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Chapter Text

“Power is a fragile commodity, albeit one most sentients seek in one form or another. However, It is most usually pursued as a means to an end. Sentients seek to control their lives through it, often without the wisdom to distinguish what can’t, or shouldn’t, be controlled. And if history has taught us one thing, it is that the only ones who can be trusted with power, are those with the strength to let it go.”

• From the Qel-Droma epics by Jedi Master Nomi Sunrider.  

Floating gracefully among the smaller Mon Calamari freighters, the Republic’s Hammer and Kashyyyk’s Fist had little to distinguish them from other Corellian Corvettes, at least to the untrained eye. But one familiar with the intricacies and protocols of the New Republic’s naval forces would recognize the powerful turbolasers mounted below the ships’ hammer-like fronts, and the hatches concealing the batteries embedded in both sides of each hull. And Yet, although they were powerful ships, those corvettes and their brethren were far from the only new model the nascent republic relied on. 

For the diversity of The New Republic’s fleet was yet another way the government distinguished itself from The Empire. While the latter often relied on the sheer power of capital ships, or the advantage of numbers when it came to starfighters, the Rebellion had needed to use more clever and cunning designs. Because unlike with the Empire, every ship had been, and still was, far too precious a resource.

From the dogfighting capabilities of the famed X-Wing, to the focused raw power employed by the B-Wings and Nova- class gunships, the Alliance’s fleet had always been designed for precision strikes and felling giants. Although these days it had plenty of giants of its own, thanks to Mon Cala’s supply of bulk cruisers and other large ships. And when all of those classes and models came together, there wasn’t a battle they couldn’t win. 

And in a way, this diversity of ships reflected the diversity of their crews. Human, Rodian, Duros, Twi'lek....it didn’t matter. The Rebellion had been about people from every species coming together to bring down a common enemy. And in the New Republic, all was welcome regardless of one’s kind. Everyone was equal and everyone had the same chances. Ra'angar knew that from experience. 

A tall Cathar with beige fur and a yellow-ish mane, Ra'angar had been a slave in the Empire’s giant factory on Cymoon 1 when a group of rebels arrived to blow the place to the skies. Liberated alongside the others, he’d watched many of his fellow slaves fall to imperial fire that day, and would later choose to serve the rebellion alongside most of the surviving ones. They’d had nothing to their names and nowhere to go to, back then, and while that had certainly been an influence on their decision to stay, their rage had been the greatest incentive. 

And, to Ra'angar’s delight, there had been other Cathars with the rebellion. Slavery on Cymoon 1 had drained away any semblance of hope. As a prisoner there, he hadn’t expected to ever know freedom again, much less find love. Yet, here he was now: a captain of the New Republic’s navy, a husband to a beautiful female and a father to three cubs he’d give up anything for. 

“One hour to Bothawui, Captain.” the lieutenant-commander who acted as his right hand said with relief. A surprisingly eloquent Rodian, Taasu was good company to keep when one was off-duty. “I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to sample some of the local cuisine.”

Ra'angar bared his teeth. “My advice is to try the green cheese. And Grab some for the family. As much as you can.” 

“I’ll take your word for it, Sir.” the rodian said almost enthusiastically, and the Cathar stifled a chuckle. Taasu wasn’t a glutton by any means, but he certainly appreciated the culinary arts more than anyone Ra'angar knew. 

“Do you ever stop thinking about your stomachs?” Marit, the communications officer, said with a smile. 

Tasuu snorted. “You wouldn’t say that if you had our taste buds. Humans can’t–” 

The Rodian was interrupted as the ship lurched. And the lines of hyperspace seemed to vanish instantly to reveal the vast expanse of star-filled space, interrupted only by the sight of an Interdictor -class Star Destroyer flanked by two Imperial- class ones. 

Ra'angar gave a soft growl at the sight, and he could practically feel the tension spread across the bridge. “Status Report!” he growled.

“All systems operational, Captain.” said Davik from his station.”Their batteries are trained on us.”

The Cathar captain turned to the weapons officer. “Tell the gunners to prime the cannons and batteries.”

“They’re not hailing us or answering our hails, Sir.” Marit said "I don't think they’re accepting surrenders.”

Ra'angar growled again. He knew their firepower was too much for him to take on with only two corvettes, and the freighters were unarmed. He needed to act fast to save as many lives as he could. 

The ship rocked again as a turbolaser blast was absorbed by its shields. “Helm. Take evasive action.” The Captain ordered before turning to Marit. “Get me lieutenant Dren on the Kashyyyk’s Fist. And tell the freighters to turn around and attempt to make it to the edge of the gravity well. We’ll try to hold off the star destroyers.”

A look of fear flashed over Marit’s face, but was quickly replaced with determination. The young woman knew that this was a fight they may not survive. But she also knew what she’d signed up for. They all did. Ra'angar more than anyone. So he steeled himself and directed the battle to his best ability, fighting like it was his final skirmish. 

And, sadly, it was. 

Grand Moff Ardus Kaine’s life-size hologram towered over Admiral Daala, which wasn’t surprising given her small frame. A tall man with a handsome face that didn’t betray his age, Kaine was a patriot that Daala admittedly enjoyed working with. 

“The operation was a partial success, Governor.” she said stoically. “We managed to capture half of the freighters with our tractor beams, but it seems we’d underestimated the firepower and resilience of their new corvettes. Our Interdictor sustained some heavy damage, but the two Imperial-class destroyers are fairly unscathed. The two corvettes were destroyed.”

“I expect better from you, Admiral.” Kaine said matter-of-fact-ly. “Nevertheless, those supplies should help sustain us until we're ready.”

“Understood, Sir.” Daala said “What would you have us do with the prisoners?”

“Execute the grunts. Bring back the officers for interrogation.” The Grand Moff ordered “I’ll expect a full report of the operation on my desk within an hour of your arrival. Kaine out.” he said before the hologram vanished, leaving Daala to sink in her chair and ponder her dark thoughts. 

She’d gone from leading her own fleet, to being one of the many pawns of the five Moffs hiding in the deep core. They had all this power, yet Gideon was still content to wait. And Daala couldn’t blame him. Xerath’s impatience had doomed him, and The Rebellion was now stronger than ever. It would take decades to defeat them unless they managed to seize control of the “New Empire” somehow. 

But Gideon supposedly had his own plans and weapons that could turn the tide. And while Daala hated not being privy to them, she had no options but to trust him and the rest of the five. Even though it sometimes felt like it was them against the entire Galaxy. 

But if the rebels could do it, then so could they. She was certain of that.   

Jedi training was apparently never easy, and Leia often wondered how hard Luke’s was, based on his stories of Master Yoda. A small, green thing that Luke had met on a swampy planet strong in The Force, the little troll had apparently put her brother through hell and back during those few months. But she could tell that her brother still missed his teacher dearly, now more than ever. 

"Greetings, Padawan Leia." TX-1 said as she activated him. "May I recommend practicing soresu on difficulty level four today?" the droid suggested. 

"That works TeeEx, thank you." Leia said before activating her lightsaber, and the purple blade came to life with a snap-hiss. Some quick tampering with the device strengthened the energy field around the plasma, turning the blade into "training mode". And TeeEx's own sparring rod came to life as he took an opening stance. 

A spindly droid with a single eye and a concealed vocabulator, TX-1 was a Jedi swordsman droid that Luke had managed to purchase with Lando's help a while after The Battle of Hoth. Ever since then, TeeEx had acted as Luke's sparring partner and lightsaber instructor. Her brother credited him with filling in the gaps in his formal lightsaber training, and Leia found him to be a more than worthy opponent on most days. 

The droid descended on her rapidly with a djem so move, and pride swelled in Leia's chest as she blocked with ease. Djem So was a variety of Shien, the fifth form of lightsaber combat. One of the more aggressive forms, it largely relied on converting defense into offense, and required putting physical strength into the slashes and swings. In contrast, Soresu was a defensive form that emphasized grace and steadfastness. Luke would often say that the key to the third form was the footing, and had drilled that into Leia extensively.

The droid, who had a strange training blade for a right hand, came at Leia again and again. And each time Leia attempted to fend him off long enough to find an opening, to varying degrees of success. The sparring session continued for thirty minutes before Leia lost her wind. Tempted by the cool shade of a particularly beautiful tree at the edge of the clearing that hosted the temple, she allowed her sparring partner to power down and went to sit down on the grass. 

Leia didn’t often get the time to visit Luke on Yavin IV, but whenever she did, the Alderaanian made the most of it. Jedi training was not easy, but Leia certainly found it satisfying. At first, the meditative practices hadn’t gone smoothly for her. Being an important political figure in a newly-formed galactic government often left her feeling restless whenever she was away from the constant fires she had to put out. But with time, and patience, as her connection to The Force grew, she began to understand Luke’s lessons more and more. The feeling of being connected to everything made her feel like she was back home. Like Alderaan was still there in some form. And it made the spiritual aspects she struggled with just a little easier. Of course, Luke seemed to excel in those. 

Overcome by boredom, she reached into her satchel and retrieved the holocron her brother had given her. A mixture of fear, conflict and curiosity swirled in her mind as she toyed with the cube. A part of her feared what she may find in Colonel Tano’s holocron, and another wanted to see it because it might help her understand. Steeling herself, she reached out with The Force and activated the device. 

“These are the journals of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker.” said the hologram of a handsome young man with keen blue eyes and dark blonde hair. “ Today’s battle saw some heavy casualties among the snub fighter pilots.” he paused “I’m not taking it well. I was out there with them, and perhaps I should’ve led them better. My former Master says there’s nothing I could’ve done given the way we were outnumbered,......but I’m not so sure.”

“This war is dragging far longer than we thought it would.” he continued dejectedly “ And The senate doesn’t seem to care as much as it should. I don’t think they view the clones as sentient beings, with all the rights that come with that. And I’ve grown tired of seeing so many of those good men fall. Seeing so many of my fellow jedi fall.” he took a moment to compose himself, and in that moment, he seemed so much older than the boy he was. “ There are days on which I want to follow my padawan’s lead and leave the order. Leave this war and everything behind me.But I can’t let everything be in vain. I know our cause is just. Dooku and the separatists have to be stopped. I have to see this through.”

Nearly overwhelmed by her confusion, Leia deactivated the device before drawing a deep breath. 

There was no doubt that he’d been a monster. One who’d murdered innocents, including children. Attacked his own pregnant wife. Tortured his daughter and the man she loved, alongside who knows how many. Served the most evil man The Galaxy had ever known. He’d been the face of her nightmares ever since that fateful day on the Death Star.  

But everything and everyone said that before his turn - before Vader- he’d been a good man. A most loyal friend. A good teacher. A man who valued life and fought desperately to save it every chance he got- although evidently too desperately as time went. And no matter how hard Leia tried, She couldn’t reconcile the man in that recording with the most feared man in the Galaxy. Was that how Luke had felt during that year after Bespin? Those months during which he’d carried that burden alone? Just what had he sensed that caused him to walk to Darth Vader and tell him that he could find redemption? It was a notion so insane, only Luke could believe in it. And it was even more insane that he’d been correct.

“I thought he’d be uglier, you know” her husband’s voice startled her out of her reverie, and she turned around to see Han looking at her with a sympathetic look and a smirk on his face. “You saw that?” she asked. 

He nodded as he lay down on the grass next to her, hands clasped together behind his head to form a cushion. “Gotta say, It was a lot easier when we could just hate him.” he said grimly, and Leia nodded in turn, looking into the distance.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of his small room in the Temple of the Massassi, Luke Skywalker sank into the depths of The Force as his meditation became almost trance-like. As a novice, Luke had struggled with meditation. He’d been restless and impatient back then, unable to fully appreciate its benefits. But as his connection to The Force continued to grow, the young jedi found himself enjoying it more and more. The feeling of sheer oneness with everyone and everything was difficult to describe, but it always seemed to lead him somewhere new. 

He could sense his sister’s nearby presence. It was powerful and clear. More honed with every day that passed as she made strides in her training. Ahsoka Tano’s presence was distant, but strong and tempered. Like that of a seasoned practitioner of the Jedi arts. His friend Mara Jade’s presence was somewhat muted, like that of someone who hadn’t embraced the presence of The Force yet.

And there were many others that he could sense but not recognize. Some were force sensitives who didn’t realize their true nature. Others were survivors of the jedi purge who’d decided to find a different path during the dark times. And Luke could only hope that some of those distant stars would find their way to him. But as the currents of The Force continued to carry the young jedi, his conscious mind drifted back to his own jedi training on Dagobah. 

"Capable of Great things, the Jedi are." His teacher had said one time as they sat around a campfire. "Great power we have. hmm. Tempting, it can. People seek to control what they shouldn't, when have power, they do. Learn, you must, that control.…is but an illusion."

"But you're always telling me that I must learn control." Luke noted, confused by yet another of Yoda's paradoxes. 

The green little troll snorted. "No. No. Control over yourself , you must have. Learn how to act, or not act, When the opposite, you desire. Mastery of The Force comes only with Mastery of oneself. But to control others, a Jedi does not seek. To desire control over what can't or shouldn't be controlled, is a path to the dark side."

Luke pondered his teacher's words."But aren’t we trying to do just that?” he asked “We try to defeat The Empire and The Sith. To control the Galaxy’s fate and lead it somewhere better.”

Yoda sighed. “Remember the dragonsnake king, do you? Hmmm. Too powerful, he was. Disturbed the natural order of the swamps. Much like him, are The Sith. To restore the natural order of things, you must always seek. Never to impose your own will.”

“Surrender my own will to learn the will of The Force.” Luke recited the lesson, wondering if he’d ever be able to actually live by it. It was not easy wisdom to apply. 

“Master…..what was my father like?” he asked, hoping Yoda wouldn’t dodge the question this time. 

His teacher seemed to grow distant, as if lost in the past once more. “Hmph. A Great Jedi, that one. Cunning warrior. Stood out among his fellow jedi. And More loyal than anyone else, he was.” the strange alien sighed “But darkness was inside him. And Hard was his head. Just like you!” he said before whacking Luke’s head with his glimmerstick, eliciting a pained “ow” from his padawan. 

Amused, Luke retreated from his memory and expanded his consciousness even further. He would often find himself missing his teacher, even though they hadn’t always seen eye to eye. Yoda had been wise and kind, and Luke could tell by the dull pain he would often sense in the ancient being that his teacher’s wisdom had come with a heavy price. But his teacher had mastered his pain and loss, showing strength, courage and optimism that Luke sometimes envied. 

The young jedi was about to end his meditation when he felt a vision creeping into the edge of his consciousness. Curious, he followed the vision to a familiar looking world - a seedy haven for smugglers, bounty hunters, criminals, and everything in-between. Other images flashed before him; A young tholothian girl with sad, deep blue eyes, brown skin and milky white tendrils protruding from her scaled skullcap…… 

With a gasp, Skywalker opened his eyes. He couldn’t entirely make sense of the vision, nor could he recognize the young girl in it. But it was clear that The Force was leading him to Nar Shaddaa. Which actually tracked with his intentions for his next move. 

A series of beeps interrupted his thoughts before the blue and white astromech rolled into his modest quarters. Luke’s binary wasn't particularly strong, but he could tell that his old friend was agitated. 

“Oh, look what you've done now, Artoo. I told you Master Luke wouldn't like having his meditations interrupted.” Threepio said, having caught up to his counterpart. “I'm terribly sorry, Master. But I'm afraid it is quite urgent.” He said, ignoring Artoo’s indignation.

"It's okay, Threepio.” Luke said, fighting back his amusement. “What's going on now?”

"It's Chief of State Mon Mothma, Sir.” the droid said gravely, and Luke could suddenly feel the tension in the air. "She has sent a message saying there's been an....incident.”

Chapter Text

Her brother was already standing in front of the holograms of Mon Mothma and the recently promoted General Antilles when Leia walked into the room, with a visibly irate Han trailing behind her. Leia had spent six months working herself to near death before leaving for this short trip, and Han was somehow much more annoyed than her about the interruption to their much needed break. 

But Mon had been the one to practically force her into taking this leave, which meant that the Chief of State wouldn't interrupt it for anything less than a complete crisis. And based on her and Wedge’s expressions, it couldn't be a minor one. 

“Hello, Leia. Captain Solo." Mon greeted with her usual politeness, but her eyes betrayed how worried she really was. The holotable in The Falcon didn't provide the most detailed holograms, but that didn't hide the tension. "I apologize for the interruption, but I'm afraid the New Republic needs its head minister back more urgently than planned.”

"I take it that it couldn't wait until our leave was over.” Han said matter-of-fact-ly, his previous irritation now replaced by concern. 

“ Afraid not, Han.” Wedge said. “ There's been a concerning incident. A New Republic trade convoy was attacked earlier today while en route to Bothawui. Some of the freighters managed to escape, but the rest were most likely captured. The two Corvettes escorting the ships were destroyed, but not before they sent back scans of the skirmish. We know for certain that they were attacked by two Imperial-Class Star Destroyers and an Interdictor cruiser that pulled them out of hyperspace ." 

Leia barely registered Han swearing under his breath as the implications settled in, and Luke looked pained in the extreme. "How many lives were lost in the attack?” The Princess asked. It was a once-common question she'd hoped to never need to ask again. 

“Seventy-eight." Mon answered, and Leia’s mind was already racing. “We've already reached out to Governor Drome, and he assures me that those ships were sent by the deep core warlords and not by The Empire. Although to say that the outraged Senate is skeptical of that would be a rather severe understatement. And the Governor’s promise of a thorough investigation on his end isn't of much help at the moment.”

Leia's brows furrowed further. She didn't particularly like Drome. Because despite his words and actions, he was still an imperial who had stood by while the government he served committed atrocities. But she was fairly confident that his desire for peace was indeed sincere. “Drome may be speaking the truth from his perspective, but we can't rule out The Empire. It could very well be the Warlords, and it could also be one of Drome’s underlings trying to reignite the conflict. Everyone knows our peace is still fragile.”

Han snorted. “Tell me about it. I still remember all the disgruntled rebel voices when we signed that blasted concordance.” 

Leia pinched the bridge of her nose. The consensus around the peace had been mixed among the rebels ever since Mon’s speech following the Truce at Bakura. Far too many of them had very personal reasons to hate the Empire, and many beings consequently didn't like the idea of compromising or co-existing with the Imperial Remnant. She had no doubt that the New Republic included plenty of people who'd like for the war to start again. The Empire probably wasn't much different in that regard. 

“I'm more concerned by the fact that they managed to attack the convoy at all. Is there a possibility of a leak?" Luke asked, and Leia immediately understood what he was referring to. In order to prevent piracy, The New Republic’s trade convoys usually avoided the more direct, more commonly used paths into the mid and inner rims. Instead, the ships would often use more secretive, complex paths that sacrificed speed for safety. The Empire knowing about at least one of them enough to intercept the convoy suggested some espionage. 

“General Cracken is currently overseeing that investigation personally. If there is a leak, we can count on him to find it." Mon said "But there's a lot of work to be done if we're going to smooth things over, and the demands for a joint campaign into the deep core are growing. How soon can you return to Naboo, Leia?”

“If I know The Falcon, we can be there in about sixteen hours, give or take.” Han said. 

Mon seemed relieved. “ Thank you, Captain. I need to go now, but please reach out to me as soon as you arrive at Starlight City. May The Force be with you.” She said before her hologram faded.

Han gave a frustrated huff. “I suppose I'll go warm up the engines. So much for our break away from all this lunacy." He said as he headed to the cockpit. 

Leia gave a sigh of her own. “I guess I have to go back and get my stuff. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, Luke.” And just when she was finally getting better at Soresu, too. It’d taken some getting used to, but she had to admit that she did enjoy learning about all the philosophies and techniques Luke's teachers had taught him. And after months of dealing with one crisis after another, she'd needed that break on Yavin IV.

Luke nodded. "I'd offer to come with you, but I don't think I'd be of much use in this case.” 

Leia snorted. “Yeah, well the old Jedi were diplomats. Maybe I should be the teacher next time." She said with a sad smile as she headed down the ramp, leaving Luke and his old squad mate alone. 

“It’s good to see you, Wedge." Luke said with a sad smile of his own. “How's life as a General treating you?"

" Hours are terrible, but the food’s a lot better .” The Corellian joked before growing somber. " In all seriousness, I can see why you turned down the rank and left the military altogether. Being responsible for twelve people was hard. But having so many lives in your hands? That's a burden I'm not sure anyone with a heart can carry for long.”

Luke's smile grew somewhat bitter. “Yeah, I remember General Dodonna’s lessons too. But if there's anyone I trust with this, it's you, pal.”

Wedge gave a cocky smirk that reminded Luke a lot of Han. “You’re just saying that to feel better about leaving me to deal with all the kraytspit. And I shudder to imagine what the Rogues are doing to poor Hobbie now that they're his problem. But enough about me.” The Corellian said. "I sent your astromech the necessary clearance codes. Wasn't easy to get them now that you're no longer part of the military, so don't expect this to be a regular occurrence. Just be at Sunspot-5 in two days.”

Luke grinned. “Thanks Wedge. I owe you one."

The newly promoted General snorted. “You owe me more than one, but who’s counting? Anyway, I have to go now. You just drop by next time you're in Starlight. Antilles Out." He said as his hologram disappeared, leaving the Jedi alone.

Thirty minutes later, Luke had said his goodbyes to Leia and the rest, before standing near The Falcon as it launched. He followed it with his eyes as it dashed towards the atmosphere and into open space, leaving the Jedi once again alone with his thoughts. 

An air of foreboding, confusion and loneliness hung around him as he walked towards the temple. And he found himself confronting thoughts he didn't really want to confront. The truth was that Luke had felt somewhat lost and more than a little useless after resigning from the military. 

He didn't regret his choice. Jedi were peacekeepers, not soldiers. And he'd played soldier long enough. The Galaxy needed the Jedi, and it was his burden to bring them back. Only problem was, he had no idea how. 

Sure, he'd been doing fine teaching Leia everything his teachers had taught him, be it about wielding The Force, lightsaber combat, meditation techniques or Jedi philosophy. But there was more to teaching and guiding people on the Jedi path than simply passing on the same lessons. There had to be. And while he was proud of Leia's progress, he knew that she wasn't interested in becoming a Jedi in the way that mattered at the moment. She had a different calling, one no less important. And that calling required too much of her focus and time. 

And Mara Jade, the only other candidate he knew, had made it clear that she wasn't interested, and Luke suspected that The Force didn't represent a lot of positive things to her. She'd barely touched it during her service to the Emperor. And in many ways, The Force reminded her of things she regretted. To her, it had been no more than a tool, and Luke knew that Mara had a lot to overcome from her past. He simply couldn't push her, but he did let her know that his door would always be open. 

Luke was lost. He didn't know how to find students or how to guide them individually. He had knowledge thanks to his teachers and all the lore he'd gathered, but he wasn't sure how to really pass it on the way his teachers had done with him. Months had passed since his resignation from the navy, and the only things he'd accomplished were the sporadic training of Leia and the furthering of his own studies. He knew that he couldn't rush the rebuilding of the order, but the burden was far too heavy to bear alone.  

And as much as he hated to admit it, Yavin IV could often get lonely. He was used to the camaraderie he'd found with the rebellion, and he rather missed spending time with his found family and his friends, before they'd all gone on different paths. Leia was now busier than ever as the head minister of a nascent government, Han and Lando were off slowly but surely establishing their shipping company, Chewie was on Kashyyyk with his family and Wedge was now the General in charge of training new pilots. He didn't necessarily miss the life of soldiers, but he did miss doing something as part of a cause bigger than himself. 

And then there was the political state of his new Jedi order. He knew that the New Republic senate was still debating whether or not to give him Yavin IV to build his praxeum there, and he didn't think it was avoidable for the new senate and his order to work closely. But just how closely? Yoda had hinted that the Jedi of old made a mistake by not realizing just how deep corruption had gone in the old senate. That they didn't have a voice in the government, and didn't pressure the senate enough to at least try and find a diplomatic resolution to the clone wars. 

Luke couldn't allow people to tell him who and when to fight. A Jedi entered into violence only as a last resort, and must try everything else first. His order would have to maintain a degree of independence, but still work closely enough with the senate to have some jurisdiction and actually make a difference. But independence would require a separate source for funding, and he didn't have that. 

Leia said that the new senate would be different, and wanted him to work more closely with them. But Luke still had his reservations, because while he didn't know much about politics, he knew that things seldom remained the same. He would have to find balance somehow, which was always part of a Jedi's duty. 

Arriving back at his quarters, he dropped on his bed and lay there for a few minutes before reaching out for his commlink. A few moments later, the glowing image of a female Togruta appeared before him. 

"Luke. How's my favorite Jedi?" Ahsoka asked cheerily, although Luke sensed that something was bothering her. "Trying my best…but I could be better." He said with a weak smile. "Any news on your end?"

Ahsoka seemed to grow dejected. "None, but practically mapping unknown space bit by bit is slow work." She noted " We have a lot of ground to cover, but Mon Mothma seems satisfied with our progress for some reason. Sabine's unending intrepidness also helps."

Luke nodded, although he could sense her frustrations. It was not a priority at the moment, but The New Republic had still expended some meager resources towards mapping The Unknown Regions and monitoring for any threats coming from that direction. Luke still regretted the loss of the maps he and Mara had found on Pillio. As it was, Ahsoka and her allies were forced to launch scouting mission after scouting mission to create a small fraction of the maps he'd seen. 

"I'm not going to lie, Luke. Things feel pretty hopeless sometimes." Ahsoka confided. "But Sabine is still as determined as ever, and it helps us all keep going."

Luke smiled sadly. "I wish I could help." He said, and Ahsoka mirrored his expression. " Not much you can do." she reminded, and it only made him feel more useless . "Now, what's bothering you?" She asked. 

"Nothing gets past you, huh?" He noted wryly before confiding in his father's old friend, and her expression seemed to soften as he spoke. 

" You're on the right track, if you ask me ." She said when he was done. " It's good to ask a lot of questions, because only then can you find the answers. The task won't be easy, but you're on the right track."

Luke sighed. Ahsoka could give some good advice, occasionally. But much like Obi-Wan and Yoda, she was adamant that he ultimately had to shape the order himself. Luke would have to stumble and possibly fail before he could succeed. He would have to make his own choices and live with their consequences. It was a somewhat scary thought, but ultimately it was his burden to carry. 

He'd been taught not to rely on visions, but his last one seemed to confirm that his next step was on the right track. He could only hope that the optimism said vision gave him wasn't misplaced. 

In the eyes of most people, Nar Shaddaa was the ugly distant cousin of the Galactic Capital, and it was easy to see why. Both were worlds covered in a giant city, certainly, but from then on the similarities ended for the most part. Kye Manan had once heard a spacer describe Smuggler's Moon as “if Coruscant’s lower levels were a world, and smelled even worse somehow”. She’d never been to the capital herself, but the description seemed accurate based on what she’d heard about said lower levels. After all, Nar Shaddaa had a lot of people who did business on both of those fronts, and Kye was willing to bet that most people living on Coruscant never suspected how many threads connected them to the biggest hive of crime in the Galaxy. 

Orbiting the swampy Hutt homeworld of Nal Hutta, The Smuggler’s Moon was the largest known haven for pirates, bounty hunters, smugglers, criminals, and anyone who wanted to disappear for a while, although many of those would find themselves disappearing permanently. As far as Kye could tell, no government or any form of law had ever existed on Nar Shaddaa, aside from the loose order imposed by the Hutts. The worms controlled most of the moon from the capital district of Hutta Town, although their presence was just as strong in other areas like Wormstew Town, and one was safe from their “order” as long as they got their cut. But Despite the worms’ dominion over the world, other syndicates had their own presence. The Corellian Sector, for example, was largely under Black Sun control. The young pickpocket would guess that the Hutts gave the fellow syndicates those territories as a way to maintain whatever fragile alliances the worms shared with them. 

Born on Smuggler’s Moon fourteen years ago during the reign of one Grakkus The Hutt, young Kye Manan had never known a life other than that of a Nar Shaddaa scrumrat. She had no idea who her parents were, and she didn’t care to try and learn. She’d learned the hard way that, on Nar Shaddaa, relying on anyone could easily turn into a fatal mistake. Smuggler’s Moon didn’t much acknowledge friendship or kin, and only barely tolerated alliances of convenience. It was a world of vice and villainy, and it was nice to be on only if you had the credits and knew how to keep them. And Kye had seen what happened to fools who couldn’t keep them. 

Arriving at the Black Comet bar, she stepped inside and ignored the glances of the patrons, who were obviously somewhat intrigued by the young age that often caused people to underestimate Kye. Instead, the young tholothian went straight to the bar and sat on the stool, waiting for the bartender - also the owner - to finish whatever it was he was doing. 

Dosan was a somewhat obese Zabrak with pink skin, black markings and short horns. He, too, had been born and raised on Nar Shaddaa, eventually inheriting the Black Comet from his father. Kye couldn’t prove it, but she was almost willing to bet credits that Dosan’s father hadn’t met a natural death. Then again, not many did on Nar Shaddaa. But the fact remained that Dosan was not someone people crossed. For he was as greedy as a toydarian and as ruthless as a Hutt, with enough craftiness to con just about anyone. He’d also sell his own mother for the right price, and Kye suspected that he actually had. 

But desperate times called for desperate measures, and pickpocketing wasn’t enough to survive on Nar Shaddaa anymore. And so, Kye found herself running deliveries for the old Zabrak. After all, there were plenty of people on Nar Shaddaa who couldn’t move freely for one reason or another. And what did they do in that instance? They called Old Dosan to send them what they needed. Food, intel, narcotics, arms……anything of the sort could be supplied, if one could afford the ridiculous prices.

“There are three kinds of people you can easily clean out: drunk people, stupid people and desperate people.” Dosan would often say. Of course, the zabrak could eventually sell out a client in hiding, once the credits ran out. He’d even done so once or twice, to make an example for those who would consider welshing on him. But doing so on a regular basis wouldn’t exactly be good for business, once word got out. And so Dosan had a surprising reputation as a reliable supplier. And the supplies were delivered by runners like Kye. Scrumrats, for the most part.

It was a dangerous job. After all, The runners were often desperate, small kids carrying valuable goods or plenty of credits. In short, Perfect targets for muggings. But Kye knew how to avoid muggers. She’d always known how. For some reason, Kye always knew when danger was about to strike. It was a gift that had served her well growing up on the streets, and probably why Dosan gave her more runs compared to the others. 

“You’re late.” The zabrak said as he arrived, with a glass of something fruit-y in his hand. He offered her the drink, and Kye was a little surprised at the rare display of generosity. Still, she’d learned not to look a gift bantha in the mouth, so she heartily gulped down the juice. 

“Sorry about that” she said, putting the glass down on the counter. “Had to take the long way around Horas Square.” 

“Is that what your gut told you?” the zabrak asked, receiving a nod in return. Dosan had learned to trust her instincts over the years. “Hmph. My own little jedi.” he said wryly, drawing an eye roll from her. The Tholothian didn’t know much about the extinct wizards, but she was pretty certain that she wasn’t one, despite what Dosan had to say on the subject.  

Besides, Had the Jedi truly been wizards, they certainly couldn't have been that impressive considering The Empire had wiped them out. Apparently they were traitors, but Kye had never been one for politics. Republics, Empires…..didn't really matter in the outer rim. And certainly didn't matter on Nar Shaddaa. Governments weren't much of a help in her experience, and barely existed out here.

"What is it this time?" She asked. 

Dosan simply gave a smile that she supposed was meant to be friendly, but was anything but. "Ah, ah. You know the rules. No questions."

"Whatever you say, boss." She said as she raised her hands in surrender, and Dosan's toothy grin widened. "That's better. Now, stay here while I prepare the package."

The Zabrak disappeared into one of the back rooms and returned with a nondescript duffle bag. He placed it on the counter before handing Kye one of his many datapads. Kye studied the information on the device with a raised eyebrow. “You want me to deliver this all the way to the Corellian Sector before nightfall?” She asked skeptically. 

Dosan simply nodded. “You'll bring back six hundred credits. I'll pay you two portions and fifty credits for this run, if you can pull it off."

The tholothian smirked. "Don't worry. I know some shortcuts in that area. I should be there by sunset.”

The Zabrak gave a smirk of his own. "That's why I like you, kid. You get the job done and you're way too smart to try and welsh on me."

Kye’s cocky smirk persisted, but she had to suppress a shudder at the thought of what happened to runners who tried to take Dosan’s money and escape. The zabrak wasn't a gang leader, but he had working relationships with many of them, and those allies meant he had plenty of muscle to send after anyone. Few certainly managed to escape him. 

Nar Shaddaa was not a forgiving place, especially for small fry like her. But Kye had been on her own since she was ten. She knew how to play the game, and how to stay in it. And someday, she was going to escape this hellhole. 

But for now, she had a delivery to make. 

Chapter Text

Based in Standard Galactic Grid square I-18 in the Outer Rim Territories, The original Sunspot Prison had been the Alliance’s only “rebel jail" in the years following the Battle of Yavin. Back then, very few people had been aware of the space-bound prison, and it was known as a place that didn't officially exist. Luke had visited the penitentiary exactly once, and considering what happened back then, it was a rather embarrassing memory. 

Over the years, several other Sunspot prisons were built around stars of uninhabited systems, and Sunspot-5 was probably the largest one. Located near the red sun of the Dortama System, the space-bound penitentiary continued to hold many of the New Republic’s most dangerous prisoners, although it was much emptier now after the prisoners exchange program with the Empire. 

Luke's X-Wing approached the space station at a steady pace, and it didn't take long for the prison’s flight control to ask him to transmit his clearance codes. Signaling Artoo to send them, Luke quickly landed inside the prison's hanger and jumped out of his cockpit to land gracefully on the floor. 

“Master Skywalker." Warden Mardron greeted him before shaking his hand. “It is an honor having you here. I hope your trip was uneventful.”

"Thankfully, it was, Sir.” Luke said with a friendly smile "And the honor is all mine. I take it General Antilles has already explained why I am here?"

"That he has. Although I can't say I understand why you're interested in this particular prisoner, considering he doesn't seem to have anything else of value to offer.” The Warden noted "But I suppose orders are orders, even if having you here is highly irregular now that you're a civilian. Please, follow me.” he said before leading Luke out of the hangar at a brisk pace. 

“We had to build a special cell for him once we knew he'd be transferred here from Akiva. We don't exactly deal with prisoners his size often.” Mardron explained as they walked the corridors between all the cells. “I understand that you have history with this particular gangster?"

“I…..wouldn't go that far." the Jedi answered, his thoughts briefly revisiting those early months following Yavin. He sometimes couldn't believe how inexperienced and naive he'd been back then. “I ran into him on Nar Shaddaa a few years ago. He held me captive for a week, but I haven't seen him since." 

"Well, Whatever it is that you wish to extract out of him, I hope you manage to get it out of his slimy carcass.” Mardron said as they approached the abnormally large energy barrier of one cell. “I know that you asked for this to be a private conversation, but are you certain you don't want some guards with you?”

“I appreciate your concerns, Warden. But I should be fine.” Luke said confidently. He knew that the being he was about to meet was formidable, but this was something he needed to do himself. 

"Very well. If you need us to step in, you know how to signal us.” Mardron said before nodding to one of the guards, who entered the necessary codes to open a gap in the energy barrier. Luke steeled himself as he walked into the cell, and the energy barrier closed behind him. 

It was a large room with fairly humane conditions for a being as large as the Hutt who huddled in one of the corners. Despite his years of imprisonment, the being still retained his muscular physique, although the Spider-like mechanical legs he sported seemed to have lost their shine. He eyed Luke with a mixture of curiosity and resentment, until recognition seemed to dawn on him. 

“Little Jedi.” Grakkus said with something Luke couldn't quite place "I'm surprised you're still alive. The Galaxy isn't known for being kind to fools."

Luke gave a confident smirk. "I think Captain Solo would argue that you being here is proof of that point." 

The Hutt's face seems to darken considerably at the mention of Luke's friend, his mind no doubt recalling the way The Corellian had tricked him into revealing the location of his safehouse on Teth. Without warning, he lunged at Luke. But time seemed to stop for the Jedi as he raised his right hand and reached out with the Force without so much as flinching. 

Leaving a very confused Hutt inexplicably floating mid-air. 

With a gesture of his hand, Luke placed the gangster down with an air of complete serenity. The Hutt stared at him with a mixture of awe and resentment. “Guess you've come a long way since your time in my arena.” He said with an air of respect before a hearty laugh escaped his mouth."Look at you; a real Jedi now. Oh, What I wouldn't give to test this version of yourself against The Galaxy's finest.”

Luke's smirk returned. “While the offer for a professional career as a gladiator is tempting, it isn't exactly what I'm here for. I'm afraid I'm in need of your help.”

"My help?!” The Hutt spat. "You brought my entire life crashing around me when the Empire descended on my Palace! Then your friends imprisoned me in the catacombs of Akiva for years. Why would I possibly help you?

"The Empire was always going to come for you. They knew you collected Jedi artifacts long before my arrival.” Luke reminded "And we both know that your imprisonment here is nothing compared to being The Empire’s prisoner.”

"Duly noted, Great Master." The gangster said sarcastically. “But you shouldn't mistake my fascination with the Jedi for a sign of adoration, or for something that could buy you my compliance. I have nothing that can help you, little Jedi. Not anymore.”

“I know that the Empire took away the Jedi artifacts in your palace.” Luke conceded. "I also know that they destroyed your collection, and that they suspected it to be incomplete. Since you kept a lot of your assets off Nar Shaddaa, I think I share that suspicion.”

The Hutt gave the closest thing to a smirk his face could manage. “Very well, Jedi. Perhaps you're right. And perhaps you're wrong. Either way, you'll never know. Your mind tricks won't work on me, and I doubt you're willing to resort to the more unjedi-like methods.”

“Correct on both accounts." Luke admitted “But I can make your life here a bit more comfortable than it is now."

Another hearty laugh escaped The Hutt. "Afraid that isn't good enough for me, boy. But I'm nothing if not a good sport, so I'll give you a hint. You will find what you seek where the sun meets the sea. But you have to pay Urmangoth his due.”

Luke frowned at the riddle. "Not a whole lot to go on," he noted. “It could also lead to nothing, or worse, to a trap.”

Grakkus shrugged “Correct on both accounts.” he said wryly "But it's all I’m willing to give, boy. If you are indeed a Jedi, you will find what you desire. If not,....then not even your precious Force can save you from Smuggler's Moon.”

Luke stared at the former gangster with perfect Jedi calm. He briefly contemplated pushing the Hutt more, but he could sense that he wouldn't get anything else from the giant. Keeping his senses trained on the criminal, he turned around and walked out of the cell to the sight of three dumbstruck guards and a very impressed Warden. 

“We almost ran in when he lunged at you." Mardron said with a raised eyebrow. “I'm certainly glad to see that the tales of what you are capable of weren't exaggerated. Did you get what you came here for, Master Jedi?"

"I'm not sure.” The Jedi said, resisting the urge to tell the warden that he wasn't a master yet. “But I’m fairly certain that I got everything I could out of him.” He continued, his thoughts already drifting to suns, seas and something called Urmangoth. Although one thing was even more clear now. 

He would have to return to Nar Shaddaa. 

Leia could never, in good conscience, say that she missed the war. And she certainly didn't. But ever since the formation of the senate, she realized that she hadn't exactly missed politics either. For it seemed like every day, a dozen fires just had to erupt across the New Republic, and it was up to her to make sure the senators got anything done. And the situation for the past week had been even worse, thanks to the attack on their convoy. 

Settling into a comfortable chair, Leia glanced out of her apartment's window at starlight city. It was a beautiful settlement combining the architecture of dozens of worlds, symbolizing its role in uniting the people of the New Republic. The city had been built fairly quickly, with construction beginning shortly before the signing of the concordance. But beneath that beautiful surface, existed all the petty squabbles of politicians. Many were only interested in their people's needs, and some were only interested in filling their own pockets. 

Leia sighed. By the time of Palpatine’s declaration, the original Republic had been even worse in that regard, at least according to her late father. And the imperial senate had been practically toothless. She, Mon Mothma and others had worked hard to place safeguards against corruption and to ensure transparency, but there was only so much they could do. Not to mention the fact that many of the new senators were novices, and some of them came from worlds that had never even been part of the original Republic. 

Pouring herself some tea, she wondered if Drome had to deal with some of the same issues. The Empire was now rather different from what it had been like under Palpatine, but the power there was still very centralized. The Moff Council very much had the ultimate say over things that actually mattered, although the imperial senate seemed to have more power now compared to back when she'd served in it.

In contrast, the New Republic continued to give most of the power to the senators. It wouldn't really be a democracy otherwise, and there were safeguards in place to ensure that no one person could accumulate too much power. Nobody wanted another Palpatine. And although Mon Mothma held immense power as Chief of State, that was more because of her charisma, wisdom and experience, rather than the new constitution. The ministers serving under her helped guide the senate and handle some of the burden, but they had no where near the power held by the Moff Council. 

Leia grimaced as she took a sip from her tea, before adding some honey. She sometimes wondered what her father would think of the situation. He had been one of the rebellion's founders, and was instrumental in bringing together a great many individual cells. But he hadn't fought The Empire out of pride or vengeance for the original Republic. He'd fought the imperials because he wanted better lives for the people oppressed by them. Leia sometimes hated the idea that the Empire had survived, but she still believed that peace was the right choice to make. The Galaxy simply needed healing. They had to stop destroying and start building, and even Drome and his cronies understood that. 

Yes, she liked to think her father would be proud. 

"Rough day, huh? Did you manage to get those vultures to stop screaming for bloodshed?" Her husband said as he hugged her from the back. 

"A little less rough at the moment. And yes, that situation has been handled for now." she replied with a grin. Her evenings with Han were by far the best part of her new life. And she certainly didn't know what she'd do without him. 

"At least, we have the evening to ourselves before I head to Bespin tomorrow." He noted with that lopsided grin Leia loved so much. 

“I take it you're covering for Lando while he's on that trip to Corellia?" She asked. 

"Indeed, I am.” The ex-smuggler. “Don't worry. Lobot is staying with me to make sure I don't run Golden Saber to the ground.”

Leia gave a relieved smile at that. Golden Saber was the modestly-sized shipping company Han and Lando had started after the war. She still wasn't entirely sure how Lando had gotten the funds, but he and Han managed to get it off the ground with some help from their contacts. The fact that they were both heroes of the Rebellion had also earned them a nice little government contract. 

The princess shook her head in disbelief. If someone had told her on the first death star that the shaggy-haired loudmouth rescuing her would end up becoming a respectable businessman someday, much less a General, she would've laughed. But like her brother always said, The Force worked in mysterious ways. It certainly seemed to always have a surprise for her. 

Then again, that day she probably would've laughed even harder at the thought of marrying the laser-brained smuggler. Yet here they were, and she couldn't imagine another life for herself. 

From outer space, Nar Shaddaa couldn't have looked more different from the planet it orbited. For while Smuggler's Moon looked like a glowing, beautiful eceumenopolis, Nal Hutta was an ugly swamp of a world that people rarely set foot on. And despite the planet being the homeworld of the powerful Hutt family, everyone knew that the actual business was conducted on Nar Shaddaa. 

Approaching the moon in the nondescript corellian freighter he'd borrowed from Han, Luke stared at the world and reached out with The Force, hoping for any hint regarding what he came here for. He knew that The Force was pulling him towards Nar Shaddaa, and he had a feeling that it was about more than the occasional piece of Jedi lore. 

The puzzle Grakkus had given him wasn't particularly hard to crack. It didn't make much sense on a superficial level, considering Nar Shaddaa didn't have a sea for its sun to meet. But some quick research had revealed that Urmangoth came from Corellian myth, where the being was often depicted as a demon-hound dragging the wicked into the nine hells…..and the Corellian Sector of Nar Shaddaa was partially under the control of The Black Sun syndicate. 

Of course, he had no idea what the “sea” was in that context, or whether or not Urmangoth had any other significance. It was possible that Grakkus hadn't even been referring to Nar Shaddaa, or that the whole thing was a wild bantha chase. But between his recent vision and the inexplicable pull he was feeling, he had little doubt that something was waiting for him on Smuggler’s Moon. And so, with a somewhat grim expression, The Jedi steeled himself again and maneuvered the ship towards the moon. 

Using the false credentials and FFI transponder Han had given him, Luke managed to land the ship currently going by the name Spear of Dashi on a landing pad in the Corellian Sector’s main Spaceport. He walked down the ramp with Artoo trailing behind him to find a bulky Besalisk waiting near the ship. 

“Welcome to Nar Shaddaa. Name’s Dom. I run this part of the spaceport." the alien welcomed off-handedly. "Now, your codes seem to check out, but this particular landing pad is reserved for the Winter’s Claw syndicate, and they should arrive to use it within three days. As a friendly warning, I would clear the area before then, unless you want your ship, and possibly your life, to be forfeit.”

Luke gave the alien his best sabacc face. “I'll keep that in mind.” he said, knowing that the credentials Han gave him were unremarkable for Nar Shaddaa, and marked him as a small-time smuggler for anyone curious. He also doubted this Winter’s Claw syndicate was actually going to show up, assuming they were even real. “How much for one day?" He asked. 

“Five hundred." Dom said, drawing an outraged sound from Artoo. And the Jedi resisted the urge to smirk at the attempted shakedown. The pricing system on Nar Shaddaa was certainly far from consistent or reliable. “Sounds pretty steep considering I'm not staying for long.” He noted with just enough amusement to throw the Besalisk off guard.

Dom shrugged. “Guess you're new to Smuggler's Moon then. Ain't exactly easy keeping your ship from getting stolen on a world full of low-lifes such as yourself. And it certainly ain't cheap." he said, trying to sound intimidating. 

Luke simply smirked and handed him a credit chip, which the Besalisk smoothly inserted into his large datapad. Seemingly satisfied with the transaction, the alien gave an approximation of a smile. “Hope you enjoy your stay. Try not to get killed, kid." 

With a nod, Luke gestured for his droid to follow him and led the way out of the spaceport. 

Walking down the streets, Luke noticed that the Corellian Sector didn't look much different from the other areas of Nar Shaddaa he'd visited, at least at a cursory glance. Much like Hutta Town, it was made up of huge tower blocks with a patchwork of shanty town structures called skyslums filling almost every available space between the towers. Although the Jedi did notice a disproportionate amount of Falleens in the area, which made sense given Black Sun’s presence in the sector. 

When a pair of shady-looking aliens gave him a curious look, Luke used The Force to subtly draw away any attention from himself. He'd opted out of wearing his Jedi robes for obvious reasons this time, instead choosing gray pants, a basic black shirt and the leather brown jacket Han had given him. 

A couple of beeps escaped his astromech friend as they continued to explore the area, drawing a sigh from him. “No, Artoo. I'm not sure where to go from here. Just…give me a minute. I'll think of something.” 

Closing his eyes, Luke reached out with The Force for any clue. His senses were trained on his dangerous surroundings, but a part of his consciousness sunk deeper into The Force, searching for anything that might lead him to his mysterious query. 

At first he felt a sharp…presence? No, it wasn't alive in the Force. But it was…resonant. It felt like the common song of kyber, which probably marked the presence of lightsabers or holocrons from Grakkus’s collection. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but he could tell it was relatively near. He was getting close, although it still felt that something was missing. The Jedi was about to retreat fully into the physical world, when a wave of anger and fear assaulted him. It wasn't a presence he was familiar with, but it called to him in some way. 

Without hesitation he rushed down the street, ignoring the surprised shriek of the Astromech now rolling at top speed to keep up with him. Taking a right turn into one of the alleys, he used The Force to jump over a small fence in his way. 

Ahead of him, he could see that the long alley opened into another street parallel to the one he’d come from. Two Klatoonian thugs armed with blasters and vibroblades were just ahead of him, and one of them was holding a disturbingly familiar-looking Tholothian girl by her tunic. The other one seemed to notice the sound of the Jedi hitting the ground. “Who's there? show yourself.” He said as he aimed his blaster in Luke's general direction. 

Despite not having his lightsaber and being armed only with a small, concealed blaster, Luke stepped out of the shadows with perfect Jedi serenity and stared at the thugs. 

And The Force raged like a storm around the terrified girl. 

Chapter Text

Kye had met plenty of imposing people during her short life. On Nar Shaddaa, it was difficult not to, considering the sheer amount of cutthroat gangsters running around, and those came from every possible species. Humans and near-humans like her were often rarely on the more impressive side of the Black Comet ’s patrons, although she'd seen enough Mandalorian mercenaries fight to know that humans and the like weren't to be written off completely in a brawl. 

But despite the fact that he seemed utterly toothless compared to the two large, armed-to-the-teeth Klatoonians, the strange man had the most imposing air she’d ever seen about him. And a chill ran down her spine as he took a step forward. 

“Hands where I can see ‘em, pretty boy!” the second, larger Klatoonian shouted while the one holding her threw her roughly to the ground and reached for his blaster. The human did as he was told, not that he seemed to have anything to reach for anyway. 

“Violence isn't necessary.” He said with a perfect sabacc face. "She's just a kid. Let her go.”

"Sorry, boy. We ain't in the business of leaving witnesses around. Especially ones like her. And you just put a death mark on that little head of yours.” The smaller thug said, drawing his own blaster. 

“You don't want to do this. We're not worth the trouble." The mystery man said with durasteel in his voice, and a second chill ran down Kye’s spine. “You want to get far away from here and have a drink."

“Yeah, ‘suppose we don't need to waste ya." The smaller Klatoonian said, almost droid-like. 

"Guess we could use a drink, too." The larger thug added, spitting on the floor. “Let's go. They ain't worth it." He said as he nudged his partner before they both walked towards the street. And Kye stared at them with utter bewilderment and confusion. 

“You okay?" The mystery man said with concern as she got up. She raised her eyebrow at him and looked him up and down. "Alright. What are you playing at?" she said, reaching out for the small vibroknife in her back pocket. 

The man seemed genuinely confused at that. “I'm afraid I'm not following?" he said, and she had to admit he was a good actor. 

“You and your partners." Kye said as she pulled out the vibroknife and pointed it in his general direction. “I’m not an idiot. Do you honestly expect me to believe that some fresh-faced human scared away two armed thugs without lifting a blaster?”

The man seemed almost amused at that. “No, I wouldn't say I'm intimidating enough for that. But I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be.”

Kye was about to reply with a biting retort when the sound of an astromech droid interrupted her thoughts, followed by a silver and blue droid rolling into the alley from the street the klatoonians had disappeared into. He stopped near the man and gave a whistle that Kye couldn't decipher. The human simply placed a hand on his dome. 

Kye's mind ran through the possibilities. She knew the thugs belonged to the darkhawk gang. She’d seen them at The Black Comet before, so the most likely possibility was that they saw her on her way back from the delivery, recognized her as one of Dosan’s runners and correctly assumed that she had some money from the job. Easy kill, easy score and no one left to tell Dosan. 

So where did that mystery human fit in? Had they recognized him as one of the Blackhawk lieutenants and decided to scram? He didn't look or talk like a gang member, but she knew those came in every sort of package. But if that was the case, why would he save her skin instead of joining them in robbing her? And what was the deal with the Astromech?

“You a pilot or something?" The Tholothian said, nodding in the droid’s direction. The man continued to study her for a moment, and she didn't like how that made her feel exposed for some reason.  

"I suppose you can say that.” he said, and Kye simply glared at the human and lowered her knife. 

“I guess we're done here, then." she said before turning around to leave. 

“Gotta say I expected more gratitude." He said with amusement, and Kye turned to smirk at him. 

“Then you're probably new around Smuggler’s Moon." she said, still trying to figure out the strange man’s angle. 

The human chuckled. "Well…I’ve been here once or twice. Just not to The Corellian Sector I guess.” he explained. 

She raised an eyebrow. “You got business with someone here?" The man was most likely a smuggler, although she still believed he had some connections since he could get those thugs to back off with just words. 

“More like looking for something someone left for me here. He just didn't tell me where exactly I could find it.” he said while eyeing her curiously again. “I could use a guide, you know, if you're familiar with the area."

Kye's smirk returned. "Oh, I'm familiar with the area. With every area, actually. But I don't come cheap. Three hundred credits to take you where you wanna go.” 

“A little steep, but I suppose I can afford it.” the man said, and Kye was shocked he didn't try to haggle the absurd price. Just who was that guy? Small-time smugglers wouldn't have that kind of money to throw around.

The Tholothian pursed her lips. The boss wouldn't appreciate her being late, but he wouldn't complain much as long as she got him his money at the end of the day. Plus, she could always cook up some excuse about having to lay low for a while. She certainly couldn't miss the opportunity for some easy credits. And if the strange man tried to backstab her, she could always signal Dosan.   

That, and she supposed she possibly owed the man her life. 

“Artoo, give us a map of the area." The human said, and the droid gave another whistle before projecting said map. “I’m sorry. I didn't get your name." The man said with unusual friendliness. 

Kye paused for a moment, then decided that a false name wouldn't do her good. “Kye should be good enough for you." she said with her best sabacc face, and the man simply gave a bright smile. 

"It's good to meet you, Kye. My name is Luke.” 

The Tholothian girl stared at the map as if she could see something Luke couldn't, and the Jedi’s mind was a storm as he tried to figure out what The Force was trying to tell him. It swirled around the girl, and Luke wondered if she was actually the mysterious presence The Force was leading him towards. Was he meant to help her more? Or was there something else at play?

“There. You wouldn't see it on the map,” the girl said as she pointed to an area at the edge of The Corellian Sector. “But around here, the third and fourth districts are called the western slum sea by the locals. Black Sun has all sorts of warehouses right next to it, at the edge of the sector.”

"So that's where the sun meets the sea.” Luke noted. "Pretty simple if you know where to look.”

"Yeah, but there are dozens of warehouses in that area.” the girl said. “I’m guessing your ‘friend’ wasn't trying to make this easy for you."

Luke furrowed his eyebrows. He could sense that he was on the right track, but something was missing…..

“Urmangoth. He's the only other clue. Myth has it that he’s released from the hells every thirty-four years to gather his tributes.” Luke said as he pointed at warehouse thirty-four. 

“Pay Urmangoth his due." Kye repeated, “Sounds dumb enough work."

"Possibly. But I'm guessing it won't be easy getting into Black Sun territory.” Luke said, and the girl’s smirk returned again. 

"Easy? No. But I have some experience sneaking around Nar Shaddaa. I can get you in, but it's gonna cost you extra.”

Luke held back his amusement at the girl's obvious exaggeration of her knowledge and skills. “You're willing to risk running into Black Sun enforcers for money?"

Kye shrugged. “I like to live dangerously. Eight hundred credits and I'll take you there. I can even get you on a hoverbus heading that way.”

Luke stared at her calmly, but he could feel her discomfort beneath the confident exterior. She wasn't being entirely truthful, although he didn't think she was lying either. Nevertheless, The Force told him that something was indeed at play. Something he couldn't yet see. 

“Alright then." He said, gesturing for Artoo to close the map. Reaching into his pocket, the Jedi handed the girl a pair of credit chips for two hundred credits. “You'll get the rest when we arrive there.”

The girl seemed surprised once again at his compliance, but she quickly regained her confidence as she led him down the streets. And From what little she said during their walk, Luke gathered that she ran errands around the moon for someone, so she knew all about transportation methods. Before long, they were both on a hoverbus headed towards the edge of the sector. 

“You get around Nar Shaddaa a lot?" He asked quietly during the trip on the crowded vehicle, trying to learn more about his mysterious partner. The girl just nodded. “My boss has an agreement with a lot of people on Nar Shaddaa. His operation isn't large, but it runs deep. That's all I can say.”

Luke nodded, mentally filing that away as the bus moved across the streets. “And…your parents don't get worried about you running around the moon like that?”

Kye simply shrugged. "Never had those, so I would say the answer to that is a solid no.” 

Luke resisted the urge to wince. He'd suspected that the girl might be an orphan, but that answer seemed even darker. “I'm….sorry.”

The Tholothian rolled her eyes a bit. "Spare the sympathy. I need credits, not pity.” she said nonchalantly. But Luke could sense a dull ache hiding behind her bravado. 

It only took the vehicle ten more minutes to reach the edge of District Three, and by then it was sunset for that part of the world. As soon as they stepped out of the hoverbus, Luke noticed the tall fence in the distance, surrounding Black Sun’s warehouses. 

“I'm guessing this is electrified." The Jedi noted, and the girl chuckled at his comment 

"Yeah. Lots of guards patrolling behind it, too. But I know a way to get in. Just follow me.” 

Obeying his mysterious partner, Luke and his droid followed the girl on a walk that seemed to take them away from the fence and closer to the slums sea. Soon enough, she led them down a ditch and towards a semi-buried, giant metal tube, drawing a skeptical whistle from Artoo. 

“Ancient sewer tunnels from back when those warehouses were a town. Haven't been used in centuries." She explained. “Most of them are blocked, but one opens into black sun territory.”

"And they don't know that?” Luke asked skeptically, reaching out with The Force to sense any dangers ahead of him. 

“It opens near the old abandoned warehouses. I know because I had to hide there once or twice.” She explained. "No guards in that area because there's nothing to guard. Those old buildings are almost crumbling, and thankfully they include the warehouse you're looking for.”

Luke raised an eyebrow at the explanation, which made it clear why she wasn't too worried about sneaking into Black Sun territory. “You decided to hide near a syndicate’s warehouses? That doesn't sound safe.”

The Tholothian glared at him. “It is by Nar Shaddaa standards. Certainly no one would look there, wise guy. Now come on. I don't have all day, and I'm not leaving until I get the rest of my credits." She said as she grabbed a light-stick concealed behind some rocks before walking into the tunnel. Luke gestured for Artoo to hand him his lightsaber, and ducked into the tunnel himself after hiding the weapon in his jacket. 

Despite the few twists and turns along the way, Kye led the way with no confusion or hesitation until they reached what seemed to be the dead end of a collapsed tunnel. 

“There.” She pointed at a manhole cover in the short tunnel’s roof. "That's the one.” she said as she tried to push it upwards, only for her to strain against it to no avail. “Ugh. Looks like it's stuck."

Reaching out with The Force, Luke realized that the manhole had a large stone above it. Closing his eyes, he used The Force to slowly lift the rock and gently place it next to the manhole. The Tholothian took a deep breath, gathered her strength to try again, and the cover was raised to reveal the sunset light. 

The Jedi and the girl climbed into the yard to the sight of neatly organized warehouses, and Luke's senses told him that no other sentients were near them. “Stay here Artoo." He said, drawing a concerned sound from his friend. "Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it.” Luke assured him. 

Kye's gaze seemed to grow intense as she scanned the buildings. “Come on. No one’s close but we don't want to stay until that changes.” 

Luke frowned at that comment. “Yeah. I suppose we don't want to stay here too long.” 

"Don't worry. I'm really good at dodging these guys.” she said quietly as she led the way. “I always know when they're coming.”

Luke's frown deepened at that, but he followed The Tholothian until they reached warehouse thirty-four. “If our guess is correct, this one should be it." The girl said. “Don't suppose you have the key though. Because we can’t exactly blow up the door even if we found charges somehow."

Steeling himself, Luke closed his eyes and placed his hand on the door. He could feel Kye’s confusion, but more importantly, he could hear the kyber’s song calling to him. What he came here looking for was definitely inside that building, although he was beginning to question if the Jedi relics were truly why he was here. Picturing the lock’s mechanism in his mind, Luke applied The Force to twist it in the correct way, and the young girl’s surprise washed over him as the door swung open. 

“How….?” She started, and Luke simply smiled at her. "I told you. I can be persuasive.”

Stepping into the old building, the young girl scowled as she saw nothing but dust, even after she managed to turn the lights on. “All this for an empty warehouse?”

Luke continued to scan the warehouse. "No, this is the correct place." He said as he expanded his senses, he could feel the kyber nearby……

“Where are you going?” Kye asked as he headed towards one corner of the warehouse. Continuing to scan the floor, Luke simply bent down at one point and subtly used The Force to activate a hidden locking mechanism. Small, concealed motors engaged to lift a false slab of concrete, revealing a large hole that led to a secret room below the warehouse. And a metal ladder ran along the shaft’s length. 

“A secret basement in an abandoned warehouse. Good place to hide something valuable." The amazed Tholothian said, seemingly impressed by The Hutt’s planning, and Luke had to admit that he was too. The slab covering the secret entrance was blended so well with the floor, a visual scan wouldn't see anything amiss. And the Jedi was willing to bet that there was technology to render the secret room invisible to scanners as well. No wonder Black Sun likely never found it. 

The girl glanced at the door, then at the slab and Luke. “Do you have some magic key to this place or something? And just who is your ‘friend’ exactly?"

“I suppose I do have a key. It's just not one anyone can use." Luke said cryptically with a knowing smile. "And Grakkus The Hutt isn't exactly my friend.”

The Jedi could sense the girl’s shock as he descended into the hidden vault. 

“Did you just say that this place belongs to Grakkus the Hutt? Did he send you here?" Kye said as she descended the ladder behind the strange man, still trying to get over her shock. Just who the kriff was that guy? And what exactly was he after?

She emerged into a large room, and found herself once again struck speechless as she hopped off the ladder and took in her surroundings. The secret room was large and brightly lit, with strange decorations that she didn't recognize. She saw several statues of robed men and women of various species, and the walls were covered in tapestries and paintings that Kye couldn't understand. “What is all this?" 

“You said you grew up here. Do you know what Grakkus was arrested by the Empire for?" The man called Luke asked, seemingly snapping out of his own mild shock. 

Kye frowned at the question. “Depends on which version you choose to believe, I guess. I was pretty young, but I remember the news about his arrest and The Hutts replacing him with Dorgon. It was a big deal for everyone here at the time.” the Tholothian said, trying to recall what little she knew about Grakkus. “Some said the Empire came after him because he had something they wanted. A whole lot of people were at his palace for some reason that day, and each one has a different story. I'm told it was a pretty big mess.”

The man gave a sardonic smile. “It was a gladiatorial match, and ‘big mess’ is definitely a good description for that day.” He said, as he grabbed one of the five strange cubes displayed on a pedestal. “There was a giant beast from Mustafar and a lot of folks who showed up to watch some guy get killed. Then the Empire attacked and an EMP went off, which was followed by everyone scattering.”

Kye's frown deepened. "You…you were there, weren't you?"

The mystery man turned around to face her. “You could say that. I was actually the guy those people showed up for. I think a lot of them were disappointed that I wasn't disemboweled." He said wryly, then his face turned serious again. “The Empire came after Grakkus because he had something they wanted to destroy. Something they feared.” He said, gesturing at the contents of the room. "Few people knew about this, but Grakkus collected anything related to The Jedi.” The man explained. "I’m willing to bet that this room has the crown jewels of his collection.”

“The Jedi?” Kye repeated, still trying to process what she was seeing and hearing. “I thought the Empire killed those wizards off when The Clone Wars ended. Something about a coup they tried to pull off.”

The man shook his head. “There was no coup. The Empire was simply good at controlling what people thought was the truth. It's why, after the war, anything related to The Jedi and their heritage was considered forbidden knowledge. But that didn't stop Grakkus. And when The Empire learned that, they came for everything he had.”

The Tholothian continued to scan the room, and her eyes were caught by one of the tapestries. It was showing robed beings with strange, colored swords battling armored warriors that reminded her of the Mandalorian mercenaries she occasionally saw around Shaddaa. “But if The Empire came for The Grakkus's collection, then what is all this?” She asked, gesturing to the room. "What makes this stuff so special that he hid it away?”

"Do you see that?” The man said as he nodded towards the tapestry. "I'm willing to bet that one dates back to The Mandalorian Wars. If memory serves me right, The stuff at Grakkus’s Palace was mainly pre-Clone Wars era. Everything here seems to be from the Old Republic period. Probably thousands of years old.”

"Which makes it a whole lot more valuable than the regular stuff.” Kye said, still trying to process everything. She couldn't imagine how much that stuff was worth to the rich fools who collected them. The Tholothian had followed this strange man here expecting some spice or weapons. But this….was so much more. 

So why was he showing her all of this? Why explain so much?

Her hand subtly reached for her vibroknife, just in case the strange man felt the need to eliminate some witnesses. “I'm guessing you already have a buyer with deep pockets lined up.” She said, trying to draw out more information. 

To her surprise, the man shook his head again and continued to examine the strange, glowing cube and the room. “Not exactly. I'm more interested in returning all of this to its rightful owners.” 

Kye scowled. "Its rightful owners? That doesn't sound possible considering the Jedi are all dead."

The man named Luke gave her a small, sad smile. “Let's just that say the rumors of that have been exaggerated.” He said sardonically. 

The Tholothian shrugged nonchalantly, although her curiosity was certainly growing every minute. “Well, I'd at least hope that you'd give me a bigger reward for getting you here, since that stuff is so valuable.”

The man turned his attention to her again. "Why?” He asked. "What exactly do you need the credits for?”

Kye's expression turned incredulous. “Why do you think any scrumrat from here would be hoarding credits? Every single one of us wants to get off this rock and start over someplace else.”

“I can help you with that…if you come with me." He said, nonchalantly but with a warm smile. And Kye had to blink away her confusion. “I may not be rich, but I know a lot of people who can help you. You've been a great help for me today and I'm happy to repay that.”

Kye resisted the urge to snort "And you expect me to just…take you at your word? Leave everything I have and know here to come with you?" 

The man’s warm expression didn't waver. “You haven't known me for long, but I never lied to you. I could give you a fair reward and leave, if that's what you want.”

The Tholothian just stood there, unable to think or speak. She'd been saving for years to leave Nar Shaddaa and build a different life. And she was still so far away from that goal. Then in the span of less than an hour, this strange man walked in and offered her everything she wanted.

And she had no reason to trust him. He might sell her off as a slave to the Hutts, for all she knew. But if he wasn't lying, then she'd be throwing away a golden opportunity by saying no. 

“I'll think about it, I guess." She managed to say with a perfectly neutral face and a shrug, even though she had no idea what to do. “How exactly do you plan on getting all of this out of here anyway?" 

"I'm afraid I'll have to compromise.” he said before glancing around the room and pointing towards some empty containers. "The statues are too large, but the rest can fit into those.” 

Kye looked at the boxes, and was thankful for the fact that they seemed to have repulsorlifts. “You need some help with that?” She asked, as he moved towards some strange metal cylinders displayed on the back wall. 

The man shook his head. “I think I'd better handle this myself. You should probably go back. Just in case someone gets close."

The Tholothian pursed her lips. "Yeah, you're probably right." she said, before heading towards the ladder. 

Things were still deathly quiet when she climbed back into the warehouse, and it took fifteen minutes of tense silence for the man named Luke to climb out of the secret room with two large containers floating with him. She wasn't sure why, but the motors engaged to lower the slab once again, completely hiding the entrance to the concealed basement.

“Sure took ya long enough." she noted with irritation. “Now, we just need to retrace our steps and get out of-” she said before a horrible chill ran down her spine. She glanced at the strange man and saw that he was already staring at the closed door. 

Then the door swung open. 

About seven armored thugs walked into the warehouse. Four of them were Falleens, one was human and two were rodians. Much like The Klatoonians who’d attacked her earlier, they seemed to be armed with every blaster model on Nar Shaddaa’s market. One of the Falleens had an ugly scar running over the bridge of his nose, and Kye guessed he was the leader based on the Black Sun ring he was wearing in his right hand. 

“I guess those security drones were worth the price after all, boys." The lead Falleen said with a smirk and a surprisingly cultured voice, although Kye was willing to guess his core accent wasn't something he got from growing up there. “We don't usually get trespassers around these parts. Not many are that foolish or desperate.“ He said, calmly examining the scene. "Personally, I'm willing to bet you're the former. I mean, did you actually think that waiting in one of these derelict buildings would help you sneak into the main warehouses? That you wouldn't be detected?”

"I had no intention of doing that. Although I suppose Black Sun’s security is better than I gave it credit for.” The strange man said, and Kye was shocked at how calm and collected he seemed despite the odds. Kye was not a stranger to bluffing, and she certainly knew how to keep her sabacc face even when she was terrified. But for some reason, Luke seemed to think he was still perfectly in control of the situation. 

But the Tholothian knew that they weren't likely to walk away from this, no matter who this strange man knew. 

“This doesn't have to end in violence." Luke said, moving subtly in front of her. And the Tholothian could swear that some strange hydrospanner seemed to appear out of nowhere in his right hand. “Killing us would only bring unwanted attention to your doorstep, and that wouldn't be good for your business." he noted with unwavering confidence. "I want nothing that Black Sun has, and have nothing that would benefit your syndicate. Let us go.”

One of the Rodians guffawed, while the human gave a soft chuckle. "This joker is actually giving orders. Guess he can't read the room, huh?" he said, before turning his head towards the group’s leader.  

“Indeed. A peculiar fellow. Take them down." The Fallen leader ordered with a toothy smile. "But aim for the legs. I want to know who sent them and why they came here.”

Kye stared in horror, and time seemed to slow for her. She could practically feel one of the other Falleen squeeze the trigger on his gun.... 

And a green rod of pure light appeared out of nowhere to deflect the blaster bolt back to its source, which was followed by The Falleen’s scream as he held the stump where his hand used to be, his exploded blaster reduced to scrap. Kye found herself reflexively taking several steps back, and she could see the looks of shock on the thugs faces, their confidence suddenly drained. 

“I'm giving you one last chance because I'd rather not kill anyone.” Luke said with durasteel in his voice. "Let us go."

The Falleen leader snarled in response. “Take them down!” He growled, and his men obeyed. Blaster fire rained on the strange man, who moved with inhuman speed to block them with his strange laser sword, its green blade a storm that somehow sent every shot ricocheting away. 

Two more men fell to their own blaster fire, and Luke's hand suddenly shot forward. The weapons seemed to fly out of the remaining thugs’ hands. Then the gang members suddenly began floating, and the lead Falleen stared in horror as a small holdout blaster appeared out of Luke's sleeve. The Jedi aimed the blaster with his left hand…… 

Then sent stun blasts towards each remaining member. And their limp bodies fell to the floor as he lowered his hand. 

The strange man turned around to face her. “Are you alright?" He said again with concern, and Kye was suddenly aware of her jaw hanging open. 

“What are you?" she asked with awe, and the man simply smiled warmly again. 

“I told you. The rumors of the Jedi being extinct were exaggerated." He said calmly. 

And in that moment, without understanding why or how, Kye knew exactly what her choice was going to be. 

Chapter Text

Kye's mind stormed as strange dreams came and went, providing distorted images of places she'd never been to in person. She saw jungles filled with ancient trees rising towards the sky, damp swamps with dangerous creatures in their marshy waters, and beautiful cities so similar to Nar Shaddaa and yet so different. Unease, fear and excitement all boiled inside her, alongside an unshakable feeling of something calling to her.

She woke up with a small gasp.

Glancing around, it took her a minute to gather her bearings. The spaceship she'd slept in was a small, nondescript freighter with beige-and-white walls and floor. She could feel the soft hum of the engines as she left her comfortable bunk, and was surprised at the slight chill that stung her. Putting on her shoes, she checked for the small hold-out blaster in her secret pocket and walked out of the small bunk room.

Entering the small lounge between the ship's cockpit and cargo hold, she found the alleged Jedi - Luke Skywalker was apparently his name - sitting on a circular couch and hunched over a deactivated holotable. A welcoming smile decorated his face as she warily took her seat opposite to him on the couch.

"I take it you've slept well?" He asked, a mug filled with some steaming liquid in his right hand.

"I suppose so." she said with a shrug. She often had trouble sleeping with others nearby, so the deep slumber was definitely a surprise for her. "How long till we arrive?" she asked.

"Not long." He said as he poured her a mug of the same liquid. Accepting the drink, her mouth nearly watered at the smell of the brown liquid. It wasn't an aroma she was familiar with, but it was certainly a nice one. Her first sip confirmed that the taste was even better, and she had to suppress the urge to make her enjoyment too apparent. "What kind of drink is this?"

"It's called hot chocolate." He explained as he took a sip of his own. "A friend of mine introduced me to it in a diner on Denon. My droid has kept a pack in his storage compartment ever since."

The Tholothian nodded nonchalantly. "Can't say I ran into it on Nar Shaddaa. Not exactly something for the local tastes." She said, before noticing that it wasn't a datapad he was hunched over, but a stack of flimsi bound in leather. "What is that?"

"I found it in the vault. It's an ancient Jedi text." He explained. "A Jedi historian wrote it, and from what I gather, it looks like it chronicles different battles from The Mandalorian Wars."

She snorted. "Sounds like a real page turner." she said wryly. "But I guess it's more interesting to someone who's actually been to war." She added in an attempt to probe him.

He raised an eyebrow at that. "What makes you say I fought in the war?"

"You're a Jedi. The Empire killed them all. Doesn't take a genius to figure out you had the motive to side with the rebels." she said before taking another sip.

"Fair point, although being a Jedi is relatively recent for me." He said with humor. "I was born around the end of the clone wars, so I thankfully wasn't exactly around for the purge."

The Tholothian narrowed her eyes, and gestured at the book. "So, you learned how to be a Jedi from stuff like this? Or did some surviving Jedi teach you?"

The man gave her another one of those appraising looks that left her feeling slightly exposed. "A bit of both, but mostly the latter. The ways of The Force are not easily mastered, and I was lucky to have teachers; considering The Empire wasn't exactly kind to surviving Jedi."

She nodded, another piece of the puzzle settling into place in her mind. "And what exactly is this Force? Is it the magic the Jedi use?"

Skywalker's expression became amused, and she tried not to take that as condescension. "I wouldn't say that exactly." he said, pausing to look for the right words. "The Force is the energy created by all forms of life. It connects the entire Galaxy, binding everyone and everything together. It isn't something one can see, but there are people who can sense it and wield it in various ways."

"And those people are the Jedi?" She asked nonchalantly, hiding her eagerness to learn more.

Luke shook his head slightly. "No. Knowing what a Jedi knows doesn't make one a Jedi. When it comes to understanding The Force, The Jedi path is only one of many different ways. Being a Jedi is about a lot of things, but above all it is about dedicating yourself to helping those in need."

Kye raised an eyebrow at that, wondering if that strange man was truly who he claimed to be. In all her life, she had never met someone who preached altruism. "Nice speech." she said somewhat sardonically. "I don't think that's how things work, but I suppose it's nice to be able to believe in such things."

"I take it you're a bit of a cynic." He said matter-of-factly, although his tone held no judgment.

The Tholothian simply shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I grew up on the unofficial capital of Hutt Space. On Smugglers Moon, you couldn't really afford to think about someone else most of the time. Not when you had to steal, cheat and lie just to make it to the next day."

Skywalker's expression turned nostalgic, and more than a little sympathetic. "You sound a lot older than you are." He noted. "And I have to say that you remind me a lot of someone I know."

"Someone good, I hope?" She asked wryly, before taking another sip from her mug.

"One of the best." The strange man said with an earnest smile as he turned his attention back to the pile of flimsi. A comfortable, if somewhat awkward silence stretched between them for a few minutes, until Kye decided to break it.

"Are you from the mid rim?" she asked, for he didn't seem like one of the core types she often heard about, nor did he seem like the outer rim scoundrels she was familiar with.

"No, but close to it." he answered. "I grew up on Tatooine."

She frowned, the planet's significance eluding her for a few moments. "You mean that desert world in the Arkanis Sector? The one Jabba The Hutt ruled from?"

"That's the one, yeah." He said with another hint of nostalgia. "Not exactly an important world by any means. I actually used to say that it was the farthest planet possible from the bright center of The Galaxy."

"Yeah, to most people it's a backwater dustball." she acknowledged. "But Jabba's name was pretty well-known on Nar Shaddaa. You'd think that old worm ruled the outer rim's whole underworld the way some people talked about him. Were you a spacer?"

"A moisture farmer, actually." he corrected "But I did grow up dreaming of becoming a pilot. I even wanted to go to the Imperial Academy just to escape Tatooine. And I hated the Empire even back then."

The Tholothian nodded. "I'm guessing you jumped ship then?" she asked, surprised by the fact he'd apparently been something as mundane as a farmer. This Luke guy certainly kept getting more interesting.

He seemed to hesitate before shaking his head. "Was planning to. Didn't get the chance to go through with it." he explained. "One day, we came across something The Empire was very interested in, although we didn't know that at the time. Then the stormtroopers came knocking, and when they didn't find it, they decided to remove any potential leaks." he paused, and Kye could almost feel his loss and pain in spite of how calm he seemed. "I wasn't there at the time, and when I did arrive, it was to a burned down home and a dead family."

The tholothian found herself at a loss for words, so she turned her attention away from him and took another sip from her drink. A part of her felt bad for him, and wanted to sympathize. But another part envied him for having a family in the first place. "I guess I can see how that would send someone straight to the rebels." she said awkwardly, before her thoughts drifted to her own situation.

Yesterday she'd been another scrum rat trying to survive on Nar Shaddaa. It had been a dangerous, difficult life that promised many hungry nights. Then this strange man had arrived out of nowhere, and basically said that he could give her a better life, with no strings attached.

It naturally didn't feel right at all. As far as Kye was concerned, if something seemed too good to be true, then it usually was.

"So,...what happens to me now?" she asked, mentally running through her options if she had to walk away from him. She didn't have much, but she wasn't entirely without resources. They'd made a quick stop to fetch her hidden savings and the few things that somehow qualified as her belongings, although the do-gooder had asked her to send Dosan his money with one of his men. "I'm assuming you have a plan."

He gave her an earnest smile that somehow eased her worries even though she knew it logically shouldn't. "Well, I'm not part of the New Republic's Armed Forces anymore, but I still have friends in high places. They can help you learn or become whatever you want." he said as he handed her a datapad.

She frowned at the device. She wasn't sure she liked where this was going. "The New Alderaan institute of basic education and training?" she read the screen, unsure of her feelings. "You want me to go to school?"

"Something like that." he answered, slightly amused. "It's not exactly the academic type of education, but it did produce a lot of great pilots and mechanics. I can help you get a scholarship, so there's no need to worry about tuition. You'll have board, room and an allowance until you graduate. From there, they can help you get a good job."

Kye took the datapad and started reading about the place. It seemed nice. Certainly nicer than any place she'd ever lived in. Skywalker's plan didn't seem like it would lead her to swimming in credits, but it seemed like a safer, better life than what she had on Nar Shaddaa, although that wasn't saying much. All in all, it wasn't a bad offer by any means. She certainly knew that many of her fellow scrum rats would kill for something like that, perhaps literally in some cases.

It was a promise of no more hungry nights or looking behind her shoulder every minute. So, why did she feel so disappointed? What had she thought would happen if she went with Skywalker?

"I…. don't know." she found herself saying. "I mean, I don't wanna sound ungrateful, but it's not really what I expected."

"What did you expect?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

She paused for a second, and awkward silence briefly stretched between them. "You said that some people can use The Force. Do you think I can use it?"

He gave her yet another appraising look, before grabbing a small device. "Only one way to find out." He said, before flipping open the upper half of the device. "I'll need a blood sample."

Somewhat reluctant, she nodded and stretched out her right hand, and he placed the tip of a small, stylus-like device on her thumb. There was a prick, and she winced as a small sample of red fluid entered the extractor, which Luke then inserted into the small device.

"This scanner is linked to the ship's medical unit." he explained as he used a small cable to connect the device to his datapad. "It should be able to tell us whether or not you were sensitive to The Force."

Now it was her turn to raise a skeptical eyebrow. "The Force is something in the blood?"

His amused-but-somehow-not-condescending smile returned. "No, it isn't. But there are ways to measure how The Force interacts with life in the physical world."

She pursed her lips and nodded. "And was this Force how you scared those thugs away? Because that is one trick I'd love to learn." she said with a smirk, which turned into a frown when she remembered that her mug was now empty.

"I didn't scare them away." He objected while pouring her another round of the drink.

"Right, you're just persuasive." she said skeptically, before taking yet another sip.

"In a sense, yes. And when that's not enough, The Force can have a strong effect on the weak-minded." He clarified. "That's one of the first things my teachers taught me."

Her frown returned as her mind considered a scary possibility. "So you basically hypnotized them into doing what you want." she noted "You... use that ability often?"

He gave a barely-detectable sigh, possibly picking up on her subtle accusation. "Only when I'm trying to defuse a situation without drawing a weapon. A Jedi is supposed to attempt everything first before taking a life."

"So you did it to avoid killing the lowlifes." she noted. "I'm sure the next kid they mug is sure going to appreciate your restraint."

It was now Skywalker's turn to frown, and she could tell the thought made him uncomfortable. "Choices…..can have complicated consequences. And I guess I know from experience that the right thing to do isn't always clear. But I can't take a life if it can be avoided. I've done enough killing during the war."

She was contemplating his words when the datapad lit up with a small beep, and he picked it up with his thoughtful frown still on his face. For a moment, she couldn't tell what was going through his mind as he read the report. "Well, there are no infections or anything worrying in the report, so that's good news."

"Does it say that I could use The Force?" Kye said, barely keeping the anticipation away from her voice. And he seemed to hesitate for a second before nodding. "With time and training, you probably could."

Despite her best efforts, she was certain that her shock was at least somewhat apparent as her mind raced through the possibilities. "You finding me was not a coincidence, was it?"

"I don't believe so, no." he said with a resigned expression. "I was already heading to Nar Shaddaa when I saw a vision, and you were part of it. Then The Force led me to you when I arrived on the moon."

"So you're getting visions now." she noted, this time with somewhat less skepticism. "You're saying it was…destiny for us to meet?"

"I'm not sure about that." he admitted with a strange smile. "Visions can often have more than one meaning, and it's dangerous to put too much stock into them. Also, I'm not sure if I believe in destiny."

That wasn't what she'd expected him to say. Kye simply stared at the Jedi, once again trying and failing to figure out who and what he was. She had never met anyone like Skywalker, which only made getting a read on him all the more difficult. The Tholothian simply found it difficult to believe that the man was who he claimed to be, but there was something drawing her to him that she couldn't understand either. Was it The Force? All that time, were the uncanny instincts that'd served her, and often saved her life, something greater than anything she could've imagined?

"Will you…. teach me how to use The Force?" She asked, hating the hint of pleading in her tone of voice. Skywalker simply regarded her again with those eyes that sometimes seemed to look at her very soul.

"I don't know." he said cautiously "Perhaps I will. When the time is right."

When people spoke of the powers that ruled the Galactic Core, The Empire always seemed like the logical choice for the greatest one. And that wasn't wrong, from a certain point of view. But the people who knew how things truly worked understood that many, seemingly smaller powers were necessary to keep the cogs of the imperial machines spinning. That was especially true those days, considering the gradual decline of the Empire's economy during the war.

The truth was that the core had become somewhat depleted during the Empire's reign, at least when it came to the raw materials necessary for the imperial war effort. And with The New Republic expanding its borders to encompass the outer and mid rims, access to those materials was becoming somewhat scarce in the core, with most of the available materials being diverted to the more essential channels, mostly on Corellia, Kuat and other industrious worlds. This created a lucrative black market for materials like doonium and other alloys essential for shipbuilding.

To put it bluntly, Xizor was very happy.

The Black Sun syndicate had always maintained an amicable relationship with the Empire, with the late Emperor Palpatine tolerating much of their activities in exchange for his demands. The symbiotic relationship continued under the reign of the Council of Moffs, and the fact that the official channels for obtaining some of their needs were restricted to their trade with the New Republic had been very good for business. After all, The Council was not above supplementing The Empire's needs via the black market. And in The Core, Black Sun was the largest fish in that particular lake.

And so Prince Xizor's working hours, which he regarded to be a necessary evil, were often spent reading reports on the syndicate's various operations, usually to root out problems or determine courses of action that would then be delegated to the Vigos and their own lieutenants and underlings. Most people would never guess how many tedious meetings Black Sun's underlord had to endure, but being in charge of The Core's largest crime syndicate was not always as glamorous as a hypothetical holothriller would portray it.

Still, Xizor couldn't deny that his position came with plenty of privileges, which was extremely fortunate given his passion for the finer things in life. It could be a delicious meal made of nearly-extinct Alderaanian wasp-fish, an evening with yet another beautiful humanoid female, or a performance at the Coruscant Opera; Xizor lived for those small things. And for the sheer elation that came with taking down a rival, or watching the numbers representing Black Sun's wealth go up on his screens.

Settling into the luxurious chair behind his ornate, wroshyr-wood desk, The Underlord grabbed his datapad and sent a command that would summon his assistant, Guri. An incredibly rare - and expensive - human replica droid, Guri was uniquely suited for the role of Xizor's right hand. For The Prince didn't bestow his trust on anyone, even his closest associates, and a droid was far less likely to betray him. With her sharp computer-mind, impressive strength and martial arts programming, Guri was the perfect combination of secretary and bodyguard.

And for someone who deeply appreciated the female form the way Xizor did, Guri's beauty was a nice bonus.

Most people didn't know what Guri was, and occasionally found her unsettling. Xizor deeply enjoyed the air about her, because it ultimately reflected on him. The fact that he could communicate with her non-verbally by sending messages directly to her electronic mind was both a practical function and occasionally a source of bewilderment for those around him, much to The Underlord's amusement.

The door slid open, and the human replica droid walked in with her usual catlike grace. "Captain Hadrion is here, as per your instructions."

"Excellent." Xizor noted. "How long as he been waiting?" He asked. The Prince found that the long waits usually made his underlings more nervous, and easier to catch off guard.

"Two hours." Guri answered with a perfect sabacc face. The Underlord smirked in response "Hmmm. You're getting soft with them, my dear." he said with amusement. "Anyway, I don't have time to further torment the poor man. You may fetch him."

Guri nodded before leaving the extravagant office, and returned a few minutes later with the man in question. Like Xizor, Hadrion was a Falleen of imposing height, a muscular build and green reptilian skin. He was, however, significantly less handsome than Xizor, in no small part due to the ugly scar running over the bridge of his nose. The Black Sun lieutenant seemed self-assured enough, but the Underlord knew that he was simply good at controlling his fear.

"Greetings, your highness." Hadrion said with a bow. "How may I be of service?"

"You may rise, Captain." Xizor said with a bored tone. "Do you understand why you were made to travel all the way from Nar Shaddaa to Coruscant for this meeting?"

"My only understanding is that your highness would like to inquire about a recent incident in the warehouses I'm in charge of protecting." Hadrion answered. "Although I am surprised that a mere break-in warrants attention from–"

"It was no mere break-in." Xizor interrupted sharply, and he could almost hear the man's heart skip a beat. "And only I decide what does and doesn't warrant my attention."

"Of course your highness. I did not mean to assume." Hadrion said, his fear ever so slightly leaking. "I did however send everything I had about the incident to Vigo Avrak."

"That you did, Captain." Xizor said with coolness that could chill just about anyone. "I've read the report, and watched the camfeed from the drones. It showed a human male and a young tholothian girl sneaking into an old abandoned warehouse of seemingly no value. You and your men followed them into the warehouse approximately twenty minutes later, which implies some tardiness by the people monitoring the camfeed. The man and the girl then walked out of the warehouse unharmed with several hovering crates, leaving behind one dead man, and two more wounded. All the survivors were later found immobilized by a stun weapon, yourself included. Does that cover it?"

"Y-Yes, your highness, it does." Hardion said, seemingly genuinely baffled.

"Excellent. Now, Captain, can you explain how a single man managed to dispatch an entire squad of vicious, trained killers?"

"Like, I told Vigo Avrak, your highness; the man was a Jedi. He had a laser sword, and definitely knew how to use it. He could also use their sorcery." The Captain explained.

"Could he, now? I find it somewhat…. regrettable that we have no recordings of the skirmish. I would've liked to see the alleged Jedi in action." Xizor said menacingly while stroking his chin. "Thank you for your time, Captain. You may return to the waiting room now. Guri will soon deliver your next assignment."

"Th-Thank you, your highness." Hadrion said with another bow, before leaving the room with more steadiness than Xizor expected.

"I must say that I'm impressed by old Grakkus." Xizor said as he leaned back in his chair. "I mean, I always admired his taste for art, even though I found it to be lacking in diversity. But hiding his most valuable pieces under our nose? That took courage and ingenuity. The electromagnetic scramblers hiding the room from sensors were also a nice touch."

"And you think Hadrion discovered the secret room and then faked the alleged Jedi's attack to plunder it?" Guri asked stoically.

Xizor got up with a small sigh and started pacing around the room "I've considered the possibility, but now I'm inclined to think it's a long shot." He said as he stroked his chin. "Hadrion's profile paints a picture of an unambitious muscle content with what The Vigo gives him. Meeting him in person reinforced that. And you know I take pride in being an excellent judge of character."

"Hence why you wanted to meet him in person." Guri noted. "You think the rumors of a Jedi running with the New Republic are real?"

"They're hardly rumors at this point, My Dear." Xizor corrected. "Yes, I'm inclined to believe that our sources within the Empire were indeed correct about the boy's existence. There are few other logical explanations for the demise of Darth Vader and The Emperor at Endor."

"And you truly think this boy was strong enough to kill Darth Vader himself?" Guri asked skeptically. Xizor simply snorted. "Stranger things have happened. The boy's father was a powerful warrior, and I have my suspicions that Vader wasn't the force of nature the propaganda would have you believe."

The Underlord took a subtle, deep breath. "Have you seen the stuff from the room that the boy left behind? Impressive pieces. Quite valuable." He pondered. "I didn't know I had it, but that collection of artifacts was mine. I'm not known for allowing people to take what is mine and walk away without consequences."

"If you're right, then the boy isn't to be underestimated." Guri noted. "He's powerful, and has powerful friends. You've said it yourself that you don't want to make enemies of The New Republic."

"Not just yet, at least." The Prince conceded before stroking his chin once more. "You're right. But we should probe around and gather whatever intel we can for now. I have a feeling such data would prove valuable in the future. Particularly to our partners. In the meantime, demote Hadrion and have him closely monitored. There's still a small possibility of treason from that one."

"Understood." Guri said. "Now, would you like Moonglow for your lunch today?"

"You know me too well." Xizor said with a smirk. "With a side of Alderaanian Wasp-fish, please."

Chapter Text

Yavin IV was a world shrouded in mystery, and one with very few mentions in the history holobooks and archives. It was well-documented that the moon's pyramidal temples had been built by the ancient Massassi race, although very little was known about them or what exactly had led to their extinction. To the galactic community, Yavin IV had been an obscure, unimportant world for most of its history. At least until the Battle of Yavin gave it a measure of notoriety.

In many ways, it was the perfect world for the nascent Jedi order.

Luke had to admit that a big part of his decision to choose that particular moon was sentimental. Yavin IV was the first world he'd set foot on after finally leaving Tatooine, and he could still remember the sheer awe he'd felt at seeing so much plant life in one place. He'd also spent hours before the celebrations at the edges of the moon's jungles, where he'd mourned a murdered family, a lost mentor and fallen comrades that included the closest friend he'd had growing up.

Yavin was also largely symbolic of The Rebellion's hard won victory in the war. The system that should've been the final grave of The Alliance had turned into the site of its first major victory. It was a victory paid for with the blood of everyone who'd fallen at Scarif and in the Death Star's trenches, a fact that often left Luke feeling more than a little humbled.

But perhaps most importantly, Luke liked being on Yavin IV. It was a world full of life, largely due to the presence of so much fauna and flora on its surface, so The Force was especially strong on it like it was on Dagobah. But the moon also had a serenity and a sense of balance missing from crowded worlds like Coruscant or Denon. It made meditation easier when one didn't have to filter out so much, and Luke hoped that the quiet and beauty would make the first steps of his future students a little easier.

Although he wasn't sure if the setting was of any particular help for the first candidate.

The Jedi could feel the Tholothian's eyes on him as he spun and dodged through the web of stun blasts, his lightsaber somehow always at the right time and place to block whatever shots the training remotes sent his way. Some of the blasts would occasionally be intercepted by a floating rock or another similarly solid object, which likely only added to the awe emanating from the girl. It was not something that Luke found particularly encouraging, for he didn't want power to be the main draw for her.

The remotes ceased their attack as a chorus of beeps announced the end of the training session, and the spherical devices floated down to the storage unit that normally housed them. Luke wiped some sweat off his forehead and turned towards Kye, who was trying and failing to suppress what was probably the first grin he'd seen on her face.

"You've gotta teach me how to do that." she said with carefully contained excitement. Luke couldn't resist a smile of his own as he grabbed his water bottle.

"If you think that's impressive, you should see me spar with TeeEx more often." he said after a few gulps. Artoo blatted a sarcastic remark about the swordmaster droid's age, which drew a smirk from Luke. The Astromech was lucky that TeeEx wasn't around.

"That's pretty neat to witness too. But most people are gonna come at me with blasters, not a sword." she noted, and Luke once again noticed the pragmatism of her thought process.

"You know, you don't have to lead a life where people 'come at you'." he noted in turn, and the tholothian's face subtly fell.

"Maybe. But I'd still like to learn that laser sword trick. Just in case." she said stoically, once again trying to hide her eagerness.

"Well, it's not something you can easily master." Luke said, trying to get through to her. "When I first started my training, I could barely block shots from a single remote. It took me years to be able to do what I just did. And I didn't just have to practice with my lightsaber. I also had to strengthen my connection to The Force."

"By sitting cross-legged in the woods and doing breathing exercises?" she said with more disappointment than sarcasm. She was not someone who achieved peace of mind easily. Not that Luke could blame her.

"Trust me. Meditation wasn't easy for me at first either." he said with a patient look that he hoped she'd find encouraging. "It's hard to be mindful and serene when you're fighting both a war and the anger of losing your family to the enemy."

"Then….what changed, exactly?" she asked.

"Well, change isn't always sudden." he explained in his best teacher voice as sat down on a stool. "I just got better at listening to The Force as time went. I saw inside myself and learned how to master it. The stuff that held me back - the anger, the fear, the doubts - didn't entirely go away. I still have to fight them. But I do my best to not let them drive me."

She pursed her lips as she grabbed one of the remotes, clearly contemplating his words. "Do you think I could become a Jedi someday?"

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Do you think you could?"

"No, I asked first." the Tholothian said firmly, and with more than a little frustration. "You haven't said it, but I get the feeling that you don't want to teach me. And I don't understand why since you said that I have enough of that M-Count stuff."

Luke frowned slightly. The girl was certainly perceptive. "Knowing what a Jedi knows, doesn't make one a Jedi. Being a Jedi is about being. It's a hard life, and if you choose to live it, you'll have to make sacrifices. Are you certain that you're willing to walk that road? That you really understand what you're asking?"

Kye shrugged. "I don't know if I understand it entirely just yet." she admitted. "But I do want to be a Jedi. I'm certain of that, at least."

Luke's expression softened. The girl was still an enigma to him in many ways, but she did seem sincere in her desire. "Why do you want to become a Jedi?"

"Because I want to stop evil people." she said nonchalantly. "I may not have fought The Empire, but I grew up on Nar Shaddaa. I've seen a lot of evil in my life. Mostly things done to the weak and the helpless." she paused, subtly struggling to remain composed. "I want to learn to protect people from scum like that. Do you know that feeling?"

Luke's expression turned sympathetic again. The girl was angry, and the Jedi could tell that she wanted to feel safe above everything else. She wanted the power to protect herself, and maybe others as well like she'd said. But the line between justice and vengeance was often thin, and even righteous anger could lead to the dark side. In fact, it was probably the kind that led there the easiest, because it often didn't feel wrong at all.

"I grew up on Tatooine, a world practically ruled by a Hutt" he reminded her. "I've seen a lot of what you've described, even though my uncle tried to shield me from it as well as he could. I've also fought in a war for years to protect people from The Empire, so it's safe to say that I know what fighting to protect others is like." he paused, allowing her to take in his words. "But fighting oppressors is just one part of the job. A Jedi isn't a warrior."

She raised an eyebrow at that and crossed her arms. "Then what is a Jedi?" she asked with genuine curiuosity and just a hint of wryness.

Luke gazed into the distance, remembering old lessons from years ago. "It's hard to describe, but a Jedi isn't just one thing. Sometimes we're healers, aiding the wounded. Other times, we're teachers spreading enlightenment. We can also be diplomats who resolve conflicts without bloodshed, or protectors fighting against people who couldn't be stopped otherwise. In short, we are what people need us to be at any given time."

The girl took in his words, and seemed to understand them."That sounds great, but I'm not sure if I'd ever be good at any of that other than the stabbing sleemos part. And from where I'm standing, that's how a whole lot of problems are solved."

Luke gave a small sigh. "Then you still have a lot to learn.

Kye opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the sound of powerful sublight engines, and Luke grinned as a familiar looking YT-1300 Corellian Freighter approached the clearing and began landing preparations, slowly descending near the entrance to the great temple.

The tholothian raised an eyebrow "Didn't think you get a lot of visitors coming here." she noted.

"I receive a few." The Jedi said as a grin came to his face. "That one would be my brother-in-law. Come on, I think he'll like meeting you." he continued while heading towards the ship.

The ramp descended with a hiss, which was followed by two familiar shapes walking down it. Chewbacca gave a cheerful bark as he pulled Luke in for one of his famous wookiee hugs. "I'm glad to see you too, Chewie. Things can be a little too quiet without you two." The former rebel said with a grin, while ignoring his best friend's chuckles.

Han gave one of his own famous lopsided grins. "I'd ask you if living out here alone has you hearing voices, Kid, but I know that's not how the crazy part of you works."

"Yeah, my voices are pretty real most of the time." Luke joked while hugging his brother-in-law. "Hope you haven't dismantled Threepio yet."

Han shrugged. "I try, but Chewie doesn't let me do it. Apparently, putting Goldenrod together is too much of a hassle for him."

A wave of curiosity surrounded Luke as Kye arrived cautiously behind him. "Han, allow me to introduce Kye Manaan. She's been of great help to me on Nar Shaddaa, like I told you over comms. Kye this is my brother-in-law, General Han Solo."

"Former General." Han corrected as he shook the girl's hand. "Pleased to meet ya, kid. Luke told me a lot about you. Wouldn't shut up, actually"

"Er, Good things I hope." Kye said with an awkward smile, and Luke noted that she was almost flustered, which he guessed was a rare occurrence for her. "Wait. You're The Han Solo and Chewbacca? The smugglers turned rebel heroes?"

Han's lopsided grin returned as he gave Luke a smug look. "See? She's heard of me."

"There's a lot of gossip on Nar Shaddaa." Kye said. "When you live there as long l have, you learn a lot about the underworld. The stories about you definitely float around the cantinas."

Han smirked at Luke. "Ah. And what do those stories say exactly?"

"That you were a damn good smuggler, but bad at Sabacc. Both playing it and cheating at it." The Tholothian said, and Luke had to stifle a chuckle. Although Han surprisingly didn't seem too miffed. "Hmmm. I know a few people who'd contest that last part. My current business partner included." he said with the smirk still on his face

"Hey, I did say it was rumors." Kye said defensively, although with a clear hint of playfulness. "A lot people aren't exactly happy that you've gone straight, so I'm sure not everything I've heard is true. Eitherway, did you really make the Kessel run in only 12 parsecs?"

Han shrugged as Chewie barked with amusement. "Yeah, me and this fuzzball set that record back in the day." Solo said as he nodded towards The Falcon. "This old girl looked a little different back then, and gave us a bit of a close call. It's a good story for a round of drinks, that's for sure."

"Guess I gotta hear then." the girl said nonchalantly, although hints of excitement were there. "Let me grab something from the inside real quick though. I'll leave you guys to catch up."

The former rebels watched as the Tholothian disappeared into The Great Temple. And Han's trademark lopsided grin returned once more. "Well, the kid is nicer than I expected."

Luke gave a small snort. "Stick around. You might change your mind." he said wryly "I'm glad to see you guys. How are things going at Golden Saber?"

Han shrugged. "Somewhat stable at the moment. Although Lobot's probably gonna head back to Bespin soon. He does most of the work there anyway, but Lando somehow gets the fancy title. It ain't fair if you ask me."

Chewie barked a laugh, and Han gave him a half-hearted glare. "No, Just because I joke about it, doesn't mean I'm jealous of the Baron Administrator thing." he said defensively, before turning to Luke again. "So. Have you started teaching the girl?"

"Not officially. Not in a way that matters at least." Luke said dejectedly. "I'm not sure if training her would be in her best interests, or the right thing to do for the New Order. I don't want to rush this process."

"Well, you ain't getting younger, so you probably shouldn't wait too long either." Han noted wryly. "And if you're worried about her age, you weren't exactly a toddler yourself when the old man started teaching you."

"It's not about her age." Luke explained defensively. "She's angry, and she definitely has a lot of things to work through. And I'm not sure if Jedi training is the best way to help her deal with that."

"No offense, Kid. But you were pretty angry too after your folks and Alderaan." Solo pointed out. "We all were. And you've told me yourself that Jedi feel anger all the time, you included."

"And we work hard to not let it control us." Luke said. "My father had a hard upbringing that gave him plenty of things to deal with, and the Jedi accepted him anyway. That didn't go well, but I don't want to hold that against her."

"But you're also afraid that she may not be cut out to be a Jedi." Han finished his thoughts. "Look, Kid. I'm obviously not an expert on The Force, but I was a street rat too, and I turned out alright." he said, drawing a sarcastic growl from Chewbacca that left him rolling his eyes slightly. "Eventually." he said. "And that Bridger fellow was a street rat too, and he still made the right calls, just like you did. Point is, your old man made his own choices, and she deserves to make hers. If the girl really wants to be a Jedi, then I think she should at least get to try. And don't give me any of that "there is no try" nonsense.

Luke smiled "When did you get so wise?" he had to admit that Han's words mirrored much of his own thought process, and perhaps they were the encouragement he needed to truly accept his first apprentice.

"What can I say? Hanging around you and your sister rubs off." Solo said with another smirk. "Now, I hope you have something decent to eat, because we're staying for dinner. It's a long way to the meeting on Alzoc III, and I could use something other than ration bars."

Chewbacca gave a loud growl that drew a chuckle from the Jedi. "Yeah, Chewie." he said. "I do have some bantha steaks lying around. Come on inside and I'll start preparing something."

"Yeah, well, let's hope your cooking's gotten better." Han grumbled as they headed towards the Temple's doorway.

The Imperial Super Star Destroyer was the pride and joy of both the Imperial Navy and the various manufacturers at Kuat, Fondor, Rendilli and more. Capable of reaching a staggering length of nineteen thousand meters, a single one of those ships was capable of single-handedly winning a campaign; thanks to the sheer amount of shielding, armor and weaponry it boasted. Such ships were both a marvel of engineering and a hefty toll on resources, hence why the Empire had only ever built twelve of them. And only five of them belonged to the terrifying Executor class of Dreadnoughts.

Moff Gideon was currently sitting in his office aboard The Arbitrator, which was perhaps the final remaining Executor-class SSD in The Galaxy. The Class' name giver had been destroyed at The Battle of Endor, and The Agonizer had soon followed it during the Battle of Zastiga. The fall of The Ravager during the mid rim offensive presumably left The Arbitrator as one of its kind, although whispers that suggested The Lusankya's survival floated around the ISB offices, according to his agents there.

That status quo had a bitter irony that didn't escape Lasster Gideon's notice. A few years ago, the idea of the rebels destroying an SSD had been preposterous. Because back then, No one could have imagined the rebels ever obtaining such firepower or military might. The Moffs had viewed the Death Star as a fluke, and some were privately vocal about their criticism of the project; with the benefits of hindsight, of course. Many had felt that Grand Admiral Thrawn's TIE Defender project would've been more worthwhile, or that perhaps more Super Star Destroyers would've been more pragmatic. Some had been bold enough to make suggestions to The Emperor and Lord Vader regarding the future direction of the navy.

Then the old corpse had gone ahead and built another of his blasted planet killers, further crippling the strained economy. The masterstroke that should've brought about the final doom of the Alliance had gone horribly wrong, apparently because of the interference of a bunch of primitives with only a single mention in some obscure anthropology database. And even Lord Vader had apparently met his defeat at the hands of a boy with merely a few years of experience. All because of hubris and arrogance.

Palpatine had been more than intelligent and cunning, but he had also been a politician first and foremost, with only a rudimentary understanding of military operations. He'd never understood that wars were not won with Super Weapons and singular strokes, but rather with patience, logistical wisdom, and men. Great warriors like Lord Vader, capable of inspiring subordinates while leading them to victory with poise and prowess. Great warriors with The Force by their side.

Oh, there were rumors that Palpatine had wielded great power in The Force prior to his untimely death. But he hadn't been a warrior like Lord Vader or like the Jedi. Gideon had served alongside Jedi during The Clone Wars. He had seen their cunning and power first hand, and he believed that they would've won the war if they hadn't needlessly crippled themselves with pontifications and morality.

But Gideon's Empire was going to be different. It would have The Force on its side. And The Force would no longer be with a handful of individuals, but with many great warriors leading the charge.

'And speaking of warriors' Gideon thought as the door swooshed open to admit the person he'd been waiting for.

"Greetings, Sir. How may I serve you?" The Inquisitor said stoically while standing at attention in front of Gideon's desk

"I am not The Emperor, Thirteenth Brother." Gideon reminded the boy. "You don't serve me. We both serve The Empire."

"I do not see much of a difference between the two options, Sir." The young man said. Tall and powerfully built, the boy had a lot of potential as a warrior. He was cunning and competent, although Gideon got the impression that he somewhat lacked initiative. Of course, things weren't always what they seemed with Force Users.

"Then you have much to learn, my young friend." Gideon said in an almost fatherly tone. "How are the preparations for the mission to Mandalore going?"

"They're almost complete." Thirteenth Brother said. "The agents are in place, the ships are almost ready, and I've calculated the hyperspace jump coordinates myself."

Gideon gave a predatory smile. "In that case, I think we're just about ready to take the fight to the enemy."

"To the New Republic, Sir?" The young man asked with a raised eyebrow, and Gideon's smile simply widened. "To everyone, my friend. You need to learn to think bigger."

Chapter Text

"I see your defeat. Like many arms surrounding you in a cold embrace."

Thrawn hadn't understood the strange creature's words that day on Atollon. He had pondered them, of course. For while he was not a man prone to superstition, he also wasn't foolish enough to dismiss The Force. He'd seen it in action enough times to know of the great difference it could make in battle, and not having the capacity to truly understand it was one of his few regrets.

And now, as he lay on the floor of The Chimaera's bridge, surrounded by the bodies of dead or unconscious troopers, Thrawn finally understood the creature's words.

Two troopers helped him to his feet, and the sharp pang of pain he felt told him that he had at least several broken ribs, and likely some internal bleeding and injuries. Ezra Bridger was sprawled on the floor, having been stunned by Commander Kyrma, The Death Trooper in charge of Thrawn's protective detail. A somewhat disheveled Captain Pellaeon rushed into the room. "Admiral! Are you alright, Sir?" he asked.

"I'm afraid I'll need some immediate medical attention, Captain." The Chiss said calmly with hints of pain in his voice as he glanced around the bridge. The emergency shields were down, for they had automatically closed after the transparisteel viewports had been breached by the Purrgils.

"And your orders, Sir?" Pellaeon asked with concern. He was fairly new to Thrawn's command, but the two had worked together before, and Thrawn knew the man to be both capable and dutiful. And He was going to need men like that in the following hours.

"It is too dangerous to shoot at the creatures now." Thrawn said. "We are going to have to wait and see where they take us. Once we've exited hyperspace, repel them at all costs. Then come find me in the medical wing."

Pellaeon nodded with semi-concealed apprehension, and Commander Kyrma poked Ezra Bridger with his foot. "Permission to execute the rebel, Sir?" he said with a hint of restrained anger.

"No." Thrawn almost snapped. "Take a squad and escort him to the brig. I will decide his fate myself." The Chiss said weakly, without a hint of anger or bitterness, before turning to his second-in-command. "Captain. Once we exit hyperspace, I need you to contact my people and explain what happened. You should find whatever data you need to contact them in the ship's computers, and they will come to our aid swiftly."

Pellaeon seemed even more apprehensive, likely because of the prospect of accepting aid from people he didn't know much about. After all, there was no official alliance between The Galactic Empire and the mysterious Chiss Ascendancy. "As you wish, Sir." The Captain said, and Thrawn simply nodded as he leaned on one of the stormtroopers, who proceeded to lead him down the hallways. And the Chiss couldn't help but notice how pale his blue skin was becoming. He knew that his injuries were serious.

The boy had bested him. Somehow he had managed to thwart an Imperial Grand Admiral in spite of the impossible odds stacked against the rebels. Thrawn had never been one to underestimate an opponent, and he'd always viewed the rebels with respect as worthy adversaries. But only now did he realize, that deep down, he hadn't believed that they could truly win or best him.

That was his first mistake.

His partial failure at Atollon had been unfortunate. The rebels had survived his attack due to Kassius Konstantine's folly, an honorable Commander's heroic sacrifice, and a not insignificant amount of ingenuity and competence. But there had been another factor that day, one he couldn't have predicted or perhaps truly countered. A Creature indeed beyond his ability to understand or truly kill.

And the creature had been right. Thrawn had been arrogant. For the Empire was arrogant. He'd been certain that the Lothal rebels would fail, until the boy turned the forces of nature itself against him through ways he had no ability to comprehend or counter. And for the first time, Thrawn wondered; Was The Empire truly as strong as it seemed? Was The Rebellion's cause truly that hopeless?

He had much contemplation to do. Although he likely wouldn't have the time for it soon.

"Captain Pellaeon." The hologram of the Chiss Admiral said weakly. "This message is only for your eyes and those of Admiral Ar'alani of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. I regret to inform you that my injuries are more severe than I originally anticipated, and that my survival is not guaranteed. As thus, I have deemed it prudent to record these instructions in case I cannot deliver them personally to you both.

"In your case, Captain, I must ask you to return to The Empire without me. If I have any hopes of surviving this, I must be treated by my own people's medics and doctors. You will report everything that has happened to the Admiralty, with the exception of one thing. What I'm about to ask of you is going to challenge the oaths and loyalties you swore your allegiance to, but I implore you to consider."

"I need you to deliver the prisoner Ezra Bridger to Admiral Ar'alani, and to mention his death in your reports. You and I have spoken at length about the dangers lurking beyond the Galaxy. Dangers to both The Empire and The Ascendancy. The Empire would have the boy executed, but I believe that he could be a valuable asset in the fight against our common enemies. However, I cannot, in good faith, ask you to go against your conscience. If you choose to bring Commander Bridger back for trial, I will not begrudge you that."

"As for Admiral Ar'alani, I merely ask that you respect the Captain's decision on the matter, and that you render aid by helping in the restoration of The Chimaera, so that it could return to The Empire. Should the Captain choose to surrender the boy to your care, I implore you to do everything within your power to recruit Bridger to our cause. If the boy resists, I ask that you keep him prisoner until further notice. I leave you both with this message and my hopes that we get to speak once again."

Pellaeon stood stiffly in the hanger and stared at the stars through the magnetic field, while quietly pondering how utterly bizarre the last few hours of his life he had been. What had begun as a somewhat standard engagement with a local insurgency had suddenly turned into the complete devastation of their forces at the hands of a pod of space-faring animals. And to make matters worse, they were now stuck in the middle of nowhere and reduced to relying on the kindness of some reclusive race of aliens.

The Purrgils had dropped them somewhere in the middle of the unknown regions, like the admiral predicted, and had thankfully fled back into hyperspace after a few rounds of turbolaser fire. As per the Admiral's instructions, Pellaeon had then managed to contact the Chiss Ascendancy and reach that mysterious Admiral Ar'alani, who'd promised him aid with a mixture of politeness and professionalism, although she'd also been somehow even more unsettling than Thrawn.

"An unidentified ship has just exited hyperspace space, Sir." Commander Kyrma said in his heavily modulated voice. "It identified itself as The Steadfast. A small shuttle is also approaching us."

"Well, Let us hope that Thrawn's people are as efficient as they are quick." Pellaeon half-muttered. "Clear the shuttle for landing, Commander. And keep your men ready." He ordered the Death Trooper, who acknowledged his instructions with a nod and a "Yes, Sir."

Staring at the Chiss Warship, Pellaeon found himself studying the design. It was an impressive vessel, and one that would clearly be a formidable opponent in a fight. Shaped vaguely like an elongated head of a Gungan, it had a gleaming silver hull and rather impressive flankside weaponry. It didn't take long for the shuttle to arrive at the Chimaera's hanger, and Admiral Ar'alani descended the ramp accompanied by several Chiss officers.

A tall humanoid woman in a white military uniform that looked vaguely imperial, Ar'alani had striking blue skin and unsettling red eyes that left Pellaeon slightly mesmerized. She approached Gilad with great poise and grace before firmly shaking his hands. "It is an honor to meet you, Captain Pellaeon." She said in heavily accented basic. "Admiral Thrawn's trust in you speaks highly of your character."

"Thank you, Admiral." Pellaeon said stoically. "And thank you for coming to our aid so quickly. The damage to The Chimaera is not as extensive as we'd initially feared, but we could use some help in getting her back to travel readiness."

"My people are well-equipped. The repairs should not take long." The Admiral said professionally while Pellaeon and his troops led her out of the hangar. "How is Admiral Thrawn?" She asked with only the slightest hint of concern.

"According to our medics, his condition is critical, but stable." Pellaeon said somewhat dejectedly as they entered his sparsely decorated office. "He has multiple broken ribs and internal bleedings. Currently, he seems to be in a coma. It is frankly a miracle that he managed to record that message I'd forwarded you. I can only hope that your people are more capable of helping him than we are."

"I hope so as well, Captain." Ar'alani said with some tightness as they both took their seats. "Have you made up your mind regarding the boy's fate?"

'Direct and to the point.' Pellaeon noted internally. "I have obviously given it some thought." He admitted. "Grand Admiral Thrawn is perhaps the most brilliant officer I've ever known. And while he was often bold and unorthodox, I have often found his loyalty to the Empire to be unquestionable. I've always been willing to follow his orders to the letter, even when I didn't fully understand them."

"But this particular order represents a challenge." Ar'alani noted.

"A challenge? It is nothing short of treason." Pellaeon said. "This rebel is responsible for the deaths of countless imperials in the Battle of Lothal alone. And he likely has important intelligence that we might use. It is my duty to bring him back for questioning and trial."

"Your duty is the protection of The Empire." Ar'alani noted. "The Unknown Regions have a thousand threats that could spill over to harass the Empire you serve. An Empire that is already fighting a war, may I add. It may not be our intention, but the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet is the last line of defense between your Empire and those threats. If you bring the boy back, The Empire gains nothing from his death. But if we weappnize him against those evils, he will serve both of us, directly or not."

Pellaeon snorted softly. "And I'm supposed to believe that he'd be that valuable of an asset to you?" He said, and regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. The boy was a Jedi. Gilad remembered his days in the GAR well enough to know what that meant. Even today, Bridger had proven once again what those blasted sorcerers were capable of.

"We both know that a Jedi is always a powerful ally, Captain." Ar'alani said, as if she could read his mind. "You trust Admiral Thrawn, and Admiral Thrawn trusts me greatly." She said as she opened her datapad. "I won't pressure you into giving us the boy. but at least allow me to show you what we deal with on a daily basis, and why it must be dealt with."

Ezra Bridger was afraid.

He knew what was coming next. Interrogation. Torture. Likely execution. But he wouldn't break. Kanan hadn't broken on Mustafar, and he wouldn't insult his memory by doing less. Perhaps Ahsoka would come for him, and perhaps she wouldn't. But he still drew on every part of his training to prepare for the coming hours. He was afraid, but he wouldn't let his fears rule him. He'd saved his friends and his homeworld, and he was willing to meet his end content in the knowledge that they lived on.

Ezra's last memories following the battle over Lothal were of him holding back bucketheads while the Purrgils attacked Thrawn. One of the stormtroopers had obviously managed to stun him, and now he was in captivity on some strange ship that had an unusual amount of Chiss, which was rather strange considering how rare of a sight that species was.

Most people mistook Thrawn for a Pantoran with an eye condition, but Ezra knew of the Wild Space legends describing the Chiss; a proud and noble race from the Unknown Regions. Although the Chiss were known for being capable warriors and astronomers, Thrawn definitely hadn't lived up to expectations in the nobility department. The Question was; what was Ezra doing on what was presumably a Chiss warship instead of on an Imperial Star Destroyer? What was Thrawn planning for him?

Just as he was about to further ponder his circumstances, an impressive looking Chiss female entered his cell, strangely with no one else in tow. She wore a white military uniform that wasn't imperial, and opened her mouth to speak in strangely accented basic. "I'm glad to see that you are doing well, Commander Bridger." She said with no animosity whatsoever. "My name is Admiral Ar'alani of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. I am an old friend and accomplice of Admiral Thrawn."

"Then I'm guessing we won't be friends." Ezra said with a glare, his instincts already making him defensive.

"I would hope that you are mistaken." The Chiss said almost with congeniality. "Rest assured, we are not The Empire you fight against. You will be treated well during your stay with the Ascendancy."

"Was that Thrawn's call or yours? Because I really don't think that your friend is gonna play nice for long." Ezra probed, trying to figure out his situation more.

"Considering the Admiral is currently in a coma, I would assure you that you have no reason to fear his retribution." Ar'alani said, and Ezra raised an eyebrow in skepticism. Strangely enough, he sensed no deception. "I can also tell you that Thrawn does not believe in petty revenge against foes who defeat him, and neither do The Chiss. Nevertheless, the Admiral did leave a message asking his second-in-command to relinquish you to us."

"And his Captain actually agreed? Ezra said with blatant skepticism.

"It took much convincing." Ar'alani admitted. "But we eventually managed to convince Captain Pellaeon that it was for the greater good."

"The greater good of who, exactly?" Ezra said, smelling the propaganda from a parsec away. He'd seen the 'greater good' the imperials stood behind.

"Of both the Unknown Regions and the Galaxy proper, Commander." Ar'alani said. "Before falling into the coma, Admiral Thrawn instructed me to show you what it was exactly that The Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet fought against. He had hopes that once you understood our cause, you'd be willing to help it."

"So Thrawn had me sent to his people because he wanted me to help them, right after he bombed my homeplanet?" Ezra said bitterly "And I thought Imperials couldn't get more delusional."

"Like I said, Commander, we are not the Empire you fight. I believe that you will find our cause to be very different from theirs." The Chiss noted.

"I'm already fighting a cause." The Rebel reminded her. "And if you expect me to fight for your cause while you hold me prisoner, then you're as delusional as your comatose friend."

Ar'alani pursed her lips at the mention of her friend's state. "I understand your anger and situation, Commander. But I can't let you leave until the Admiral wakes up or until the ruling families say otherwise." She said coolly. "We are fighting a hundred different evils every day. You can either honor the ways of your people and aid us in protecting the innocent, or you can stay in our cells for who knows how long. But if Thrawn was right about you, then I think I know what choice you're going to eventually make."

Ezra smirked. "Do you think you can wear me down, Admiral?" He asked.

"I've recently managed to convince an Imperial Captain to give you up, Commander." The Chiss noted with a surprising smirk of her own. "You will find that we Chiss can be very persuasive."

Chapter Text

True love is best measured in the sacrifices one is willing to make for its sake."

- Jedi Master Vima Sunrider, from her notes on the Qel-Droma epics.

The engines of the Twin Suns hummed softly as the ship made its way across the Galaxy through the hypnotic tunnel of hyperspace. But in spite of her initial fascination with faster-than-light space travel, Kye eventually found herself growing bored of hyperspace after being cooped up in the ship for more than six hours. Although she did do her best to project patience, considering it was apparently a cherished Jedi virtue and this was possibly her first Jedi mission.

Then again, she wasn't sure if she even was a Jedi apprentice yet. Skywalker continued to teach her some of the basics of philosophy and meditation, but the Tholothian still felt a lack of commitment from him. She would've expected to have spoken some oath by now, or for him to have proclaimed her to be his student in some fancy way. Instead, the Jedi had just…..kept her around. And sure, he was an interesting company to keep, and she liked some of the stuff he taught her, but she hated the feeling of uncertainty.

The door to the cockpit swished open, and Kye swiveled in her co-pilot seat to face the Jedi. "There you are, Captain. You're still looking a little grim, you know." She said, half-jokingly. Skywalker was often difficult to read, but she'd never seen him with such subtle tension, not even when they'd been surrounded by Black Sun thugs in that warehouse on Nar Shaddaa"Well, it's a grim mission we're about to walk into." He said seriously as he settled into the pilot seat, drawing a confused frown from the Tholothian. Why would a Jedi fear a simple relief mission to some groundquake-struck world in the mid rim?Kye hummed for a moment as she fidgeted with the tip for her jacket. "Are you sure taking this ship is a good idea? It's gonna stand out, you know." she noted. The Twin Suns was probably the nicest ship Kye had ever seen or been on, and as a fancy J-type 327 Nubian starship, she was bound to be a strange sight among the relief convoy.

Luke just shrugged. "She's fast, and will get us and the supplies there on time. Also, I didn't have anything else on Yavin IV and the people of Minas III couldn't exactly wait for Han to send us something else." he countered.

"Point taken." She said before returning to humming and fidgeting. They sat together in companionable silence until she decided to break it. "What was it like?" she asked. "Your own training, I mean. With the old man and the weird little alien."

He smiled sardonically at her descriptions. "Well, Ben mainly taught me a little less than what I taught you. Just the basics of Jedi meditation, two philosophy lessons, and some katas really." He explained. "I later trained for around two months on Dagobah, and Yoda taught me a lot more about philosophy, fighting, and how to wield The Force. But even then, there was a lot that he didn't have time to show me."

"Hence why you're a little self-taught." she noted again. "Sounds like you skipped a lot of the boring stuff the Jedi of old had to sit through."

"Which isn't something I'm happy about, believe it or not." Luke half-muttered somewhat ruefully before a playful grin came to his face. "Although I am glad that I skipped the braid."

"Jedi wore braids back then?" Kye asked with some amusement.

Luke nodded, "Padawan learners wore their hair in a braid until they were knighted. It was a reminder that their training was not yet complete." he explained.

"What about species that didn't have hair?" She said, playing with one of the fleshy head-tendrils extruding from her scaled skullcap."Silka beads were usually used as an alternative." He explained again, before fiddling with something in the monitors.

The comfortable silence briefly returned, until Kye spoke once again. "So…were your teachers tough on you?" She asked, swiveling in her chair again to face him. His expression seemed to turn nostalgic at her question.

"Ben wasn't, although it's possible that he just never got the chance." he said, somewhat wryly. "Master Yoda was definitely tougher on me. He'd had to push me hard because our battle was a race against time back then, and praise had been rare from him. It took me some time to understand a lot of what he said and did. We butted heads a lot, but I still loved him dearly. And looking back, I don't think I'd have my training go any differently, even with its hardest parts."

"Hey, I'm just trying to get some hints about my own future training." Kye said playfully, drawing a smirk from Skywalker.

"I figured as such. But don't worry. As tempting as it can get, I won't make you stand on your head for two hours to soften it." he joked.

"Your master made you do that?" she asked, already loving the little green alien. Skywalker just nodded again.

"And believe me, that wasn't even the strangest thing he did while teaching me." he said as his expression turned grim once more. "We are about to exit hyperspace. You might want to brace yourself."

A confused frown came to her face as he reached for the hyperspace lever, and the swirling vortex of hyperspace faded to reveal the star-filled open space and a blue-and-green small planet that didn't look too different from Yavin IV. For a moment, she remained confused about what she was supposed to brace herself for.

Then a wave of pain, loss, and despair washed over her.

It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She could feel mothers mourning dead children. Children looking for missing parents. Anguish both physical and emotional from a thousand different sources. Loss of loved ones and homes and security–

Skywalker's hand on her shoulder brought her back to the Twin Suns. "It's okay. Take a deep breath and center yourself. Use what I taught you to filter what you're sensing." He said with some concern. She ran through the mental exercises she knew with a nod, gradually regaining control. And the Tholothian wondered if Skywalker had to do the same each time he did this sort of thing.

"You knew this was going to happen?" She asked somewhat accusingly as she finally understood why he'd been so tense.

"You're starting to explore your connection to The Force." He calmly explained. "That means your connection to all living things, including those people down there. It's normal to be overwhelmed at first."

"Let me guess. You know what it feels like." she asked, half-mocking. And if Skywalker took offense, he didn't show it. "I do, actually. Being connected to all life wasn't fun in combat situations when I could feel every death and injury. It took me a while to figure out how to filter what I'm sensing." he said before turning his attention to a large ship orbiting the planet near its equatorial.

"That's the head of the convoy. They should be expecting us." He explained as he reached for the comms panel. "Healer 7, this is the Twin Suns carrying supplies and a pair of volunteers for the relief effort. Care to send us the landing coordinates?"

"Good to have you around, Twin Suns." a feminine voice came over the comms a minute later. "Sending coordinates your way. The people in that region need all the help they can get."

"And we're happy to provide what help we can." Luke said somewhat tensely as he received the data. "Thank you for the coordinates. Hope to see you planetside. Over."

The navicomputer charted a path to the received coordinates, and Skywalker expertly led the ship towards the planet. It didn't take long for a ruined city to manifest outside of the transparisteel viewports, and the sight unexpectedly twisted Kye's heart. She could see the tents and hastily erected buildings of the relief program, and it was getting harder and harder to shut out the pain and anguish of the victims. Droids went around transporting provisions from the ships to the tents, while relief workers transported the dead and injured on hover-stretchers. It was a chaotic scene, but Kye could almost sense the patterns in it somehow.

Kye frowned. According to what Skywalker had told her on the way to Minas III, extracting survivors from the debris was a complicated process. The relief workers usually relied on droids to scan for survivors, which often took some time due to the interference from the metal debris. They then had to carefully and slowly remove the debris to avoid collapses and accidental deaths. It was a nerve-wracking process where any mistake could lead to loss of life, and the survivors didn't always make it.

As thus, the Tholothian was surprised to see Luke close his eyes, and reach out with his hand towards the ruins. Her mouth opened up slightly and her eyes went wide as pieces of the debris began to levitate and be cast to the side, until an unconscious human woman appeared among the ruins. The medics quickly rushed to raise her into a hover-stretcher and Skywalker turned towards them with a sad smile.

Kye couldn't believe it. Somehow, he'd known which pieces to move and in which order to get to the woman safely. He'd done in a few minutes what should've taken nearly an hour. Everyone was staring at him with awe, and he didn't seem to notice or care.

"There's two more in that building, and one more in that one." He said to the Mon Calamari, gesturing at the various ruins. "Should I take the one on the right and you the left?" He asked, deferring to the mission's leader, who was as gobsmacked as everyone else.

"Er, yes, of course, Commander. I'll assign some people to you right away." She said, gradually snapping back to reality.

Skywalker simply nodded and turned to the Tholothian. "Come on. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

Kye's legs seemed to move of their own accord.

As the administrative capital of the New Republic, Starlight City was a sight to behold largely because it had to be one. With its architecture coherently combining styles from over two dozen prominent worlds, it was the pride and joy of the Nubian artisans, architects and engineers who'd designed and built it. But beneath the glamorous exterior, existed the strife of a nascent government and the political battles fought in the senate's halls.

Battles that Leia, as head minister, often had to pacify or guide.

Sitting inside her small office, Han knew that his wife often felt overwhelmed during those working hours in their apartment. Bill after bill was being passed recently, alongside two suggested amendments to the constitution. And so every day, a dozen crises would be brought to her attention, each one involving lives that she very much felt responsible for. Han would often tell her that she couldn't save everyone. Couldn't help everyone.

And he knew that she understood that. But he also knew that she would never give anything less than all that she had for the service of those people. And as much as he hated how her responsibilities took so much time away from them, he knew that he wouldn't have it any other way. Because taking away Leia's devotion to the people would be like taking away a piece of her soul, and a big part of why he'd fallen in love with her so deeply in the first place.

'Although I still can't wait for our retirement' he thought sardonically as he entered her office, with a tray that carried a mug of caf and some pastries. Leia looked up from her work with a bright smile that seemed to warm his very soul.

"I was just about to send for Threepio to bring me some caf." she said, and Han simply snorted.

"It will be a dark day before I'm outperformed by Goldenrod in the caf department. I may not feel the Force like you do, but I sure don't need it to know what you need at any given moment."

"Just one of the many reasons I love you." Leia said playfully before nibbling on one of the pastries.

"Any word from Luke?" He asked as he took a seat in front of her desk. The kid had gone and volunteered for the relief effort on Minas III, which was only the latest in a long line of stunts that made Han proud of him.

"Last I heard from him, He'd picked up the supplies from the base on Kantorr. He should be near Minas III by now. I wanted to go there too, you know, but…"

"But you had important work here." Han finished for her. "You can't be everywhere, Leia."

"I know, it's just that….I miss being on the ground. Seeing the people I'm fighting with and for." Leia said wistfully. "Being stuck here, running things from afar most of the time,...it can be hard."

Han smiled sadly. They'd always been on the move during the war, and Leia was used to running things from the front, not from behind a desk. Nobody wanted to go back to those days, but nostalgia was a strange thing.

"You'll have your chance to be out there again. In the meantime, you can't take care of anyone if you're collapsing from the workload. So you either take care of yourself, or I talk to her Mothma-ness about your vacation days again." he warned playfully.

"I married a mother hen." Leia said with a playfully exaggerated sigh.

"I mean, I can dance way better than one of those, Your Highness." He said as he got up and extended his hand. "Care to let me demonstrate?"

Leia simply grinned, had her data terminal play the Alderaanian song Mirrorbright, and practically launched herself at her husband. Then for the next few minutes, they were alone in the world as they swayed together to the rhythm of the song. And for the millionth time, Han thought of how lucky he was to have this woman of fire and love for a wife.

Until the sound of a commlink's ping interrupted them.

Han scowled as Leia turned off the music. "I hate whoever that is." He said gruffly as he pulled out his commlink to answer it, and the small hologram revealed the caller to be an old friend. He was a cyborg wearing a blue jumpsuit, with exposed augmentations where half of his face was supposed to be.

"Well, I can't believe you're still alive, so that evens it." Han teased back as Leia giggled. "How are you doing, you old pirate?"

"Better than usual. But I'm afraid this isn't just a social call." The cyborg said seriously. "I have an important message to deliver."

Han frowned. "What message?" He asked, for he knew that Valance was a man of few words most of the time, and would rarely call if it wasn't important.

"I was on Corellia when I got a tip that something may be worth your time." He said. "Unmarked shipments are apparently being shipped from there deeper into the core. Some bribing involved, I think. And they don't seem to be landing on Coruscant where they should be. Figured this might be of interest to the New Republic."

Han's frown deepened, and he could practically hear Leia's concern. "Any idea what's in these shipments?" She asked, her mind likely racing to analyze the situation as usual.

"No clue." Valance admitted. "I'm gonna be honest and say that my source is far from reliable. She approached me at a Casino in Coronet City and ..."

Han raised an eyebrow at the pause.

"Her name is Qi'ra, Han. I know she was the head of Crimson Dawn during the war. She said you two know each other. That it was important for me to tell you this."

Han's heart skipped a beat.

He hadn't seen her since that day on Savareen. He would later learn that she'd ended up replacing Dryden Vos, and he knew that Crimson Dawn had sold intel to the Alliance during the war, before Lando led the campaign to capture their leadership after Bakura. Only Qi'ra hadn't been among the leaders because she'd disappeared around Endor. He'd thought her to be dead; assassinated or disposed of by her successor. And he was surprised that a small part of him was relieved to discover that she was alive.

"Did she tell you anything else?" He asked sternly.

Valance rubbed the back of his head. "Only that she would be at the Temple of the True Vine in three days at noon. She has more to share, but only with you."

Han simply nodded, while Leia put on her best diplomatic face. "Thank you, Beliert." she said. "If you're ever near Naboo, don't be a stranger. You're always welcome, you know."

"Thanks, Princess, but that may not be a good idea given my good looks." He joked, and Han was glad that his friend seemed to be finally coming to terms with his cybernetics. "Let me know if you need backup Solo, and I'll maybe consider lending a hand. Valance out."

"Well, he certainly hasn't changed." Han muttered after the hologram had faded, largely to mask the fact that his own thoughts and emotions were like a storm.

"You don't have to go, you know." Leia said sympathetically, likely reading his thoughts without even using The Force. "We can send a team of operatives to handle things."

Han snorted and shook his head. "I know Qi'ra. She won't talk to anyone but me. And if there's one place I know, it's Corellia. I have to do this... but I'll take the Rogues for backup anyway." He said seriously before flashing one of his famous lopsided grins. "Besides. Don't tell me you're afraid that my ex is gonna steal me from you."

Leia smirked. "I'm not afraid of petty larceny, Laserbrain." she said before leaning in to kiss him.

Kye sat on a luxurious couch in the hold of the Twin Suns, with a small child sleeping in her arms. She was a toddler Zabrak, no older than two years, with pink skin and thin, delicate lines covering her small face. She no longer had any parents thanks to the groundquake, but one of her aunts was thankfully okay and ready to take custody of her.

Kye wondered what the child's fate would be as she stroked her barely-existent horns. They'd both lost their parents at the same age, but at least this little girl would have someone in her life to care for her. Kye hoped it would be someone kind.

The last week on Minas III had been….an experience. And Kye wasn't sure if it was the hardest or the most rewarding one she'd ever had, although she supposed it could be both. They'd barely slept, her and Skywalker, as they worked day and night with the relief workers. Following the third day, the vast majority of the bodies had been pulled from the ruins, and Skywalker helped greatly in that process. But, strangely enough, so had Kye. With some guidance from Luke, she'd begun to sense the presence of survivors as well, eventually. And she'd been reliable enough that the relief workers had turned to her when Skywalker wasn't around.

They'd come to her for guidance. Relied on her, even. She'd saved lives and received more "thank you"s than she could count. It had been difficult seeing all the pain and loss and despair, even with her experience growing up on Nar Shaddaa, where such things weren't uncommon. But she had also seen joy and relief and hope among the survivors, and so many of them had looked at her like she was some kind of hero. Skywalker had awed them with the Jedi's return, and they'd looked at her like she was a future Jedi herself.

Like she was Skywalker's apprentice.

The following days had been somewhat easier, admittedly. With no more people under the debris, their role had shifted to providing aid, food and supplies to the survivors. It had felt good seeing the rebuilding process begin as some buildings were restored, and Kye hoped that it wouldn't take long for life to return to that city. Its people were resilient, and they deserved to stand again.

The sound of the ramp opening rang in her ear, and Skywalker walked into the hold with a tired smile. "Glad to see Mira's still asleep. Her aunt should arrive to pick her up any minute now."

Kye felt a pang of sadness as she stared at the toddler snuggling against her chest. She'd comforted a few of the children during her time on Minas III, but Mira was her favorite, probably because she was so young, she couldn't speak yet. So Kye simply nodded at Skywalker as he sat next to her.

"This was a test, right?" She asked Skywalker, almost accusingly. "You brought me along because you wanted to see if I could be a Jedi." Kye said with just a small hint of pleading. And she hated how desperate she was to pass.

Skywalker simply smiled more and shook his head as he sat next to her. "There's no need for me to test you. I'm willing to teach you as long as you're willing to learn from me. I brought you along because I wanted you to see what being a Jedi truly means." He paused for a few seconds "How did it feel to help those people?"

"It was hard. And it hurt….a lot of the time." she admitted. "But…sometimes it felt good. I mean, we saved lives here. Made a difference."

Luke nodded at that. "And you felt all of that because you had to step outside of yourself to care about the well-being of others. And sometimes caring hurts. Being a Jedi is a hard life because it's about caring for everyone, and giving everything, even our lives if needed, because we care. I wanted you to understand that before you made your choice." He said as he pulled something from his pocket.

It was a string of Silka beads.

"So what will it be?" he asked as he offered them to her "Will you choose to walk this path, even though it won't be easy?"

Kye simply smiled and reached out for her new padawan braid.

Chapter Text

Having grown up on the Smuggler's Moon of Nar Shaddaa, Yavin IV had initially been a bit of a shock to Kye Manaan. For the moon was very much the complete opposite of her homeworld, with its lush jungles, vast lakes, and ancient temples. But perhaps the aspect that had initially unnerved her the most was the quiet.

Both Nar Shaddaa and Yavin IV were worlds buzzing with life. But while the jungle moon was filled with planets and animals and serenity, Nar Shaddaa was filled with people. People who filled it with noise, not just through their actions and vehicles and machines, but also through their thoughts and emotions and intentions that presumably leaked into The Force. Kye had no desire to go back to her homeworld any time soon, but she did wonder if she would be able to withstand so much sentient life in one place now that she knew how to filter out such noise for the most part.

Sitting cross-legged under the shade of a big tree, Kye once again left those thoughts behind and cleared her mind, sinking deeper into The Force than ever before. Skywalker was probably right about Yavin IV being a good world to learn meditation on, and the Tholothian found that she was indeed getting better at it in spite of her earlier restlessness. Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to picture the world around her, and was surprised by the increasing clarity as she turned her focus towards the three stones lying at her feet. And a grin came to her face as she felt them levitate and move around at her command.

"Three at once. Not bad." Luke noted, bringing her out of her semi-trance as her eyes opened. Her master was also sitting cross-legged across from her, almost beaming with pride. "Your telekinesis is getting better."

"What can I say? I'm a natural." She said cockily. "Now when do I move on to the bigger stuff?"

"It's not about the size or moving things with your mind." Luke admonished as he lifted the rocks around him, moving them around effortlessly while talking. "You'll get better as your connection to The Force grows, and it will get easier and quicker. But you have to let go of your preconceptions. There will always be physical strain with the heavier stuff, and limits to what we can do. Otherwise, we'd be flinging moons at enemy spaceships. But for the most part, size only matters if you let it. You just have to remember to remain calm and surrender."

Kye took that in with a thoughtful expression. "I thought you said that The Force both guides us and obeys our commands."

"As an ally, not as a servant." He explained. "You can't use The Force to bend things to your will. You have to approach things with humility and let The Force do the rest once you've done your part."

Kye hummed for a moment. "And did you find that easy during your training?"

Luke smirked as the rocks softly landed. "Not at first. And I've had to learn the hard way that nothing worth it is ever easy. However, I do think you're ready for this." He said before reaching inside the bag next to him for something. And Kye's eyes gleamed as she realized what it was.

It was a lightsaber hilt. Not Skywalker's green-bladed lightsaber, but a sleeker one with a silver-and-gold color scheme.

"This" Luke ignited it to reveal a bright, yellow blade. "is a temple guard's weapon. During the war, I lost my father's lightsaber during my first duel against Darth Vader, so I had to retrieve this one from an old Jedi outpost. Other than mine, it's the only one we have that actually works." he explained before deactivating the weapon to lay it on the ground.

"Now, Lightsabers are an overall simple piece of technology." He continued as the weapon seemed to disassemble on its own, with its parts coming to float in a perfect alignment between them. "The main components are the power cell, the modulation circuits, the blade emitter shroud, the emitter matrix, an activator, and the energy gate. All the components are easy to obtain, aside from this." he pointed at a yellow crystal with a mesmerizing glow. "The Kyber crystal is the heart of the lightsaber. Not only does it focus the energy from the power cell, but it also creates the bond between the Jedi and the weapon."

Kye's attentive reverie was broken with a frown. "A bond…with a lightsaber? I can get bonding with the living, but how do you bond with a glorified plasma cutter?" She asked somewhat sarcastically. And If Skywalker was offended by her remark, he once again didn't show it.

"Because Kyber crystals, while not alive, are resonant within The Force." he explained. "When you form a connection with the crystal, the lightsaber will become….almost like an extension of yourself. And trust me when I say that it can and does make a difference in combat. I know that because my father's lightsaber and this one were good weapons and good tools. But they weren't mine the way the one I built was."

Kye's interest sparked at the explanation. "Okay. So where did the Jedi get their crystals?"

Skywalker nodded towards his astromech who projected an image of a beautiful planet covered in ice, with what seemed to be a giant, ugly excavation trench running along its equator. "This world is called Ilum. For generations, it was one of the most sacred sites for the Jedi. According to everything I've learned, almost every member of the order had to visit it at some point to get their own crystals."

"So, that's where you got your green one?" Kye asked curiously, and Skywalker seemed to grow a bit dejected at her question.

"Unfortunately, no. The world had been under the Empire's control until we liberated it after Endor, so I had to get mine from the black market on Christophsis." He explained. "When you're ready, we'll make the trip to Ilum to make your own lightsaber. Until then, you'll have to settle for my old placeholder."

Kye snorted. "Yeah, there's no rushing the process and all that." she said with a hint of disappointment. "But are you sure I'm ready for a live lightsaber?"

"Oh, it's not very 'live'." He said as he picked up the weapon and ignited it again, before swinging it at the tree's trunk. And to Kye's surprise, the blade bounced off the bark without a trace. "Fun fact about lightsabers; usually they have a non-lethal, low-power setting used for training."

"That's helpful." Kye noted. "I bet the younglings couldn't wait to get their hands on them back then."

"True." Luke admitted before deactivating the weapon once more. "Which is why it was important to teach them that a lightsaber wasn't a toy or a mere weapon. It is a shield, a tool, and most importantly, a big part of our identity both as Jedi and as individuals." he explained before he handed her the cylinder. "When you carry this weapon, people will look at you as someone with both authority and the ability to guide them."

Kye ignited the weapon, admiring it's blade. "Yeah, so it's an important symbol. I got that." she said non-chalantly, even though a not insignificant part of her did understand his words well. "But, how do I start my training with it?"

"For starters, you have to learn the basic Katas." Skywalker said as he got up, causing her to practically spring to her feet. The Jedi ignited his green-bladed weapon with a flourish and confident smile. "Try to keep up."

Kye grinned as she copied his first pose. And what followed was probably the most fun she had since beginning her training.

For Luke Skywalker, the world 'Home' carried complicated meanings.

Some would say that Home was where you felt a sense of belonging and rest, and based on that, Luke wasn't sure if Tatooine had ever been entirely home. Indeed, he'd grown up there, and even surprisingly had plenty of fond memories of his homeworld; be it of his aunt reading him a bedtime story, airspeeder races with his fellow teens, or even a quiet evening of reading or tinkering.

But he also hadn't entirely belonged. He'd been a bit of a misfit back then, largely because of what his friends group had perceived as his childishness, with Biggs being an exception. And while his uncle was the closest thing he'd ever had to a father, they had often argued because Luke's head was 'always in the clouds'. The truth was, Luke had always craved more growing up. He'd always desired an undefined something that he still wasn't sure he could pinpoint. Was it a grand destiny? Or was it something far more mundane like acceptance or another way of life?

He'd craved adventures back then, especially ones where he got to fight oppressors like Jabba or the Empire. But now that he'd known the horrors of combat and the guilt of taking lives, those weren't really desirable anymore. He certainly still liked to explore and to experience new places and cultures and knowledge. But the prospect of striking at villainy had turned into a necessary evil, rather than something to desire.

Yes, Luke sometimes missed Tatooine, but it hadn't been entirely home. Then he'd left to fight the Empire, and home had turned into wherever he and his loved ones were at the moment, considering they'd always been on the move back then. As thus, he was surprisingly still adjusting to life on Yavin IV; to having a stable home once again. And Luke loved Yavin IV, with its quiet and beauty and life. But it still lacked something important, namely his family. For although he didn't miss the war, a part of him missed having Han, Leia and the others nearby most of the time.

And because of that, he was happy to have Kye with him. She was a bright and talented girl, and Luke had high hopes for her as a future Jedi. But perhaps just as importantly, he hoped that as they continued to grow closer, they'd come to view each other as family. The poor girl could certainly use something like that.

Entering his small quarters in the Great Temple, Luke headed towards his desk and grabbed one of his datapads. Coming up with a training program for his first student had been somewhat tricky, and because of that, he was grateful for the knowledge stored inside all the holocrons he'd recovered over the years, especially those prepared by Master Nu. He was about to continue his daily research into the old Jedi lore when his eye was drawn to something else on the desk.

It was a holodisc.

It wasn't of a make that Luke was familiar with. And it certainly wasn't one he had any memory of procuring. His first thought was that Kye had left it for him, but The Force seemed to suddenly scream that it wasn't the case. That it was far more important. So Luke steeled himself before switching on the device, and his eyes widened as the holographic projection of a male Chiss appeared before him. The blue-skinned alien wore a white uniform that looked vaguely imperial, and he seemed to sport a walking cane.

"This message is intended for the eyes of Commander Luke Skywalker." The man said in a cultured, accented voice. And Luke didn't need The Force to know exactly who he was. "My name is Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo of the Galactic Empire and The Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet, and I bid you my sincerest greetings. A year ago, I believe that you met my aide, Ra'a of Clan Bakhtor, on the Planet Devaron. He is the one who has delivered this message to you."

Luke paused the recording and frowned. He'd had his suspicions regarding the identity of the 'masters' behind the alien he'd fought at the Temple of Eedit, and the Chiss had been among the candidates, considering Thrawn had used one of the Noghri. But it was one thing to suspect and another to know for sure, and the reptilian alien's actions had been enigmatic to say the least. The Noghri had twice tested Luke's character by engineering meetings with people Luke would have reasons to kill, and had even indirectly led the Jedi to Jocasta Nu's library, which he'd described as a gift.

Quieting the storm in his mind, Luke took a deep breath and continued playing the message.

"I understand that the last time I was in the known Galaxy, My allegiance had been to The Empire you courageously fought against. As thus, I acknowledge that you have little reason to trust myself or my aide. Nevertheless, I send you this message with an offer of parlay, for I am in need of your assistance, Master Jedi. In exchange, I offer you the release of rebel hero Ezra Bridger, whose exploits I'm sure you are familiar with."

"Included on this holodisc are the coordinates to a rendezvous point at the edge of the Unknown Regions." He continued. "I would request that you meet me there in two weeks from this date, and I leave you with my hopes of a cordial meeting that would benefit us both. Until we formally meet, Commander."

The hologram disappeared as the message ended, and Luke simply sat on his bed in a nearly stunned state, his mind raging as he tried to figure out what to do.

His first thought was that the whole thing was a trap. A way for Thrawn to wipe out the new Jedi order in its cradle. But if that was the case, then why not send assassins to handle things considering he knew where Luke was? Or simply orbitally bombard Yavin IV? The implication that the Noghri had been able to infiltrate Luke's own temple and personal quarters without detection was beyond alarming. It suggested that the alien, who was apparently mildly Force-sensitive, had the ability to cloak his presence in The Force. And that was without mentioning the powerful cloaking devices his starfighter seemed to have.

Luke knew that he'd have to move himself and Kye until they could figure things out. But the more he thought about the message, the more things didn't add up. If Thrawn had survived the Battle of Lothal, then where had he been all these years? Why had he not returned to The Empire? And what was he planning now?

The Jedi's mind raged, with memories of what had happened on Pillio racing through it as theories began to form. Grabbing his commlink, Luke keyed a specific frequency and waited as the call was routed. A few minutes later, the holographic image of a familiar Togruta hovered in front of him.

Luke could sense Kye's awe as the Twin Suns approached Naboo and passed over Theed en route to Starlight City, and he found himself smiling at the memories of his own wonder at every new planet he'd visited during those early days after Yavin.

"As a city rat, I've never seen anything like this before." The Tholothian said as the ship landed at the local starport. "This place makes Nar Shaddaa look even more like a dunghole. And you're saying we'll be staying here for a while?" she asked excitedly, and Luke did his best to hide the fact that he was not happy about the circumstances that had forced them to leave Yavin IV.

"At least until things are under control here." he said as they removed the crash webbings. "My sister has arranged a small apartment for us. Try to leave a good impression."

"Right. Your sister. Who has a different last name and apparently grew up as Princess of Alderaan while you grew up as a farmer in the middle of nowhere." the Tholothan teased as she followed him towards the ramp. "It's not that I don't believe you, but you gotta admit that it's a story for the holothrillers."

"And you'll hear it when we're both ready." Luke said to shut down her probing, although he knew that he wouldn't be able to evade her questions for long. "For now, you should remember that a Jedi is a patient."

The Tholothian's displeasure was clear in The Force as they walked down the ramp, although she wisely chose not to voice it. And Luke was surprised to sense her mood improve somewhat at the sight of Han and his fancy new airspeeder.

"Surprised you two haven't driven each other mad by now." The ex-smuggler said while pulling Luke in for a hug.

"Well, it's not for the lack of trying." Kye said as she shook the former General's hand. "Good to see you again, Captain."

"It's just Han, kid." The Corellian corrected her "I was never one for the titles. Now, come on. Everyone's waiting for the great Jedi at the senate building."

The trip to the great senate dome was fairly uneventful, although it was filled with friendly chatter. Han dropped Luke off at the building before taking Kye to his and Leia's place, much to the Tholothian's hidden unease. And Luke had to remind himself that his student still had trouble getting comfortable around people.

Taking a deep breath, the Jedi centered himself and passed through security to enter the senate dome. Inside, he was greeted by Leia's assistant and old friend Winter, who led him down the hallways and into a well-lit conference room. And Luke found himself smiling at the familiar faces as he greeted them. Ahsoka in particular pulled him in for a warm hug before they took their seats, and Luke was saddened to watch their faces fall as Thrawn's message played.

Luke looked around the room as the message ended, and saw looks of fear, confusion and hope on the faces of those around him. He could feel their minds racing to analyze the information, and the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with his lightsaber.

"This has to be a trap." General Syndulla was the first to speak. "Thrawn's moves are never what they seem to be, and he's anything if not patient. Either he's desperate, or he's planning something. And I'm willing to bet on the latter."

"I don't disagree." Luke acknowledged. "But I still don't see who the trap is for. If his goal was simply to wipe out the new Jedi, he arguably could've done it by now."

"Perhaps." Mon Mothma chimed in. "But I can't help but notice that he never specified what exactly he needs from you, Commander. Does he want you to help broker an alliance between The Ascendancy and The New Republic? Or could it be something that only a Jedi can do?"

"If it's something only a Jedi can do, why would he need Luke when he supposedly has Ezra?" Ahsoka added.

"Because Ezra would never help him, that's why." Commander Sabine Wren objected. "And whatever it is he wants, it can't be good. We've seen what Thrawn can do. And this time he's had years to prepare. He's probably getting ready to attack us right now."

Leia's frown deepened. "That is a disturbing possibility. And unfortunately, it is a strong one. We may be at peace, but between the Empire of The Five and the syndicates, we have plenty of dangerous enemies. We're more vulnerable than we seem, and we don't know what is out there in the Unknown Regions." She turned towards General Cracken. "Is it possible that the Empire has resources out there that we don't know about?"

"Well, They'd likely be meager resources unless they have some shipyards of their own." The Alliance veteran explained. "We've done our best to keep tabs on the Empire's dwindling forces, and the vast majority of their star destroyers are accounted for. The rest are almost confirmed to be with the Deep Core warlords, although I suppose it's possible that Thrawn has a handful."

"But even a handful are nothing to scoff at." General Syndulla noted worriedly. "And we do have to wonder whether the Chiss have any motive to attack us."

"Indeed. NRI has no evidence that there was ever an alliance between The Ascendancy and The Empire aside from Thrawn's involvement with the latter." Cracken noted. "Although the motives behind said involvement remain unclear."

Luke was listening attentively to the discussion, running all the possibilities himself, when he sensed his sister turning her attention towards him. "What do you think, Luke?" she asked. "Are you getting any guidance from The Force about this?"

Luke shook his head. "I'm not sensing danger or deception. But that doesn't mean they're not there."

"Then I say we take a task force to the rendezvous." Sabine said. "I mean, it's not like he asked you to come alone, and he shouldn't fear anything if he's not lying. If there's a chance that Ezra is out there, we have to take it."

Luke gave sad smile, for he was familiar with that tone. It carried the same desperation and hope he'd had in his heart on the way to Bespin all those years ago. But desperation and hope could lead to recklessness, and this wasn't a situation that tolerated brashness. "I agree. But I think we should keep it a microjump away and only take two corvettes as an escort for the Twin Suns." He said. "We can also bring one of the captured interdictors with us just in case."

"That sounds like our best option." General Syndulla agreed. "I'll speak with Wedge to prepare things. And as much as I want to get my hands on Thrawn, it goes without saying that we should avoid turning things into a combat situation."

Luke nodded and caught some of the others doing the same, although he found his mind suddenly drifting to old memories. The Jedi desperately hoped that they wouldn't be dragged into yet another senseless conflict, but The Force seemed to whisper with frustrating vagueness that something dangerous was brewing.

Chapter Text

The Core worlds were largely seen as the crown of The Galaxy, and Corellia was certainly one of the crown's jewels. Covered in vastly distinct cities, gigantic farms, and sprawling shipyards, Han Solo's homeworld was truly a sight to behold. It was a world whose arts, history, culture, and architecture were among the richest and most prominent in the Galaxy. Although, like any other world, it had a dark underbelly where one could find the downtrodden.

Han, of course, was not a stranger to that aspect of Corellia.

For many years, the former rebel had made a conscious effort to avoid Corellia as much as possible, although a few worthy scores or important missions had forced his hand on some occasions. Being home simply stirred up too many bad memories; his mother's death, his father's abandonment, the struggles of being a white worm,...they were too many to count. In many ways, Han had spent years running from his past. Perhaps Bespin had been the result of his past catching up to him for a while, but he was now finally free. Free to move forward with a woman he loved beyond words. To forge a new path with a new family.

But the past was a funny thing, and it had a tendency to rear its ugly head just when you'd started moving away from it. And so, as Han made his way along the outer streets of Coronet City, he found that had mixed feelings about confronting that particular part of his past.

Entering the fancy, outdoors tapcafe next to the Temple of the True Vine, he scanned the place until his eyes fell on her. She was cloaked, and dressed in a fine dress that looked like something out of Leia's wardrobe. She also looked like she'd barely aged since the last time he'd seen her on Savareen.

To Han's surprise, he felt nothing stirring inside him. The ache of betrayal had dulled a long time ago, and there was certainly no longing. Perhaps the only thing that remained was a small desire for closure.

"This seat taken?" He said stoically as he arrived at her table, drawing a sad smile from her.

"Not at all, General." she said with disarming friendliness, gesturing at the chair. And so Han slid into the seat.

"So. An old friend of mine said that you have some important intel for us." Han said with no animosity, noticing that the charming, sad smile was still on her face.

"Straight to the point, then." Qi'ra noted. "You really have changed, haven't you?"

The male Corellian shrugged, "You know I was never one for small talk. And It's not like there's much else for us to talk about." He said with a sad smile of his own. "It's been a long time, you know."

And we're not the same people we were back then. He thought.

"I suppose you're right." she admitted. "But I still want to say that I'm sorry ... .about Savareen. About everything." she paused, and Han doubted that she was actually searching for words. Qi'ra had always been good with those. "The Truth is, you were always the best of us back then. By the time we'd found each other again, The underworld had changed me. I couldn't bear the thought of it changing you. And I couldn't walk away back then, either. Not with who I answered to in the picture. "

"Yeah, well. I guess I'll try to believe that." Han said, again with no malice. Perhaps it was the truth, and perhaps it was simply what allowed her to sleep at night. Most likely, it was a bit of both. "And I suppose that, looking back, I really wouldn't change a thing about how things went for me, anyway." he continued.

"I suppose you wouldn't." Qi'ra acknowledged, taking a sip from her drink. "Han Solo: war hero, respected businessman, and consort to the last Princess of Alderaan. It almost sounds like something out of a fairy tale."

Han smirked. "Yeah, well, I tend to pinch myself every morning for a good reason."

Qi'ra's expression continued to soften. "Please don't. It's nothing you don't deserve. We'd both wanted nothing but to survive back then, but you…actually managed to thrive."

Han shook his head. He had been a survivor for a long time. Just him and Chewie against an uncaring Galaxy. But then he'd met the people who'd taught him how to live. How to be something more. "It's about belonging, I guess." He said. "It took me a long time to learn that, like it or not, we're all part of something bigger. And I guess I eventually chose what I wanted to be a part of."

Qi'ra nodded sadly. "I suppose I too became part of something bigger with Crimson Dawn. I thought that climbing its ranks and gaining more and more power in the underworld would protect me. But even as head of the syndicate, I was never safe."

Han smiled sadly again. Perhaps at her core, Qi'ra had always been that vulnerable, scared girl he'd known on Corellia. Perhaps everything she'd done ever since had been her attempt at taking control of her surroundings, so that no one would be able to hurt her again. And perhaps that was simply how she presented herself at the moment to gain his sympathy. He had no way to know for certain, and he wasn't sure that he cared. "Yeah. I've been around the underworld long enough to know that no one who plays that game is ever safe. And there's always someone gunning for the crown. In your case, I'm guessing that person was Arakan."

Qi'ra took another sip from her drink. "Not exactly." She explained. "Arakan did covet my position, but I was the one who surrendered it to him when I faked my death. I'd gathered enough credits and resources to fade away, and I suppose that I'd gotten tired of the game."

"So you went for an early retirement." Han noted. "I suppose that's a better outcome than most. But I'm also guessing that you still have plenty of eyes around The Galaxy, if the intel is really that important."

"You're not wrong." Qi'ra conceded with a smirk before sliding a datapad his way, which he picked up with a raised eyebrow.

"According to my sources around Corellia and the rest of the core, these shipments launching from Coronet City were actually transported by various shell shipping companies belonging to Black Sun." She explained. "Nothing unusual on the surface. The manifests list all sorts of supplies and miscellanea, but I managed to get a look at what's actually being transported by some of the freighters."

Han frowned at the news. "Which is?"

"Mainly basic droid components, processed durasteel, some doonium, tibanna, and blaster components." she continued to explain. "And this is not standard smuggling. A convoy would launch from Corellia, and only two thirds of it would arrive at the destination. The rest of the ships seem to head for the deep core."

Han grew alarmed as he examined the data, which highlighted a lot of well-handled creative accounting done to mask the smuggling. The scale was also beyond alarming. "You could build a decent droid battalion with this stuff. Perhaps even a bulk cruiser or two." he noted. "You're saying that Black Sun is in bed with the deep core warlords?"

"It certainly seems like it." Qi'ra said before taking yet another sip from her drink. "And I'd say they're quite good at covering their tracks, considering it took me months to gather this data. I knew I had to have something concrete before I came to you."

Han's frown deepened. The New Republic was aware that smuggling was a potential problem when it came to how the warlords got their supplies, but this scale was concerning. And Who knew just how much was smuggled before Qi'ra and her people took note?

"NRI is definitely gonna have a field day with this. And I don't think they'll like the fact that you have more eyes around Corellia than they do." he noted with a raised eyebrow "But I do have to ask; why did you go through the trouble of getting all of this for us?"

"In other words, what is my angle?" Qi'ra said as her sad smile returned. She paused again, as if looking for words. "Let's just say that I have my own reasons for wanting the old Empire gone." she explained. "The Warlords are the worst of its remnants. So I might as well do some good for a change."

Han stared at her with a small frown. He didn't entirely believe her. But he didn't know if she was lying either. "NRI is going to have to verify this stuff." he said before gesturing for a waiter droid. "And I'm gonna need a drink of my own if we're gonna go over it."

Located in the galactic west beyond the Outer Rim, the aptly named Unknown Regions had always been a mystery to space travellers of all species. Known for being even more treacherous to travel than the deep core, Unknown space was a dangerous place to navigate due to supernovae, black holes, gravity wells, and even stranger phenomena. Such hazards made navigation computers unreliable within the Unknown Territories, earning them the obscure nickname 'Chaos'.

But the Unknown Regions were certainly not uninhabitable. For while the species that lived within and beyond Unknown Space tended to be reclusive, there were plenty of recorded encounters with them. And perhaps no species was more prevalent in the accounts than the blue-skinned Chiss. According to the mission briefing, the proud warrior-race was well-known in wild space, although it was difficult to separate myth from truth regarding them, and they were generally regarded to be a rare sight. Some speculated that they had long ago abandoned the mapped Galaxy for Unknown Space, while many researchers were convinced that their origins were a result of human colonization of the Unknown Territories.

Sitting in the mainhold of Luke Skywalker's J-Type Nubian Starship, Sabine Wren stared vacantly at the dejarik table, her mind not entirely focused on the game. Recalling the movement rating of her scrimp, she moved the piece to set up an attack, only for Ahsoka's houjix to remove it from the board.

The Togruta tutted. "You're getting sloppy." she teased half-heartedly.

Sabine simply snorted. "Maybe you're just using The Force to influence my mind." she joked tiredly before sighing. "Sorry. I'm not exactly at the top of my game right now."

"I can imagine." Ahsoka said empathetically. "We're getting close, now. Are you worried that it might be a trap?"

"Of course I am." The Mandalorian said somewhat hastily. "Thrawn's moves are never what they seem to be. He's outwitted us before, and we all know that he might do it again."

Ahsoka shrugged. "You're not wrong. But I don't think a trap or a fight is what has you wound up so tightly. This is about Ezra, isn't it?"

Sabine sighed again. Nothing seemed to get past these Force Sensitives. "Eight years. He's been Thrawn's captive for nearly eight years now. Who knows what they've done to him?" Who knows what he's going to be like? she thought

Ahsoka opened her mouth, probably to comfort her, then closed it again and sighed. "Ezra is strong and smart. Whatever they throw at him, I know he won't break." She said before their game was interrupted by Skywalker's astromech entering the room with a series of beeps.

Ahsoka smiled at the sight of the old droid. "Thanks Artoo." she said as she got up and turned to Sabine. "Come on. We're about to exit hyperspace."

Almost reluctantly, Sabine got up and followed her friend into the cockpit, just in time for Skywalker to pull the lever and bring them back into real space.

"Remind me again why we're taking a fancy yacht on a mission like this?" Sabine asked, drawing a smile from the Jedi.

"Don't worry. She's tougher than she looks." he said confidently as he slowly brought them closer to the lone capital ship in the distance.

"He's not wrong, you know." Ahsoka said to her. "I'm told that she's been modified by someone very good with ships." The Togruta explained, and Sabine got the sense that she was missing some private joke between the two force users.

"Uh-huh. And how exactly did you come to own a Naboo Royal Starship again?" The Mandalorian asked, and Skywalker's smile widened into a grin.

"I stole her from Darth Vader's castle." He explained nonchalantly. "Naboo donated her to the New Republic after we liberated it, and Mon Mothma gave her to me when I left service. In spite of my objections, might I add."

Sabine was about to retort with a snarky comment when the comm system sounded. "Unidentified ship, this is The Steadfast of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. Please State your name and business." A female voice spoke in accented basic, which was surprising, to say the least.

"Greetings Steadfast. This is the Twin Suns representing the New Republic fleet. We are here with an invitation from Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo. The Corvettes trailing behind us are a ceremonial escort." Skywalker explained as the Chiss Heavy Cruiser grew closer.

There was a pause on the other end before the voice spoke again. "Very Well, Twin Suns. You are cleared to land in docking bay three. Transmitting Instructions to your navcomputer."

"Acknowledged, Steadfast." The Jedi said after confirming. "Coming in for a landing. Over."

A few minutes later, the former rebels walked down the ramp into one of the Chiss Cruiser's pristine hangars. Glancing around, they noticed that a female Chiss in a white military uniform was heading towards them, flanked by what seemed to be her honor guard.

"Greetings, ambassadors." She addressed them stoically in the same accented basic from earlier as she arrived. "I am Admiral Ar'alani of the Chiss Ascendancy. I assume you are Master Jedi Skywalker?" she said, turning her attention to Luke.

"That I am." Skywalker said firmly but with a hint of friendliness as he shook her hand. "And These are Colonel Ahsoka Tano and Commander Sabine Wren representing the New Republic."

"It's an honor to meet all three of you." The Chiss said with a small bow, before fixing her gaze on The Mandalorian. "Especially Commander Wren. Admiral Thrawn spoke very highly of her abilities. Now, if you'd please follow me, we can begin the negotiations."

"I have to say, it is a bit of a surprise to hear you speak our language." Sabine said as they followed The Chiss down equally pristine hallways, still irritated by The Admiral's earlier remark. "Chiss are more associated with the Sy Bisti trade language, to our knowledge."

"Indeed we are. However, We did learn the language you call basic years ago from a group of visitors." Ar'alani explained. "It is not commonly taught, but there are those of us who speak it with some fluency."

Sabine subtly pursed her lips. She didn't like being caught off-guard, and the Chiss were nothing short of enigmatic. Skywalker and Ahsoka didn't seem particularly tense regarding the situation, but force users were good when it came to hiding fear and anxiety.

The Chiss Admiral and her entourage soon arrived at a small, well-lit room with a large table at its center and a human man, who seemed to be in his mid-thirties, seated at said table. He had black hair, tanned skin and an easy smile. The Admiral introduced him as Commander Eli Vanto, formerly of the Galactic Empire, and currently of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet.

"It's an honor meeting you all." The man said courteously with a distinctive Wild Space accent, as he got up to shake their hands.

"Likewise, Commander." Skywalker said with the same professional friendliness from earlier, although Sabine could tell that he too was surprised to see the fellow human. "I must say that you're an unexpected sight."

Vanto's smile widened. "A human among the Chiss tends to have that effect." he said as he gestured to the chairs. "Please have a seat, Admiral Thrawn should be here shortly.

"I take it that you know the Admiral personally?" Ahsoka probed as they sat down. For while the man seemed friendly, the fact that he was apparently a former imperial made the group rightfully on edge.

"Indeed, I do." Vanto said proudly. "I served as Thrawn's aide for much of his career with The Empire. Eventually, thinking that my abilities were more useful here, he recruited me for the Ascendancy. Word of what happened to Alderaan eventually got here and, Needless to say, I was pretty relieved that I was no longer with The Empire."

"Really? And what exactly were the Admiral's personal thoughts on Alderaan?" Sabine said, almost sarcastically. "Because last time we met, he didn't seem to care that much about innocent lives."

Vanto's smile seemed to tighten, but he didn't lose his friendliness. "Well, The Admiral actually fell into a coma shortly after what happened at Lothal. He woke up about a year ago, and when he was all caught up, he expressed a lot of regret regarding The Death Star. He was never entirely a supporter of the Tarkin Doctrine, and he finds such waste of life to be both reprehensible and illogical. He also had objections regarding the Death Star from a tactical point of view, which he'd actually expressed to the Emperor back when he was with The Empire."

Sabine snorted. "Sounds like a case of the quacta calling the stifling slimey."

"With all due respect, Admiral Thrawn bombarded civilians on Lothal." Skywalker noted, backing her up. "Just because the death toll was smaller, doesn't mean that it's not just as reprehensible."

"That order came from The Imperial Palace, actually." Vanto said. "And I've been told that the civilian populace was heavily involved in the insurgency."

"Do you believe that excuses it? Considering you're here, Commander. I'd hope that you don't believe in blindly following orders." Ahsoka said. "For too many atrocities have been committed in the name of obedience."

Vanto sighed and gave a sad smile. "I don't disagree, Colonel. And I understand why you don't think highly of the Admiral. But if I know one thing, it's that Thrawn is ultimately on the side of life. He's a pragmatist, and he can be harsh, but everything he does is for the greater good. And I know that the greater good is too often used to justify inexcusable things, but I can assure you that Thrawn is not like Tarkin, Vader or The Emperor in that regard."

Sabine's lips tightened and she was about to retort when the door swung open to admit the man being discussed. He seemed thinner than she remembered, and was walking with a fancy crutch, but he was undoubtedly Thrawn himself.

"I apologize for my delay," he said as he walked towards his seat, his piercing gaze clearly analyzing them. "And I must say that it is a pleasure meeting you all."

"Can't say I feel the same." Sabine said stoically, thankful for the fact that she was unarmed. She didn't trust herself at the moment.

To his credit, Thrawn took her comment in stride. "I do not begrudge you that, Commander Wren. But I am sincerely honored to meet you again." He said as he took his seat.

"I think it's best to discuss why you invited us here, Admiral." Skywalker said stoically in an attempt to defuse the situation. True to the reputation of a Jedi.

Thrawn smiled sardonically. "I appreciate the punctuality, Master Jedi. I can see that you are more skilled at diplomacy compared to your father. Although you do seem to share his directness."

Something Sabine couldn't identify flashed across Skywalker's face. "You knew my father?"

Thrawn nodded "We met once, during the clone wars when he was on a mission in the outer rim. We were allies for the duration of said mission, and I found him to be a cunning warrior, and a courageous one." He said before turning his attention to Ahsoka. "I've also studied the strategies of his battles alongside Colonel Tano, and found them to be... bold and creative, to say the least."

Ahsoka raised her chin and fixed her intense gaze on Thrawn. "And did you study the tactics of every Jedi General, Admiral?"

"I regret that I never had the time for such an endeavor." Thrawn said with a shadow of a smirk. "But I am familiar with many of the Generals and key battles of the clone wars. Either way, I'm afraid that we're getting off topic." He said as he produced a holodisc of an unfamiliar design. A switch was clicked, and a holographic projection of a celestial aggregate appeared before them.

"This is The Redoubt cluster." Thrawn explained. "It is located near the Utegetu Nebula and contains no less than ten habitable worlds that we know of. Exploration of the cluster by the Chiss Defense Fleet only began in earnest relatively soon. As thus, there's still much that we don't know about it, especially with navigation being made difficult by high radiation levels, and the proximity of stars to each other."

"One month ago. A team was sent into The Redoubt on a mission taking place on one of the habitable planets." said Commander Vanto. "Unfortunately, we lost contact with the team shortly after landing. Our current objectives are to complete the mission, retrieve the team and bring them back to The Ascendancy."

"That sounds straightforward enough." Sabine said with a frown, trying to figure out their angle and why they'd asked for Skywalker's aid. This didn't seem like something that needed the Jedi specifically.

"I'm afraid that it isn't that simple." Vanto objected. "Like we said, navigation is tricky within the cluster, and there are only a few safe routes into The Redoubt. Navcomputers are also highly unreliable once you're inside it. Because of that, The Ascendancy needed someone with a gift known here as 'third sight' to guide the ship."

"I take it that "third sight" is what the Chiss call The Force?" Ahsoka asked, and Sabine's heart skipped a beat when she saw where this was going.

"Indeed." Thrawn confirmed. "Commander Bridger has been ... a semi-reluctant collaborator of The Ascendancy during his imprisonment. Because of that, he was chosen to act as navigator of the scouting Vessel known as Chaf Envoy II, and to lead the mission to planet Doreena-1. If we are to succeed at completing the mission, we would require the expertise of another Jedi."

Skywalker fixed his gaze on the hologram. "I have some experience with the concept." he admitted, almost reluctantly. "But I'd also guess that Commander Bridger's original mission wasn't simple mapping."

Vanto gave an almost-smirk. "And you'd be correct, Master Jedi." he said as his fingers danced on his datapad, and the holodisc shifted the image into one of a strange alien species. The alien looked vaguely humanoid, but with stubby legs and four-toed feet. It had comparatively large hands, violet eyes, and two mouths; each with two sets of small teeth.

"This is an image representing a Vagaari warrior." he explained. "They were once a great race of nomadic conquerors and slavers who at some point flew freely through this region of space, taking and destroying at will, particularly among the smaller species and worlds. Although they aren't officially labeled as enemies of The Ascendancy, The Chiss have engaged them in combat before. We believe Doreena-1 to be their current stronghold."

"My people have a strong policy against preemptive strikes." Thrawn elaborated. "Commander Bridger's mission was to gather evidence of any upcoming attacks by the Vagaari, while collecting as much intel as possible about their military strength. Unfortunately, we lost contact with his team shortly after they landed."

"I understand that this is a lot to ask, but you might be the only people who have a chance at success." Commander Vanto said. "We will provide you with a state of the art stealth vessel and plenty of commando support. Although I must admit that even with all available resources, success is far from guaranteed. That being said, there is a lot at stake here, including a whole lot of innocent lives."

In spite of the fear tying her stomach into knots, Sabine looked at Thrawn, and couldn't resist the urge to smirk. "We've succeeded against worse odds."

Hang on Ezra. She thought. We're coming to bring you home.

Chapter Text

The Chaf Envoy was, in Luke's humble opinion, an impressive ship to say the least. Spanning over two hundred meters in length, with flat planes and angular edges predominating the hull design, Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano’s diplomatic vessel was vastly different from any other design Luke had seen over the years. The ship's highly distinctive appearance reminded him of a half-finished sculpture of a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, with its roughly hewn form not yet smoothed into curves.

Standing in one of the ship’s two half-bays, Luke gazed at the Redoubt Cluster through the magnetic field as he patiently awaited the briefing for their upcoming mission. Gazing into open space was a habit he'd cultivated over the years he'd served in the Rebellion, and the Jedi found that it helped immensely when it came to centering himself before dangerous missions.

Strange footsteps sounded behind him, but Luke could guess who they belonged to before he turned around. And, sure enough, the Noghri warrior he’d encountered at Devaron was approaching him with the same cat-like grace he'd displayed then, though he seemed more relaxed at the moment.

“Master Jedi.” The Noghri greeted him with a bow. “It is an honor to meet you again. I'm pleased to serve alongside you this time, and I hope that our previous encounter hasn't left an entirely negative impression of my person.”

“The honor is mine…. Ra’a, wasn't it?” Luke smiled politely and shook the Noghri’s hand, though he was still slightly on edge. He'd never sensed maliciousness from the Noghri, but he also hadn’t forgotten some of the actions the warrior had carried out on his master’s behalf. “I have to say you’re quite eloquent for a soldier."

“Thank you. My duties to The Admiral and The Ascendancy require many skills, proper conversation being one of them,” he explained with pride.

Luke’s piercing gaze examined the warrior for a moment. “And as The Admiral’s personal agent, I'm guessing that you needed to know Basic to operate outside of Chiss Space?” 

The Noghri gave a toothy approximation of a smirk. "Indeed you are correct. My missions for The Ascendancy have taken me on many distant travels.” He paused, as if steeling himself. “You do not trust the Admiral, do you, Master Jedi?”

Luke subtly raised an eyebrow. He recognized that they were both probing at each other. "I've spent most of my adult years fighting against The Empire. It's hard for me to trust an Imperial Grand Admiral, even an inactive one.”

The Noghri nodded. “I understand. Allegiances can be complex. Still, I encourage you to keep an open mind. The Admiral is not as bad as he may seem to you.”

Luke resisted the urge to purse his lips. "Well, he certainly seems to inspire loyalty in those around him.” He noted diplomatically, thinking of Commander Vanto. “Do all the Noghri serve in The Ascendancy?” 

If the reptilian warrior was offended by the question, he didn't show it. “My people are a proud and noble race, not much different from the Chiss in that regard.” He explained. “Our clans value peace and lead simple lives, so when the marauders known as the Grysks attacked us decades ago, we were sadly ill-prepared. The Chiss eventually came to our aid, liberating many of us, and our finest warriors have served them since then.”

Images flashed across Luke's mind. Images of the vision he'd had while standing in the ancient temple on Oddonis Prime. The same vision that had shown him Ra’a's people under attack by an unfamiliar alien race.

“And the Chiss have been most grateful for the Noghri's service.” Thrawn’s voice interrupted his thoughts as he approached them, limping slightly, and Luke found himself tensing internally on instinct. There was something about the former Grand Admiral that put him on edge.

“Ra’a. May I have a few words in private with Master Skywalker?”

“Of course, Admiral.” The warrior said before nodding at Luke. "It's been a pleasure having this conversation, Master Jedi.” He turned around and hurried away.

The pair of them said nothing until they were alone. Then Thrawn broke the silence.

“First, I wanted to express my gratitude for your aid, Master Skywalker.” Thrawn said, once they were alone. “And to offer my condolences for the death of your father. I cannot imagine that it was easy to take a parent’s life. However, you can rest assured that your father's identity shall remain our secret.”

Luke smiled sadly, and resisted the urge to smirk at the subtle threat. Ra'a had called him ‘son of Vader’ on Devaron, so Thrawn’s knowledge of his parentage was no surprise. But it also seemed that the Admiral wasn’t as omniscient as rumor would suggest. He took some comfort in that fact. “Thank you, Admiral. Though you'll have to excuse me if I remain skeptical of your promises.”

“Excuse granted.” Thrawn said. “I understand that you and your allies have little reason to trust me or The Ascendancy.”

‘You're not wrong,’ Luke thought wryly. They were taking an awful risk in their attempt to save Ezra Bridger. But Luke also hoped that they were fighting for the right side when it came to their upcoming mission. The Chiss had shown them evidence of The Vagaari’s atrocities, and he hadn't sensed any deception from them.

But just because they think they’re justified here doesn’t mean they are, Luke thought. All the knowledge we have of the Vagaari right now is just what they chose to give us.

Putting his thoughts aside for the moment, he remarked, “Indeed. Personally, I can't say that I appreciate your agent putting lives in danger just to test me.”

“That I also understand.” The Chiss said with an almost remorseful expression. “And I hope that you yourself would understand that the things you saw and learned here made such tests necessary. It would be foolish to trust just anyone even with what little we’ve revealed to you and your allies.”

“And was trying to kill me on Pillio also necessary?” Luke said accusingly. “Correct if I'm wrong, but it was your aide who put us on the path to finding the Emperor's observatory, where we found the maps that I assume you made. Maps you probably wanted destroyed to protect your people, hence why they tracked us to Pillio and blew up the observatory in the confusion.”

Thrawn gave another irritatingly confident smile. "I can see that you are as clever as your father was. That sequence of events is not inaccurate. But killing you, or Agent Jade, was never my objective. The commander in charge of the mission was merely overzealous, and wanted the observatory destroyed before anyone could copy the data.”

Luke frowned slightly, mentally noting that the Chiss agents had also identified Mara during that mission. And he was willing to guess that the orders to destroy the observatory had likely come from high up in the chain of command. Possibly from Thrawn himself, though he had no way to prove it. “That is rather convenient, if you ask me.”

Thrawn's smile didn't disappear. “A Warrior does not believe in convenience or serendipity, Master Jedi. Rather he manipulates his situations to the best of his ability, and does his best to adapt when those situations change.”

“I don't view myself as a warrior, but I am inclined to agree,” Luke replied.

A young Chiss woman approached the pair just as Luke finished speaking, cutting the conversation short.

“Excuse me, Admiral. Master Skywalker.” she said with a miniscule bow. “General Drask is ready for the briefing in the war room.”

“Thank you, Feesa." Thrawn said politely. "If you'll follow me, Master Jedi.”

Arriving at the war room, Luke noticed that Ahsoka, Commander Wren, and the Noghri Commandos were already gathered in front of the Holoprojector. General Prard'ras'kleoni, core name Drask, was tampering with the device in preparation. He was tall and lean, with dusky red facings on his black uniform. The expression on his face made it clear that he was less than pleased by the notion of working with outsiders. Still, his professionalism demanded that he put those prejudices aside for the moment. 

“Now that we're all here, I suppose we can begin the briefing." He said coolly, as he activated the holoprojector, which displayed a large, primitive looking warship with strange, protruding bubbles orbiting an unremarkable planetoid.

"Unfortunately, the scans sent by Jedi Bridger's team - before they were shot down - proved somewhat inconclusive.” The General said. "We have a good analysis of the Vagaari warship, but we don't know much about the planetside outpost beyond its size and general layout.”

"The objective is simple. You will be provided with a stealth vessel and two squads of Noghri commandos.” He continued. “Once you've made it to the surface of the planetoid, your objective will be to infiltrate the outpost and retrieve any survivors, along with any intelligence you can find regarding imminent Vaagari attacks.”

Luke could sense Ahsoka's frown before seeing it. “Sounds like we're simply repeating what Ezra has already attempted while hoping that things will go differently this time.” she said. “And we still don't even know how they managed to shoot down Ezra’s stealth vessel.”

"Indeed, we are unfortunately going in somewhat blind.” Drask acknowledged reluctantly. “However, this time we have a much better understanding of the situation thanks to Jedi Bridger's reconnaissance, which you’ll be briefed on shortly, and a significantly larger team. I'd say that the odds are much more acceptable this time around.”

Luke’s mind raged as it ran over the possibilities, and The Force seemed to whisper that not all was what seemed. Had the relatively primitive Vagaari discovered a way to detect the advanced cloaking of the Chiss? Or was the truth something much simpler?

“General.” He said. "I think I might know how they managed to detect Ezra's ship. And I might know how to even our odds a little.”

Sitting at the helm station of Csilla’s Embrace, Luke's senses told him that the journey to Doreena-1 was nearing its end. He was surprised by the fact that he sensed no astonishment from the crew at his feat of flying the stealth vessel with his eyes closed. It almost felt like this was a common occurrence to them, although the mild apprehension he sensed from Commander Wren told him that this sort of trip was very much a first for her.

His eyes snapping open, Luke turned to one of the Chiss officers on board. “Almost there. Activate the cloak.”

“Affirmative. Cloaking in three.” The Chiss said as his fingers danced across the controls, and Luke nodded towards Ahsoka, who quickly took over at the helm and pulled the lever to bring them out of hyperspace.

A sudden wave of pain and despair seemed to wash over Luke's senses the instant they entered realspace, and Ahsoka's grimace told him that she'd felt it too. Everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to the Vagaari war ship, and specifically to the bubbles where slaves were being kept to be used as human shields. Luke’s doubts about fighting the Vagaari seemed to evaporate at the malice he sensed, and his companions all had an air of righteous fury.

“They're powering up their heat seeking missiles." The Chiss officer said with clear surprise. "How could they possibly detect us?”

"I have my theory. And we have our countermeasures.” Luke said confidently as he got into his enviro-suit, and the crew’s doubts seemed to evaporate at his words. Ahsoka flashed him an encouraging grin, and flew the cloaked Csilla’s Embrace towards the Vagaari warship. Luke could only imagine the tension of the Vagaari crew as he headed for the airlock, his faithful astromech trailing behind him.  

“Remind me again why you brought those droidekas with you? How do you even have them?” Sabine asked as two destroyer droids followed Luke and Artoo into the airlock.

The Jedi merely smiled. “I got them from an old friend." He said, then hit the switches to close the airlock and evacuate its contents, himself included, into open space. Activating his borrowed jetpack, he moved towards the enemy ship’s forward airlock, briefly flying past some very confused prisoners. The droidekas, under R2’s manual command, followed closely behind him using their rocket boosters. The astromech trailed behind them. 

An explosion flashed behind the Jedi as one of the powerful missiles made an impact, and Luke's senses told him that the pair of missiles had indeed hit the heat-simulating decoy body ejected by Sabine Wren from the cargo hold of Csilla's Embrace. The fact that no more missiles were being fired meant that the stealth vessel would likely be able to land on the rocky and unremarkable surface of Doreena-1 without much obstruction. Reaching out with The Force, Luke manipulated the airlock’s internal mechanism until it snapped open, allowing himself and his droid allies to slip into the vessel.

The yellow hallways of the Vagaari warship were plain, aside from the hatches on one side that led into the “bubbles" where the prisoners were being kept. Luke's senses told him that the ship wasn't heavily manned, and that the bridge was as close by as the layout had suggested. Drawing his lightsaber, the Jedi dashed down the hallways and towards the bridge, sending the occasional incoming blaster bolts back to their confused senders. Eventually, he found himself in front of a large doorway that slid open at his command.

The Vagaari on the bridge were clearly unprepared for him, but they reacted quickly. Without a moment’s hesitation they drew their blasters and fired upon him from all sides. Luke’s lightsaber whirled before him as he deflected the bolts, protecting himself as R2’s droidekas returned fire, cutting down the enemy in droves.

Suddenly, Luke noticed a terrified young Chiss girl standing in the left corner of the bridge, being held at blaster point by a male Vagaari, who seemed to be the ship’s Captain. R2 saw her as well, and immediately the droidekas stopped firing.

The Vagaari also ceased fire just as the Captain stepped in front of the group, still holding the gun to his shaking prisoner’s temple.

“Stop!” The Captain growled in Sy Bisti, “Unless you want her head to explode, you’ll put down your weapon and stand down." As he spoke, the doors of the bridge closed again behind the Jedi.

“You don't want to hurt her. You want to let her go and stand down." Luke said in an almost hypnotic tone. The alien grimaced, and Luke could sense that he was fighting to resist the mind trick. The other Vagaari weren't as strong-willed, however, and the Jedi could feel them relaxing their hold on their weapons.

“And why would I want to do that?" the alien said, confused by Luke's actions and somewhat in a daze that slurred his speech. "Do you think…that I would simply….obey?"

‘No. I just needed to buy a few seconds for sleeping gas to take effect’. the Jedi thought, as one-by-one, each of the Vagaari began falling asleep on the floor. The Chiss prisoner started to collapse as well, and Luke slowed her descent with the force, setting her head down gently.

Luke ran to the girl to check on her, while Artoo, who had emptied one of the sleeping gas canisters he had been carrying as soon as the doors had closed, beeped proudly at his master.

“Good work as always, buddy.” Luke said with a smile, then began to gather the Vagaari’s weapons to place them in Artoo’s storage compartment. The droid then ordered his droidekas to stand guard outside, before locking the door again. A few canisters of sleeping gas were then emptied into the ship's air vents by the astromech.

After making sure that the door to the bridge was properly sealed, Luke routed the ship’s comm system through his enviro-suit’s commlink and proceeded to contact Csilla's Embrace. “This is Skywalker. We have the bridge. I repeat, we have the bridge.” he said, glancing at the poor Chiss girl laid to rest in front of the viewports.

“Affirmative.” Ahsoka's voice came over the comms. “We were able to land near the outpost. Operation is proceeding as planned. Over.”

“Copy that. My Sy Bisti’s a little rusty, but I'll check through the ship’s computers for anything that might help. Skywalker out.”

Glancing sadly again at the Chiss girl, Luke’s gut twisted as he realized that his theory had indeed been correct. He'd guessed that the Vagaari had a force sensitive, possibly a slave, on board their ship. That girl was probably their navigator, and had likely reacted to the sudden appearance of Ezra Bridger’s presence in The Force. Her senses were also probably how the Vagaari had detected Csilla's Embrace, and Ezra's vessel before that.

Closing his eyes Luke sank into the Force and sensed another presence, which he guessed was that of Ezra Bridger. His fellow Jedi seemed to be alive, albeit drained and in dull pain. Luke was willing to bet that the Vagaari didn't go easy on prisoners of war.

Opening his eyes, the Jedi steeled himself and began to tie up the surviving Vagaari bridge crew. He still had a computer to check, but he could barely focus through the misery of the prisoners and the sight of the young Chiss navigator.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of his depressingly grey cell in the Vagaari outpost, Ezra Bridger was keenly aware of many things surrounding him, like the concern of the Noghri Commandos who'd come with him on the mission. The Vagaari had done a number on him two days ago, but his body was nearly recovered, and he was more than ready to leave that place. 

But what had truly caught his attention during his mediative trance was the sudden appearance of three different individuals at the edge of his consciousness, signifying their arrival at the system. The first person was undoubtedly his old friend Ahsoka Tano; as strong as ever, and even more tempered by time. The second presence he would recognize anywhere; for even though she wasn't particularly strong in The Force, his bond to Sabine Wren had always been strong. For she was the closest thing he'd ever had to a sister. 

The third one, however, was largely unfamiliar, although it was undoubtedly the strongest. That presence hadn't approached the planetoid, although Ezra could tell that it was still relatively close and definitely within the system. The young Jedi was beginning to retreat from his meditative trance when he realized that Ahsoka and Sabine were much closer than he'd expected, and getting closer still. 

He opened his eyes to find one of the commandos staring anxiously at the cell door, although curiosity was on her face as well. The Noghri had all come to a stand, their superior senses already attuned to the commotion Ezra could sense. Blasterfire and a familiar hum could be heard, and their sounds were growing closer. 

Ezra couldn't help the grin that came to his face. “You might wanna stand back guys." He said with the same grin as he rose, and his companions obeyed. They'd learned to trust his instincts over the years.

A lightsaber slash from the outside sliced through the metal door’s lock, and it slowly opened to reveal a squad of Noghri and the familiar sight of Ahsoka Tano. She was dressed in grey robes and wielded her old white-bladed lightsabers, and while she seemed a little older, Ezra saw the same old spark in her eyes. Sabine suddenly ran into view, her armor as loud and colorful as ever. 

There was a brief moment of silence as they all stared at each other, and Ezra could feel the longing and joy radiating from his old friends. “Well, you sure took your time." He joked, and a grin appeared on Ahsoka's face as well. 

Sabine removed her helmet and practically ran towards him, before pulling him in for a hug that would've made Zeb choke. 

“And you sure didn't make it easy, laser brain.” she said as she broke away to take him in. “Wow. I never thought you could pull off a beard. Shows what I know.”

"Hate to break up the moment, but I suggest we postpone the reunions until after we escape.” Ahsoka said, having turned around to take a defensive stance. And Ezra could sense the Vagaari on their way from the other end of the outpost. 

“She's got a point.” Sabine said as she reached for a familiar cylinder hanging by her waist. She handed it to Ezra, who ignited the green blade with the same look he'd given when he first ignited his old blue lightsaber. 

He turned to the Noghri “Vacation is over, guys. Let's get out of here.” he said before stepping outside of the cell. Something caught his eye as he looked down the hall, causing him to frown in confusion. “Is that a destroyer droid? Where did you get that?”

“From a friend. Now, come on.” Sabine said, before leading the way down the corridors. And although they ran into quite a few Vagaari, the aliens were no match for them. Ahsoka, Ezra and the Droideka largely formed an impenetrable defense, while few could shoot as well as a Mandalorian warrior. And the fact that they had two squads of Noghri Commandos on their side certainly helped. 

"Hate to be a downer, but there's a Vagaari warship in orbit." Ezra said as they stepped out of the outpost. He knew that his friends’ stealth vessel was near, but the possibility of the Vagaari shooting them down again was not appealing to him. To his surprise, Ahsoka simply smirked. “I wouldn't worry about it." She said while reaching for her commlink. And Ezra could practically taste Sabine's smug amusement. 

The stealth vessel was indeed close and ready, for it required less than a minute to land in front of them. Ezra and Ahsoka had to turn around and block some blaster fire while the others boarded, until their assailants eventually fell to their own deflected shots and those of the Droideka. The Jedi and the Togruta at last jumped into the launching ship, then used The Force to bring the destroyer droid into the cargo hold before the ramp closed. 

“Well, that was fun. But let's not do it again" Ezra said with a smile, slightly panting as he took in the sight of those around him. But instead of the usual snarky reply to his joke, Sabine and Ahsoka threw themselves at him as they all embraced. 

“Welcome home, Ezra." Sabine said tearfully, and the Jedi basked in their love and joy as tears began to stream down his own face. 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Like most religions, the Jedi Order had its holy sites and sacred places often visited by pilgrims, and perhaps no world was more sacred to the Jedi than Ilum. Located in the 7G sector near the edge of the Unknown Regions, the snow-covered world orbiting the blue dwarf Asar was known for its crystalline core of kyber, making it the primary source for lightsaber crystals during the days of the old Jedi order. 

And now, as Luke Skywalker stared at the massive imperial trench running along the planet’s equator, he could hardly contain his anger and sorrow. 

The Empire had defiled the most sacred site of the Jedi order. For Palpatine, It hadn't been enough to wipe out the order and its knowledge. It hadn't been enough to destroy the Jedi's legacy by falsely branding them as traitors. It hadn't even been enough to turn their great temple into his own private palace. He also had to strip-mine their most holy world for kyber to power his world killers. The same world killers that had destroyed Alderaan and brought his sister so much pain to that day. 

Not for the first time, he found himself angry that Palpatine had gotten a quick death. He knew that such thoughts were unbecoming of a Jedi, but he didn't care at the moment. Still, he realized that he had an example to set, so he did his best to let his rage flow through him and into The Force. Ilum would always be there, and it will continue to live on in spite of its scars. 

“The Empire did this?" Kye asked from the co-pilot seat of the Twin Suns, her fear and bewilderment resonating in her voice as she stared at the world through the viewports. “I never imagined anything like that could even be done.”

“Yeah, well, a few years back no one could've imagined a space station capable of destroying a planet. The Empire was rather trailblazing when it came to destruction.” Luke said bitterly, and Kye glanced at him with a concerned look. The Jedi realized that she hadn't seen that pained side of him before. 

The Tholothian closed her eyes and delved into The Force. “I sense….pain. Like what I felt during the relief missions. Or at least something that feels like it. Almost like….”

"An echo.” Luke finished as she opened her eyes. “You’re sensing the kyber. It's not really alive or sentient, but it is resonant in The Force. It's mimicking pain, in a sense.”

Kye frowned in confusion. “Are you sure it was a good idea to come here?” she asked. “Wouldn't it have been easier to get my crystal from the black market like you did?”

Luke looked at her with a soft expression. “Easier isn't always better. This place.... is a connection to the Jedi who came before us. Even the younglings used to come here in groups to build their own lightsabers.”

The Tholothian snorted. “Right, The Gathering thing. In that case, I suppose I’m not gonna be outdone by some little twerps. Let's just hope it's not as cold as it looks down there.” 

Luke shook his head in amusement before reaching out for the controls of the Twin Suns. The Nubian ship dashed towards the planet until it reached its atmosphere, then it flew past the equator and over a mountain range. Ice plains stretched before them for thousands of miles, although more mountains and mountain ranges could be seen in the distance. Following the maps obtained from Master Nu’s library, Luke flew the ship towards the entrance to the old Jedi temple. 

Erected over the largest mouth of a vast cave system in the mountains of Ilum, the Temple was meant to fortify and protect the entrance to the caves and give visiting Jedi a place to rest and recover. Said mouth of the cave was located at the base of a towering cliff face, and the Temple itself was constructed around that site from natural stone. However, the sight that greeted the two Jedi as they walked down the ship’s ramp was one very different from the holos. 

For starters, The great doors of the Temple were no longer there, although pieces of them were scattered on the ground outside the building. The reinforced plasteel containment vessel that the Empire had erected over the entrance was no longer there, although evidence of the imperials’ retreat could be seen if you knew what to look for. Entering the temple’s main chambers, Luke saw that the two statues standing near the entrance to the crystal caves were lying smashed on the floor. The Empire had evidently left no stone unturned. 

“Wow. They really did a number on this place.” Kye noted as she looked around her, clearly still impressed by the temple. “Please tell me that's not the entrance to the caves though." She said, pointing at a dense wall of ice running along the wall opposite to the doorway. 

Luke smiled and shook his head again. “Don't worry. Getting in shouldn't be as hard as it seems." He said, before reaching out with his hands. 

The Jedi had constructed a complex mechanical cradle to hold up a huge kyber crystal near the Temple's domed ceiling. Luke simply reached out with The Force to alter the cradle’s position. Once focused by the large crystal on the ice fall, the sunlight simply melted the ice to reveal the entrance to the caves. 

Kye’s mouth opened slightly in astonishment. “Okay, now you're just showing off.” she said. "So, what now? Do we go in there and just keep walking until we find the crystal?" 

"Actually, you are going to go in and find it.” Luke said teasingly. "This is a part of your journey that you’re gonna have to walk alone.”

A hint of fear could be sensed in The Force, but Kye’s face didn't betray it. “Is this another one of your tests?”

Luke just chuckled. “No. Your crystal is simply going to call to you alone. I really wouldn't be of much help even if I did come with you. Besides, you're not gonna be entirely alone.” He said, patting his beloved astromech. 

Kye wrapped her coat around her more tightly and narrowed her eyes. “The old bucket is coming? I feel safer already.” she said sardonically. Luke simply smirked. 

“You know, most people tend to underestimate Artoo. I think he likes that. It's how he gets the drop on them.” The Jedi said as he handed her a datapad. "This should help you communicate with him. He has a map of this part of the cave system, and he'll keep it updated as you go. That way you'll be able to find your way back. And if you get into any trouble–”

"I'll call you on the commlink, got it.” She said, turning on her glowrod. “And what will you be doing?” She asked. Luke just glanced around the place. 

"Meditate, I suppose.” He said with a sigh as he sat down, cross-legged on the floor. "There's something about this place that makes one want to connect with the past.”

Kye pursed her lips. “Fine. I'll do all the work while you loaf around.” she said wryly before gesturing to Artoo. "Let's go, rust bucket." She ordered, drawing an indignant beep out of the droid, who disappeared alongside her into the cave system. 

Electing to sit cross-legged on the floor, Luke closed his eyes and sank deeply into The Force, taking in every echo that he could in the process. While he didn't possess the rare gift of psychometry, he could still feel the residues left behind by all the trips to the Ilum temple; from the excitement of the younglings, to the pride of the teachers who'd come with them. Just from his meditation, Luke could tell how much history was behind this building. At some point, It had been a place for enlightenment, rest, and healing. A place where children had taken some of their first steps on their journeys as Jedi, and where even masters came to seek answers and illumination. 

‘Then The Empire came along’ he thought bitterly before letting the emotion flow through him. Somewhat overcome by curiosity and a hint of worry, he fixed his consciousness on his apprentice, whose steady progress he could sense as she made her way through the caves. Retreating from the depths of The Force, he found himself pleasantly surprised by the arrival of a familiar presence. 

“Hello, Ben.” He said with a warm smile as he opened his eyes, and he could almost swear that his old teacher hadn't lost the glint in his silver-blue eyes, even as a Force Ghost. “It's good to see you.”

“I could say the same, my young friend.” said Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was ‘sitting’ on the floor himself, opposite to Luke. “I'm glad to see that you've made your way here at last.”

“Yeah. I wish I could’ve seen this place in its prime.” Luke said sadly. "I bet the holos couldn't do it justice.”

“It was a sight to behold indeed.” Old Ben said sadly with reverence as he looked around, before focusing his eyes on Luke again. "It is good to have respect for what came before us. For the wisdom of the teachers, earned through trials, mistakes….even failures. But you haven't come so far by blindly imitating the past, have you now?” 

“I know. Not the last of the old Jedi, but the first of the new." Luke said, quoting his teacher, before releasing a small, tired sigh. “I just feel lost, Ben. I have an apprentice now, and I'm not sure if I'm doing her justice. She's gifted, and her skills are growing faster than I can keep up. But there's a lot of pain and anger in her, and she can't seem to open up to me.”

Obi-Wan gave a melancholic smile at that. “Then you're now where I was when I was roughly your age.” He said. "I was hardly more than a Padawan when your father came to my care. I had also just lost my own teacher, so I wasn't without pain and anger of my own. Then Anakin came to me with his own burdens: scars of slavery and loss. I did my best to be his teacher, but I suppose I was always more of a brother and less of the father he needed. So I'm inclined to think that you're afraid of failing your student the way I failed mine.”

"You never failed my father, Ben.” Luke protested sternly. "His choices were his own. Whatever mistakes you might have made don't change that. And I know from his own words that he loved you as a brother, and that he doesn't blame you for anything.”

"You are most likely correct." Obi-Wan acknowledged with a weary smile. “But we both know that tragedy is rarely that simple. During those decades on Tatooine, I couldn't help but think of all the things I could've done differently, and whether or not tragedy could've been avoided had I acted with more wisdom. I had to constantly remind myself that Anakin's fate was of his own making, and that I couldn't allow my guilt and loss to distract me from my mission. It is good to learn from the past and prepare for the future, but ultimately we only live in the current moment. That is what my teacher taught me.”

The spectre paused for a moment as if gathering his thoughts. “Ultimately, Yoda and I made the choice to teach you in spite of the risks and our own previous failures. Indeed, when you left us on Dagobah, I feared that we may have failed you by not preparing you for that moment. But at the end of the day, you made the right choices, and it was your choices that ultimately saved us all.”

Luke nodded and sighed again, beginning to understand. “I can't make Kye’s choices for her.” He said, earning an approving look from Obi-Wan. “I can only teach her to my best ability." 

“Indeed. You have to be willing to accept that she might fail. That you might fail and have to rise again. But you've never allowed the fear of failure to stop you before, and you mustn't let it cloud your judgement now.” Old Ben said. “So trust in The Force, Luke. Give all that you have, then surrender once again.” 

Luke’s expression turned thoughtful as memories came rushing through his mind. Memories of all the fears and doubts he'd experienced after Bespin. The sheer terror at the idea that he might become as twisted and cruel as his father. But he hadn't allowed that to stop him from fighting, back then. He'd still kept training and growing as a Jedi. And ultimately his faith in The Force and his loved ones had been rewarded beyond what anyone could have imagined. 

“Do, or do not. There is no try." He said, quoting his second teacher with a wry smile that Ben mimicked. 

"Mind what you've been taught, my friend. And never stop adding to it.” Obi-Wan said as he began to vanish. "I'm afraid I must take my leave for now, but remember that we will always be with you.”

Luke stared at his old friend until he could no longer see him, then smiled and took a deep breath. And with a full heart and renewed faith, he got up and entered the crystal caves, sensing that something was waiting for him there. For there was a trace of a presence that he could sense in The Force, so he simply allowed it and his own feet to lead him to this message or relic. Eventually, he came upon a piece of writing carved into one of the walls of the cave system, seemingly using a lightsaber. 

“If you're a Jedi who is reading this, then I can only hope that The Empire is no longer guarding the entrance to the temple. We now live in a Galaxy that wants to see us dead, so I’ve had to go through a lot to come here. Very little of our ways remain, but I'm afraid that we don't get the luxury of giving up. More than ever, The Galaxy needs us to fight for it, even if we can't expect reward, or even survival. I don't know if I am going to make it off this planet, but The Force told me to leave this message behind. For you.”

“If you're reading this, it means that you survived. A lot of us did. And Most of us went underground. Tried to bury our heads in the sand to live a normal life. But I can do this no longer. The people will rise against The Empire. Unrest already brews as populations squirm inside the imperial fist. And when those people revolt, they're gonna need our help, because we can show them the way. The fight will be long and hard. At times, It will seem impossible. But I believe that the Jedi order will never die, as long as we keep going. As long as we pass on our ways and keep the torch burning. So I implore you, when the time is right, stand up and face The Empire. Pass on what you have learned. And may The Force be with us all.”

         -  Cal Kestis. 

Luke's heart leaped as he read the name, for he recognized it from the tales about Saw Garrera and his partisans. And he was once again reminded that so many Jedi, both gone and alive, were all now counting on him. And not for the first time, Luke vowed to do them justice by passing on everything that he knew. Everything that he was. 

Because the Jedi would always survive.

The crystal caves of Ilum were one of the strangest sites Kye had ever seen, albeit in a way that was rather exciting and beautiful. Covered in fluorescent crystals and bioluminescent algae, the dark walls of the caves seemed to spread and amplify the light from the Tholothian’s small glowrod, providing ample illumination. The air was crisp and cool, with a faint metallic smell that wasn't unpleasant. The sound of water dripping into some sort of pond was now echoing through the caves, and Kye could almost swear that she'd seen some small animal scurrying away in the distance. 

Overall, it was not a bad place for a walk, but her frustration was certainly growing. Luke’s instructions about how to find her crystal hadn't exactly been detailed, and the Tholothian wasn't even sure if she was going in the right direction. She admittedly could feel a faint calling in The Force. It didn't have the feel of a living mind, but rather almost felt like an echo of her own consciousness. But no matter how hard she tried, Kye couldn't seem to pinpoint it. 

“‘Just trust in The Force’ he says. Real useful advice when you're walking into an endless cave system to search for one specific crystal.” She complained, drawing a curious series of bleeps from her droid companion. Rolling her eyes, she looked at her datapad to see the translation. 

[It's okay to be afraid. This place can be disturbing to organics.]

“I'm not scared, rust bucket." she protested with an eye-roll. “I'm annoyed because I've been walking for close to an hour now, and I still haven't found anything.”

[Young Master Anakin also lacked patience. Although this unit wasn't in his vicinity when he underwent the ritual known as The Gathering.]

The Tholothian looked at the droid and raised an eyebrow. “Anakin? You mean Luke’s old man? You knew him?”

The droid beeped excitedly at her question. [I met Anakin Skywalker over forty years ago on the planet Tatooine. We were reunited at the beginning of the clone wars, a long series of military engagements in which this unit served as Master Anakin's astro navigation droid.] He blatted in a tone that the Padawan could almost swear was meant to be smug. Although The tholothian was almost impressed by the knowledge.

“So you're practically a clone wars veteran, huh. Did Luke inherit you from his old man?" she asked, and the astromech seemed to briefly pause before answering. 

[Negative. This unit and its counterpart came to serve Senator Organa of Alderaan by the end of the clone wars. We were united with the son of Master Anakin approximately eight years and nine months ago.] 

Kye nodded thoughtfully and filed that piece of intel for later. “Luke's family seems like a strange one, to be honest. I mean, I still don't know why he wasn't adopted by that Senator Organa fellow after his folks died, considering the guy was willing to take in his sister and all. Doesn't seem fair if you ask me." She said, and not for the first time, she wondered about the things that Skywalker wasn't telling her. There was clearly more to his stories than what he was letting on, yet he somehow expected Kye to share her own past freely with him. He always talked about trust, but didn't seem to realize that it went both ways. 

[Master Luke was happy growing up on Tatooine, in spite of his grievances.] The droid noted, drawing a frown from the Tholothian. 

“I thought Tatooine was a poor backwater in the middle of nowhere. How was he happy there?" she asked. And the droid seemed to pause again before speaking. 

[He had his family. He had his friends. He was loved. He got to grow up in peace.]

Kye's expression turned somber at that. “Yeah, I suppose that would do it. Too bad we don't all get to grow up in such conditions.” She said, then stopped to sit on a flat-topped stone and rest her feet. 

[You didn't have such things before. You do now. Master Luke cares about you.] The droid said in binary, and Kye simply snorted. 

"Yeah, me and everyone else. Apparently, it's in the job description or something.” she noted, then huffed in frustration. 

[Is your designated crystal nearby?] Artoo asked, and the Tholothian simply glared at him. 

“I'm afraid not.” she said bitterly. The astromech paused again, as if gauging her reaction, before he made a suggestion. [Perhaps you are trying too hard?]

Kye snorted again. “You should take that up with your master. He has a lot of interesting things to say about trying.” she said, although she secretly pondered if the droid had a point. Skywalker had taught her that she shouldn't try, but rather give her everything and have faith in The Force and herself. But he'd also said that focusing too much on her own will could sometimes blind her to the will of The Force. Whatever that was at any moment. 

Her brows furrowed further in consternation. Perhaps she was trying too hard. Skywalker had said that The Force would be her guide, and perhaps that required emptying her mind rather than exhausting it. Closing her eyes, she did her best to push away all thoughts of Skywalker's family, her own past, and even her need to find the crystal. After a few moments, The Force came to her with the same calming effect that she was now familiar with. And although at first she felt nothing, she soon began to sense more clearly what could be described as a ringing within The Force, and her feet suddenly seemed to move of their own accord. 

She had no idea for how long she’d wandered the caves, eyes closed and ears sharp, in this half-trance. But the more she walked, the clearer the ‘ringing’ became. Her road would occasionally twist and turn, but her pace was steady and she was strangely comforted by Artoo's presence. Eventually, she opened her eyes to the view of a large, almost brightly-lit cavern with a pond in one corner and glowing stalactites covering its roof. A sharp glint seemed to catch the tholothian's attention, and her heart leaped as she recognized what it was. 

Heading towards a small crystal formation, she reached out with her hand, and a small piece of kyber seemed to break away of its own accord. Kye grinned as her crystal fell into her palm. 

“Guess you were right, rust bucket.” She said,  and the droid beeped happily at her. Rolling the clear crystal in her palm, Kye examined it curiously. Like Luke had warned her, the crystal had no color. That part would apparently come after she'd bonded with it. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Kye ran through some meditation techniques and reached out with The Force towards the crystal. 

Initially, she sensed no response to her probing. Then she felt herself connecting with something almost like the mind of a newborn that hadn't been exposed to any intake. Then, as the piece of Kyber began to float before her, she felt like she was staring at a mirror, with the crystal serving as a reflection of her own consciousness. 

She gasped as she suddenly found herself standing once more on Nar Shaddaa, now in front of a building that was all too familiar. A wave of confusion and anxiety seemed to wash over her, but she quickly steeled herself and tried some calming breathing techniques. 

‘This isn't real. It's only a vision.’ she thought, although the anxiety remained. Skywalker had spoken of visions sometimes serving as tests, conjured by The Force from the depths of one's consciousness. She wasn't sure what the current vision was all about or how to make it pass through, but something told her that she had to enter the building in front of her. Steeling herself again, she took a deep breath and opened the door. 

The Blue Star cantina was exactly like she remembered it, or perhaps merely close to her somewhat vague memories of the place. Swinging the door open, Kye was surprised to smell the same old liquor as she stepped into the room. The wooden tables were stained as always, and the joint was brightly lit and garishly decorated. In spite of the atmosphere, there were no patrons, and only a single male twi’lek stood behind the bar with his back facing the door. 

Kye's heart leaped painfully as she recognized him, and she found herself struggling not to cry. He turned towards her and grinned warmly. “So,... you're a Jedi, now.” he said matter-of-factly as he poured her a cup of her favorite juice. He never did serve her anything stronger. 

“Just trying to make you proud, I guess." She said with a bittersweet smile, then sat on one of the bar stools and sipped the drink, and she was surprised to be able to taste it. The vision may not have been real, but she might as well enjoy it while she could. 

“I'm always going to be proud of you, kid." he said stoically, then gave a small frown. “But are you sure that this life is for you?”

The Tholothian shrugged and held his gaze. “My teacher seems to think that I'm doing fine. It's a good life so far.”

"But a hard life, I imagine. A Dangerous one too.” He noted. "And not really the life I prepared you for. Or the one I imagined for you.”

"You taught me a lot of things." Kye acknowledged. "Mainly how to look out for myself. Just myself, because that's what Nar Shaddaa was like; every man for himself. It's what eventually got you killed.”

The Twi'lek’s frown deepened. "That's not fair, kiddo. I looked out for you, didn't I?" 

Kye nodded. "Yeah, you did. And for that, I'm always gonna be grateful. But I'm starting to think that if more people looked out for the other guy, The Galaxy would be a whole lot better. Perhaps you'd even be alive right now, had you had more people who cared about you in your corner.”

"It's a nice sentiment." He acknowledged. “Just not a very realistic one, if you ask me. This Galaxy….. it's filled with people willing to step on the person next to them to get ahead. Just Look at The Empire, or The Hutts, or any of the other bigwigs. We're ants to them. You wanna know how I survived as long as I did? By not sticking out my neck unless I absolutely had to.” 

“And how did that work out in the end? We turned a blind eye to more suffering and wrong than I could count. And you still died." she said bitterly, somewhat aggravated. The Twi'lek looked dejected, but he didn't react otherwise. Kye just sighed. “I am done feeling helpless. Right now, I can stand up to scumbags like whomever killed you. I can make sure that other people don't suffer like we did. And I plan to do just that.”

Smiling proudly, the Twi'lek shook his head. "Then I guess I have nothing more to teach you. You've outgrown that, kid.”

Kye's bittersweet smile returned. "Yeah. I guess so.” She said before standing up. "I know that this isn't real. That You're not him. But I'm still glad that we got to have this.” Sparing one last look towards the man she loved like a father, Kye turned around and headed for the exit. She opened the door, and saw only a blinding light. 

And her eyes snapped open as she gasped. 

Artoo's voice seemed to snap her out of the exhilaration, and Kye found herself patting him affectionately as he bumped gently into her. “I'm okay, pal." She said, then quickly picked up at her crystal, which was now glowing a bright blue. A grin came to her face, and she found herself admiring the piece of Kyber. 

“Come on. I can't wait to show this to Luke." she said, and began the trek back to the temple. Perhaps Skywalker was right about coming to this place after all. 

Chapter Text

Luke would never say that the sense of sight was overrated, but he had to admit that he'd been quite surprised when he learned that becoming a Jedi offered alternatives to it, as was evident by his student's growing ability to block blasterfire with her lightsaber while blindfolded. The sweet and exotic smells of Yavin IV’s various flora snuck once again into his nose as he watched Kye swing her blue-bladed weapon around, and he was willing to bet that the Tholothian probably would've appreciated said smells and the sensation of Yavin’s sun on her skin a lot more if she wasn't busy trying not get zapped - for umpteenth time - by one of the five training remotes attacking her at the moment. 

“Fifteen minutes!" he proclaimed proudly as he deactivated the spherical drones, that proceeded to hover back to their container. “Not bad for your tenth try with the blindfold.”

Kye grinned through her panting as she removed the piece of cloth from her face. “All right; spill it. How am I doing better blind? Those remotes were zapping me into oblivion until I put this on my face.” she said, shaking the blindfold. 

Luke settled into that teaching voice of his that he knew sometimes slightly irritated her. “It's simple. You already knew the katas and how to switch between them. But one of the first things I had to learn was that our senses can sometimes deceive us. The more you rely on your sight, the less you allow The Force to guide your movements and tell you what kata to use next.”

Kye raised an eyebrow. “You're saying I should fight people blindfolded? Because stun blasts are one thing, but live blasterfire is another, in case you didn't know.”

Luke chuckled softly. "No. Eventually your sight will add to The Force’s guidance instead of distract from it. You just have to practice long enough." 

“I still say you should've had her dodge the occasional stone while the remotes did their thing.” Ezra Bridger said with a cocky smirk as he approached them from the other end of the clearing surrounding the Great Temple. Kye glared at him, but Luke knew it was only half-hearted. The tan-skinned Jedi had been staying at the Yavin IV temple for three days now and, while Kye would never admit it, Luke knew that she liked having him around. Ezra never seemed to take himself too seriously, and the Lothalite actually made them laugh from time to time. Besides, those two surprisingly had much in common. 

“Maybe we'll try that later. I'm not sure if she's there quite yet.” Luke said with a wry smile, drawing a snort from Ezra. 

“You're just spoiling her, you know. I mean, you should see the kinda stuff Kanan allowed Chopper to get away with when I was starting out. I still have nightmares.” he said jokingly with a shudder. Kye just rolled her eyes, but Luke's smile hid his drifting thoughts. He and Ezra had been trained to fight in a war, and they'd both seen their share of its horrors. He was suddenly very grateful that Kye probably wouldn't have to go through such horror, or get pushed to her limits the way Yoda had pushed him during those months on Dagobah. 

“Anyway, what's next on the agenda? Should we make her meditate upside down on a tree branch?” Ezra continued to joke as he placed an arm around Kye, shaking Luke out of his thoughts. 

"I think another sparring session with TeeEx would be enough.” Luke said, shaking his head slightly with amusement. “That or she can finally go study lesson four on that holocron I gave her.”

Kye suddenly looked like she was about to groan. “Another sparring session? I'm still not even sure why I need to learn dueling. Most people don't bring a vibrosword to a blaserfight, and there aren't many things out there that can block a lightsaber anyway. Learning to deflect shots sounds a lot more practical to me.”

Luke pursed his lips slightly, once again noting that his student was ever the methodical pragmatist. “I think you might be surprised by what's out there. You need to remember that your lightsaber is more than a weapon; it's part of who you are. And knowing how to use it can save a lot of lives, yours included.”

Kye sighed. “You now what? That holocron suddenly sounds very appealing. I think I might go check it out." she said wryly, although Luke got the sense that she was contemplating his words. 

She was about ten paces away from them when Ezra called after her. “Hey. Aren't you forgetting something?" He said, holding up the key to her quarters. The Tholothian’s eyes widened before she angrily returned to snatch the key from Ezra’s hand. “Wise guy.” She grumbled before once again making her way towards the temple. 

Luke chuckled. “I think that's gonna sting." he noted, and Ezra flashed a cocky smirk. 

“Oh, it will. Getting your pocket picked is a pickpocket’s greatest shame.” The Lothalite joked before sobering. "She's a good kid. And she'll probably make for a fine Jedi someday.” 

“I hope you're right.” Luke said stoically, drawing a frown from his fellow Jedi. 

"You don't think she can make it that far?” He asked, almost accusingly, and Luke simply shook his head slightly. 

"I know she can.” he corrected. "But I'm not sure if I can get her there." 

Ezra smiled somewhat wistfully. “You sound like Kanan." he noted. “He tried to hide it, you know. But I could tell that he doubted himself pretty much every time he tried to teach me. And every day, I thank The Force that he didn't let that stop him.” 

Luke mirrored his sad expression. "I can only hope that she turns out as well as you did.” He said. "She puts on a brave face, but she's dealing with a lot of things that she simply refuses open up about.”

"Sounds like another thing I can relate to.” Ezra noted with a snort. “When I first met Kanan and the others, I had trouble letting my guard down too. She's not an easy student, but neither was I. And I'm willing to bet you weren't either.” 

Luke smiled wistfully again as his thoughts drifted once more to those months on Dagobah and his own clashes with his teacher. “Oh, you don't know half of it. Let's just say that Master Yoda and I didn't always agree.”

"And you turned out fine.” Ezra noted with a smirk. “Look. I never tried to be a teacher, so I don't have a lot of advice to offer you, but I do know from experience that you're gonna have to be patient to get through to her. And you should probably accept that you’re likely to make a mess or two along the way.”

Luke simply nodded, his mind briefly recalling Obi-Wan’s words on Illum, because Ezra’s advice wasn't far off from them. “You’re probably right. And speaking of tough calls, have you decided if you're going to rejoin the military?” 

"Honestly. I'm not sure yet.” Ezra said with a sigh. "When we first joined Phoenix Cell, Kanan was pretty uncomfortable with the idea of playing soldier. I was only slightly better at it. Still, Hera seems to think that I should get my Command back. But between The Rebellion and The Ascendancy, I've been a soldier for half of my life at this point. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do if I say no.”

Luke raised an eyebrow at that. “The Ascendancy? Ezra, you were their prisoner." 

Ezra's expression surprisingly softened “That's the strange part. A nice jailer is still a jailer, and these guys kept me away from my family for so long. And yet.... a part of me is worried about them somehow. I didn't always get along with them, but they fought battles worth fighting. Isn't it weird that a part of me cares for them?”

Luke's expression matched Bridger’s once again. "You'd be surprised by the way we can care for people who arguably don't deserve it.” he said thoughtfully in a way he hoped wouldn't make his new friend too curious. “And speaking of surprises, I'm surprised that Thrawn actually allowed you to leave.”

The Lothalite snorted. "That call probably came from the higher ups, considering they always had mixed feelings at best about my inclusion. Thrawn isn't the type of guy to give up a tactical asset for anything less than a better one.” He said before sighing again. "I just don't know. A part of me is tired of all the fighting, and another part thinks that there's always going to be someone I should be fighting for.”

Luke nodded. “I felt the same way when I resigned after the treaty was signed. But someone once told me that the Jedi aren’t one thing or the other. That we are whatever we need to be to serve the people. There are other ways to fight for those in need, ones that don't require a lightsaber or a blaster.”

Ezra looked at him intently then gazed at some trees with a shrug. “You’re right, and I really do admire everything you've been doing with the relief corps. Still, I wonder if there's something else we should be doing.” 

“Rebuilding the Order sounds like the obvious answer." Luke noted as he picked up a flower from a tree branch. "I haven't exactly been successful when it comes to finding candidates, aside from Kye of course. And considering I can barely train her, I'm not sure if it's even possible for me to add other students at the moment.” 

“Well, you're gonna have to start doing that eventually.” Ezra countered. “If we follow the old rules, it would probably take us hundreds of years. And unlike Master Yoda, we can't live that long. Besides, I'm pretty sure Sabine is probably gonna kill me eventually, even if I could do that.” 

Luke chuckled, and was about to make a joke of his own when Artoo arrived with a series of somewhat frantic beeps. “Looks like Han finally decided to show up.” The blond Jedi said before nodding in the direction of the Temple . “Come on. Looks like he's coming from the other side of the equator.”

“Are you sure coming back here is a good idea?" Ezra asked as they strolled towards the launchpad behind the Great Temple, Luke's trusty astromech trailing behind them. “I mean, Ra’a managed to infiltrate it pretty easily, and I wouldn't put assassination past Thrawn.”

“I thought about that, but if he can find us here, he can probably find us anywhere. Might as well keep the remote location.” Luke explained. "We did install a state-of-the-art security system right before you arrived. And Leia even managed to get us a military-grade shield generator.”

The Falcon had already landed behind the temple when the two Jedi arrived, and steam rolled out of the ship’s ramp as it slowly descended. Han was the first to walk down said ramp, followed closely by Chewbacca and an unexpected guest. Luke found himself grinning from ear to ear at the sight of his friends. 

“Glad to see the place is still in one piece." Han said “Guess I owe Wren here five credits.” the ex-smuggler joked as he pulled Luke in for a hug. 

“Yeah, we managed to keep the temple standing, in spite of Artoo’s attempts to change that.” Ezra said with a grin as he shook Han’s hand, drawing a disgruntled bleep out of the astromech. 

“I’m just surprised he and Chop don't get along. They have so much in common." Sabine said with a smirk as she shook Luke's hand, and the blond Jedi guessed that he probably shouldn't translate Artoo’s response. As feisty as Luke's droid could be, the old astromech found Hera Syndulla’s droid to be far too cantankerous for his taste. 

“It's good to see you, Luke.” The Mandalorian said after hugging Ezra. “Hope you managed to get Ezra to stop moping for a bit.” 

“I sure hope so. I'm not a stranger to what he's going through. And we really enjoyed the company, especially Kye.” The blond Jedi said. "Besides, I think our sparring sessions helped him. His dueling was getting a little rusty after all these years." Luke teased. 

"Hey, I still showed you a thing or two." Ezra reminded him. And Luke raised his hands with a nod in concession. Being stuck in the Unknown Regions for years without the means to make a lightsaber, the Lothalite Jedi had been forced to develop some very useful techniques for combat using telekinesis alone, and Luke was determined to practice them. He also had to admit that Ezra was a much better shot than him as a result of training and fighting with firearms for so long. 

“If you're all done with your chit chat, Chewie and I would appreciate it if you gave us a hand with the supplies we brought." Han said before gesturing towards The Falcon. “Because they're not gonna unload themselves, and I really wouldn't want the smell of that cheese Luke likes to stick around." 

The Corellian led them into the main cargo hold and was about to grab one of the crates when the ship's comm system began to sound from the dejarik holotable. “Huh. All the way from Mandalore and forwarded from the capital on Naboo.” Han noted as he checked it. “Must be for you, Wren.” 

The former smuggler flicked a switch to establish the connection, and the hologram of an armored, female Mandalorian with red hair and a regal bearing appeared before them. Despite her age, few wrinkles covered her face, which was currently twisted with a distressed frown.

“Lady Bo-Katan." Sabine Wren greeted her Mand’alore with a hint of apprehension, having sensed the leader’s own discomfort. "It's an honor as usual, but this is quite the surprise. Is something wrong back home?" 

Bo-Katan Kryze’s face fell into an expression of fear and sorrow. “I'm afraid so, old friend.” she said gravely. And everyone's hearts fell as she spoke further. 

The Blade Rider, twenty-four hours earlier.  

The Mandalore system has what is by far one of the most complex and influential histories The Galaxy has ever known. Although it is still a mystery how or by whom was its fifth planet Mandalore first settled, records indicate that Mandalorian society has always consisted of a diverse collation of species. The first Mandalorians were famously formidable warriors, ones who had managed to tame and slay even the planet Mandalore’s largest and most dangerous fauna, most notably the legendary mythosaur, whose skull would later become the basis for the symbol of all Mandalorians. 

In the ancient days, the world was blanketed in lush veshok tree forests, dense jungles, sprawling hills and grasslands well suited to farming, inhospitable deserts of white sand, and numerous rivers, lakes, and seas. However, centuries of strife, conflict and multiple civil wars eventually reduced the planet’s once beautiful surface to an endless desert, leading to the eventual building of controlled biodomes for the remaining population to inhabit. Mandalorian history as a whole has seen more warfare than that of any other system in The Galaxy, for The Mandalorians have always had a knack for developing some of the deadliest, and most horrific weapons The Galaxy has ever known, and such weapons went far beyond the famous beskar armors and equipment that most Mandalorians have sported throughout history. 

Indeed, during The Mandalorian Wars that took place several millennia ago, most of the outer rim was conquered by The Mandalorians, before their eventual defeat at the hands of The Old Republic’s revanchist movement. Following said wars, Mandalore maintained its sovereignty for most of its history, although the final years of the Republic saw the world nominally associated with it. Eventually, the planet joined The Galactic Empire following the deposition of Mand’alore Bo-Katan Kryze and the appointment of Imperial Governor Gar Saxon. However, Governor Saxon and his successor were both killed during yet another civil war, one in which the other clans of Mandalore rebelled against Clan Saxon and The Empire. There were two imperial campaigns to retake the system following its revolt, but both ended unsuccessfully due to resources being diverted towards The Galactic Civil War and the growing threat of The Rebellion. The Mandalore system currently maintains both sovereignty and neutrality. 

‘Well, that probably won't last long’ Thirteenth Brother thought with amusement, setting aside his datapad. He knew that he didn't have to study this brief summary of Mandalore’s history; he really only needed to know the layouts, locations, and tactics relevant to his mission, and he'd already gone over those with his squad. But history had always been interesting to him, for the young man found that it was almost always relevant to the present in some form or another. He hadn't had much resources for recreation growing up in Fortress Inquisitorius, surrounded by droids and officers, and reading holobooks on history and astrology had been one of the few pleasures he’d been allowed in his formative years. 

Settling into a brief meditation to focus his mind before the mission, he could sense that the ship was about to leave hyperspace and enter Mandalore’s atmosphere. As if on que, his commlink began to chime. “Thirteenth here." he said formally as he thumbed one of the device’s buttons. 

“ETA is ten minutes, sir. The Sergeant and the others are already in position. Good luck out there.” Captain Kyv said with a hint of nervousness, and Thirteenth couldn't blame him. The man was merely a civilian who got roped into a military operation.

“Thank you for your service, Captain. You shall be well compensated for it. Thirteenth Out.” the young man said before leaving the small lounge. Taking a subtle, deep breath, he walked down the ship’s white-on-red corridors and towards the cargo bay. 

To the unknowing eye, The Blade Rider was simply one of the many Brayl-class bulk freighters that brought much needed supplies to the capital city of Sundari on Mandalore. A large, sluggish ship that was now long considered antiquated, The Blade Rider had little in terms of speed or shielding, and was armed with only a few turret-mounted laser cannons. New models of the Brayl-class ships were considerably more formidable, hence why they were modified to act as part of the Sullustan Home Guard. But the Rider itself was probably one of the least threatening ships one could meet, and Thirteenth Brother’s limited understanding of psychology indicated that such a disarming appearance was likely useful for the mission. 

Arriving at the ship's vast cargo bay, Thirteenth Brother found the correct container and entered the large vessel. Inside it were a few crates of equipment, some fuel canisters, and several seats that were bolted firmly to the floor of the container. Next to the seats, stood a squad of elite commandos, and it didn't take a trained eye to realize that these soldiers were far from your average stormtrooper, for each member of Task Force 99 wore distinctive armor that was custom-made for the soldier’s skillset.  

The armored men saluted as he entered, much to Thirteenth’s amusement considering how much younger he was compared to them. But the inquisitors had always operated outside of the usual military command structure, and SCAR Squadron wasn't a stranger to that, considering they too often operated outside of the usual Stormtrooper Corps structure and organization. The truth was that Darth Vader had been worshipped by the Corps for various reasons, and the inquisitors had been seen as an extension of his authority in many ways. Thirteenth was probably the closest thing these men had to a Darth Vader at the moment, a thought that both disturbed and sobered him.

“At ease, gentlemen.” he said stoically, doing his best to project authority into his tone. “The ship has already exited hyperspace, so I suggest you get seated.” 

"Yes, Sir. Right away.” Sergeant Kreel said, nodding towards the seats. In less than half a minute, all members of the task force were seated with their crash webbing locked. Closing his eyes and reaching out with The Force as he sat down and locked his own webbing, Thirteenth could sense as the ship entered Mandalore’s atmosphere, and he smirked at the thought of their clearance codes working. For why wouldn't they work, when this ship was one of the many bulk freighters that regularly visited Mandalore in its travels along the Perlemian Trade Route?

Their comms chimed as a warning from the captain, right before their container, alongside two more, was ‘accidentally’ ejected from the giant ship’s vast cargo bay. The sensation of free fall was unpleasant, but it was not something they weren't all trained for, especially with the inertial compensators somewhat lessening the effects. Dropping from a height of over five thousand meters, the container accelerated towards the ground at high velocity, only for the reentry thrusters to facilitate a successful landing. Silently and with efficiency that impressed Thirteenth, The Squad members wasted no time in getting out of their seats, before they quickly picked up their equipment and exited the container. 

“Where to now, Sir?" Aero, the group's pilot and engineering expert asked with a hint of excitement. The Squad had apparently been idle for too long, the young Inquisitor guessed.

Thirteenth didn't answer immediately, instead he took a moment to study his surroundings. To his surprise, the scorched surface of Mandalore was much more pleasing to see compared to what he'd previously imagined. He bent to the ground, grabbed some sand, and allowed it to fall through the gaps between his fingers, savoring the feeling even through his glove. Quickly getting up, he squashed down the childish sense of awe at the new locale. And so, with a stern expression, he grabbed his datapad and confirmed their direction. 

“Target point is that way." he said, pointing towards the horizon. “We only need to cover four klicks on foot at a quick pace. Grab your gear and double time it." He ordered, and the squad followed him without complaint. They were about five hundred meters away from the container when Thirteenth nodded towards the group’s demolitions expert. “Shrap. If you may.”

“Don't mind if I do, Sir." He said, somewhat gleefully, before pressing a button on his gauntlet. A booming explosion sounded behind them, although none of them reacted. Thirteenth knew that if anyone came to check on the fallen container once Captain Kyv reported his losses, they would have no doubts that it exploded on contact due to the fuel it contained according to the manifest. Some splicing of footage by their spies in the capital should also fool anyone who checked the satellite surveillance. 

“Think we'll get to crack some heads open, Sarge?" Cav, the squad's melee specialist, asked with a hint of sadism. Kreel simply grunted. 

“Let’s not make it personal. These aren't rebels.” Misty, the sniper, said. “Actually, making it personal with the rebels during a shootout can end badly too. We know that from experience." he continued grimly, and Thirteenth deduced that a comrade had fallen due to their zeal. 

“It's why I never make it personal until the mission is over and the terrorist scum are dead.” Kreel said stoically. "We fight for victory, not for the kill. You'd all do well to remember that.”

“Yeah, well. We all know there's one rebel you might make an exception for, Sarge.” Aero joked, and a wave of rage and irritation washed over Thirteen. To his surprise, it came from Kreel. 

“That one’s no mere rebel." Kreel noted vehemently. And the Inquisitor’s curiosity spiked massively. 

"You got that right." Shrap said as they trod through the white desert, isolated from the heat by the coolant units in their armor. “And I'm not sure I'd be happy to meet him at the moment. No offense Sarge, but I think if he can take down Darth Vader, then he might be out of our league now. He's not exactly that kid you met on Nar Shaddaa anymore.”

Thirteenth's heart leaped, but he kept his emotions outwardly controlled. “You've met Luke Skywalker?” he asked Kreel with an air of mild curiosity. 

“That I did, Sir.” Kreel said, clearly annoyed by Shrap’s comment. “Even showed him a thing or two back in the day. And he was no boogeyman back then, I assure you. If we make it out of this alive, remind me to tell you that story.” 

Clamping down on his intrigue, Thirteenth merely nodded in Kreel’s direction. The rest of the trek was spent in relative silence, and it didn't take long for them to reach the target point, once they'd found the road connecting Sundari with its sister city of Keldabe. At their target, said road was running parallel to the Th’ram Plateau’s cliffside, and the distance between them was optimal for the operation. 

The Inquisitor brought his binoculars to his eyes and scanned the cliffside, smirking as he found a large nook in it that was acceptable for their mission. Grabbing his datapad, he confirmed that they had enough time before the transport’s arrival. “Shrap. Let's set up the welcome present." 

"Sir, yes, Sir.” the demolition expert said gleefully, before heading towards the road. Grabbing a small disk from his satchel, he placed the ion mine on the ground and headed back to his allies. 

Satisfied, Thirteenth gave the order to get into positions. Misty climbed into the cave, while the rest of them hid behind some of the rocks protruding from the bottom of the cliffside. Grabbing his datapad again, The Inquisitor continued to track the transport, and he noted that its ETA was approximately ten minutes. 

Most of the Mandalorian military transports travelled between the domed cities on paved roads, but some of them would occasionally deviate from said roads and secretly head deep into the desert. Because somewhere out there existed the secret underground base that controlled Mandalore’s network of concealed planetary Ion Cannons; the planet's greatest defensive resource and the main reason why it was so difficult to capture. The location of the base was known only to high-ranking individuals within the Mandalorian fighting corps and their most trusted operatives. But while The Empire's spies in the capital couldn't provide them with the base's location, they did manage to put a tracking beacon on one of the transports heading there on a supply run. 

As if on que, the vehicle appeared on the horizon, dirt flying around its six wheels as it sped along the road. It was a hardy, blocky transport, largely reminiscent of the Empire's Juggernaut Turbo Tank, with six heavy-duty wheels that allowed it to travel with ease on sand, mud and gravel. Thirteenth held the trigger for the ion mine with anticipation, before triggering it at the precise needed second, bringing the transport to a halt. The driver and passenger had a moment to register what happened before the Inquisitor reached out with The Force to lower the transparisteel windows of the vehicle, clearing the way for Misty to snipe the Mandalorians. Thirteenth felt the life fade from their bodies in an instant. He was used to that sensation by now, and it didn't trigger any particular emotions within him. 

“Poor bastards." Cev said as he cracked open the transport and removed the bodies. “They're now probably regretting not wearing their helmets.” He joked, causing amusement to flow from his teammates. For whatever reason, Thirteenth didn't share it. 

The Inquisitor gave his orders, and the squad members followed them quickly and efficiently. Cev and Shrap hid the bodies as Misty climbed down, while Aero went to work at restarting the vehicle. Mic, their slicer, began to extract the Base’s location and the necessary clearance codes from the vehicle’s navcomputer.

Kreel and Thirteenth rode in the passenger and driver seats, while the rest of the squad went into the back of the Transport. Kreel drove the vehicle along the road for a while, before deviating from it towards the eastern desert. Thirteenth used the ride to settle into brief meditation, steeling himself for the combat to come. 

An hour later, they arrived at the Base’s location. It was marked by a specific rock formation that The Inquisitor deemed to be certainly fake. Kreel sent the necessary clearance codes, and a large circle seemed to form in the sand in front of the transport. A hidden door in the ground then slid open, revealing the turbolift entrance to the base. The vehicle was lowered by the turbolift through a shaft that took them at least fifty meters below the surface. By then, Thirteenth and Kreel had joined the others in the back of the transport. 

The rear door of the vehicle opened to reveal a Mandalorian warrior looking at his datapad. “Right on time, Guys. I really hope you brought some–what the–” he didn't finish the thought before Cev shot him in the head. 

What followed was a blur of combat that lasted less than three minutes, although it felt longer than that from the perspective of a force-sensitive. Blaster bolts flew around, and many of them were deflected by Thirteenth's double-bladed lightsaber. Once the dust had settled, Task Force 99 had gunned down most of the troops in the base - which was frankly more of a control center - while the remaining few had been cut down by Thirteenth's lightsaber. 

“I expected more of a challenge." Misty said, almost dejectedly, as he lightly kicked the corpse of one of the dozen or so fallen men in the base. 

“Yeah, it's less interesting when our rifles can punch through their precious armor.” Kreel said, lowering his kyber-powered T-9 disruptor rifle. The Inquisitor resisted the urge to scoff at their premature celebration, although he did pause to marvel at the destructive power of the blasters. There weren't many weapons out there capable of punching holes in beskar. 

Mic grabbed the code cylinder of the highest ranking officer and quickly inserted it into the computer mainframe. “Deactivating the Ion Cannon network. They should be down in ten minutes.” he said. 

"How much time would we have once that happens?” Thirteenth asked, already grabbing his communit and linking it to the long-range communication system. 

“Normally, it would take them around five minutes to reboot the system from the capital. And even then, they won't have full access until they retake this facility.” Mic said. “With luck. I can delay them by fifteen more minutes from here.” 

“Then Daala will have to make do.” The Inquisitor said, sending the Admiral the encrypted message using his datapad. He knew it should take her less than three minutes to make the microjump into the system, and then their target will be up for grabs. And Mandalore will rue the day it rebelled against The Empire.