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ryder-s-block · 4 years

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Jaig Eyes (Ch 58)

Jaig Eyes (58/?)

Summary:

Kida, a former slave who now thrives as a bounty hunter, finds herself sucked into the war she advised Jango Fett against. Now that she’s involved, she has to finally mourn the loss of Jango, seeing his face in the clones that man the GAR. What happens when she allows herself to get attached to one, not for his resemblance to her former mentor, but for his heart?

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Chapter Fifty-Eight: Transport Hijacking

The fire had long burned out by the time I sensed Ahsoka approaching. I lifted my head from where I had knelt it in meditation an hour prior, signaling the two younglings to pay attention the entrance. Ahsoka’s outline appeared, the Togrtuta looking haggard and tired in the soft glow of the remaining embers.

“You made it,” Jinx said, standing beside his friend to greet the padawan. My eyes were elsewhere, though, noting the lack of Kalifa before the others.

“We feared the worst,” O-mer worried while I cast my eyes up to meet Ahsoka’s gaze. She was sad, but angry, too. Determined. I gave her a small nod of understanding.

Jinx caught on. “Where’s Kalifa?”

“She didn’t make it.”

The boys both gaped. It was grief, but it was also….surprise. “She’s dead?” Jinx asked Ahsoka for clarification, the padawan folding herself in her own arms. “I….I can’t believe it. She had been here longer than any of us, and now….”

Jinx’s voice trailed off but O-mer was quick to jut in with a “We’re all going to die here.” He crouched down, wrapping his arms around his knees. “It’s only a matter of time.” That was a dark sentiment, but I would be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind.

I felt a billow of determination from Ahsoka. “If it’s only a matter of time till we die,” she turned and addressed the group with a new fire, clenching her fists. “I say we go down with a fight!”

“That is suicide,” Jinx scoffed after a beat of silence, sitting down.

I scowled at him. “And you guys just said we’re going to die anyway,” I bit back, standing beside Ahsoka. “If we are, I’d rather die on my terms than theirs.”

“You’ve said that every few day they release new prisoners on the beach,” Ahsoka reasoned, jumping off the silence I caused with my dark words. “I say we attack that drop ship head-on.”

I crossed my arms, smirking. “That’s certainly daring. I see your master’s tendencies have rubbed off on you.”

She returned the cheeky grin. “They’ll never expect it.” The younglings were quiet while we watched them absorb Ahsoka’s words.

Finally, O-mer sighed, glancing at his Twi’lek friend. “Is it worth a shot?”

“Maybe it is,” Jinx allowed, standing to look at Ahsoka.

“It’s a good time for this plan,” I teased, moving to look out the front of our cave. The Force whispered gently in my ear, letting me hear the slow-approaching engine. “There’s one coming now.”

Anxiety spiked in the group, but Ahsoka seemed only eager. She, like me, was done with this stupid island and these hunters. I was supposed to the hunter, dammit, not the prey. “Let’s go,” Ahsoka said with a firm tone. It eased the youngling’s worry, energizing them to follow as I leapt from the cave and onto the branch to begin our quick journey to the beach.

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The engine was easy to hear when we reached the treeline, crouching in the shadows to watch the floodlights of the vessel sweep through the clouds above. “Get ready,” Ahsoka said from where she knelt beside me. “We’ll have to be swift.”

“The drop point’s not far,” O-mer announced, hiding in the shadows behind us.

“As much as I adore your determination,” I whispered, giving her a glance. “I can’t help but notice I lack a jet pack. Am I a distraction in this plan?”

Her cerulean eyes widened only slightly before she looked confused. “Distraction? No. Can’t you…” she trailed off, seeing me frown.

I shook my head slightly, giving a small laugh. “Ahsoka, I can do some things but...make myself jump that high?” I watched the approaching ship, remembering how far we’d fallen from our cages when we were dropped off. I could handle the falls and do slightly higher jumps...but this was throwing myself through the air. I shook my head again to reinforce my inability to do that.

“You can do it,” Ahsoka whispered back. I gave her a look, making her sigh.

“We’ll help,” Jinx spoke up, O-mer nodding beside him. “We’ll get you up there, Kida. Jump like you could make it yourself and we’ll do the rest.” I gave them a nod of thanks, knowing their respect for me was growing. Maybe it was my words. Maybe it was fighting the Trandoshan together. Or maybe it was Kalifa dying.

But something in them had changed.

“Let’s do this,” I said, my muscles curling in anticipation as the white and red transport emerged from the fog, lowering itself over the beach.

“Now!”

We raced out to Ahsoka’s command, the boys falling behind me to help me get up onto the transport. Ahsoka went first, scaling the remains of a decimated tree before launching herself skyward. I nearly stumbled at how high she could make herself jump.

It was damned unnatural.

I scurried up the tree, mentally preparing myself to more or less fly through the air. My legs put as much effort in as they could, the Force helping only a little. Just as I felt my body become weightless in an attempt to come back down to the ground, I felt the younglings push at my back with the Force.

I don’t know how I managed to smother my scream as I flew, completely out of control, up and over the viewport of the transport, where Ahsoka was crouching. I wish I could say I landed nicely. Gracefully with the fluidity of my training, rolling easily to find my feet again.

Now for what actually happened.

I was thankful for my armor, but not super stoked that the absorption integrity of the internal mechanism had been damaged from the blast I took to the chest-plate. My body slammed into the top of the ship, knees and chest first. While the armor helped, its edges digging into my skin wasn’t amazing.

I groaned as I pushed myself up, seeing the hatch in front of me slam open. A Trandoshan emerged, making me scoot backwards rapidly as he drew his weapon. Ahsoka appeared behind me, the boys flying over our heads to drop behind the hunter. They rushed him from behind, slamming him down towards the wing.

“We’ll take the pilot,” Ahsoka called to them, tapping my elbow as she raced by to leap into the open hatch. I followed suit, rolling my shoulder to loosen the pain of the fall.

We landed quietly, Ahsoka putting her dirty finger to her lips to keep me silent. I nodded, our boots barely making a sound across the metal grating. We crept into the cockpit, the pilot facing the viewport, disturbing still. The Force whispered a warning in my ear.

“Move!” I yelled, shoving Ahsoka sideways as the Trandoshan turned in his chair, blasting at us with his rifle. We went in opposite directions, the padawan taking the fire as I hurried around the access ladder and slammed my shoulder into the massive Trandoshan. He fell sideways, the gun falling to the side.

Ahsoka leapt in off the wall, swinging her foot across the creature’s face. He swung, the gun catching me on the side of the head. Ahsoka managed to dodge both it and me as I flew sideways, jumping up onto the Trandoshan’s chest, pinning the gun between them as the struggled over the controls.

“No!” I yelped through my daze when the Trandoshan shifted sideways in his struggle, the wheel turning under his weight. The ship shifted angrily to the side, tipping us towards the wall behind me. I struggled to find my balance between the moving ship and my aching head, watching helplessly as Ahsoka was thrown across the cockpit.

The Trandoshan opened fire on her, the girl practically dancing around the shots. She held up her hand, her Force signature calm and collected. His gun shifted dramatically to the side when he tried to fire at her again.

I forced myself to rise, taking a step into his blind spot and aiming carefully placed jabs under his raised arms. He let out a pained screech. I knew how to fight a Trandoshan, if I had the chance to get in close.

The issue was that you rarely got that chance.

His claws swiped at me, but I lunged backwards, smug in the hits I’d landed. Ahsoka was advancing behind me, still using the Force to alter the Trandoshan’s aim. “Together,” she said firmly. I didn’t need clarification.

I breathed out slowly, centering myself. It was getting easier, the more I did it. Of course, it was still easier for me to sense things, rather than move them. But I focused myself as best I could, willing the Force to push with the motion of my outstretched hands.

Beside Ahsoka, I watched as the Trandoshan flew backwards and smashed through the viewport window, unconscious. I frowned. Flying with the blast shields up to keep us from being sucked out into space was not going to be easy.

And then the control around us sparked to life, filling the cockpit with smoke. I grabbed the railing around the access ladder as the ship pitched and spun in the air. “We lost something,” I announced over the cracking of electricity and whirring of engines. The displays were all flashing red, showing that the cargo holdings were detachings completely.

Ahsoka raced to the controls, doing her best to get control of the ship. I watched her, but I could tell from the blaring alarms that it was past saving.

Jinx’s feet thumped against the viewport when he landed there, peering it at us. “Get out of there! Come on!”

Ahsoka glanced at me and I nodded. “We tried. We’ll try again.”

She seemed to agree, but frowned nonetheless. “But the prisoners,” she worried, showing her true Jedi colors. The ones I liked about the Jedi, at least. “They’ll die.”

“Hit the release,” I yelled as the ship pitched again, sounding much worse than it did a moment ago. I rushed forward, grabbing her arm as she hit the release buttons. The mechanisms of the ship whirred as the cargo holds opened, the two of us crawling through the shattered viewport.

“One more time,” O-mer said gently, lifting his hands beside Jinx. I jumped immediately, knowing we didn’t have time for my worrying with the ship on fire. I felt them push my back with the Force, but I felt more in control this time. I kept myself upright as I fell, willing the Force to slow me as I neared the sand.

Rolling deftly upon impact, I was uninjured aside from the sand kicking into my face. The Jedi landed beside me, not needing to roll at all, as the transport exploded where the water met the land. It went up in an explosion of fire and sand before it settled, leaving us in the silence of night again.

“Well,” O-mer said as he rose, dusting himself off. “I guess we won’t be escaping on that ship.”

I quirked a smile while Ahsoka tried to be reassuring. “We’ll find another way,” she said. I glanced around at the group, seeing our faces dirty and tired. Still, there was hope in the younglings’ eyes.

Ahsoka was a good leader, I’d give her that.

My head lifted at the sound of a roar. A roar...that sounded terrible familiar. “What was that?” Jinx asked, peering into where the rubble smoked and sparked.

“A survivor,” Ahsoka responded with hope, racing into the wreckage. “It could be one of the prisoners they were dropping off.” In the rubble, there was a looming figure that only grew bigger as it stood to full height.

I grinned slightly when O-mer worried, “What is that?”

The creature walked into the light, regarding us suspiciously. “It’s a Wookie,” Ahsoka breathed, the creature roaring in return. I grinned, understanding him now that I knew he was speaking Shyriiwook.

I garbled at him in his native tongue, earning a look from everyone, including him. The Wookie looked excited, speaking quickly. I did my best to catch it all, but stopped him when he continued.

“Easy,” I said gently. “I haven’t spoken Shyriiwook in a long time. I’m a bit rusty.” The Wookie calmed, nodding in understanding. At least he understood Basic.

“We should get out of here anyways,” Jinx cut in, looking around nervously. He was right, of course. We’d sent up a signal fire, more or less, with the scorching remains of the prisoner transport.

“What about the other prisoners?” Ahsoka asked, looking to her fellow Jedi. “There could be other survivors.”

The Wookie warbled. “He said he was the only prisoner aboard,” I translated, earning a nod from the group.

“Let’s go.” Ahsoka led us back through the trees, the group staying silent as we crept in the darkness. With the first show of light, I was sure the Trandoshans would be crawling all over that beach. And I wanted to be nowhere near it.

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“I didn’t know you could speak Wookie,” Ahsoka mused, giving me a grin as we reentered our cave.

“It’s Shyriiwook,” I teased. “And I was a translator for Jabba, remember? I had to be good or I’d be replaced with a service droid like 3PO.” My words made her laugh, as she had grown used to my casual reference to my enslavement.

The younglings, however.

“You were a slave?”

I glanced up, giving them a nod. “Though I don’t think that’s important right now.” The boys glanced away when I looked back to Ahsoka.

“I know it’s called that,” she teased back, ignoring the boys. “I know it a bit, too. Though I’m not as fluent as you.”

Speaking of….the Wookie garbled beside me, earning my attention. I gave him a genuine smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Chewbacca,” I greeted in Basic. “Though I wish our circumstances were different.” He chortled.

“Chewbacca,” O-mer cut in, “Does anyone even know you were taken?”

The Wookie replied. “No,” I translated, “But his homeworld is very close.”

“That’s great,” Jinx sighed as he stood. “But it might as well be Coruscant, as far as I’m concerned. We’ve got no ship.”

Chewbacca got angry, getting up and shouting in his native tongue, his arms waving in the air. When he was done, he sat between Ahsoka and I again. “He thinks he can contact his home planet if we find a way to translate a signal ,” Ahsoka translated for me when I didn’t speak. I’d heard what he said and was mulling it over, my thumb striking the side of my jaw thoughtfully.

“Right and how would we do that?” Jinx asked. “Send smoke signals? We don’t exactly have a transmitter lying around, if you haven’t noticed.”

“What about the ship?” Ahsoka asked.

I shook my head. “The Trandoshans are likely already down there and they’d disable that if it’s still working.” The Wookie garbled beside me, making me frown in thought. “That could work.”

“Chewbacca says he can build a transmitter from the wreckage on the beach,” Ahsoka announced to the younglings.

“Well, we can’t just sit here,” O-mer declared, trying to be the optimistic one.

“Fine,” Jinx sighed. “We’ll do it the Wookie way.”

I rose, stretching slightly to try and loosen the soreness in my body. “We don’t have long until sunrise. I suggest everyone gets some rest.”

“What about the transmitter?” O-mer asked.

“The Trandoshans are probably all over that beach already,” I explained, getting comfortable in the place I’d started calling my bed. “We’ll have to wait until tomorrow night.”

“She’s right,” Ahsoka agreed, bedding down as well. “We’ll get back to getting out of here after we rest.”

The group laid down, my eyes watching the swirls of our small fire as they curled against the top of our cave. Slowly, I felt sleep wash over me, and with it, came visions.

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The first thing I heard within the darkness was thumping. Not like someone getting hurt, but like the beat of a song. The floor beneath my bare feet felt cold, like polished stone. It shuddered beneath me with the music, becoming more clear as I heard the sound of a door opening. It shut again, muting the music, but I knew where I was.

I was in my club office.

Slowly, my environment cleared, letting me see the unused room. It was dark, aside for the flashing lights coming through the one-way window overlooking my club. Another light clicked on, making me turn to see Rouva and a shadowed figure I couldn’t make out.

“Like I said,” Rouva announced to the figure behind her. “She’s not here.” The Twi’lek seemed to deflate slightly, giving her guest a sad look. “But her words still stand, should you like to stay?”

The figure--definitely a male--cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly. I stepped closer, wanting to see who it was, but the Force wouldn’t let me see him. Finally, his shadowy outline shook its head.

Rouva pressed her lips together and sighed. “I’ll give you a minute, if you’d like.” She didn’t wait for his reply, stepping past him to open the door again. Music poured into the room like water rushing from a stream. Rouva stopped, her head-tails swishing slightly as she turned to face the figure again. “This is how life is with Kida sometimes,” she sighed gently. “It can hurt to love her, I know.” My heart ached at her words. I knew I wasn’t an easy person to get close to, mostly because I rarely let myself get close to people. But that was because I knew that caring about me was a terrible thing to ask of someone--my life was usually in danger. “I’m sorry that you have the terrible privilege of loving her, Captain.”

Her words struck me like a slap to the face, the Force finally focusing enough for me to see the slouched shoulders of my loving captain. Rex didn’t respond to Rouva, merely swallowing and giving her a nod before she left the room, the thumping of the club fading with the closing of the door behind her.

I watched quietly, knowing Rex wouldn’t hear me if I spoke. He wasn’t Force-sensitive, for one, but I also felt that the Force intended for me to watch, rather than act. I scoffed under my breath gently, watching Rex’s golden gaze slide over the contents of my office, just like he had the first night he’d stayed there.

The leave during the debate over the coordinates of the Nexus Route had extended longer than we could have ever hoped for, giving us two full weeks of time together between drills and meetings. I was contacted some time between all of that, and brought on for the next mission to Felucia to team up with Plo Koon and the Wolf Pack.

My feet followed Rex without my having to think about it, watching him put his helmet down on the dresser inside my bedroom. I blushed, remembering something I’d put in there before shipping out. He’d been on the assignment with me...I’d never imagined he’d be back in before I could hide it. Or before I could at least call Rouva and have her hide it for me.

Rex saw it in a moment--the only new addition to the room that glowed faintly on my nightstand. My bed was still unkempt beside it--my side, of course. Rex’s was still tucked in and untouched, aside from the vague outline of a handprint sliding across the comforter’s soft surface. He’d had to stay in the barracks the night before shipping in out in order to ensure timely departure of his men.

I watched his throat bob as he swallowed, emotions rippling off him in overwhelming waves. I took a small step further from him in the room in hopes to put some distance between the senses, taking up a post beneath my window….beside the picture of Jango, Boba, and I.

During my few weeks mingling with the 501st during their leave, I’d added a few holo-pictures to my barely personalized room. There were two new additions, aside from the newest that Rex was currently approaching hesitantly.

There was one atop my dresser by the door, depicting the first night I’d had the clones at my club. I was in the center, my cherry-painted lips split in a wide smile. Our group was piled together on the dance floor, multicolored lights painting our faces like fireworks in our skin. Hardcase had his arm around my waist, his cheek tucked against my bare shoulder. His eyes were bright, despite the obvious alcohol in his system. I was leaning slightly away from Hardcase, my back shoulder dipping into Rex’s chest. He didn’t seem to mind in the photo, the skin around his golden eyes crinkling as he grinned. Still, it wasn’t the wide-toothed smile I saw when it was just the two of us. Fives had his arm around Rex, his other hand on Jesse’s shoulder, who was beside me, his face bright with a wide smile that rivalled my own. The last was Tup, who had his arms around Vamira on the other side of Hardcase. His joy looked terribly pure. It hurt me to know the boy had to see horrible things in war.

The second was a holo-picture of Padme, Ahsoka, Anakin, and I. We had been in Padme’s office with the intent on getting updated on the debate over the Nexus Route. The update devolved into the four of us eating dinner and drinking into the night together. It was pleasant--and where I figured out that Ahsoka was completely aware of her master’s secret relationship. She didn’t say anything, but they were honestly bad at hiding their chemistry. The picture showed us huddled around Padme, Anakin’s arm protectively over the back of her chair, Ahsoka leaning over the top. I was perched on the other armrest, my half-full glass clinking together with Padme’s as we both laugh.

I smiled, looking over the pictures, immediately missing the warmth of the memories when my bed creaked under Rex’s weight. He was sitting where my body had slept last, the covers tossed off in my hurry to make my call time for the mission. His golden gaze shimmered slightly in the flicker of the newest holo-picture, making me wonder if there was a bit of moisture he was holding in.

Steeling myself, I stepped away from the wall to approach the opposite side of the bed--the one he had started to sleep on. Over Rex’s armored shoulder, I watched him pick up the small holo-picture, the image shuddering under the movement. It was the two of us---a picture I’d taken the first night he visited the club without his brothers. One of the many times in the two weeks he’d come with the other clones, he’d asked to keep the civy clothes I’d loaned him. Having no need for them, I let him.

And then he showed up to the club like a regular patron, ordering from one of the girls who didn’t know him yet. Eventually, I sensed him and stalked him out like an anooba on the floor. It’d been a surprise, sure….but not an unpleasant one.

After drinking and partying like two regular people who were trying to create some sort of a relationship, Rex had come up behind me when I sat on my barstool. His strong arms encircled me from behind and he boldly planted a kiss to my temple, nuzzling my hair and breathing in the smell of my soaps and hairspray. I’d taken a picture, capturing the soft smile on his lips and the glimmer in his golden gaze as he looked up to catch me freezing the moment. My face was flushed with a blush and booze, my eyes smushed close with the wideness of my smile.

Rex’s gloved fingers touched the hologram, making it shudder. He drew his hand away again. My heart ached as I watched his shoulder pauldron begin to tremble, his worry billowing off him like fire spreading through a dry field.

“Cyare,” he whispered, lifting the holo-picture to nearly touch his forehead, the image flickering. “Please be alive. I couldn’t handle-” His voice broke slightly, his thick swallow audible from behind him. “Not after the Citadel. Not after the time we had. You can’t….you can’t be….” he was struggling to say the word, his shoulders trembling with the effort of fighting his emotions. He was a trained soldier, after all. Attachment wasn’t in his design. Neither was loss.

But he was just a man, after all.

A man in love.

“I’m alright, Rex,” I called, hearing my voice echo around me in the Force. He couldn’t hear me, I knew. It was a miracle the Force was even letting me see him from this far away. “Well, not alright, but I’m alive. Don’t worry.”

He still trembled with emotion. Fear. Worry. Love. Anger. Frustration. Sorrow. I steeled myself, taking a slow breath and strengthening my connection to the Force. It was weird that the Jedi shunned using emotion to strengthen one’s bond with the Force. I understood it had to be controlled….but why was that something they deemed unachievable?

Walking around the bed, I stood before Rex’s sitting form, watching the few tears slip through his tough defense and onto his cheeks. I hesitated for only a moment before reaching out, touching my phantom fingers to his forehead beside the holo-image. The surge of emotions was almost deafening. It was jarring enough to almost wake me from my dream and rip me from my vision, but I fought it, willing the Force to let me stay a bit longer.

A few slow breaths let me ease through the onslaught of emotions from Rex, letting me into his incredibly intricate mind. I loved his mind. Calculating, but also passionate. Loyal, but deviously cunning. Deadly, but also so gently and loving.

Breathing out slowly through my nose, I smoothed over Rex’s spiking worries like my hand over a mound of sand. The clone stilled before me as I projected the calmest thoughts and feelings over him, letting his heightened tension gently ease out.

Suddenly, he stood, the holoprojector still in hand. I leapt backwards in freight, my connection through the Force wavering as the clone looked around the room. His eyes were wide. Afraid, but full of hope.

“Kida?” he said softly through panicked pants. My name was said as if he had seen a ghost. In a way, if he had truly felt me….it was like he had. He looked around the room hopelessly, but obviously couldn’t see me. My heart ached at his lost look, unable to do anything.

Stopping in the center of the room, he glanced back at the holo-image for a moment before addressing the room loudly. “Kida….Cyare….if you’re out there,” he sighed lowly closing his eyes and holding the holoprojector to his chest as if reciting a wish. “Come back to me.”

Tears burst forth unwelcome from my eyes as I stepped forward, looking up at his closed eyes. Knowing neither of us would feel it, I tilted forward onto my toes, putting my lips where they’d need to be to connect with his.

For a moment, and only a moment, it almost felt like they connected.

“I’m here Rex. And I’m coming back to you,” I whispered against him, willing with every cell of my being that he heard me. I pulled away as I felt the vision fading, the Force pulling me back to my body as the sun likely rose over the Trandoshan moon. I gave Rex a tearful smile, despite him being unable to see me, when his gloves fingers touched his lips gently, his eyes wide with shock. “I promise.”

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ryder-s-block · 5 years

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Jaig Eyes (Ch 38)

Jaig Eyes (38/?)

A Clone Wars fanfic.

Always available on fanfiction.net

Summary:

Kida, a former slave who now thrives as a bounty hunter, finds herself sucked into the war she advised Jango Fett against. Now that she's involved, she has to finally mourn the loss of Jango, seeing his face in the clones that man the GAR. What happens when she allows herself to get attached to one, not for his resemblance to her former mentor, but for his heart?

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Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Owner of the Voice

The planet of Moraband...or Korriban...reminded me slightly of how Tatooine looked from orbit. Though, while the dry and clear look of the nearly uninhabitable planets seemed similar, Korriban’s surface practically gleamed red. In addition, the usual shady traffic I encountered on Tatooine was nowhere to be found.

Embo had mentioned a trading guild location on the planet, but with some asking around, I determined it was on the opposite side of the planet as my approach was.

I wasn’t sure why I preferred that. Maybe it was because I didn’t want word possibly getting back to the Republic about my exploration of the planet. Or maybe it was because I felt drawn to this particular part.

The planet almost seemed to be breathing, it was teeming so much with the Force. Despite the obvious life power that flowed through it, I felt cold. It was the Dark Side. Still, I could tell that what I was feeling was only a gentle echo of the power that had once resonated on the planet.

When my ancestors had practiced their dark arts there. When the fallen jedi...also my ancestors, technically...came to the planet and enslaved the Sith purebloods, entwining the dark arts of the natives with their own knowledge of the Force.

I swallowed as I turned off my autopilot, entering the planet’s dusty atmosphere. The moment my sensors registered that I had dipped below the dark cloudline, my senses burned like a fire in my mind. I was in a daze, my hands tilting the joystick to turn my ship and coast through the desert landscape. The very planet itself glowed a dark orange in the slow sunset, the dark red sand of the world spinning in slow circles in the wind. Massive formations of red rock towered above the wings of my shuttle, casting me in shadow as I passed them.

I didn’t know what navigation I was following. I just knew that something was calling me. Tugging at the back of my mind like a child pulling incessantly at a string.

It wasn’t long before I emerged from my low-flying flight, passing a few final towering structures of stone to find a valley. It pulsed with power.

And with the echoes of the dead.

The valley was lined with temples that I somehow knew were tombs. A particularly large pyramid structure stood at the end of the valley, the long stone courtyard that led to it littered with destroyed statues. The statues that remained intact depicted massive towering warriors, their heads bent.

I couldn’t tell if the action was supposed to be out of respect...or submission.

The engines of my shuttle whirred to a low, cooling hum as I set the ship down within the massive courtyard. The gangway descended, the surprisingly cool wind whipping past my cloak that was draped over my plain, dented armor--I’d scratched away the paint during the hyperspace jump to Korriban. I pulled the hood of the dark gray cloak up over my short hair, trying to block some of the swirling sand.

Whatever had called me here was quiet now. There was no voice in my mind. No enticing words to draw me closer.

But there was a darkness. And power.

I strode from the gangway of my shuttle, following the pulsing power that pulsed from deep within the towering pyramid. My eyes were drawn to the horizon, aware of how the sun was almost halfway below the mountains, the valley darkening from orange towards red. My peripheral vision caught movement, drawing my gaze.

Something feral loomed up in the broken structures that lined the valley. Its stature vaguely reminded me of Marrok, Embo’s anooba. Yet, instead of covered with fur, the creature looked almost leathery with long spines trailing down its haggard back. It’s long tail, difficult to make out in the fading light, looked long and whip-like.

Even though it didn’t come down from where it lurked, I could tell it was watching me. I walked a little faster up the stairs and through the towering metal door that was slightly ajar. I wondered if it had been pried apart by raiders, searching for lost trinkets of the Sith species. Then again, maybe it was pillaged by those that continued to study the Dark Side.

Had others heard the call that I did?

I briefly considered that the door may be ajar on purpose...to invite me inside.

The halls inside were dark, illuminated only by the sweeping beam of my flashlight. It was only a short distance to cross a second threshold that opened into a long room. A stream of orange light filtered in from structural insecurities, encasing what looked like a stone coffin below at the end of the hall.

I stopped at the edge of a short staircase, leading into what I could only guess was once a court. It almost resembled a throne room. Massive statues along the room, depicting bent humanoid forms looking like they were trying not to be crushed by the pillars they were holding up. I swallowed hard, feeling the power resonating from the sarcophagus at the end of the room.

Decorating the stone were lines of old-looking metal, inscriptions etched into its surface. Despite my knowledge of languages, I had to admit that I had my shortcomings. Whatever was written there was old...so old that I couldn’t even begin to decipher what it might say.

As I drew closer, my eyes adjusting to the darkness, I saw a looming statue towering over the sarcophagus. The figure was cloaked, its face in shadow. His large arms were crossed over his chest, as I imagined the body within the sarcophagus was lain.

My heart leapt to my throat as I felt a familiar surge of power, my chest going cold as the air grew frighteningly still. I stopped in my tracks, a black mist rising from the sarcophagus with a low hissing sound, like sand sliding over stone. The mist continued to rise, an orange glow resonating from the top of the coffin, like someone had lit a fire inside.

Fear froze my muscles as a figure began to take shape within the mist and fire, lifting his head slowly to stand in a mimic to the statue behind him. His hands unfolded from his chest as his glowing eyes regarded me. Despite the glow, his stare felt cold. Deadly.

The figure, though floating as a frightening apparition, wore armor as if he was in battle. Beautiful designs that I was sure once held meaning decorated the metal plating, his helmet sitting low to almost over his eyes. Were they not glowing, I was sure they would have been cast in shadow.

“Finally,” he spoke, the hair raising on the back of my neck. “You have answered my call.”

I knew his voice. His was the one that spoke in my mind, drawing me to Korriban. The one that gave me power...and darkness.

“It’s you,” I whispered fearfully, my fingers curling nervously around the pistol at my hip.

The spirit--as I now determined him to be, considering the circumstances--laughed. “That weapon won’t serve you here,” he assured me, waving his hand. I half-expected the pistol to fly from my holster, but nothing happened. Was he so sure it wouldn’t hurt him that he didn’t even bother to remove it from my grasp? He was obviously Force-sensitive, given his connection to me and his ability to somehow live past death...like Qui-Gon had.

“Who are you?” I asked finally, mustering my courage. I forced my hand to come off my pistol in a fake show of understanding and confidence.

The spirit rose to full height--which was rather impressive, mind you--and let out another chuckle. His voice in my head had always been a bit off-putting. But in this massive chamber, it was even moreso. I could tell his power was even greater here than anywhere else. His words echoed, almost sounding like three voices rather than one.

“I am Darth Bane.” For some reason, that name sparked a recognition. I’d heard something about him...somewhere. “I am the greatest Sith Lord to have ever lived.”

For some reason, my sass found its way back to the surface, my eyebrow arching. “How is that? Wouldn’t the greatest Sith Lord find a way to defeat death? Wasn’t there one of you that did that?”

That was dumb to say. I felt his anger chill the room even further, his head bowing to glower at me. “You speak of what you do not understand, girl,” Darth Bane hissed. “I alone have saved the Sith.”

I kept myself from responding with a sarcastic remark about how he was dead again. “How?”

“The Rule of Two.”

That sparked a thought. I’d heard about that. It was whispered in the darkest corners of the underworld. Especially after Obi-wan killed one on Naboo. “Always two Sith,” I whispered. “Did you train Maul?”

Bane let out a dark laugh. “An apprentice struck down be a padawan? No. I would not train one so weak.”

I breathed slowly, trying not to panic as I felt Bane’s powers curling into my mind, wrapping through my thoughts. It was violating feeling, as if my fear was unlocking the doors of my mind for him.

“Why did you call me here?”

Bane regarded me for a moment, sifting through my thoughts. “I created the Rule of Two to ensure the survival of the Sith.” The spirit floated around the room as he explained, his eyes only straying from me briefly. “Once, we were a vast empire, overflowing with power. The old sith powers...as well as the jedi...believe that the Force is like fire.” He either saw my confusion on my face or felt it in my mind. He continued. “They believe that the Force is passed like a torch to their followers, spreading light throughout the galaxy at an equal brightness. They are wrong.” I felt his contempt, not only for the jedi, but for the sith army that existed long ago. “The Force is like venom.” Darth Bane turned abruptly, tilting his armored head. “You’re afraid.”

I found no sense in lying. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t understand. These abilities have always been there, but as of late, they only continue to grow. I can’t control it. I could hurt someone.”

Darth Bane chuckled lowly at me. “Your bloodline is strong in the Dark Side. You will learn.”

“You mean how I’m a descendant of the Sith.”

“Not just any Sith, girl. A king. And powerful fallen jedi that would eventually claim to be a sith himself. Though, he was never a lord as I am.”

“Why not?”

“Few dare to take on the title of Darth, child. Those who have borne it before me have proud histories.”

A thought occurred to me, some of my fear beginning to eb. This spirit, while imposing, had yet to display any true threat to me. Thus far, he seemed like he was merely interested in me. Why would he call me here, only to kill me?

“What do you feel of those that call themselves Darth now?”

Darth Bane’s demeanor darkened as he loomed around the room, glowing faintly in the shadows. “The current Sith Lord has held fast to my rule, in which the apprentice, when he or she surpsasses their teacher, slays their master.” I started at his words, my forehead folding in fear again. “This disturbs you?”

I swallowed. “Killing the person who taught you everything? That’s...brutal.” My mind flashed to Jango, who had taught me nearly everything about bounty hunting that I now knew.

“You think of the man who saved you from slavery,” Bane mused, sending a chill down my spine. “The ways of the Sith, in order for them to continue, must be contained within the Rule of Two. When an apprentice surpasses the master, they become the master themselves to then continue passing on our teachings.”

“Why does the master have to die for that to happen?” I asked, clenching my hands. “It works just fine for the jedi to have multiple apprentices in life.”

Darth Bane hummed lowly. “You’ve spent time with the jedi. How do you perceive their power?”

I shrugged. “They lead armies. They can tip the scale in the war. I’ve seen them do incredible things.”

“Perhaps,” Bane allowed, which surprised me. “But I see where your thoughts stray. To the supposed sith you battled on Vandor.”

“Supposed?”

“He is but a pawn. His end will come when his master chooses a new, better suited apprentice.” I thought for a moment about how Dooku could possibly just be a pawn. He practically led the Separatist alliance. He fueled the continuation of the war itself. Bane read my thoughts. “A powerful pawn, mind you. But a temporary piece that will be replaced by one even more powerful.”

“Do you know who the master is?”

Bane watched me, chuckling. “You are not ready for such knowledge, child. First, you must learn why there are only two. I said before that the Force is like venom. Do you know why?”

“No.”

“It dilutes in numbers.” For some reason, I didn’t entirely believe that. I’d seen the jedi do incredible things, and there were a lot of them. “Consider your jedi friends,” he butt in, following my thoughts. “They were subdued by a half-baked sith. Imagine them facing a master. There are only two sith because our lust for power, which drives our strength, turned our armies to infighting. That was why we lost to the jedi long ago. With two, there is always one master and one apprentice. The venom does not get diluted when shared between only two. The teachings of the Sith Order are passed down between them, and they work from the shadows. This is how the sith survive. How we will find power again.”

I swallowed. “I understand that,” I allowed. “But I still don’t understand why you brought me here. There are already--” I cut off my own words, remembering Bane mentioning a new apprentice for the dark master. An apprentice to replace Dooku.

“You are a swift learner. Good.”

“Wait,” I cut him off, watching the spirit float above his sarcophagus once more. “What if this isn’t what I want? I don’t even fully understand the sith. I only know what--”

“What a jedi taught you,” Bane completed for me. “I’m aware. I called you here for your potential to be the next great Sith Lord. I care for the furthering of our code, though the current master is greedy, seeking immortality as many have before him. If you are fit for this, you will be his student and one day, surpass him to continue our order the right way.”

“But--”

“You have great power, young one. You must learn how to fully tap into that power. I will teach you. Show you that this is your destiny as your bloodline demands. I will make you fear nothing. You will be unstoppable.”

His words, though dark...were seductive. I used to have a lot of fear. I had many things that still frightened me. To be rid of that weight? To be able to strike down those that have hurt me? That scarred me so deeply that they still creep in my nightmares?

“Never listen to what others say. Take the jobs you see fit to yourself. The ones that you believe in.”

Jango’s voice was so loud in my mind, I nearly whirled to see if he was in the room. Still, my senses told me otherwise. I wondered if Bane had tapped at that particular memory on purpose.

“I am…” I hesitated, glancing at the stone beneath my boots. “Willing to listen. I want to understand. Hear both sides.”

“Good. Sit, child.” I breathed deeply, steadying myself before sitting cross-legged on the floor. “You have felt the power of the Dark Side before--my own, flowing through you. What did it feel like?”

“It felt…” I searched for the words. “Hot. Powerful. Uncontrollable. Dangerous.”

“Not good?”

He was prodding me towards an answer, I knew. But he wasn’t entirely wrong in his assessment either. “Maybe a little good. It felt good to protect my friends. To have power over someone so horrible.”

“Yes,” Bane praised. “Do you understand that this is a power you would not have possessed if not for you anger? For your hatred? You were facing a sith, after all.”

“I understand. But what made my ability better than his? He was a trained jedi once. And trained by a sith.”

“Bloodline is part of that. Those born of strong force users are often strong in the force themselves. Another is you have quite a well of passions to delve into. Dooku, though wronged by the jedi, still learned their ways of coping. Of suppressing their emotions. That keeps him from his true potential for growth.”

“A well of passions?”

“Your pains. Wrongs done against you. Hatred. Fear. Anger...love.” I recoiled slightly at his words. “You’ve lost so much, child. Use that sadness. Turn it to anger. To power.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to be angry all the time. I think,” I paused, sounding pathetic even to my own ears. “I think it would consume me.”

“It very well could. As is the risk of all sith.” That answer surprised me. “Your emotions give you power, but you are not a slave to them. You are a slave to nothing.”

“The Force shall free me,” I muttered, remembering the words the spirit had fed me while I battled Dooku.

“Yes,” Bane hummed in approval. “I can sense your hesitations at the jedi teachings.”

It wasn’t a question. He was more...leading me to explain. “Yes,” I allowed. “I understand they aim to control their abilities, which I do as well. But they allow not emotion. No attachment. That’s not...possible.” Bane floated before me, his hands folding behind his back. “Even two of their most powerful jedi have broken this rule. No one can truly let go of attachment.”

“So you see the lies of the jedi. They praise the light and try to snuff out the darkness with no regards to the power it provides. The freedom it provides. Do you understand that the Jedi Council would lose their power over others should their younglings understand this? This is why they fear the Dark Side so much.”

I understood. But something else flashed to my mind. “Wouldn’t that defeat the Rule of Two?”

“No,” Bane insisted, looming closer to peer at my face. “Those who were shown the truth would forsake the jedi ways, but they would not be Sith Lords. It would merely break the corrupt power of the jedi.”

“Why is the Dark Side...bad?”

“It’s not. The jedi have painted it so. In their overly righteous minds, they deem that all those with Force-sensitivity must serve the cause of the jedi--a cause they use to better themselves. Sith allow emotions, as it better connects us to the Force and strengthens our abilities within it.”

Every word he spoke drew me in further. He was right. I was angry. Hurt. Alone. Scared. The jedi would have be hush those feelings. Bury them deep within myself. Or even worse, let them go.

They would belittle the things I’d gone through.

“I will teach you,” Darth Bane said again, floating before me. “Stand, apprentice.” Something within my swelled with pride at the title. I’d never been a formal student before. Even Jango had only taught me so that I didn’t die the second I left the planet. Bane wanted to teach me.

I stood, regarding my new teacher with some excitement.

“Close your eyes. Feel the living Force that flows through this planet.” I did as he asked, already aware of its power. “Think back. What makes you hurt? What angers you?”

That wasn’t hard to do, despite the memories being painful. I felt Bane in my mind, nudging me towards terrible memories, painting them in red in my mind.

Living on the streets of Corellia, abandoned by parents I never knew. Forced to work for local gangs and criminals. The torture of the Zygerrians. The sting of their whips on my back--scars I still carried on my skin. The burn of the brand on my inner forearm. Being sold like livestock. Being eyed by all those who passed through Jabba’s Palace. Having to defend myself whenever Jabba wasn’t there to protect me. Death Watch. Defiling me. Using me. Scarring me even further until I barely had a will to live anymore. Jango dying. Boba blaming me. The jedi’s mistrust. Their plans to kill me because of my biology. Aurra pitting Boba against me. Rex...Rex saying he loved me. That he wanted me to stay.

I felt Bane in my mind. A part of me screamed that I understood Rex’s dilemma. I understood why he couldn’t leave. And then Bane entered my thoughts, splashing red over all the memories.

Rex had asked me to stay because he feared me. He wanted the jedi to control me. Maybe even kill me. He didn’t love me, like he claimed. He was trying to say whatever he could to keep me there.

“Good. Good,” Bane chuckled. “Feel your anger. Let it help you connect with the Force. Do you feel it?”

Angry tears pooled on my cheeks as I nodded, breathing heavily. “Yes.”

“Lift those rocks.” Bane gestured to a pile of heavy looking stones in the corner. My anger began to dissipate immediately.

“I’ve almost never done this on command. It’s always been...survival.”

Bane invaded my mind, bringing me back to Lawquane’s homestead. Rex had known about my Force abilities. Had he really just perceived that...or did he already know my secret? Was he a tool all along to gain my trust. To make sure the Republic--no-- the jedi had control over me?

“Lift them, my apprentice,” Bane demanded.

I turned to the rocks, stretching out my hands as I had in the past when I used the Force. I expected it to be difficult, as it had been before. I expected it to take all my concentration and will power.

Instead, fueled by my rage and confusion, the rocks lifted off the ground rather swiftly, surprising me. Still, my power drained quickly, my stamina within the Force poor at best. The rocks dropped back to the floor as I breathed heavily, looking at my own hands in awe.

“Good, my apprentice. You have incredible power. You will learn quickly,” he assured me. “The sith create their own lightsaber crystals,” he explained, floating before me with his hands behind his back. “They were once forged artificially through the Dark Side. Most apprentices I would have create their own. Yet, I sense that there is a particular crystal calling out to you.” That sentiment surprised me, considering I’d heard no call apart from Bane’s.

Bane’s spirit swelled as if he was taking a breath before turning to me to glower from beneath his helmet.

“Go. Find this crystal that calls to you. Return when you have found it, and not before. Then your training will continue.”

I bowed my head slightly. Maybe it was my years as a slave. Or maybe it was Bane’s thoughts prodding me to do so. “Yes…” I hesitated for a brief moment. I’d had to call people master before, when I was a slave. But this...this was different. He was my master not as an owner, but as a teacher. “Yes, Master,” I said finally.

Bane’s spirit seemed pleased before his essence began to dissipate, the mist sliding back into the stone sarcophagus at the end of the room. I was left in darkness, aside from the pale moonlight that now filtered through the crack in the ceiling.

I turned my flashlight back on before heading out of the tomb, hoping I could hear the call of whatever lightsaber was apparently meant for me.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE:

Sorry for being off the map for so long. Lots going on. Updates should come with a bit more speed since I’ve actually already planned the next few chapters (so long as I keep up on actually writing them).

As always, reviews, comments, questions, and shares are always welcome and encouraged!

-Ryder

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