Beyond - Legends The End of All Light (Post-NJO AU: Anakin Solo, Jacen, Jaina, L/M, H/L, many more) Updated 11/29/14!

Aw, c'mon, man. Don't let us hanging too long with details on what is going on between Tahiri and Anakin.

Good chapter. It'd be interesting if that girl from the bar would turn up later again.

Pfffft. All hail Czulkang Lah, only Yuuzhan Vong to have mastered the concept of irony.

 

I don't trust myterious sources.

YOu love to torture us! 3 months and Anakin & Tahiri haven't worked out their issues!

Looking forward to Jania and Anakin working together!

 

It's nice seeing Jaden Korr in a fanfic. Not a lot of them actually use him. Nice to know whats been going on since the last time we checked in with the heroes. Anakin has it kinda right though, it is partially his fault. Jacen dealt his hand in that fight too, you know.

Great post. Can't wait for the next one.

 

Wizardy Devil

Sort of, yes, though Malig did it and would have done it without Jacen once he found out what Sekot could do for him.

Yeah well, you know, I think this Malig is really sneaky

? ?

ahhh I saw right through it

Glad you remembered that

?the end of all light? ...

Well, Kre'fey and his peeps were going there to wipe out an entire race. Some might say it was fitting that that's what happened to his fleet.

Well intended genocide can?t be countered with genocide some might say





Chapter 4: Sector Zero

The effect was simply dazzling.

As the author?s descriptions ...

The band called themselves "Hyperdrive Shaft"

LOL ... Drive Shaft ...

"Bail," the man said, looking up from his drink again with a sort of lopsided grin. "Lars."

Hehe interesting combination of names

"Believe it or not, the last time I was in the Uscru District I actually killed the Yuuzhan Vong Supreme Overlord."

LOL
Why telling her a faked name and then that?
I doubt she really believes it

"They're finally being brought here tonight from Denon to the new Borsk Fey'lya Detention Facility. Their trial for that whole Centerpoint diversion they pulled with the Jedi is supposed to start in a few days."

oh my ... Borsk would turn in his grave ... ?Borsk Fey?lya Detention Facility

"They are! They saved us from the Vagaari, and you just know the Vagaari were the front line of the Chiss."

Interesting stories they tell

The woman laughed. "You don't talk much, do you, Bail?"

LOL
That woman seems a lot like Tahiri .. babbling like a waterfall ... the young Jedi was good with that at some point

"Oh," the woman said, visibly drawing back. "Girlfriend?"

"No."

NO?!?!?!?

"It's Antilles and the Corellians!" Cyra seemed to call to everyone on the balcony as she continued to gesture. A gasp of excitement worked its way through the crowd as they surged forward, pressing harder against the railing and nearly knocking the fogblaster from her companion's hand.

Ahhh his ?transport?

"No. Can you hold this?"

"Sure," she frowned, accepting the glass as he handed it to her.

"Thanks."

ROFL

He had already grabbed the balcony railing and vaulted over it. Cyra's scream died in the rush of wind that engulfed his falling body and he didn't even hear the glass shatter as it slipped from the woman's shock-numbed fingertips.

LOL he could have taken it with him then LOL



Awesome moves the young Solo has up his sleeves ... just like on Telex

Seated at its helm, a look of unflinching concentration on his face, was Kyp Durron.

Sweet

The four Jedi squeezed into the back of the security speeder?it was a tight fit but much more comfortable than being captured or killed by the Raithians. Tresina Lobi took off from the transport just as the security speeders arrived, and they fled through the city in a hail of cannon fire.

Awesome and impressing rescue



"I sent Kyp to check on Zonama Sekot," his uncle explained. "It's been months since we've heard from Danni Quee and I want to make sure everything's okay."

He might not like what he finds there .. the destroyed fifth fleet.
And Sekot thinks the Jedi betrayed it
Kyp might be in great danger because of that




His brother hadn't been lying about Tahiri?she'd been captured, but not killed. And Anakin's own anger had served to drive Jacen completely to the dark side.

It was his fault.

NOOOOOO </Vader>

And his relationship with Tahiri...

What is with it - you can?t let us hanging like that!!! *pouts*

"Jaina," Anakin murmured, "What have you gotten yourself into now?"


Trouble everywhere


Great update

 

*rushes in*

Okay, you can start the fic... Oh yeah, you already did and I'm just so freakin' lame that I got here now.

Even though I've been eyeing your PM for like a month. I had to wait till I had the time to devote to this. Thankfully, Baby Girl is mucho distracted by the High School Musical movie currently playing.



So, I think Sekot wins the Darth Helmet "Evil will always win because Good is Dumb" award for trusting Jacen here. And a hallucinating Jacen at that? Dood... you can't trust teh crazies.

And man, it's got to suck when your A'rkai backfires on you like that. Literally.

And I'm just going to say this, but sending the Solo girls out on "Teh Wimmenz Gonna Kick Your Rathian Arse" roadtrip will result in disaster. Mark my words. I'm just not sure for who yet.

Good times.

Cyn

 

Okay Semi-Shock episode #2. One second *AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH....*

Oh, Jaina trouble, trouble.

too, Anakin & Tahiri! Relationship problems, bad!

More............!

 

Holy Smokes, YK!

So this is the final chapter of your series!

Me Like!

Jaina. Isn't she always in trouble.

So Anakin and Tahiri are having problems that are unspoken but are there? Hmmmm... interesting.

Jacen, as always is a bag of scum! Will he die in this one?

Oh. Luke hasn't heard from Danni. That doesn't sound good.

And he sent Kyp after her!!!

do I foresee a Danni/Kyp?

Let's hope Sekot doesn't go pshyco on him. I happen to like Kyp, not as much as Jag, but Kyp is kick-backside!!!

Oh. so Jaina did loose her hand in the last one! Okay. I get it!

Ooo... Chak. this isn't going to be a C/J/J right? Because I might have a hard time deciding who's better!

Is Anakin REALLY a Sith? He doesn't act very Sith-like in my option.

MORE!!!! Please
JJB


Edit: Can I be put on a PM list? Please!!!

 

I'm number TEN!!! I'm getting better at this!
"Is something wrong?"

"No. Can you hold this?"

"Sure," she frowned, accepting the glass as he handed it to her.

"Thanks."

"Wait! What are you doing?"
This was one of my favorite parts.
But it was too late.

He had already grabbed the balcony railing and vaulted over it. Cyra's scream died in the rush of wind that engulfed his falling body and he didn't even hear the glass shatter as it slipped from the woman's shock-numbed fingertips.
This was my other favorite part. Anakin's got moves!
When I read those two parts I thought of Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones/Revenge of the Sith.

 

Maggy: Jaina always ends up in trouble ... then her brother is a specialist for that too

Yeah, I'm not sure Anakin has any room to talk here...

Thanks for reading






Treborani: Great chapter, but it didn't seem long enough.

I thought it was at least 2,000 words too long Glad you liked it though.

And thanks for adding me to the PM list.

No problem

"I hate it when he does that."

Totally

Anyway, can't wait to see what happens when Kyp gets to Zonama Sekot and I really hope that plenty of Yuuzhan Vong survived.

Yeah, hopefully the Bothans getting vaped saved the Vong, but I guess we don't know what the Raithians had planned for them...

Thanks for reading and replying






Magnuskn: Aw, c'mon, man. Don't let us hanging too long with details on what is going on between Tahiri and Anakin.

Sorry about that

More details coming though, it just might take a bit

Good chapter. It'd be interesting if that girl from the bar would turn up later again.

Think there was something more to her? Or just wondering if she's going to be a part of the story?

Either way, I don't think we'll be seeing her again.

Pfffft. All hail Czulkang Lah, only Yuuzhan Vong to have mastered the concept of irony.

True Though I think Nom Anor might have unwittingly.

Thanks for reading and replying






TSF: I don't trust myterious sources.

What!? Those are the best kinds!

YOu love to torture us! 3 months and Anakin & Tahiri haven't worked out their issues!

Whoops, sorry about that

Seriously though, how unsatisfying would it be if it had all been worked out "off screen"?

Looking forward to Jania and Anakin working together!

Glad to hear it! Thanks for reading and replying






GMK: It's nice seeing Jaden Korr in a fanfic. Not a lot of them actually use him.

I still need to read Crosscurrent There will be a bit more Jaden to come, though he doesn't have a major role.

Nice to know whats been going on since the last time we checked in with the heroes. Anakin has it kinda right though, it is partially his fault. Jacen dealt his hand in that fight too, you know.

That's very true. Jacen's responsible for his own decisions and a lot of the horrible things that have happened throughout the series.

Great post. Can't wait for the next one.

Thanks and thanks for reading and replying There will be more on Friday.






Maggy: Well intended genocide can?t be countered with genocide some might say

True.

LOL ... Drive Shaft ...

Lost reference #815...

Hehe interesting combination of names

Anakin uses it as his fake name in Conquest when he's a Yuuzhan Vong slave.

LOL
Why telling her a faked name and then that?
I doubt she really believes it

Because she'd recognize the name, but think he's joking about the other thing.

NO?!?!?!?

That's not the ride he's waiting for.

LOL he could have taken it with him then LOL

That would just be unrealistic

He might not like what he finds there .. the destroyed fifth fleet.
And Sekot thinks the Jedi betrayed it
Kyp might be in great danger because of that

Good points

What is with it - you can?t let us hanging like that!!! *pouts*

Suspense?

Great update

Thanks and thanks for reading and replying






Cyn: *rushes in*
Okay, you can start the fic... Oh yeah, you already did and I'm just so freakin' lame that I got here now.

Nah, there's no rush Always happy whenever you can make it

Even though I've been eyeing your PM for like a month. I had to wait till I had the time to devote to this.

Yeah, there's usually a lot to read with these things. Takes a lot of time.

Thankfully, Ba

 

Oops! I'm late.

Two great chapters. Darth Malig is truly a master manipulator and schemer, for the Force's sake he now has Zonama Sekot on his side. He's showing all the signs of a great Star Wars villain: 1. Manipulation of heroes, 2. Well planned schemes, 3. Purged the Jedi, 4. Turned a hero into his apprentice, 5. Possesses unique and amazing abilities, 6. Displayed uber Force powers to kill hundreds of enemies in battle... What's left?

7. Destroy a planet. Of course... Force-generated hyperspace wormholes and Nihilus mega Force drain had been done, Death Stars, World Devastators and Galaxy Guns done to the death, so... the biggest Force lightning anyone has ever generated that turns an entire planet to smoking ash?

Even if she didn't have much of a role, I like Cyra. I wonder if we will see her again.

And now with the transfer of galactic power to Coruscant, I'm wondering if Malig has set up an even creepier base somewhere?

Anakin and Tahiri still have problems? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Eagerly awaiting the next chapter!

 

good chapter wes.

liked Anakin's choice of Names : Bail lars.... he does know that they both suffered deaths at the hand of bad guys , right ???

i liked the action in this chapter... made me feel like i was reading Aaron allston...
Kudos for using Jaden Korr also.

one question: is jacen going to 'claim' Hapes in the name of Raithians (technically, he is still their King )

good update and please include me in your PMs(i didnt get the PM for this chapter )

 

Classic. For a minute there, I lost track of sitting in front of a monitor simply reading about the rescue, and actually felt as if I was right there hurtling through the skylanes of Coruscant in the midst of the fight. One of your better action sequences for sure, and that is saying something. The galaxy may be doomed, but at least with Wedge back in action whatever happens next ought to be more interesting.

Anakin seems to have thoroughly reconsidered his priorities, and that can only be a good thing for the time being. Although I'm concerned about what Kyp and Anakin will find when they arrive at their destinations, I know that the main thing that matters to me is Tahiri. More specifically, what will become of her now, and what, if anything, will Anakin have to do with it?

 

Darth_Dreadwar: Oops! I'm late.

Nah, not late at all

Two great chapters.

Thanks!

Darth Malig is truly a master manipulator and schemer, for the Force's sake he now has Zonama Sekot on his side.

Yeah, that's pretty scary. Obviously, Zonama Sekot is the key to his plans, and the two united seems like an unstoppable team

He's showing all the signs of a great Star Wars villain: 1. Manipulation of heroes, 2. Well planned schemes, 3. Purged the Jedi, 4. Turned a hero into his apprentice, 5. Possesses unique and amazing abilities, 6. Displayed uber Force powers to kill hundreds of enemies in battle... What's left?

This is a great question. We've seen the manipulations and the destructions... What's left?

7. Destroy a planet. Of course... Force-generated hyperspace wormholes and Nihilus mega Force drain had been done, Death Stars, World Devastators and Galaxy Guns done to the death, so... the biggest Force lightning anyone has ever generated that turns an entire planet to smoking ash?

It's a thought, but to what end? What planet would he want to destroy and why? Certainly the power of Zonama Sekot could be harnessed to accomplish such a task though. Sekot is probably the most deadly superweapon that's ever existed, when you think about it.

Even if she didn't have much of a role, I like Cyra. I wonder if we will see her again.

Outlook is doubtful on that one

And now with the transfer of galactic power to Coruscant, I'm wondering if Malig has set up an even creepier base somewhere?

Good question. And if so, what about his sweet apartment on Denon?

Anakin and Tahiri still have problems? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

You didn't really think everything would be worked out off-screen did you?

Eagerly awaiting the next chapter!

It will be up on Friday...

Thanks for reading and replying





shahid_chestro: good chapter wes.

Thank you

liked Anakin's choice of Names : Bail lars.... he does know that they both suffered deaths at the hand of bad guys , right ???

Yeah, that's pretty ominous, isn't it? Of course, it was the fake name Anakin used in Conquest, shortly before his death in Star by Star as well...

i liked the action in this chapter... made me feel like i was reading Aaron allston...
Kudos for using Jaden Korr also.

Thanks Allston has some pretty badass action scenes, so high-praise indeed.

one question: is jacen going to 'claim' Hapes in the name of Raithians (technically, he is still their King )

He sort of did that in The Lands of the Dead. Last we saw of Hapes, Jacen had taken a Raithian Fleet there to defeat the forces Ta'a Chume had rallied, killed her, and taken control of the Consortium. Anyway, it will certainly come up in this fic.

good update and please include me in your PMs(i didnt get the PM for this chapter )

Oh, sorry about that. Not sure how that happened I'll be sure to send you one this Friday

Thanks again for reading and replying





L0B0: Classic. For a minute there, I lost track of sitting in front of a monitor simply reading about the rescue, and actually felt as if I was right there hurtling through the skylanes of Coruscant in the midst of the fight.

Aw, thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it so much.

One of your better action sequences for sure, and that is saying something.

Gotta pull out all the stops for this one. This is it

The galaxy may be doomed, but at least with Wedge back in action whatever happens next ought to be more interesting.

Well, we know Wedge can't die, so I would think wherever he is at any given time means the people are him will be safe at least

Anakin seems to have thoroughly reconsidered his priorities, and that can only be a good thing for the time being

 

It's one of the things that makes Malig so awesome and scary.

Ha, I was just kidding. What Malig has in mind is far worse than destroying a planet. Corrupting the Force into the dark side and the entire galaxy into a Malachor or Korriban? That is the most diabolically evil plan a Star Wars villain has ever cooked up, and the scariest thing is, Malig is well on his way to doing that, with Sekot, the Sith'ari (?) and the Reckoner.

And of course, creating a Force storm is not Malig. Twisting a living Force-sensitive planet to his will and then having aforementioned living planet destroy another planet? If Malig was to destroy a planet, that's how he'd do it.

Malig's lair, and his hut on Apollyon, was perfect, so if he does set up base on Coruscant, I hope it's twice as creepy.

No one's gullible enough to think that.

Awesome.

The pleasure was all mine.

 

Eh, I don't know. I just thought it would nice for her to pop up later to proclaim that "Everything I thought I knew was wrong!"

Yeah, he might qualify. Although he was too much of a sneaky git to really get how ironic many things were which happened.

 

Great update YK

I especially liked the scenes of the night life at the beginning of the post. Sounds eerily familiar

 

oooo good chapter. I love it when the Jedi work as a team like that it reminds me of the original films and the rebel allience!!

Looking forward to the next!

 

Darth_Dreadwar: It's one of the things that makes Malig so awesome and scary.

Also: he wears a black cloak

Ha, I was just kidding. What Malig has in mind is far worse than destroying a planet. Corrupting the Force into the dark side and the entire galaxy into a Malachor or Korriban? That is the most diabolically evil plan a Star Wars villain has ever cooked up, and the scariest thing is, Malig is well on his way to doing that, with Sekot, the Sith'ari (?) and the Reckoner.

I agree. I think the question is, what is it he wants to do with all this dark side energy once he creates this massive nexus?

And of course, creating a Force storm is not Malig. Twisting a living Force-sensitive planet to his will and then having aforementioned living planet destroy another planet? If Malig was to destroy a planet, that's how he'd do it.

That would be pretty cool... well, except for the people on the destroyed planet, of course.

Malig's lair, and his hut on Apollyon, was perfect, so if he does set up base on Coruscant, I hope it's twice as creepy.

I bet it has a jacuzzi.

Awesome.
The pleasure was all mine.

Thanks again






Magnuskn: Eh, I don't know. I just thought it would nice for her to pop up later to proclaim that "Everything I thought I knew was wrong!"

Well, you never know. It could happen.

Yeah, he might qualify. Although he was too much of a sneaky git to really get how ironic many things were which happened.

Nom Anor is my hero






Spike: Great update YK

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it

I especially liked the scenes of the night life at the beginning of the post. Sounds eerily familiar

To the Outlander in Attack of the Clones or to your own evenings, Spike? Neither one would surprise me

Thanks for reading and replying





Diamond: oooo good chapter.

Thank you

I love it when the Jedi work as a team like that it reminds me of the original films and the rebel allience!!

Good to hear, cause there's lots of Jedi working together moments in this story

Looking forward to the next!

Should be ready to go tomorrow.

Thanks so much for reading and replying






New post tomorrow. I hope you guys like it

 

And Revan's mask.

Hmmm, I thought corrupting the Force to the dark side and destroying the Jedi's balance (and restoring the Force to it's natural state according to him) was his be all and end all...

It would still be cool.

Awesome!

 

Dreadwar: And Revan's mask.

Oh yeah

Hmmm, I thought corrupting the Force to the dark side and destroying the Jedi's balance (and restoring the Force to it's natural state according to him) was his be all and end all...

Perhaps it is. I think I remember him saying to Jacen something in the vein of "power without purpose is meaningless." This nexus is going to give him an incredible reserve of power. I wouldn't be surprised if there's something else Darth Malig wants to do with it than simply create it.

It would still be cool.






New post will be up in a bit

 

Yeah, I thought destroying the Jedi's balance and turning the entire galaxy into a "paradise" (read hell) was his ultimate goal...

 

Chapter 5: Lure

The Witch glided soundlessly through the twisted forest as though she was a part of it, weaving between rigid branches without disturbing them or the array of leaves that sprouted from their fingers and dipping her feet into the damp grasses without matting them or leaving any indentations in the soil beneath. She had lived there all her life, traveled its dense terrain since she was old enough to walk, and survived solely on what the forest provided.

Every tree was her landmark, every creek identifiable by the sound of their purling waters. There were no surprises waiting for her at the crest of a hill or the bend of a stream.

This was her territory.

She was being followed and she knew it.

The morning was cold and so overcast nothing could be seen above the trees except for gray. There was no trace of division in the solid ceiling of clouds save for a few tendrils of darkness bleeding through where the condensation had grown heavier. They were stubborn clouds that refused to rain or even move, but appeared to have swollen too densely to merely lounge in the sky. A light fog hung in the air from treetops to roots, drowning the world in front of the Witch in a frosty haze.

She was a comely woman despite her dour expression, with golden skin and a lissome, athletic frame. Her blue eyes were alert and narrowed sharply into what might have been a permanent glower above a small nose and unsmiling mouth. Crowning her high forehead were bundles of long, wheat-blonde hair knotted in thick braids, some of which were swirled into a larger tail at the back of her head while the others hung loosely down her bare shoulders. Her taut form was wrapped in a sleeveless rancor-hide tunic that provided light, but durable armor and a homespun brown skirt which had been tattered by a combination of swift movements and sharp branches. Farther down her long legs, a pair of calf-high leather boots protected her feet as though they had been molded to them.

Where no such protection existed, scars lashed her well-toned arms and thighs, many of which appeared new and raw pink. In the midst of these scratches, strapped just below the hem of the skirt on the Witch's right thigh was a leather scabbard that sheathed a large, nasty-looking dagger, and strung over one shoulder was a long spear that had been fashioned out of sharpened stone and Dathomiri renwood.

The Witch emerged from a thicket with a predator's grace and stalked forward into a section of forest where the dew-beaded grass was patchy, allowing more of Dathomir's terra firma to peek through. She ducked beneath a low-hanging branch and was moving farther into the mist when something on the ground snatched her piercing gaze.

The dirt before her was not mud, as it hadn't rained in days, but the moisture in the fog had gone a long way towards softening the soil. She squatted down so that she was sitting on the backs of her heels and examined the aberration. There, indented in the cool dirt, was a pair of footprints—or rather, one whole footprint and a crescent-shaped heel of another incomplete print.

They were the imprints of boot soles—almost certainly a man's given their size, with a fairly long stride if the spacing between them was any indication.

And he was an outsider.

Even the males on Dathomir had been trained not to leave tracks.

In a single practiced motion the Witch shrugged the spear strap off of her shoulder and the weapon fell into her hand where she was crouched.

He was near—she could feel it.

She pivoted slowly, remaining crouched and ready to spring in attack at the first sign of danger while her gaze swept her surroundings with the point of her spear, searching for her pursuer in the mist. The trills of insects and caws of vine ravens seemed distant and almost ghostly in the fog. The only rustling she detected was the light pattering of the misted wind against the fluttering leaves.

The Witch frowned, but remained alert, scanning—

A beam of blue light crackled in front of her nose when the lightsaber was ignited and placed at her throat. The growl of energy that followed the initial snap raised the hairs on the back of her neck as she felt the white-hot blade mere centimeters from her skin.

She froze.

"Just drop the weapon, braids," Wrev Caster grinned. "Make it easy on both of us."

The Witch hadn't sensed the Jedi Knight sneak in behind her. He had his glowing lightsaber at her throat and his other arm foolishly wrapped around her, keeping her arms pinned at her side so she couldn't raise the spear or reach for her dagger.

She snorted angrily, then released her spear where it thudded and crinkled against the grass and fallen leaves at her feet.

"Good girl. Now—Hey!"

The Dathomiri Witch grabbed his arm as best she could and used the leverage to get the man on her back before he could regain control. Then she hurled Wrev over her shoulder and into the trunk of a crooked tree. A loud crack sounded as Wrev's back crashed into the ashen trunk and left a bright tan split up its length.

Wrev tumbled to the ground with a groan as his deactivated lightsaber rolled from his grip. "Sith piss!" he growled, clutching at his bruised back.

The Witch wasted no time, moving back to reclaim her spear from the ground.

"Stop right there!" Jaina Solo ordered as she sprang over the string of barbed bushes she'd been crouched behind, her blue lightsaber igniting with a chilling snap-hiss pointed at the Dathomiri woman.

There was a moment's hesitation from the Witch when her pale blue eyes darted over to Jaina's, but whatever she saw in the gaze of the young Jedi Knight wasn't enough to make her stop. She lunged toward her weapon in a forward roll and scooped the spear up in the same swift motion, coming to her feet crouched and ready to skewer any enemy who neared her.

"I said stop," Jaina hissed through clenched teeth as she advanced on the woman.

Her charge was enough to keep the Witch's attention so that she didn't see Lowbacca drop out of the tree canopy behind her, but the thump of his heavy feet against the ground sent her whipping around on him. The Wookiee landed a palm strike to her solar plexus with his giant, hair-covered hand before the Witch could thrust her spear into his side and she went down gasping for air.

Jaina dashed forward, kicking the spear away from the woman's grip and pointing the glowing tip of her lightsaber at the hollow of her throat. "Now stop."




"Here, drink this," Jaina unsnapped the cap of the canteen and handed it to the Dathomiri woman.

The Witch was leaning against the base of a tree whose roots coiled up as though it was composed of a dozen tangled serpents. She stared at the canteen for a moment before accepting it. Instead of drinking out of it, she peered into its opening, squinting in hopes of getting a glimpse of its murky contents, and then brought it to her nose to detect any strange odors.

"It's just water," Jaina assured, her voice growing sharper as she began to lose patience with the woman—girl really, Jaina thought. The Witch couldn't have been more than twenty-three.

She glared at Jaina for another moment before swishing the water in the canteen around and finally bringing it to her lips, her wary gaze remaining on Jaina while she drank in order to scrutinize her reaction to it. A muted glugging sound came from the belly of the canteen before the Witch drew it away from her mouth with a starved breath.

"Better?"

The Witch nodded and handed the canteen back to Jaina.

A few meters away, Alema Rar was helping Wrev to his feet. The Twi'lek Jedi had been further away when Wrev had attempted to capture their prey and was later in aiding him than Jaina or Lowie.

"Are you all right?" Alema asked. Her headtails drooped in their elaborate bindings as though she was genuinely concerned for the man's well-being, but she was also smiling.

"Yeah, terrific," Wrev grumbled, still holding his back. He tried to stretch and winced. Alema stifled a laugh but handed Wrev back his lightsaber, which she had retrieved from the leaf-strewn ground.

Jaina's eyes lingered on the pair for a moment as she refastened the canteen's cap, then turned her attention back to their prisoner. She squatted down so that she was nearer eye-level with the sitting woman.

They'd elected not to bind the Witch's hands, sensing that she no longer believed they were there to hurt her even if she remained suspicious of their motives. She didn't really appear panicked anymore—only confused. There were stray twigs and leaves stuck in her braids and a red mark peeking out from the neck of her tunic where Lowie had clobbered her. Jaina suspected it would become a very painful bruise by morning.

To her right, the cinnamon-furred Wookiee loomed over her, still on guard in case the Witch tried to attack Jaina, but they'd stripped her of her spear and dagger, leaving her as close to "defenseless" as they were likely to get a Force-sensitive.

"So," Jaina began, "why don't you tell me what's got you so scared?"

"You were following me," the Witch said. "What reaction were you hoping for, Jedi?"

Jaina frowned. "What's your name?"

For a moment it seemed she wouldn't answer, her jaw twisting stubbornly, but finally the Witch replied.

"Lura V."

"Of the Singing Mountain Clan?"

Lura's eyes narrowed with renewed suspicion. "How do you know that?"

"It's not important," Jaina said dismissively, not wanting to play that sabacc card if she didn't have to. "But my friends and I are looking for your clan—we have been for more than a day—and we can't find them. In fact, we haven't seen anyone here but you—where is everyone?"

This time the Witch's lips tightened and Jaina knew immediately she wasn't going to answer.

Lowie growled, repeating the question in Shyriiwook and startling their captive.

"What did it say?" Lura V asked.

"You really don't want to know," Jaina lied. "Let's just say I think it's in your best interest to answer my questions."

The Witch ventured another furtive glance at Lowie before looking back to Jaina.

"No," she said.

"Oh, come on, sister," Wrev griped, storming over to where Jaina, Lowie, and the Witch were trailed closely by Alema's sinuous movements. "We're here to help you, not make you jungle women do anything terrifying like bathing or mastering an eating utensil other than the sharp stick."

If looks could kill, Lura's glare would have bludgeoned Wrev Caster to death.

"I'm not discussing clan business with outsiders," Lura fumed. "Especially males."

"Now you've hurt my feelings," Wrev said dryly.

"Just ignore him then," Jaina interrupted in hopes of recapturing the Witch's attention. "And talk to me."

Lura V's brow flattened with contempt. "You need to maintain better control of your man—he is insolent. He shouldn't speak out of turn."

Jaina frowned at the assertion that Wrev was "hers" in any way but decided against detailing all the ways in which Lura V was mistaken.

"Trust me, we've tried to shut him up—it only makes things worse."

"I can show you some techniques to maintain obedience if you desire."

"Now that sounds promising," Wrev grinned.

"No thank you," Jaina said to the Dathomiri Witch, ignoring the other Jedi. "Just the information I asked for will do."

Again the woman's face knotted up and it was clear to Jaina she would resist telling them anything about the Singing Mountain Clan or why Dathomir appeared all but deserted.

"Look, you know we're Jedi, right?" Jaina's question drew a nod from Lura. "Well, my uncle is Luke Skywalker—you've heard of him, I'm sure. He helped your clan many years ago."

"I have heard the tales of Luke Skywalker."

"Good. Master Skywalker sent us here," the Jedi explained. "He believed that there was a fleet here—a fleet controlled by some very bad people—and he wanted us to investigate and find out what they were doing here. Only, we haven't seen any signs of them since we arrived."

For the first time, the woman's glare softened and was replaced by a look of surprise.

"They were here," she said, "they might still be."

"I doubt that," Alema Rar replied, folding her arms over her lithe frame. "We scanned the planet on the way down and found no indication of landing parties."

"I don't know what you mean, but I can assure you they were here."

"Did you see them?" Jaina asked.

"Not exactly." There was a trace of shame in the Witch's face as her gaze evaded Jaina's and fixed on the ground between them. "I managed to escape when I saw their landing craft."

"Escape?" A jolt of alarm spiked through Jaina at what was unsaid. "What exactly were they doing here?"

"I... I can't say."

Jaina blew out a long, seething breath through her nostrils. "Why not?"

"Because you are not part of the clan—I cannot tell you—"

"Then tell me," a familiar, accented voice cut through the forest. It was loud without being raised, calm and commanding all at once, and everyone turned in its direction to see the shadowy figure behind it approaching through the mist.

Tenel Ka Djo emerged from the gloom with long, confident strides. Her copper tresses were plaited in traditional Dathomiri warrior braids and she was garbed in a tunic of rancor hide armor similar to that of Lura V's, though the lumpy scales had been dyed sea foam green. The left sleeve of her armor ended in a stump where, as a child, Jaina's twin brother Jacen had amputated the limb with his lightsaber in a tragic sparring accident, but the injury was almost invisible in the woman's majesty.

She was the child of a Dathomiri Witch and Hapan Prince, and as such, she appeared both incredibly beautiful and physically supreme, with an elegant brow arched over glistening gray eyes, a nose so straight it might have been sculpted, full pink lips, evenly bronzed skin, and long legs that looked strong enough to scale mountains or swim oceans. But etched in those perfect features was an austere and regal bearing, a reminder that she was a ruler in her own right—and had been for some time—the Queen Mother of the sixty-three worlds that made up the Hapes Consortium.

And she was a Jedi.

"You," Lura mouthed as Tenel Ka approached, the lightsaber dangling at her hip lightly bouncing off her thigh with each stride.

"I assume you know who I am," the Queen Mother replied.

Their prisoner inclined her head slightly. "We all know who you are, Tenel Ka Djo, daughter of Teneniel."

Tenel Ka nodded. "Then you know too that I am a member of the Singing Mountain Clan, as my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother were before me. There is no reason to keep our clan's business secret from me. My friends here were not lying to you—we intend no harm to any of the Dathomiri clans. We wish only to aid them."

Lura V's mouth quirked as she mulled this over and Jaina used the moment of deliberation to stand up and lean closer to Tenel Ka. "Where is Kirana Ti?"

"She's scouting ahead. I came back when I felt your alarm in the Force," she whispered back.

Kirana Ti, another Dathomiri Witch turned Jedi, was the final member of the team Luke Skywalker had dispatched to the planet to investigate the Raithian fleet movements in the area. She and Tenel Ka seemed the most obvious choices for the mission, given their knowledge of the planet, terrain, and ability to negotiate with the clans.

"Okay," Lura V announced, drawing their attention back to her.

"Good." Tenel Ka crouched down in front of the Witch as Jaina had been before. "Then tell me, friend Lura, where is our clan? What did the Raithians want here?"

"The Raithians?" Lura inquired.

"That would be the bad people I mentioned," Jaina explained.

The Witch considered this for a moment before she looked back to Tenel Ka. "It would probably be best if I showed you."

"How about you simply tell us?" Alema questioned, her long lekku twitching in agitation.

"It will be better this way," Lura insisted.

Whatever suspicions plagued Alema didn't appear to trouble Tenel Ka, who considered the Witch's suggestion for only a moment before nodding in agreement and ignoring the Twi'lek's objections completely.

"Very well, we will do as you wish," Tenel Ka said, rising from where she'd been crouched. "Lead the way."

The Queen Mother extended her hand to Lura V to help the other woman to her feet. Taking the offered assistance, Lura's eyes seemed to fall on the stump of Tenel Ka's left arm for the first time as she was guided up.

"What happened to your arm?" she asked bluntly.

Tenel Ka glanced at the limb as though she'd forgotten about it. "I was careless and I lost it," she said simply, but Jaina detected a trace of sorrow in her words and knew it had nothing to do with the loss of the arm, which Tenel Ka had made her peace with years earlier, and everything to do with the other memories it brought on. While there was an undeniable joy in Tenel Ka since the birth of her son Jonah, there was also a deep sadness in her gray eyes when she held the child.

It occurred to Jaina that for the first time, Tenel Ka's wound was actually a reflection of the person inside—Jacen Solo had severed the arm as a child with his lightsaber, and now his betrayal as an adult had truncated the woman's spirit. He was her husband and Jonah's father, and he had fallen to the dark side. Jaina knew that his descent and absence left a hole inside of Tenel Ka that could never be filled.

The tragedy of Jacen Solo's betrayal was something that haunted Jaina as well, and she knew it would continue to until they found some way to bring her brother back from the abyss. She could recall every detail of the moment when Jacen had confronted her on the Rapture effortlessly, picture his face with perfect clarity when he revealed to her that he had joined the Sith and had come to take her as his captive, feel the whipping winds on her face and tearing at her hair as they cut over the hull of the cruise liner, smell the stench of charred flesh where Jacen had severed Wrev's hand...

The war itself had been devastating, especially on the heels of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and all the carnage it had wrought. Losing her Uncle Luke and others to the Raithians was a blow that had sent her reeling. But learning of her twin brother's fall was something else completely—for Jaina Solo, it felt as though her entire universe had collapsed in that moment and she had spent the last year scrambling to recover from it.

Nothing seemed to mend the wound Jacen had torn in all of them—not rescuing Luke and the other Masters, not the Imperial Remnant joining their alliance against the Raithians, not the small fleet victories that they'd been winning in the Unknown Regions or Thrawn's gambit at the Raithian capital "Apollyon" that had dealt a heavy blow to their enemy. The fact that her brother Anakin had nearly been lost to the darkness in his pursuit of vengeance only added to the sense of hopelessness.

A howled question from Lowbacca recaptured Jaina's fleeting attention, and she turned to see Lura V and Tenel Ka already several paces into the fog.

"Yeah, all right," the Jedi Knight replied, patting the Wookiee's arm. "Let's get moving."




They traveled through the gloom-wrapped forest slowly, with Lura V leading the way across Dathomir's dense terrain while Tenel Ka and Lowbacca trailed closely behind, more to keep the Witch from escaping than to simply keep pace. Jaina remained a few strides behind the towering Wookiee with Wrev and Alema in the rear of their formation. The party passed through crowds of wicked trees, ducking sharp, raking branches that seemed to reach out for them from twisted, evil trunks, and gnarled roots that stuck up from the soil like webbed veins to trip the travelers.

Jaina heard the rustling of leaves behind her grow crisper with slightly quickened steps and immediately felt her body tense.

Wrev Caster was a tall man with light brown hair that fell well past his narrowed blue eyes and two days of beard stubble running across his jaw and upper lip. Like the rest of the Jedi team, he was dressed in typical civilian spacer garb—synth leather black jacket, fastened shirt, and dark trousers.

Jaina's history with Wrev had been a complex and tumultuous one, going back to before the Raithian invasion when the pair had been swept up in a battle to stop its first wave of Vagaari in Chiss Space. He was a sly man with a reputation for untrustworthiness, which was to say he wasn't a model Jedi or even a particularly good one at that. For years he had been one of Kyp Durron's ilk, more concerned with flashy lightsaber moves than understanding the Force, and in the wake of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and his own failures there, just seemed bitter.

He'd kissed her once—an episode they'd thankfully never revisited—just before Jaina's confrontation with her twin brother. Jaina had chalked it up to the anxiety of their impending doom on the Rapture, an encounter that had nearly claimed both of their lives. In the end, it was Jaina who had abandoned her duel with Jacen in order to save Wrev.

She supposed they had become friends, which was odd because she didn't like him very much—like most everyone else who came in contact with him. But there was an irritating sort of charm about him that made Jaina waver between wanting to punch him in the face and kick him in the crotch.

"How are your knees holding up, Solo?" he asked in a low voice.

"Great," she lied, trying not to betray the truth of the pain in her joints or throbbing that ran up the muscles around them with each step.

Four months had passed since Jaina had returned from the Raithian planet Apollyon as part of a Jedi team that rescued Luke and the other captive Jedi Masters—four months since her legs were so crushed she couldn't even stand. The young Jedi Knight had spent two of those months immersed in extensive bacta treatments to mend her bones, and was still struggling with some pain and mild muscle atrophy.

It had happened during their escape from Apollyon when Jaina had seen him—Darth Malig, the man who had stolen Jacen away from them. A sea of Chiss soldiers had converged on the Dark Lord, only to fall to the ground meters before they reached him, writhing and screaming and frothing at the mouth. It was as though they'd been hit by a wave of disease, their ice blue skin turning a festering green while their glowing red eyes dimmed to the black of burnt blood.

Jaina had been a passenger in a Chiss gunship circling the battlefield when she witnessed this massacre. She'd encouraged the gunship's commander, Baron Soontir Fel, to fire on Malig. The lasers they fired at the Sith bent before they reached him as though they'd slipped through some distortion in space, and the rockets they launched swerved away from him and landed in the Chiss lines. In response to the attack, Malig had raised his arms and the gunship split apart in midair.

Jaina's legs had been badly broken.

Jagged Fel lost his right eye.

And Soontir Fel was killed along with the rest of the gunship's crew.

The memory was enough to make Jaina wince every time. Her heart ached for Jag and his loss. Since his father's death, he'd become distant and entirely focused on the defeat of the Raithian Empire, taking over the helm of the Chiss military, a role Soontir had held previously. Any attempts to console Jag were met with assurances that he was fine—all offers to talk or listen to him about Soontir's death were promptly redirected, with Jag insisting their time and energies were better spent on figuring out how to bring an end to the war. It was the first time she'd ever seen him really grieve, and like everything else Jag Fel did, it was grim and stoic. Jaina saw him rarely these days, leading to a complete deterioration of their relationship.

"I appreciate your concern," Jaina added sarcastically. "I didn't know you cared."

Wrev smiled and turned his gaze to the ground as he walked beside her, a pair of dimples flashing beside his grin. "Who said I did? I just don't want to end up carrying you."

"I'd just as soon get left behind if it came to that."

"Duly noted," he said dryly. "Now that that's out of the way, let me ask you something else—does this sound right to you?"

Jaina's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Spear girl and her story—or lack of one."

"She's just scared, Wrev, and protective. The clans here are mostly isolated and they don't trust outsiders."

"Yeah, well the feeling is mutual. I don't like this."

Before Jaina could respond to the man's paranoia, everyone's attention was drawn to Lura V's husky voice calling back to them. "We're here," she said, then ducked beneath a wall of low-hanging branches and disappeared behind the grove. Tenel Ka and Lowie slipped into the brush in her wake before Jaina crouched down and followed them through.

She was only a step inside the tunnel of branches when she heard a faint buzzing and was assaulted by a familiar smell.

Death.

A chill swept through the tunnel that rattled the trees and made the fine hairs on the back of Jaina's neck stand on end. She passed the last of the branches where she could again straighten to her full height, only to find herself in a modest camp. It was bordered by towering trees fringed in dark green leaves that formed a riddled canopy above. There was no smoke or glowing coals lingering in the remnants of three old campfires—they'd long ago gone cold, leaving only lumps of white ash in stone-ringed hearts. Woven tents of canvas and leather stretched around strong tree limbs for form had been knocked down or peppered by carbon black scorches.

Strewn within the shambles of the camp, were the bodies.

Most of them were male and had been dead for days, festering in the backing sun. Their faces were drained a bloodless white, frozen in horror-filled expressions, and their bellies bloated grotesquely beneath blast-stained shirts, while swarms of flies buzzed and thrummed around them so thickly it was difficult to see anything but rippling waves of black.

The palm of Jaina's right hand wrapped around her nose and mouth when the stench hit her fully.

"Ugh, I'm glad you insisted we skip lunch," Wrev sneered, before doing the same.

"What happened here?" Jaina asked, her own terror-drowned eyes turning to Lura V who was wandering further into the camp.

"They came in the night," she answered, turning back towards Jaina, Tenel Ka, and the other Jedi. "They killed most of the men and anyone who could not cast spells. The rest they took with them."

"How did they know who could use the Force and who couldn't?"

Lura's saddened expression turned grimmer. "I was hoping you could tell me that."

"What?" Jaina asked. "We—"

She felt the spike of danger stab through the Force a moment too late.

Jaina's hand fell to her lightsaber just as the rustling of trees around the camp could be heard and the first vibrations quaked in the soil beneath her feet. The Jedi Knights spun around at once, igniting their blades in a series of snap-hisses only to find themselves surrounded.

Standing at the edge of the camp in every direction were rancors. They were great, towering beasts, with beady yellow eyes and powerful tooth-filled jaws that dripped strings of saliva. Their brown, leathery skin was decorated in striped war paint and patches of makeshift, durasteel armor. Some held giant spears and blades in their giant clawed-tipped fingers—all of them bore riders.

Nightsisters.

"You did well, Lura V," announced a smooth, female voice.

Jaina turned to see the speaker step out from the forest in front of a green-painted rancor. She had black hair that was tied in a large bulb at the back of her head, and eyes as dark as the studded-leather armor she was dressed in. In one hand, she held a Witch's staff, and in the other, the free end of a rope that was looped around Kirana Ti's wrists.

The Nightsister stepped forward, dragging Kirana Ti behind her as she moved in front of Jaina and the others.

"Drop your weapons, Jedi," she sneered.

 

so Jaina is in trouble ... I think Anakin will be no kind of help

 

First!

Oops, second.

Great chapter! Nice to see Jaina and Dathomir again. I feel like I haven't seen them in a long time. Of course, we haven't actually seen Dathomir before in Legacy of the Sith.

Interesting about the Raithians though. I'm presuming they got the Nightsisters on their side, but how did they know who to strike?

And the Witches rock as always. Force-sensitives who call Force powers spells, wield spears and ride Rancors. Awesome.

 

THIRD!

Great, Jaina. Just great. you led them all into a trap, do you realize this?

Even if Anakin gets there in time, whats to stop the Nightsisters and Lura V from killing all of you?

I hate to say this, bu the next time Wrev has a bad feeling, listen to him. It will be better for all.

Great post, Yobi. Can't wait for more.