnected from the Force. It was strange to be so distant from everything. I couldn't imagine a life where I wasn't Force-sensitive. For as long as I could remember, I was learning how to use the Force with Master Kessna. In fact, had she not told me my parents delivered me to her when I was a few months old, I would have assumed my life could never have been any different.

The prisoners in the other cell neighboring mine huddled close together. The girls were hardly wearing anything. Their elaborate costumes covered everything that counted and that was about it. The Twi'lek wore a headdress that wound about her lekku and the other girl wore a similar headband which curled around her large feline ears.

"Excuse me," I whispered. "Excuse me, what can you tell me about Halcyon Anders?"

The Twi'lek turned around. "She is evil. What else is there to know?"

"The two of you aren't dressed like laborers. Surely you have some interaction with Halcyon and her patrons. If it makes a difference, I'm looking for my friend."

The girl with feline features peaked around the Twi'lek's shoulder. "Kori and I directly serve Lady Anders. She keeps a record of every. . . of every shipment she has ever sent or received. The datapad is locked in her office. It is impossible to retrieve. I tried once." She stared at the floor.

"My family was part of the Zygerrian slave empire. Lady Anders went around to all the prominent Zygerrian families requesting that we sell some of our slaves in exchange for riches. My family refused. When Lady Anders returned, she captured and separated us. I remained here as her personal servant while the rest of my family was shipped all over the Outer Rim. I tried to access her datapad to find my family but it was monitored. I was whipped and warned that if I ever did it again I would be thrown in the arena. I'm sorry, but it is not possible to locate your friend. They are beyond your reach now.

"But the crimes my people commit are unforgivable. I do not wish to be Zygerrian. I now see how cruel we are. It is a fate I would not wish on anyone. If there was a way to bring down both the Zygerrian and Syndicate empires, I would have done it already."

Well, martyrdom was not in my schedule for today. I just needed to locate Bren. "Does Halcyon keep a list of everyone who works for her and what assignment they're on?"

"Yes," the Zygerrian responded. "Lady Anders has a record of everything. Her eyes and ears are everywhere. There is no escape. Only her office is safe from her gazing eye. But it's locked tight. You'll never make it in there without her knowing."

New goal: break into Halcyon's office. How to achieve said goal: yet to be determined. There was no sneaking out of the prison, not with the containment field on. I had to convince someone to take me to her. Of course that wasn't going to work well. The guards rarely came in here. When they did, they were just chauffeuring us around. And no connection to the Force meant no mind tricks.

At that moment, Halcyon swept into the room and pulled me out of the containment field. She dragged me out of the prison, shoving me in the lift. We reached the top floor where she constantly nudged me down the hall and threw me to the floor of the room at the end of the corridor. I glanced around as I pushed myself up. There were artifacts I did not recognize all around. Lounge chairs were scattered about and an engraved desk sat close to the large windows. Halcyon's office. Perfect.

"How dare you!" she screamed, shoving me down again. "You murdered one of my favorite pets! Do you know how many credits that cost me? Do you know how many people are leaving my cause? You have disgraced me you kriffing skug!"

Halcyon yanked me up. She grabbed my jaw and slammed me into the window. "You will learn your place, Jedi scum," she spat. Halcyon spun me around and kicked in my knee, dropping me to the ground. An electric buzz filled the air behind me. Not good.

The whip cracked. The electric pulse shot across my body, scorching my skin. My back arched as I stifled a scream. I was not allowing Halcyon to get any pleasure out of me. It cracked again, crossing the first mark. I jerked my back, letting out a painful grunt through clenched teeth. Do it for Bren, I reminded myself. The hardest part of the plan was over. All that was left was to—

Another slashed scarred my back. This time I yelled. You're a Jedi, Ari. You can do this. For those girls. For Griz. Another. And another. The back of my shirt bore the burn marks of the whip. My back was numb from the electric shocks. I leaned against the glass, afraid to support my own weight. Halcyon raised the whip again, ready to strike. A knock came at the door. She stomped away and the office door closed behind her.

I swayed to the side and rested on the ground for a moment. When I rolled over, there was Halcyon's desk, daring me to search inside. I crawled to it. All the drawers were unlocked. What did Halcyon have to worry about, though? Her office was impenetrable. I pulled open two empty drawers before sensing something calling to me. Under her desk was a latch. I popped it and a hidden compartment opened. The datapad started up and opened to a search page. I pecked at the keys: B-R-E.

The office door opened. I stuffed the datapad back in the compartment and rolled to the window. Halcyon stood over me. I watched her reflection as she gazed over her empire. What a shameful thing to be so proud of. Also reflected in the window was the open compartment. If I shut it slowly enough she would never notice. At least I hoped. As I was closing it, Halcyon dug her foot into my back. I groaned and lost my connection with the compartment. It dropped open and the datapad thudded on the floor.

Halcyon furiously spun around. She threw the datapad on her desk and pulled me to my feet. "First, you destroy my Snuggs. Now, you break into my desk. You and every other piece of filth here will learn the price of such actions." She signaled for the guards.

I was escorted through the labyrinth of hallways and back to the arena. There, I was chained to a post in the center of the stadium. The seats were not filled with violence loving patrons, but the silent prisoners of Syndicate. I hunched over in the soft sand, my back still burning. Whatever was coming next would not be pleasant.

Halcyon's voice can through the speaker. "Your little Jedi friend thought she could beat me. The death of my arena champion was only the beginning. She escaped her cell and broke into my office, proceeding to steal my artifacts. When I found her, she attacked me. Oh, but do not pity me for I bested her. Do not pity her, either. Shall any of you attempt treasonous acts, you will suffer the same fate that lies before your Jedi."

Guards closed in around me, each brandishing an electro-whip. They struck out, wrapping the glowing tendrils around my arms and legs. There was no shock yet, but I knew it was coming. I pulled against the whips, toying with the guards. They reorganized themselves, yanking my arms and legs in different directions. A few others caught my torso in their electro-whips and all the guards suspended me in the air.

"Give the specimen a taste of what's to come," Halcyon directed.

At once, the electric shock traveled down the whips. I groaned as the shocks sparked across my body. This was only the beginning. She ordered them to electrocute me again. And again. Over and over. The buzzing in my bones worsened each time. I'd recover for just a moment before the next shock came. My tearful screams were the only sounds.

"Stop," Halcyon finally said. "Bring the lightsaber. Do remember I need her in one piece. Scars, however, are wonderful reminders."

A guard approached, my ignited lightsaber in his hand. He leaned over me, examining my numb body. The man looked into my eyes and a deformed grin spread across his face. My saber was just above my face, it's heat drying my eyes. It inched closer. I dared not move for risk of losing an eye. The skin across my nose blistered. Part of my eyebrow was singed. Another screamed wormed it's way out of my throat.

The guard pulled back and I continued to whimper. The whips were electrified again, the shock sustained this time. I couldn't fight it any longer. Things were coming out of my mouth, but I couldn't hear them anymore. The pulses violently shook every part of my body. There was no escape.

The whips retracted. I fell to the ground in a paralyzed heap. Everything was blurry. Two guards picked me out of the sand and dragged me to my cell. They sat me down, lifting the visors on their helmets and removing all my shackles. It had to have been the end. I never thought Halcyon would have killed me, but maybe I was too much trouble to be left alive.

One of the guards ran a finger over the burn across my nose. I groaned at the pain. They quickly pulled away and muttered something. I let my head drop with the sudden urge to fall asleep, but they held it back up. The other guard fingered around the belt on my waist. I lifted my hand to find my lightsaber back where it belonged. I had to have been lucid.

Once I was free, they replaced their visors and the taller guard threw me over their shoulder. Soon after I was transferred to a crate and the lid was placed on top. I curled up in the darkness, numb and shaking. They pushed me around here and there until I was loaded into a ship. The tall one set me in the medical bay and ran off, leaving the other one to dress my face and inject me with fluids.

My vision began to come back and I could make out his features. I knew that slicked back blond hair and big blue eyes.

I pushed myself up. "Qi'ran," I slurred. "What's goin' on?"

"Nyx and I are rescuing you. Now, lay down so I can work." Qi'ran gently pushed my shoulder down.

"Whaddaya mean? I was 'bout to fin' Bren. I was goin' to save 'im."

"We know. But you can't save him if you're dead. Or if Halcyon's on to you. Nyx knows what we're dealing with. We had to get you out of there."

I wanted to fight back, to prove he was wrong, but I didn't have the strength. The meds Qi'ran pumped into me helped with that. Instead I rested, thankful to be surrounded by friends.

Chapter Text

Halyx shuddered. I sat up on the medical cot. It had only been a moment since Qi'ran administered the bacta, but I felt immensely better already. Everything was a little sore, but it was better than before. Which was a good thing because something was going wrong. Again.

I rose from the cot as the ship rumbled another time. It pitched and I stumbled to the wall to steady myself. Sticking close to the wall, I made my way to the cockpit. Nyx flicked switches while barking orders to Qi'ran over the comm. I slid into the seat next to her as a black ship soared overhead. We tried to follow it, but it was too fast and circled back around us.

"Couldn't get a clear look, but it seemed Imperial. Solar panels, sleek design, mostly black." Qi'ran said something over the headset and Nyx shrugged. "What? Just because it's Imperial doesn't mean I can't admire the design. Jedi, see what you can gather. We in trouble or not?"

I reached out and searched for the ship. The pilot was the only one onboard. The Force moved strangely around her. It was cold and dark. Her pain passed into me. The burning rage and sadness swallowed me whole. I fell deep into her prison, drowning in the pandemonium. I couldn't see, couldn't breath. She was in so much pain. What caused this torment?

Halyx shook violently and I came to, shaking and gasping for breath. I gripped the armrests so hard my knuckles were white. Nyx constantly shifted her eyes between me and the viewport. The ship rocked back and forth as the other pilot bombarded us with blasts. I nodded my head and tried to relax. A heavy blast bounced me in my seat.

"Haar'chak!" Nyx shouted. "We just lost the shields. Tell me something good, Ari."

"I--I'm not sure I can. They way the Force moved around her, though. It was bad, Nyx. We should go."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But where? It'll take time to make the calculations to jump. And I am not about to give my ship over to you to pilot. We gotta lose our 'friend' first. Qi'ran? You've got to make the shot.

"Oh, what now?" Nyx whined as a siren wailed. "Ah, kriff. That's the hyperdrive. We're not going anywhere. Not for a while."

Halyx shuddered repeatedly. The other ship flew over us again. Nyx followed her closely, giving Qi'ran a chance to shoot it down. The pilot veered off and Halyx grumbled under the blasts. More sirens went off. Without shields and much maneuverability, we weren't going to last long. Nyx scowled, aggressively swerving the ship. She grumbled and flicked at the steering controls before taking a deep breath.

"All right, hang in there, baby. I'm sorry 'bout this." Nyx adjusted a few controls on the dash. "You kids might want to hang on."

Halyx pulled upward and jolted with a thunk. I could hear Qi'ran yelling through Nyx's headset as the awful screeching of scraping metal sounded overhead. Nyx held Halyx steady against the force of the other ship. She banked right, then left. The other ship disappeared from the scanners and Halyx stopped shaking. Qi'ran ran into the cockpit.

Nyx let go of the controls and leaned back in her seat. "Well, she held together, but not for much longer. Wherever we're going next will have to wait." She pulled up the star-chart. "Sprizen Sector. Closest place to land is. . . Oh, kriff my life." Nyx rolled her eyes and yelled an incomprehensible string of words I doubted meant anything good.

Qi'ran's childlike optimism got the best of him. "What is it? Whatever the planet is, its got to be better than our situation right now."

"Abafar," Nyx spat. "I swore I'd never return to this kriffing dirtball."

"We can make it quick," I suggested. "Land, do the repairs, and leave."

"You don't understand. He'll know I'm here the moment we drop into the atmosphere. No one just happens to drop by on Abafar. Besides, you need a real doctor."

"It's the only option we have."

Nyx looked around the cockpit, avoiding our faces and sighed. "You're right. We're going in. Just don't ask questions."

+++

No wonder Nyx hated Abafar. It was terribly flat and either blindingly white or the worst shade of orange imaginable. The town we landed in sat in a crater, probably purposely built into the ground rather than on top. It connected to other small towns via paths also dug into the ground. Maybe not seeing the void every time they went outside kept the inhabitants sane.

We meandered through the alleys until Nyx stopped at a door to a building that looked identical to all the others. She knocked on the door several times but no one answered.

"Paranoid as ever," she grumbled before punching in a code.

The dark room was empty, save for a table and sofa. However, we were not alone. Someone was home. I could sense it. They were waiting for us. For Nyx?

"Down!" I shouted, drawing my lightsaber.

At the same moment, a man rounded the corner, blaster drawn. He stood there, sight set on me. After a minute, though, he cocked his head to the side and lowered the blaster. "Jedi," the man gasped.

Nyx grabbed my hand and pushed my saber down, stepping toward the man. "This is how you welcome me home? You know I don't want to be here. The least you could do is not act like you're going to shoot me."

"I thought you were them."

"The Empire? You think everyone is. I knew the day I came back would still be too soon."

"Look, Nyx, I know I've not been the father I should have been. For years I tried my best. That's why we moved out here. Give me a chance. I made dinner."

Nyx scoffed and pushed past him down the hallway. I extinguished the lightsaber as Nyx's father turned on the lights.

"Have a seat." He gestured toward the sofa. "I'll bring some food."

Nyx and her father looked quite alike. They were both built tall and muscular with tan skin like mine. She had her father's square face and wide, flat nose, although her's had recently been broken. Her father was bald except for a short grey beard. He would have been quite unremarkable if it weren't for a small scar above his right temple.

Nyx's father returned with food and ate with us. "I doubt Nyx ever told you anything about her past. Never was a very open kid. Always keepin' to herself. Anyway, I'm Flick, Nyx's father. Nice to meet you."

Qi'ran and I shook his hand. "I'm Ari, and this is Qi'ran. It's good to meet you, too."

"So, you're a Jedi. Didn't think there were any of you left. Don't look like you were old enough to have been around when the Purge happened."

"No. I was born after. I received training on my home world, though. I was supposed to be finishing my training somewhere else but so many things happened and it all fell apart. Now we're here." I shrugged.

"Life is never boring with a Jedi. Spent a few with years with one myself. Nyx's mother, actually. Nia Masani. She was my General in the War. Wasn't too long after the Battle of Geonosis we found ourselves questioning the point of the whole thing. I may have been programmed to follow orders, but that wasn't the life I wanted for myself. I wasn't just another number. Why did they think we gave each other names? I had this habit of flicking my blaster all the time, especially before a battle. My brothers started callin' me Flick on Kamino. The name just stuck.

"Anyway, Nia felt like I did. The Jedi were peacekeepers but leading the war effort. She expressed her concerns to the Council only for them to dismiss her. Over the course of this mess we fell in love. It was against everything either of us had ever learned. I was made to be the perfect soldier and nothing more. She wasn't allowed to have attachments. But what was one more broken rule? If the rest of the Jedi were breakin' 'em, why couldn't we?

"So we planned our desertion from the Grand Army of the Republic. The Battle of Mimban was almost over. When we were sure the Republic was going to win, we snuck just behind enemy lines and dropped our equipment. Nia left her lightsaber and I discarded my helmet and blasters. We disguised ourselves as travelers and caught shuttles all over the galaxy, eventually settling down on Lothal. With no reason for the War to reach us, we were finally safe."

"But the Purge happened," I interrupted. "And the Empire found Lothal. I read about that."

"You're a smart one, Ari. Sure know your history." He nodded his head solemnly. "Yes, Lothal's resources brought the Empire to us. It wasn't long before they found Nia. We heard the rumors of the Jedi turning against the Republic and eventually that us clones had chips in our heads that made us do it. Don't worry, mine's been removed," Flick added, placing a finger on the scar on his head. "She led them from Nyx and I, giving us a chance to escape. Had we stayed, the Empire would have taken the two of us in. They'd recondition me and turn Nyx into a weapon. Course she wasn't Force-sensitive. Wouldn't be as useful or a threat, but she'd live. Maybe.

"Anyway, none of that happened so it doesn't matter. In my last words to Nia I swore to protect Nyx. I took her, the last piece of my wife, and disappeared here. And I know I've not been the best father. A coward's more like it. Always looking over my shoulder, afraid the Empire would show up. It's no way to live. Not a way to raise a child."

Flick sighed and shook his head. "But I gave Nyx everything. I told her I loved her, that her mother loved her. I would give my life for her a million times over before I'd die once for the Republic. She's just like her mother, though. A bit wild, but fiercely kind deep inside. It's good to have her back. I worry about her all the time. I hadn't heard from her since she left."

"I can imagine. Nyx had plenty of chances to leave us and never come back, but she stayed. She's helping Qi'ran and I find our friend Bren. As things took a turn for the worse with my new master, he ran away with a crime ring."

"I'm sorry things aren't going well for you. Are you sure your friend wants to be found, though? Like I said, Nia and I disappeared on purpose."

"He doesn't know what he's getting into. My whole life I've been keeping Brenni safe and watching his back. He gets in trouble all the time. Nyx told me about Syndicate. They're not a group to get involved in. I let them capture me on purpose and it wasn't something I'd wish on anyone."

"I understand. Thought that mark on your face looked fresh. You got it from this Syndicate group, didn't you? I've got a salve you might find useful."

"Thank you." I smiled at his kindness. "I'll keep that in mind. Could be handy when the bacta injections wear off."

"Of course. Now," he said, clearing the plates, "I don't have much in the way of accommodations for you two, but I'll work on getting some bedding for the night. My home is your home."

Flick's hospitality was more than what I hoped for. Had I known my own father, I would have wanted him to be like Flick. Sure, Master Kessna was nice enough, but she wasn't family. However, the Force had led me where I supposed to be. We would save Bren soon enough. Right now, Nyx and her father needed me.