Star Wars Endgame: Finale, Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

--Jedi Temple, Ossus--

    The twin suns of Ossus had barely risen and yet Jaden Korr was already awake. It had been months since he had a decent amount of sleep, without any sort of nightmare.

    It was the same one every night: him being in that cave on Abeloth's planet, standing before an apparition of Darth Vorath, removing the Dark Lord's helmet... and finding his own.

    To this day, he had no idea what to make of it. Was he related to Vorath somehow? Was he a clone, a descendant, or something else? Or was it one of those stupid metaphorical things Master Skywalker would go on about back in the day?

    Either way, he had yet to find clarification. So far the only people he had confided in with this revelation had been Master Taana Di, Natia Dorn, and his own master Kyle Katarn -- and so far, none of their advice to him had been helpful. As much as he appreciated it, he still didn't think they could help given that they had never dealt with a similar situation.

    If only Luke Skywalker was still alive, or the man who had once called himself Nemesis hadn't left Ossus for parts unknown two years ago. Perhaps he could've asked them how they dealt with their connection to Darth Vader.

    As he pondered on this, wandering through the Jedi Temple, he found himself in the Ood Bnar Gardens, populated by fluorescent-colored birds. Up ahead, he could see a dark-haired man standing before a statue erected in honor of Luke Skywalker, who had fallen years ago to Vorath. The man's right arm ended in a stump and was suspended by a sling, something which he owed to his former apprentice.

    As Jaden approached Relin Druur, the old Jedi spoke without looking at him. "I see why you hold this man in great respect."

    "Done your reading, have you?" Jaden asked.

    "Yes. Rather impressive for someone so young to accomplish so much."

    "He didn't do it alone. If it hadn't been for Jedi such as Master Baran or Master Sadoon still being around, the order would be nowhere near as large as it is now."

    "And yet it is still small compared to the order of my time." Relin fell silent for a moment before finally looking at Jaden. "Something troubles you, Jedi Korr. What brings you here?"

    Jaden hesitated to answer. Relin, of course, would be unlikely to understand his present dilemma. While he had certainly must have heard of Vorath from the records Master Tionne had given him, he did not know the Dark Lord like others such as Toah Jarsan did. He did not know the true extent of the impact Vorath and his Sith had left on the galaxy.

    Choosing his words carefully, Jaden said, "Here's some food for thought. Let's say there's this ill-reputed person out there in the galaxy. You might not know him, but you've heard the stories about him: killed some people, destroyed a few cities, the works.

    "Then, one day you find out this guy is someone closely related to you -- like, say, a father or a brother or even a son. How would you deal with this?"

    Relin thought about this for a moment, his sunken dark eyes staring into the distance. Finally, he said, "I suppose it depends on how much I would want to let it affect me. Does this person know of this relation as well? Would he try to damage my reputation by bringing our relationship to light?"

    "Well... let's say this person is also dead. And everyone in the galaxy utterly hates him. And you do as well, for good reason. How would you handle it, on a personal level?"

    Relin looked at Jaden, a knowing look in his stone gaze. "That, I believe, is something you must answer for yourself."

    Jaden sighed, nodding in spite of himself. "Right. I guess that makes sense. Thank you for your time, Master Druur."

    "Please, just call me Relin." The old Jedi frowned as he looked back at the Skywalker statue. "In a galaxy which I no longer understand, I feel that I am little more than another student."

*  *  *

    Anakin Solo uttered a word he had learned from his father as his hydrospanner got caught in the undercarriage of the fighter he was repairing. As he struggled to free it from the cavity, he heard booted footsteps approaching him. Rolling out from under the ship, he saw Zarin Kal standing before him.

    "Zarin?" Anakin said, surprised to see the Kiffar Jedi. "What are you doing up so early?"

    "I should be asking you the same," Zarin said. "Are you that attached to your machines?"

    Anakin shrugged as he gave the spanner another tug. "Just something that runs in the family, I guess. So why are you up?"

    Zarin scowled to himself, folding his arms as he started pacing. "Something doesn't feel right. I think we're being deceived."

    "What are you talking about?"

    Zarin looked back at him, fixing him with a stern gaze. "What I'm about to say to you is strictly between you and me. Understood?"

    Anakin nodded firmly.

    Zarin took in a breath and let it out before continuing. "I was speaking with Master Murk the other day, about this whole business with this new Sith Lord running around. It's been nearly six months and the Council still hasn't reached a decision on how to deal with him.

    "Anyway, while I was speaking with him, he started acting a bit... shifty. Like, vague and cryptic."

    "Aren't all Jedi Masters like that?" Anakin said wryly.

    "Well, yeah. But there was something else about him; I sensed something... cold... and dark about him."

    Anakin frowned. "You're not suggesting that...?"

    "I'm just telling you what I saw in him," Zarin said hastily. "I'm not going around accusing people of being Sith. I'm just...." He let out a sigh as he pinched his nose. "Look, forget I said anything. Maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself. Sorry for bothering you."

    With those words, Zarin quickly strode away, leaving Anakin alone with his fighter. He rolled back under and gave the hydrospanner one last tug. It finally came free and a stream of oil poured onto his face, prompting another string of colorful vocabulary.

*  *  *

    Natia Dorn woke up screaming.

    Her body was drenched with sweat, still shaking from the horrible dream she had had.

    She had seen the Jedi Temple on fire. She had heard Jedi screaming. She had felt cold, despite the heat of the flames surrounding her. Then she had seen, at the center of it all, a man in a black mask, crimson blade cutting down her master, her friends. Then she awoke.

    As she tried to calm herself, tried to find peace in the Force, she heard footsteps coming down the hall. A knock sounded at her door.

    "Natia?" she heard her master, Taana Di, call out. "Are you all right?"

    "Yes," she lied, her voice coming out as a croak. Evidently Taana did not believe her, for the door opened and the Togruta woman rushed inside, with fellow Jedi Nira Maren and Odan Murk behind her.

    "We felt your distress though the Force," Taana said, kneeling at her apprentice's bedside and placing a reassuring hand on Natia's shoulder. "Is everything all right?"

    Natia realized she was still trembling and she took in a shuddering breath. "I... I had a dream, although it... it felt more like a vision."

    "What did you see?" Taana asked.

    Natia described it to her as best as she could remember. When she was finished, all three masters exchanged concerned looks.

    "This might be worth looking into," Nira suggested. "Given recent events -- from the Dark Jedi Jaden Korr has encountered to this Sith calling himself Darth Taral -- this may very well be a likely future event."

    "Are we really going to give that much credit to a Padawan's nightmare?" Odan asked. "What if it turns out to be nothing more than just that?"

    "We can't afford to take any chances, Master Murk," Taana said. "We would be remiss to repeat the mistakes of Jedi before us."

    Turning back to Natia, Taana gently pushed the young girl back down onto her bed.

    "Rest now, Natia. Everything will be okay."