Beyond - Legends I, Warrior Revised (Legends, Post NJO AU, Tahiri-centric) Updated 2/28/17

Chapter 20: The Final Piece

Vua'sa's Rage made the jump to darkspace as soon as they were out of Yuuzhan'tar's gravity, and only then did Keenah allow herself to relax. Their mission had succeeded, they had the final artifact, and the Jeedai had no way of pursuit now. Soon, the Master could restore himself to full strength, and then he would lead the Yuuzhan Vong once more on a crusade across the galaxy.

Still, she found that she couldn't get the duel with the Jeedai girl out of her head. She had heard of the infidel who had been half-shaped into a Yuuzhan Vong before- she was of particular interest to Keenah because of the goddess she followed, and more strongly once the priestess had acquired the ability to touch the Force herself- but she hadn't expected to meet her here, in the ruins of Shimrra's capital. The battle itself- the first time Keenah had ever faced another Force-user- had been exhilarating. Part of her longed to engage in such combat again, while another part feared that she had stepped beyond the bounds of her caste's responsibilities. One thing, though, was certain- Akhi Lian was furious with her.

The commander paced back and forth on the bridge like the great beast for whom his vessel was named, glaring death at anyone who stepped too close to him. His armor's leg had ceased twitching, enabling him to walk normally again, but he was plainly enraged that an infidel had gotten the better of him in however minor a fashion. Some of the subalterns had wondered (behind his back, of course) why he hadn't killed both Hassk and the pathetic Shamed One who'd been guarding the artifact and let it be damaged or destroyed as a worthy trade, but Keenah thought she knew. The Master would reward a failure of that magnitude only with death, and Akhi Lian's pride would never allow him to accept that from the hand of an infidel cripple.

Finally, he wheeled on the priestess, cloak of command flaring dramatically behind him. "Explain this to me, Eminence," he growled, the absolute bare minimum of respect in his voice. "Why, when my warriors find themselves faced by three Jeedai, does the one ally I possess who can counter them focus her efforts on the least of them while her comrades perish?"

"The Jeedai Who Was Shaped intrigues me," Keenah replied in an even, cold tone. "And surely, your warriors will be welcome by Yun-Yammka for having perished in glorious battle against Jaina Solo and Corran Horn, two of the most famed warriors among the infidels?"

"I do not have the warriors to throw them away in battle, no matter how glorious!" Akhi Lian roared. Across the bridge, warriors turned towards their commander, shock written across their features to see him address one of the priest caste in such a tone- but some of them seemed to be approving, as well. "And for what?" he continued. "Useless trinkets! I have endured you and your infidel Master's mysticism, but no more. We shall do as we should have done from the beginning- find the rest of our race who remain scattered across the stars and shape them into an amphistaff to point at our enemies’ hearts!" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "And we will rely no longer on Jeedai sorcery."

Akhi Lian raised his hand and his amphistaff slid into it, stiffening itself into a spear. Pure rage was written on his face- his humiliation in the battle on Yuuzhan'tar, combined with cycles of resentment and uncertainty towards Keenah and the Master, made him furious and gave him strength, but they also made him rash. Keenah did not draw her lightsaber as the commander charged towards her- instead, she raised one hand, palm out, towards him, and he was seized in an invisible grip and flung against the yorik coral wall. The other warriors stared in shock as their leader hung there, pinned, and Keenah tightened her grip to hold his head erect and block air from reaching his mouth. Only Akhi Lian's eyes moved, still hateful, but also afraid. No warrior liked being helpless before something he could not see or fight. And he now knew, as Keenah did, that she could snap his neck or crush his throat with a thought.

"Listen to me very carefully," Keenah said, approaching him. The rage that filled her now was cold, like a spear of ice through her chest, and she could feel it pulse within her, giving her focus, giving her power. "I could kill you now and say it was the gods' will, and you would die in disgrace, your name forgotten, stricken from the roll of your domain. Or you can admit that I speak with the gods' voice and wield the Force on their behalf, and I will spare you to find further glory in their service. But this vessel belongs to the priest caste, and to the Master- not to you. Do you accept this?"

Akhi Lian regarded her for a moment more, then nodded as much as he was able. Keenah released her grip and let him slip to the floor on his hands and knees. "Now," she told him, "I must attend the Master. You will await my orders, and set course where and when I tell you to do so. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Eminence," Akhi Lian rasped, and Keenah smiled coldly before turning and striding from the bridge. Her thoughts churned within her; Akhi Lian was a great warrior, and she had left him as helpless as a child, with no choice but to obey her will even though she was not truly his superior. There was something disquieting in that. And yet there was also the truth that she, a young, untried priestess, had faced such a one, and he had bent to her. The power that was within her seethed, as though waiting for a chance to be given free rein.

And there was a part of Keenah that could not wait to unleash it again.

///

In person, Captain Yei'lya was a Bothan of above average height, which meant that he was only slightly shorter than most humans; his fur was thick and gold, but ruffled with agitation as he descended his shuttle's ramp and his feline eyes were cold. Corran stepped towards him with Jaina at his side and the three criminals clustered nearby; he'd had Ziil and Tahiri get aboard Memories as soon as he knew who the Alliance officer coming down to the planet was. The Bothans weren't likely to give up their Ar'krai war- a fancy name for genocide- against the Vong any time soon, and Ziil was Vong and Tahiri, in Yei'lya's eyes, was probably as good as. The last thing Corran needed right now was an incident.

"So," the captain said, his eyes going to Hassk and his crew, "these are the criminals. I don't see the human who identified himself as captain here. What became of him?"

Corrran shrugged. "These were the only three we found, but a particularly nasty bunch of underdwellers got to them before we did. The Trandoshan's the one who's in charge, though." Hassk merely gave the Bothan a cold stare and remained silent. "I'd recommend taking them into custody before they get any ideas, myself- but of course, I'm sure whatever you do will be the best decision." Yei'lya's eyes narrowed- the Bothan plainly hadn't missed the sarcasm- and gestured for a half-dozen of his soldiers, who marched forward and surrounded the mercenaries. The human and Rodian just looked glad to finally be leaving the wreck of Coruscant, but Hassk shot the Jedi an unblinking glare as he was marched onto the shuttle.

"He came willingly, and he did help some against the Vong," Jaina said, "but I think you should watch him. I don't think our buddy Hassk is someone to lie down easily if he thinks there's a way out."

"Yes, about the Yuuzhan Vong," Yei'lya said, returning his attention to them. "You say they were here, and as I see fresh bodies I must believe you. But that does not explain how they got through my blockade."

"They had the Force," Corran said simply. "At least one did- the one Tahiri fought- and maybe more on their ship. They must have used it to trick their way past you."

The Bothan's fur rippled. "That would explain what happened earlier," he mused. "Twice we found ourselves firing on each other, each believing that the other's ship was a Vong craft. The Force can have that effect, or so I've heard. But my understanding was that it was impossible for the Yuuzhan Vong to touch the Force. But of course, you are experts, so if that is not true, please enlighten me."

Corran gritted his teeth at the Bothan's meeting his own sarcasm in kind, but Jaina just shot the captain a dark look. "At least one could," she said, "Look up the name ‘Onimi’ in Alliance records, if your clearance is good enough for it. But he was completely nuts; thought he was a god, or wanted to be a god, or something like that. He wasn't all that coherent when he was ranting at me. But he's also very dead, courtesy of my brother. I didn’t get a good look at the new one, but Tahiri saw her up close and personal and from she told me, this one was female and a lot saner. Not to mention livelier."

Yei'lya shook his head- clearly, he found the idea that any Yuuzhan Vong could be considered sane a baffling one. "Well, then," he said, "if you intend to pursue them, I must unfortunately, leave you to it. My duties keep me here. But if you intend to fight Yuuzhan Vong, then I find that I can sincerely wish you good luck." Saluting- it was halfhearted, but there- he turned and boarded his shuttle.

"I don't like him," Jaina muttered. "Slimeball. You know, I'm ready to go after them- that artifact in their hands can't be good, especially if they do have the Force- but do you have any idea where to look? Because I don't."

"I do," Corran said. "Or at least, Tahiri does. She saw Yuuzhan Vong on Korriban, and my gut says that's where we'll catch up to them." As he said the ancient planet's name, he couldn't help but feel as if a cold wind was blowing around them.

///

"I am a failure," Ziil said dejectedly as he sat in the Sekotan ship's cockpit beside Tahiri. "If I had done what you asked of me, the commander would not have been able to take the artifact. If you wish to punish me, I offer myself willingly." He slipped out of his seat and prostrated himself in front of her.

"Ziil," Tahiri said, getting down on her knees. "Look at me. I'm not going to beat you, or kill you, or put in you in the Embrace of Pain. I'm not even going to yell at you. Yes, you failed, but none of us expected a group of Yuuzhan Vong to attack like that. I certainly didn't expect you to go one-on-one against a commander- someone doesn’t get to that rank by being soft and understanding, and you've barely got combat experience outside of rioting, much less with a blaster. In other words, you did the best you could and it's a miracle you're alive. Now get up and stop groveling. Now."

"Yes, Tahiri Veila," Ziil said, standing unsteadily. "Thank you. You are understanding and merciful. I am… not used to those things in those who stand above me."

"I try," Tahiri muttered. The comm on the ship's console buzzed, and she bent over it to answer. "Tahiri here. Are the prisoners on their way?"

"All three," Jaina's voice said. "Are you ready to do this, Tahiri? Corran says you think they'll probably go to Korriban. Think we can catch them there?"

"Yes," Tahiri said, sudden and unexpected certainty filling her. "If we leave know, we can catch them- and if we're lucky, we'll be able to stop whatever they're up to."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jaina asked. "Let's get this going; next stop, Sith Central. Jaina out."

"Korriban," Tahiri said quietly to herself as she worked the controls, readying Memories for take-off. "It's time to end this."

///

Keenah found the Master seated on his throne, alone except for the black pyramid that was the artifact sitting in front of him. He had sent away the shapers, the lesser priests, and even Kizin Qel himself- the priestess had passed him in the corridor, muttering angrily to himself- for this was to be for the two of them alone.

"Observe…the artifact, Keenah," the Master rasped at last. "Tell me… what you notice about it." As he finished speaking, the priestess knelt before the captured relic and began to run her hands over it. She could feel it pulse with power, far more strongly that any they had captured before, but it took her several moments to realize that it was not cold, smooth stone. It was metal.

"This is a… machine!" she gasped, recoiling from it as if it was an amphistaff that she'd taken into her hand before realizing it was feral and rabid. "And yet, it almost lives. How is this possible?"

"Those who have truly mastered… the darkness, never truly die. You can always… get them back… if you have the tools… and the will. There is a kind… of Jedi device… called a holocron, which records… the personality and teachings… of its creator." The Master reached out a hand, and the artifact floated towards his grasp. "This… is similar to that, but it is far more subtle… and powerful. A piece… small, but real… of the very soul of its creator resides within it. Dormant, under most conditions… but I believe I can make it manifest."

"And who was that creator?" Keenah asked, but the Master ignored her. He held the artifact tightly for what felt like an eternity, his gaze fixed on it, and then he let it drift to the floor. A dark shimmer flared in the air about it, and then formed above it into an… apparition, the likes of which Keenah had never seen.

He- she was certain the thing was male- was infidel of course, and clad similarly to the Master, but his face was perfectly clear. He was ancient, and his features were impossibly wasted, but he did not resemble the Master's decayed visage. Rather, those sunken cheeks and papery white skin gave him the appearance of having been somehow mummified while still alive. Their eyes, however, were the same, bright yellow flecked with red, and they regarded each other intently. The Master had told her that such eyes were a hallmark of many great masters of the Force, though such an effect would not be visible on Keenah herself, of course, no matter how powerful she became- her eyes had always been yellow.

"So," the shimmering figure rasped, cruel amusement in his tones, "you are not the one who first found my vessel beneath Coruscant. You are far stronger than he was, though not so strong as my creator. But you are weak and sick… most curious." That pitiless gaze turned to Keenah, and she felt pinned like some curious insect beneath a shaper's scrutiny. She'd only felt like this once before- in the presence of Dread Shimrra himself. "And you are one of those my creator knew by rumor as the Far Outsiders. Curious indeed."

"I have no time… for idle chatter!" the Master rasped. "I know who… you are. The people of this galaxy knew you… as Emperor Palpatine, but your true name… the name you called yourself in the darkness of your soul… was Darth Sidious. The greatest Sith Master… who ever lived, some say. You will… teach me what I must know!"

"You are knowledgeable indeed," the apparition said slowly, "and yet you are mistaken. I am not the being you name- I am an echo only, created to ensure that his knowledge and power never die, and perhaps to guide another in his footsteps. My previous… host… was too weak and I reduced him to a raving madman with the barest traces of the power I offered him." The gaunt mouth opened in a mocking leer. "Are strong enough? Is your Far Outsider apprentice? Or shall I destroy both of you in turn, and seek better hunting elsewhere?"

Keenah shivered at the cruelty of that voice, the monstrous weight of that poisonous gaze. “Master, do not listen to him,” she hissed. “We have made a mistake. This creature cannot be trusted. Shut the artifact down and let me cast it into darkspace! This cannot be what the gods want from us!”

The apparition laughed. “Gods?” he said. “You have much to learn, young one. There are no gods. There are beings of great power, yes, but a true Sith serves no higher calling and in the end may ascend to become power itself. Your master has taught you poorly if such superstitions still have hold on you.” He turned his head to the Master. “You, on the other hand… you had the knowledge to awaken me. Only a potent desire indeed would motivate you to take such a risk, knowing what you do of my origins. What is it you want? We shall see if you are worthy of my knowledge.”

"I must… heal myself!" the Master said. Holding out one hand, he ripped the organic bandages from the other, revealing the decayed flesh beneath- and a hand that was nonetheless recognizable for the fact that its fingers were too slender to be Yuuzhan Vong, and they ended in short nails, not talons. "My body decays. My powers… weaken. I can keep myself alive, but I cannot… reverse the process. I must do so! I must be strong!"

"You desire strength," the shadow of Darth Sidious said softly. "You desire life. Life unending and the strength to dominate your enemies? I see them in you. Yes, a Sith trait. I will share my knowledge, for that is my purpose, but I will demand a price. You will know it at the proper time. Deny me this and trust me when I say that even in this state, there are ways I can make you wish you had never come into this life. Now- if you lack the strength on your own to heal yourself, there are ways to… circumvent these limitations. First, there are objects which may be of use…"

"I have sought… a number out already," the Master interjected.

Darth Sidious laughed then, a sound utterly devoid of true happiness, and Keenah's skin crawled as she heard it. "Good. Then you must seek out a potent nexus of dark power…"

Keenah did not know how long her Master and the shadow of the old Sith spoke to one another- the whole conversation seemed to take place in a dark, timeless void. She could not measure it, for it took all her will not to strike the blasphemous thing to the floor, to destroy the spectral image, to free her Master from its thrall. And yet somehow she knew that this would solve nothing, that the Master was in complete control of himself and was getting exactly what he wanted. And wasn’t it what she wanted, too? Didn’t she want powers greater than those she had used against the Jeedai or Akhi Lian, powers to deliver the galaxy to the gods? She couldn’t deny that the desire burned within her. But if the cost was alliance with this godless creature…

At last, the conversation ended, and when commands were given she swallowed deeply and buried the conflict in the depths of her soul as she went to obey. And thus, hiding her thoughts behind the mask of the serene and dedicated priestess, she left the Master's quarters and made her way to the bridge to inform the commander, who still flinched from her presence, that they were to set their course for the planet the infidels called Korriban.

///

And so we move towards our climax! The conflict in Keenah’s soul comes to a head here with the activation of Palpatine’s holocron throwing the Yuuzhan Vong and Sith sides of herself into sharp contrast. I substantially rewrote parts of this chapter to emphasize that fact; there were definitely parts earlier that I thought made Keenah’s doubts too sudden and didn’t explore them in detail (my dissatisfaction there, coupled with various outside destractions, is why I haven’t updated this in so long). Sooner or later, she’ll have to make a choice…

As for our heroes, their part is pretty self-explanatory. The board is set; the pieces are moving. Only a few chapters remain…

-MasterGhandalf

 

Chapter 21: The Lands of the Dead

Korriban hung in space before Tahiri's eyes, an ominous grey disk against the backdrop of the stars. Even from this distance it was obvious that something was terribly wrong with this world; just from looking at its sickly color, she could imagine the vast expanses of barren plains, broken by jagged mountains and abandoned fortresses, the only life hideous perversions birthed by the dark art of Sith alchemy. Somewhere down there, she knew, was the center of the corruption- the Valley of the Dark Lords, unholy burial ground of millennia of Sith, steeped in their evil. Jacen Solo believed, as had his teacher Vergere, that the Force had no true dark side, that evil came only from within, but here, at least, Tahiri knew that they were wrong. Whatever Korriban had been or might have been, the evil of countless generations of Sith had sunk into ever hill and mountain, every rock and speck of dust. Now this world had a malevolent life- or mockery of life- all its own.

"This is the place, Tahiri Veila?" Ziil asked from beside her. "This is the world called… Korriban?"

"Yeah," Tahiri said softly. "Consider yourself lucky today that you don't have any connection to the Force, Ziil- very lucky. I can feel it from all the way up here, like it's waiting for us."

"Tahiri, Jaina, you there?" Corran said from the comlink. "According to my sensors, the Vong ship is already on its way down. It looks like it's heading straight for the Valley of the Dark Lords. Whatever they're doing, it's going to be soon."

"I still don't get how they even found out about this place or the artifacts," Jaina put in. "Tahiri, if you say that female you fought had the Force, I believe you- and I certainly know it's possible- but how would she have known enough about the Sith to come here?"

"She wasn't just some fumbling amateur making it up as she went along," Tahiri said, thinking back to the disturbing encounter. "She'd had training, and that means she had a teacher. Remember what the Bothan said about his own ships being tricked into firing on each other? Keenah was strong, but I don't think she had the kind of fine skill to pull something like that off. My guess, her teacher's on that ship too, and whatever's going on here, it's their show." Suddenly remembering the dark-cloaked figure that had haunted her visions, the young Jedi suppressed a shudder.

"So we've got not just a ship full of Yuuzhan Vong warriors plus a priestess who can use the Force to deal with, but a Sith wannabe too?" Jaina asked. "This isn't going to be easy, and we don't have time to get backup. This thing is going down now. Anyone have a plan?"

"We land near the Valley, check out what they're up to, and then figure it out from there," Corran said. "At least with only one ship, we don't have to worry about air support once it's landed. See you both planetside."

"Make it up as we go along?" Tahiri muttered as she keyed Memories to aim for a landing near the Valley while avoiding the coralcraft's direct pathway. "My favorite kind."

///

Keenah stepped over the beast's still-twitching remains and then turned her gaze to the world around her. Everything was grey and dead- the sullen clouds overhead, the jagged, lifeless rock, the ominous temples. Everything except for the small pack of glossy black predator beasts who had foolishly attacked the group of Yuuzhan Vong warriors that had descended from the craft that now perched on the Valley's rim. The creatures had fought well, but they had quickly learned the folly of their ways.

"Tuk'ata" the Master rasped; Keenah turned to see him emerge from the ship in a litter borne upon the backs of four Shamed Ones; a number of pouches containing the artifacts dangled from its sides. "Sith hounds. That is… the creatures' name. Set here by the ancients… to guard their resting places. They will not… bother us again, I think."

Commander Akhi Lian approached from among the gathered warriors, his amphistaff still slick with a tuk'ata's blood. "Master, what is you command?" he said, saluting- though his respect was still grudging, there was fear in his voice as well. For some reason, that bothered Keenah.

A warrior should fear nothing, yet the commander fears my Master… fears me. Can this really be the gods' will? And yet, does not such power as we possess deserve to be feared? Swiftly, she buried her thoughts, smothering her internal conflict. Despite what she had seen in the artifact, she must not doubt. She could not, or they had come to this horrible place for nothing.

It would mean that all she had been and done for the past year was a lie.

"Commander," the Master said, "you and your warriors will remain here… in the Valley. Someone is… coming. I can sense them. I must not… be disturbed."

"What about you?" Akhi Lian asked. "Are we to leave you undefended, then?"

"Priestess Keenah will… accompany me." The Master hissed, impatience fraying his already-raspy voice. "Do as I command! Do not question me again!"

Akhi Lian looked affronted, but he saluted and stepped back among his warriors, motioning them to form a semicircle around the nearest tomb, with the Master and Keenah behind them. The cloaked figure studied them for a moment, nodded, and then motioned for his bearers to begin taking him up the winding path towards the tomb's entrance. Keenah followed close behind.

She did not know how long they walked that dismal road- the distance wasn't long, but it seemed like was taking cycles to traverse. Neither of them spoke, but as they walked Keenah felt a growing sensation in her mind, a familiar presence- it was the Jeedai girl, the One Who Was Shaped, she was certain, and her two companions. They must be the ones the Master had sensed as well- but surely even they couldn't fight their way past the Rage's entire complement of warriors. Not until it was too late…

Finally, they came to a halt before the entrance to the tomb. The building was an immense and elaborate construction of grey stone and spires, built into the very wall of the Valley- how far it went underground, Keenah could only guess. The Master's bearers sat him before its immense gates, and he rose unsteadily and gazed up at it, almost as if he knew this place- but that was impossible. He had told Keenah that he had never been to this world before. Slowly he stretched out one bandaged hand and planted it on the gates, and the whole galaxy seemed to pause for an instant before they swung open. Within was only darkness, and a floor that seemed to slope steadily downward.

Keenah stared into that abyss for only a brief moment before she turned away, looking out over the Valley. There, on the other side, she saw a number of figures moving, setting something up; she shaded her eyes and saw clearly now that it was a group of other Yuuzhan Vong- it must be Kizin Qel and his shapers, but what were they doing?

"The master shaper had… an experiment he wished to pursue," the Master said behind her; Keenah spun to face him. He had seated himself in his litter once again and the bearers had turned it to face her; he regarded her with his hands steepled before him. "I saw no harm and… gave him my blessing. Should he succeed, he shall shape us weapons… even the Jedi must fear. Now I must… go within. The hour of my restoration is at hand! You shall remain here… my student, and watch and wait. If any manage to make it past our… honored Commander, you shall be my last… defender."

Keenah glanced up at the looming building, heard again in her mind the ghastly voice of Darth Sidious, and then spoke. "Master, do not do this," she said, a final, desperate plea. "The powers of this place do not serve our cause or our gods. There must be another way to make you strong again so that we can finish the gods' work, but I do not believe that you will find it here. Let us leave!"

The Master's eyes narrowed. "I am disappointed in you… Keenah," he rasped. "I had thought that you… were strong enough for this. I see now that you… have much to learn. Stay here and watch, and do not… question me again! We will speak on this further… when my strength is restored." He motioned for his bearers and they lifted him up onto their shoulders and carried him down into the darkness of the tomb.

Keenah stood there and stared into the darkness for some time, before turning back to face the Valley and drawing her lightsaber. The Master had tasked her with standing guard and that, at least, she could do. None would pass.

///

Tahiri crouched along the rim of the Valley and lowered her binoculars. "Looks like the warriors are gathered around one specific tomb down there," she said to her companions. "Probably a couple of dozen, and they look like they're on guard. We can't fight that many, and it'll be hard to sneak past. Anyone else got any ideas?"

"That's not all," Jaina said, pointing further down the Valley. "Looks like more Yuuzhan Vong down there, setting up… something. I don't recognize it."

"Let me see," Tahiri said, bringing her binoculars back up and looking in the direction Jaina had indicated. "Shapers- definitely shapers. That biot they're planting looks vaguely familiar, but I can't place it off the top of my head." Momentarily withdrawing into herself, she reached into her Yuuzhan Vong memories- Riina Kwaad had been a warrior, but the template for her personality and memories was Nen Yim, a Shaper. Maybe Tahiri had the knowledge of what they were up against buried somewhere inside… yes. "They're taking samples from the planet's crust- that biot is digging down deep under the surface and consuming samples to be stored inside its body for later study. Harmless enough… anywhere else. Here, though…"

Tahiri let her voice trail off, but the others were able to finish the thought well enough. If the biot dug deep enough, it could easily pull up some long-buried Sith treasure or weapon and unleash it on the galaxy again, or possibly even become infected itself – and that sort of dark power in the hands of a master shaper made Tahiri shudder. Mezhan Kwaad had been bad enough, but if she’d had access to Sith secrets, what sort of horrors could she have made? She doubted whatever shaper was in charge over there was any kinder.

"Well, it looks like whatever the Vong are here for, it's in that tomb," Corran said, "but we can't let the Shapers take anything offworld either. I've got some charges in my fighter- they' can probably take care of the biot, but someone will need to plant them. If I try to fly in, the warship’ll probably try to shoot me down, so it looks like going in on foot is our best bet. I'll do it."

"I will go with you, Slayer of Shedao Shai," Ziil said suddenly, and all three Jedi turned to regard him in mild shock. The former Shamed One looked rather taken aback at the attention, but then took a breath and continued. "I was often used by Shapers to perform menial labor for their damuteks. I am familiar with how they operate. I may recognize things that you do not."

"Ziil- are you sure about this?" Tahiri asked. "I mean, we're not going to force you to fight or die for us…"

The Yuuzhan Vong smiled. "I we succeed- then it will be a glorious victory, and if we fail… if we fail, I will have died fighting beside the Jeedai. Shamed I may have been, but I am Yuuzhan Vong still. What more could I wish for than the chance to give my life for a righteous cause?"

"Thank you, Ziil," Tahiri said, then added softly in Yuuzhan Vong, "may the gods watch over you, warrior." Ziil’s mouth gaped open at the last word, then he seemed to swell with pride and crossed his arms in a salute, one Tahiri recognized as indicating a trusted subordinate giving honor to a much-respected superior. Blinking away tears that weren’t entirely from Korriban’s dust, she returned it.

Corran paused for a moment and glanced to both Tahiri and Jaina, nodding once at each of them, before motioning Ziil to follow him. “Come on, then,” he said. “This situation isn’t going to improve with age.” Ziil nodded in acknowledgment, and then the two males made their way along the valley rim towards the Shapers, and soon were out of sight.

"Looks like you and me get the tomb, then," Tahiri said finally. "Whatever's going on in there, it needs to be me to confront it. I can sense it."

Jaina nodded. "I understand. So I guess that means I get you in. I think I can manage that." She gave a wicked smile.

"All right, Jaina," Tahiri said, "you're planning something. What exactly have you got in mind?"

Anakin's sister just shook her head. "Sometimes the art of deception is getting the people you’re trying to trick to look away from what’s really going down until it’s too late. I think I know how to manage that. I'm Jaina Solo, the embodiment of Yun-Harla, a twin, the Sword of the Jedi, and the Slayer of Tsavong Lah I'm going to go down there and introduce myself, and see what happens."

///

Jaina slowly made her way down the rocky slope of the Valley of the Dark Lords, heading straight into a mob of almost certainly homicidal Yuuzhan Vong warriors, and briefly considered that this was quite possibly one of the most insane things she'd ever done. Of course, the fact that it was only possibly was perhaps an indication of the kind of life she'd lived, but she didn't let herself dwell on that for long. Right now, a friend was counting on her.

The first Vong who saw her approach shouted a warning to his fellows, and even from a distance Jaina could see them raise their amphistaffs and level the venom-spitting heads at her. "Wait!" she called. "Do you know who I am?"

"You are an infidel!" a warrior barked in harshly accented Basic. "Why should we be concerned with your identity!"

"Because I am the Other Twin!" Jaina called, using the Force to project her voice and make sure these bloodthirsty morons got the message. "My name is Jaina Solo! Jacen Solo is my twin and Anakin Solo was my brother. I am the Trickster. I slew Tsavong Lah in single combat, and faced the Slayers in the throne room of the Supreme Overlord himself. Kill me from a distance if you want to, strike me down with poison- even with my lightsaber I can't block it all- but is that the much vaunted courage of the Yuuzhan Vong? Tell your commander, Akhi Lian, that I was there on Coruscant and I remember him. Tell him that I will fight him myself, one-on-one. Will he face me like a warrior? Or will he hide behind his men like a coward?"

Jaina didn't know how the Yuuzhan Vong mind worked the way Tahiri did, nor was she as familiar with the details of their religion as Jacen, but she'd faced more of their warriors than she cared to count during the war, and she certainly knew how they thought. They were recklessly brave, ruthless to a fault, and proud- and no doubt that pride was enough for their commander, whatever his history might be, to resent being a lackey for that Force-using priestess and whoever her teacher was. In that case, her words ought to have been just what it took to goad him into action.

Of course, it was possible that he was that rare commander who was confident enough in himself to see through her barbs and order his men to open fire- but Jaina was the daughter of a gambler, and she was willing to take that risk.

And it looked like she was right. The warriors were muttering among themselves, and then one stepped out from their midst- big, even by warrior-caste Vong standards, a cloak of command streaming from his shoulders. Even from a distance, Jaina thought she recognized him – it was the same one who’d been in charge in the fight on Coruscan, all right. He paused to hand his baton of rank to a subordinate and receive a full-length amphistaff in return, and then stepped out onto the Valley floor to face Jaina. "I am Commander Akhi Lian," he growled in passable Basic. "And I remember you as well. I am surprised to see the Trickster come to fight so openly, but I will relish the opportunity to crush you in honorable combat, Jaina Solo. Then all shall see that Akhi Lian does not fear the Jeedai, that Akhi Lian is greater than any Jeedai!"

Hmmm. Seems I’ve struck a nerve. "Bring it on," Jaina said out loud, igniting her lightsaber and letting the purple light wash over her face. But that's where you're wrong, big guy. You see, I'm not really fighting you- we're putting on a show for your men, and by the time they realize what's going on, it'll be too late.

I hope. Tahiri, it's all on you now. May the Force be with you.

///

Tahiri circled quietly behind the warriors as they formed a circle around Jaina and their commander. Jaina'd been right- the commander had been unable to resist the bait dangled in front of him, and now the warriors' attention was completely focused on the spectacle unfolding before them. A not-inconsiderable part of Tahiri wished she was fighting by her friend's side, but she knew that Jaina was doing this for her. She needed to reach the tomb and stop the priestess and whoever had trained her from doing whatever dark thing they'd come here to do, or this was all for nothing.

Swiftly, Tahiri began to make her way up the path leading towards the tomb. Soon she could sense the strange doubled Force-presence that was Keenah, as well as something else- something old and terrible, yet naggingly familiar- that lurked nearby. Concentrating on those presences alone, she was able to put the oppressive darkness of Korriban from her mind and slowly draw ever upward.

Finally she stopped at the base of the grandiose tomb, resting place of some ancient, forgotten Lord. Quickly, Tahiri's gaze was drawn to the great doors that stood at its base and were now thrown wide open, and tunnel leading down into seemingly infinite darkness. A humanoid figure stood before it, clad in the red robeskin of a Yuuzhan Vong priestess, the hilt of an organic lightsaber in one clawed hand. Keenah.

"Come forward, Jeedai," the priestess called. "I can sense your presence. Have you come to continue our duel?"

Tahiri stepped forward and ignited her own saber. "Here I am, Keenah. I'll fight you if I have to, but I'm here to stop whatever plot you and your teacher have brewing. Whatever's going on, I'd figured it would be inside the tomb, though. Don't tell me a Yuuzhan Vong priestess let herself get left out here on guard duty?"

Keenah snarled and bared her sharp teeth, but quickly regained her composure. "My Master wishes only to test my faith," she said, igniting her blade as well. "You shall not pass, Jeedai girl."

"I'm going into that tomb, one way or another," Tahiri said. "So if you're not ready to fight, get out of my way." The priestess only smirked, then lunged forward. Lightsabers met with a hissing crackle and the two females spun beneath the dark sky, striking and parrying, neither able to gain advantage over one another, their blades making splashes of color that stood out dramatically against the cold grey land and sky.

"You fight well, infidel," Keenah finally said, disengaging and stepping back. "I can believe that there is Yuuzhan Vong in you. Why do you persist in fighting for the infidels? Are you so weak that you cannot see the righteousness of our cause? No, I do not think so- you are not a weak person. What is it then?" As soon as she finished speaking she launched herself forward again, moving with greater speed than nature alone would allow.

"I chose my side," Tahiri said, her own reflexes drawing on the Force in time to parry Keenah's strike. "I am human and Yuuzhan Vong, but I'm all Jedi, and I will fight to protect my people from a war of aggression and conquest."

"But how can you not see that this is the gods' will?" Keenah asked. "You were shaped by them even as I to bring the Force to the Yuuzhan Vong- it is obvious. We are the same. Why do you resist the will of the gods? Why do you resist destiny?"

"Destiny?" Tahiri whispered, her mind flashing back to the vision Anakin once had of her. "The Jedi believe that the future is always in motion. The Force can guide, but we chose our own paths. But you don't sound like you're trying to convince me so much as convince yourself."

"The gods' cause is righteous, the Master is their chosen," Keenah said softly, as though repeating a mantra. "Their will is infallible."

"Maybe it is. But it’s not the gods you’re really worried about, is it? It’s this Master of yours, whoever he is. You’re wondering whether or not you’ve thrown in with the right side. I can feel the conflict in you; maybe I can help. Maybe I know things you don’t.

“You see, we learned something about the gods at the end of the war. Turns out they were real after all, in a way. Do you know what the gods are, Keenah?" Tahiri asked. "The gods were the living consciousness of the world of Yuuzhan'tar, and when the Yuuzhan Vong turned to war and conquest millennia ago, the gods turned away from them, and cut them off from the Force. I know this because I heard it from Sekot, Yuuzhan'tar's child, and from the high priest Harrar. Together they were able to put the truth together – war isn’t what the gods want from the Yuuzhan Vong. It never was. You’ve – we’ve – lost our way a long time ago and we’re just now figuring out how to get back. You're not fighting for the gods, Keenah, you're fighting to keep the Yuuzhan Vong in the state that caused the gods to reject them. Your Master, whoever he is, may have told you he's some kind of prophet, but he's not. He's using you, just like Onimi used Shimrra and his court. And in the end, all they’ll have to offer is an honorless death for anyone who gets in their way."

"No," Keenah whispered, eyes wide. "You're lying. You have to be. You're lying!" With an inarticulate scream of rage, the priestess lunged forward, lightsaber raised. Tahiri rolled onto her back and ducked beneath the blade, then caught Keenah in the stomach with both her feet. The priestess went flying, barely righting herself in time to land. She raised her saber to the defense as Tahiri charged forward, and the two blades locked briefly once more. Then Tahiri twisted her wrist, and Keenah's lightsaber was torn from her grip and went tumbling to the ground nearby. The priestess stumbled back into a crouch, and looked up to see Tahiri's saber pointed directly at her face.

"Do it then," she spat. "You are victorious. Kill me, so that I may at least go before the gods with dignity."

For how long they stood there in silence, Tahiri did not know. A part of her wanted to take Keenah's head off her shoulders, felt that it was the only proper way to treat a fallen foe by giving her the gift of an honorable death – but there was another part that saw the look of anguish on the priestess’s face and felt sympathy for this being, this young woman who had been gifted with power but cut off from her people by it, and used by someone who fed her lies to manipulate her. Keenah was right; they were the same. And because they were the same, she knew what she had to do. Finally with a sigh Tahiri deactivated the blade and slipped it into her belt. "No," she said. "That’s the Yuuzhan Vong way, but it’s not the Jedi way – and it’s not my way. Your death wouldn’t solve anything, Keenah. But maybe your life could. You could be more than what you are."

Keenah looked up at her with wondering eyes. "I do not… understand," she finally said.

Tahiri shook her head. "I didn't think you would," she said. "I hope you can someday. But this is something that I hope you will understand- whatever your Master is up to, it's evil. I don't know what he told you, but the Sith don't serve anybody's gods- they only work for themselves, and their only god is power. Whatever he's planning, it's going to be bad for everyone- I've seen it in my dreams. Tell me what he's doing, and where he is, Keenah. Please."

Keenah was silent for a long moment, but finally she nodded. "There is truth in your words, infi- Tahiri Veila. You speak of things I have feared and doubts I have had. I think I knew in my heart what he was for some time, but I wanted to believe that he was god-chosen- that I was. I thought I was a humble servant, but in truth I was proud to be what he told me I was, and in my pride I may have destroyed us all. He is within the tomb, with the artifacts. He is ill, but intends to use the power of this place to restore his health. When he does, I fear he will be stronger than either of us combined." For a moment there was a flicker of some emotion in her eyes that Tahiri couldn't place. "And yet he also taught me much, and I do not wish to fight him. Does that make me a coward, Tahiri Veila? Perhaps it does, yet I fear to act until I know for certain what I must do. If neither Shimrra nor the Master knew the will of the gods, then how may I? So go; pit yourself against him, Jeedai, and we shall learn whose side the gods favor."

"I intend to do exactly that." With a final glance at Keenah to make sure the priestess wasn't about to stab her in the back, Tahiri squared her shoulders and descended into the dark maw of the tomb.

///

The passage sloped ever downward, and there were a number of side corridors, but the main path was straight and broad, and there was no doubt that it led into the heard of the tomb. Tahiri lit her saber once more and held it up so that she could see in the darkness, and by its light she saw that she passed countless mosaics depicting the Sith in their dark glory. One figure in every image towered over all others, a tall man in armor with a dark cloak streaming behind him, and she knew it must be the Lord who was buried here. Finally, however, she emerged into a vast chamber that was lit by torches, and she stopped in shock.

The chamber was immense, lined with pillars, and at its heart was a statue of the Sith Lord, and before the statue was an altar. In front of the altar lay a yorik coral litter, surrounded by the bodies of four Shamed Ones, and positioned in front of it was a ring of Sith artifacts, the centerpiece of which was Palpatine's black pyramid. Between the litter and the artifacts stood a figure wrapped so heavily in dark robes and bandages that Tahiri could make out nothing of its features. It seemed to be shaking with the very effort it took to remain upright, and from it wafted the stench of rotting flesh.

"Let me guess," Tahiri said when she found her voice. "You're Keenah's Master."

"The same," the figure rasped. "I know you… girl. I saw you in my dreams, and I remember you from… elsewhere. But you are too late. The hour of my triumph… is now."

"Oh, I don't think so," Tahiri said. Once again she was struck by the nagging sensation that she knew his Force presence, but it was too badly distorted by the darkness to tell for sure. Leveling her lightsaber at him, she leaped forward, preparing to strike- only to be seized in an invisible vice-like grip and slammed back against one of the pillars. Her saber dropped from nerveless fingers and Tahiri struggled but was unable to escape, pinned by the Master's power. Gods, he was strong; Tahiri hadn’t felt such strength in years, not since…

"You cannot stop me, Jedi" the Master hissed, his ruined voice interrupting her thoughts. "No one can stop me… not now! You’re too late!" The robed figure raised both of its hands, and the artifacts before it began to shake, then one by one all save Palpatine's shattered. Tahiri gasped as the foul energy escaped from within its confines- she could feel it pressing against her- but as soon as it was there it was gone, swallowed up into him. The artifacts and Korriban's own dark power were feeding him strength know- even as Tahiri watched his body straightened beneath the robes, and the stench of him subsided. He tore the bandages from one hand, and she could see what appeared to be normal, healthy human digits, and he laughed- the laugh was muffled and cold, but naggingly, almost horrifyingly familiar. The Master laughed until he was doubled over, facing away from Tahiri, and then slowly, deliberately he tore away his hood and facial wrappings.

"I remember you now," he finally said, his voice young, male, strong. "As I now remember so many things that I thought I had lost." Dusting off his robes he turned to face her.

"No," Tahiri whispered in horror as she saw that face, impossibly, horribly familiar. "No, this has to be a dream… it can't be happening…"

"It is no dream, believe me. I am very, very real." The Master smiled a too-familiar smile. "Hello, Tahiri," Anakin Solo said. "It's been a long time."

///

The first part of our climax is here! By and large it’s just building off of what’s been established previously regarding our heroes and the plans of our villains, but there were some sections here I rewrote and expanded. Mostly it was just to give some more context to everyone’s actions, but Tahiri and Keenah’s section got significantly expanded to have Tahiri getting more into Keenah’s head and figuring out what makes her tick and how to use her doubts against her – but also empathizing with her, too. Because Keenah was right, on some level they are the same. Like Frodo and Gollum from LotR “they were akin and not alien… they could reach one another’s minds”. And I think Keenah reminds Tahiri of Nen Yim a bit, too, and she wants to give her the second chance that, thanks to Nom Anor, Nen never really had.

And of course, there’s the reveal I’d been planning since before I started working on the original version of the fic – the Master is Anakin! But is this the whole story? Answers next time, when the climax continues.

The title of this chapter is a Traitor reference, of course.


-MasterGhandalf

 

Chapter 22: Sum of Their Parts

Corran and Ziil crouched beside an outcropping of rock near the edge of the Valley and watched as the Shapers surrounded and examined their biot- which looked to Corran's eyes like the mutant offspring of a tree, a sarlacc, and a Mon Calamari squid- as directed by a tall figure with a writhing headdress. That one, who had to be a Master Shaper, looked irritable and kept yelling at his subordinates, but at this distance the Corellian Jedi couldn't make out the Vong language well enough to understand much of what he was seeing.

"Can you tell what's going on?" he whispered to the Yuuzhan Vong at his side.

Ziil nodded vigorously. "The Master Shaper- whose name I believe is Kizin of Domain Qel- is not pleased with his Adepts' process. He wants the samples more quickly, but the yeerhan'cha- the stone harvester- is having difficulty with this rock. The Adepts are prodding it to work faster. Kizin Qel wants to have the samples by the time someone called the Master is ready to leave. Apparently he has experiments he is eager to run."

"The Master- another Master Shaper?" Corran asked.

Ziil looked confused for a moment, then shook his head. "Forgive this humble one his mistake in the translation, Slayer of Shedao Shai. The word he used in my language is different than the word for Master Shaper- maybe "teacher" or "instructor" would be a better word. I am not used to using a tizowyrm; the fault is mine."

"Forget about it," Corran said, then frowned thoughtfully. "Teacher- that's probably the guy who taught that priestess how to use the Force. You think he's anywhere around here?"

"No," Ziil said. "The Shapers do not seem to think so, at least."

"Well, that's good for us, at least. Now, if I'm remembering what I know about Shapers right, the Master Shaper's probably very dangerous, but the Adepts aren't. If I take this Kizin Qel down, then I should be able to plant my charges and get clear before this thing blows." Corran patted the pouch of charges he'd taken from his X-wing.

"That plan sounds like it should work most excellently, Slayer of Shedao Shai," Ziil said. "I am honored to be with you this day."

Corran sighed. "Look, Ziil, I'm sure you've heard this from Tahiri already, but cut it out with the worshipping of everything we say or do. We're Jedi, not gods, not prophets, and we don't want worshippers. Think for yourself, don't wait for us to do it for you. And for this, try and stay out of my way." If Ziil at all found the Jedi Master's words contradictory, he didn't say.

Corran pulled himself up over the rock and ignited his lightsaber in a silver flash- but before he could move forward, something long, thin, and sharp thudded into the rock beside him. He ducked as two more barbs struck, then looked up; the Master Shaper stood not far away, and the barbs were the hideously extended fingers of his grafted hand.

"Foolish jeedai," Kizin Qel spat. "Did you really think you could sneak up on us without our knowledge? We are Shapers, the most favored servants of Yun-Yuuzhan- why, our servants' sense detected you as soon as you arrived here!"

Corran glanced over his shoulder to check on Ziil, but the Shamed One had vanished- as, he realized with a start, had his pack of charges. Just great, the Jedi thought irritably. Not only did he cut and run despite all his big talk, but he took my best way to destroy that thing with him!

"Look," he said out loud, "I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but this planet is toxic in every sense of the word. Whatever you’re trying to dig up will be bad for you, believe me. Shut your biot down and leave- I'm not sure what a bunch of Sith rocks would do to a Yuuzhan Vong, but I doubt it'd be pretty, and if you're really unlucky, you'll hit a tomb."

"The Shaper Caste does not fear peril in its quest for knowledge," Kizin Qel proclaimed grandly. "Unlucky, you say? My purpose here is to seek for relics left behind by those who once ruled here, you fool! Do you think me ignorant? I shall unearth the power that is here and I shall use it, as Keenah has proven it is possible for the Yuuzhan Vong to do. I shall combine my shaping protocols with the objects of power, and the galaxy shall tremble before what I create!"

"Figured that wouldn't work- you mad scientist types are all the same, no matter what galaxy you're from- but it was worth a shot. Now we do things the hard way." Corran leapt back to his feet and sprang forward, lightsaber raised. At the sudden attack, Kizin Qel yelped and leaped back, but brought his other hand up and all eight implanted figures shot out as barbed whips. One of them caught Corran around his leg, the barbs digging painfully into his flesh, while another wrapped itself around his saber hand. The Master Shaper gave an almost deliriously pleased giggled and hoisted Corran into the air.

From his vantage point, Corran could see the biot pulsing above him as it dug deeper and deeper into Korriban's crust, while at its base a half-dozen Shaper Adepts gathered to watch the fight between their Master and the Jedi, no longer paying attention to their work- as a small figure crept up the biot's back, pausing as it went to plant small objects along its flesh. Well, well, Corran thought. Looks like Ziil knew what he was doing after all. He allowed himself a tight smile.

"What is so amusing?" Kizin Qel demanded. "You are at my mercy, infidel- oh, but I can't wait to dissect you- and there is nothing left you can do. I have triumphed!"

"Oh, I think I've still got a few tricks left," Corran said, twisting his lightsaber in his hand even as he pressed the activation stud forward. The blade shot out to twice its ordinary length, neatly slicing the Shaper's tentacle-finger as it did so. Kizin Qel yelped in surprise as Corran brought the saber down with his now free hand and cut his foot loose as well, then charged forward once more. The Master Shaper was a formidable foe, but this was probably the first real battle he'd ever fought; seeing the Jedi who had escaped his grasp and taken his fingers bearing down on him, he froze. Corran tackled him to the ground and brought his lightsaber across in a single clean cut; two shaper hands landed on the ground beside their owner, who now stared up at his opponent with terror in his eyes. So much for the vaunted courage of the Yuuzhan Vong, Corran thought. Guess it's easier to embrace death when you're a blood-crazed warrior rather than a scientist who just barely realized he was beat before it happened. Before Kizin Qel could speak or recover enough to pull some new trickery, the Corellian Jedi switched his lightsaber off and slammed the hilt into the side of the Shaper's head. Kizin Qel collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Ziil, now!" Corran shouted. A moment later, the Valley rim was rocked with explosions as the biot died a fiery death, collapsing in on itself as the Adepts scattered. The Jedi turned to see Ziil hurrying towards him.

"Did I do well, Slay- Corran Horn?" he asked, almost sheepishly.

"Yeah, kid," Corran said. "You did good." Now let's just hope Tahiri and Jaina are as lucky…

///

As a child, Tahiri had been famous- or perhaps infamous- among her fellow Jedi trainees for her incessant talking. After her shaping and the integration of her personalities she had become quieter and more introspective, but still was rarely without a quip or observation. But now, as the Master released her from his Force-grip and let her slip to the floor of the ancient Sith tomb, she found herself completely at a loss for words.

"It's been a long time," Anakin said. His voice, his face, his smile- all were as Tahiri remembered him, save for the eyes. They should have been blue, but instead were a toxic red-yellow, the mark of one who had travelled far down the path of the dark side. "I'm sorry about attacking you, but my… illness harmed more than my body. It clouded my mind, too, and I forgot you." He smiled, and it was Anakin's smile, and yet… not, as if he'd carefully practiced it for a part in a holodrama without really understanding the emotion behind it. "I think you know a bit about what that can be like. But I remember you now, Tahiri, and the Force has brought us together again. We can be again what Master Ikrit promised we would be- a whole greater than the sum of its parts."

Finally, Tahiri found her voice. "Who are you?" she demanded.

An expression of shock and hurt crossed Anakin's face. "Tahiri, how can you ask that?" he said. "I know it's been years since we've seen each other, but I didn't think you'd forget someone who was your best friend- and more than that. It's me, Anakin, remember?"

"I know who Anakin is," Tahiri snapped; in an instant, her lightsaber flared back to life and its point was at his throat. "I knew Anakin better than anyone, except maybe his parents and Master Skywalker, and he meant more to me than anyone. But I also know that he died on a worldship above Myrkr years ago. He and I had a bond in the Force and I felt it severed; I saw his body and was there when they cremated him. Your sense in the Force is wrong too; you look like him, but you don't feel like him, not quite. So since you can't be Anakin Solo, I'm asking you again- who are you?"

The Master sighed and stepped back so that he now stood beside Palpatine's relic. "I should have known I couldn't fool you for long," he said, though there was a regretful quality to his voice. "You're right, I'm not the Anakin you knew, not quite. But I'm not not him, either, if that makes sense."

"I don't understand," Tahiri said, not lowering her blade.

"I had hoped that you of all people would be able to understand me, but perhaps I do need to explain further." He crossed his arms and paused for a moment before continuing. "You are right about one thing, Tahiri- Anakin Solo, the original Anakin Solo, died above Myrkr destroying the laboratory where the voxyn were born. You will remember that you recovered the body, but before you did, the Yuuzhan Vong had it for some time- long enough, in fact, for some of its genetic material to be extracted and sent to Master Shaper Yal Phaath. The hidebound old fool would never have dared to use infidel DNA in his precious projects, but one of his subordinates, Kizin Qel, wasn't so old fashioned. He'd heard of what Mezhan Kwaad had tried to make of you, and thought the idea had potential, but that Master Kwaad's mistake was attempting to overwrite an existing mind with Yuuzhan Vong thought. Far better to implant as Yuuzhan Vong personality into an empty shell."

"You're a clone," Tahiri whispered in sudden realization. "Anakin's clone. You don't act like a Yuuzhan Vong, though, so something must have gone wrong. What happened?"

"I'm afraid Kizin Qel overestimated his abilities," the Master continued. "Humans and Yuuzhan Vong are surprisingly similar for species that evolved in different galaxies, but the differences are there, and it took him years to grow me into anything close to an adult form. In time, he was recruited to join a heretical projected headed by an acquaintance of yours, Nen Yim, and from there he was shunted to another projected headed by the priest caste- Keenah and her mentor. They were to explore the nature of the Force, and they were sent to an ancient world nearly as steeped in Sith power as this one- Ziost. Kizin Qel brought his prize specimen along. And there, beneath the surface of Ziost, the other half of me waited.

"Milennia ago, the Sith Empire was one of the dominant powers in the galaxy, and its rulers were obsessed with immortality. Kajan Res, the Lord buried here, believed that after his death he would return to one day rule the Sith and through them, the galaxy. He wanted his most trusted warriors at his side. In a vault beneath his palace on Ziost he sealed their souls into crystals to await his rebirth, when he would call them back to life. The call never came. The Sith Empire collapsed, Lord Res never managed to return from beyond the grave, and one by one his warriors slipped into Chaos, save for one. Agran Kall, the commander of Res's forces, a dark side warrior of no small talent, survived the millennia, waiting.

"Keenah and her mentor found the palace when they landed on Ziost and retrieved the crystal. At that moment, half a galaxy away, Jacen Solo destroyed the monster named Onimi, and that battle sent shockwaves through the Force. The crystal was destroyed, the released energy slaying the senior priestess where she stood and seeping into Keenah's body, while the spirit within sought refuge in the only nearby living thing that could touch the Force and had no will to resist."

"Anakin's clone," Tahiri breathed. "That's what happened to you- with the Force and a copy of Anakin's brain to work with you could access his memories, but his body was strong enough in the Force to keep itself from being overwhelmed completely. Neither of you- Anakin or the Sith spirit- were strong enough to take control, so you ended up melding together." She laughed bitterly. "Of course, a Shaper-cloned body wasn't designed to hold that kind of Force power. Physically and mentally, you just couldn't hold it together- literally."

"Very good," not-Anakin said. "You're right about what happened to me; I remembered how to use the Force, since both my lives had been trained in it, and I had Anakin's knowledge of what had happened in the galaxy since Agran Kall was sealed away, but I didn't know who I was, and my body was decaying out from under me. I needed power, and advice from a true master of the dark side, to save myself, but fortunately I knew that the most powerful Sith Lord in history died only decades ago, and I had a bevy of fanatics on hand who would do whatever I asked, so long as I convinced them I was a prophet. And, fortuitously, Master Qel had managed to implant basic knowledge of the Yuuzhan Vong language and religion into his creation, handing me exactly the tools I needed to do so. Pathetic creatures; Keenah was the only one who had real value, and clearly she's failed me too, now, or you wouldn't be here having this conversation with me."

He smiled then, suddenly, almost alarmingly. "But all that's in the past. I'm not the Anakin you remember, true enough, but if everything I've heard about the Jeedai Who Was Shaped are true, you're not really the Tahiri I remember either. I may be as much Agran Kall as Anakin Solo, but you're as much Riina Kwaad as Tahiri Veila. And that's good. We can understand one another better than anyone else in this galaxy ever could. You are alone, Tahiri, an outcast among both Yuuzhan Vong and humans, but you don't have to be. Come with me. I have Anakin's strength and Agran Kall's knowledge, and you have influence among the Yuuzhan Vong- together, we can rule both the inhabitants of the galaxy and its invaders! Think of it, Tahiri! Together, we can do anything. Join me!"

Tahiri was still for a moment, and in that instant a vision of the future seemed to open up before her. She saw herself leaving the tomb at the Master’s side, saw them go forth among the peoples of the galaxy and gather together the remnants of the Yuuzhan Vong who didn’t acknowledge Nas Choka’s surrender along with those who still, in secret revered the name of the Sith. She saw herself scarred and tattooed, clad in vonduun crab armor but wielding a lightsaber – Riina of Domain Kwaad, Warmaster and Dark Jedi, while beside her stood a man in the regalia of an ancient lord of the Sith, the knight of darkness reborn. Together they launched a terrible crusade that drowned the galaxy in blood and raised a tyranny that would last for a thousand years. This was the destiny she had been trained and shaped for, though she hadn’t realized it – and all she had to do was reach out and take it.

The vision passed like a shadow. Tahiri drew a deep, shuddering breath, and then spoke one word. "No."

"No?" the Master asked, his tone genuinely surprised. "Tahiri, whatever else I am, I am part Anakin in more than looks. I’m part of him. You were my best friend for years- in the end, I loved you, and I thought you felt the same for me. Why turn your back on me? You want to be with Anakin again, you want to belong somewhere again as more than an idol or a freak? I'm your only chance!"

"It doesn't matter what you look like or what memories you have," Tahiri said. "Where it counts, you're not Anakin. He spent his life determined to avoid Darth Vader's destiny, but you've embraced the darkness. I’ve learned what it’s like to have something like that hanging over you in the past few years, and I know that the future is in motion – you always have a choice. I don't know if there's enough of Anakin in there for you to be saved, and if there is, I'll take you away from this place and straight to Master Skywalker. But as for your offer- never. I will never betray the Jedi, never turn to the dark side, never embrace the destiny Mezhan Kwaad intended for me, no matter who's selling." Tahiri faced the Master with her eyes narrowed. "I certainly won't do it for a monster that comes wearing the face of someone I loved."

From everything she knew of Sith, Tahiri expected the Master to be angry, to blast her with lightning. Instead, he only shook his head sadly. "I was afraid you'd say that," he said, "but I needed to ask. I wanted you by my side. But if you won't come willingly…" Anakin's clone knelt suddenly and picked up Palpatine's black pyramid from where it sat by his side. He closed his eyes and Tahiri could feel him focusing his will on it, and then the dark power surged and a figure emerged from the artifact.

He was ghostly and transparent, and he'd died in the flesh years before she was born, but Tahiri knew that withered visage and ghastly grin, had seen the image of that wicked old man on more Holonet documentaries and Academy lectures than she cared to count. Emperor Palpatine himself, or at least a shadow of him, now shared the tomb with them.

"You wanted payment in return for your wisdom," the Master declared. "You told me I'd know when the time came, and I do. Like Lord Res before you, you desire immortality, a return to the world of the living, and that I can give you. The girl before you is young, healthy, strong in the Force- her body is yours." He looked past Palpatine towards Tahiri. "I hope you believe me when I say that I'm truly sorry it has to be this way."

"I would have preferred a male host," the shadow of Palpatine said, "but any living flesh is better than none, and this girl will be sufficient. The price is paid. At last, I shall fulfill my creator's destiny and live once more!"

The shadowy image flowed forward, and Tahiri struck with her lightsaber, to no avail. All of her Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong combat training was useless against this… thing… before her, and if there was a Force technique to repel it, it wasn't one she knew. The ghostly image stretched out a gaunt hand and placed it on her chest, and then it sunk in, deeper, until the chill darkness reached her heart….

///

Keenah knelt on the rock before the tomb of an ancient lord, and she prayed.

All her life she had sought nothing other than to serve the gods, for she was priest caste, born and trained. Yet now, all that she once thought she had known was crumbling. Shimrra was dead, Yuuzhan’tar lost, the crusade failed. The Master had come and promised her a new path and a new destiny, but now she feared that he had merely used the language of piety to disguise some other, more terrible ambition. And the Jeedai-Who-Was-Shaped had said that the Yuuzhan Vong had lost their way long ago.

Help me, Keenah whispered to the gods, digging her hands into the sharp stone and feeling her palms burn as they were cut. What is my path? What must I do?

She heard the sound of footsteps and looked up, and it seemed to her that the gods had come and now stood around her. A part of her knew that this was a vision and not real, and yet it seemed almost that she could reach out and touch them. They came in the forms of Yuuzhan Vong, much as she had always imagined them, and they gazed down upon her.

Yun-Yuuzhan was there, a regal elder in flowing robes who leaned upon a great amphistaff that seemed to be made not of flesh but of stars; his regard was distant, remote. He was the Creator, the Cosmic Lord; a single troubled priestess was far beneath his concern. Yun-Yammka, Father of Strife, came as a mighty warrior who regarded her weakness with contempt – the Slayer would be no help for her. Yun-Harla’s face was hidden beneath her cowl, her posture inscrutable. Of course the Trickster would offer no easy answers.

Yun-Shuno, ragged matriarch of the Shamed Ones, shook her head sadly and looked away – sympathetic, perhaps, and yet her true concern was for the lowest of the low, not for the agony of a child of the elite. The Lovers danced around one another, too capricious to give much concern to Keenah’s plight. But there at the last stood Yun-Ne’shel, Keenah’s own patron, clad as a master shaper; she looked down upon her priestess and smiled.

Tell me, young one, she said, what were you taught in the creche of my priests? What is the difference between life and that-which-mocks-life?

“Machines are dead, empty,” Keenah repeated in a quiet voice. “They do nothing but what they are made to do, know nothing but what they are programmed to know. Life grows, changes, and adapts. Life prevails where machines cannot. That is why life is the true thing, and machines are a perversion, a mockery.

That is correct, the goddess said. So tell me, priestess of mine – are you life, or are you machine?

Shock and outrage flared in Keenah’s heart. “What sort of question is that?” she demanded, forgetting momentarily that she was addressing a goddess. “I am Yuuzhan Vong, not an abomination – I live!”

Yes, you live, the goddess said. And to live you must grow. The crossroads stands before you. Choose, Keenah. Choose, and act.

///

Lightsaber met amphistaff with a sizzling clash beneath the grey skies of Korriban as the Yuuzhan Vong warriors watched their commander do battle with one of the most famed of the Jedi among their people. Akhi Lian was huge and powerful, his body sheathed in virtually impervious armor, his strength driven by the fierce pride and zeal of his race; too, it seemed he fought with the ferocity of a man with something to prove. Jaina was tiny in comparison, small and slight, but with the Force and her training on her side she was agile enough to evade her foe's blows, and in her hands was one of the deadliest melee weapons in the galaxy. The two combatants were fine examples of their two martial traditions, and to those watching the fight they seemed close to evenly matched.

Jaina ducked and rolled as Akhi Lian's amphistaff sailed past her head and struck the ground near where she stood, its edge, now hardened into a blade, slicing the rock cleanly in two. Striking out with her saber, she caught the commander along the leg, scoring a long burn in his armor, but doing no more harm. The shell of the Vonduun crab was thick enough to repel all but the most determined blows even of a lightsaber.

Akhi Lian towered over her, and Jaina rolled between his legs as he prepared to strike again, leaping to her feet behind him. The Yuuzhan Vong spun, murder in his eyes, but before he could strike Jaina raised a hand and focused her will on the ground beneath his feet. The Force responded to her call and the stone buckled, sending the commander stumbling, but as he fell he reached out one hand and caught Jaina by her arm, dragging her to the ground with him. He pulled her within inches of his face and bared his sharply pointed teeth, but the Jedi only smirked at him before punching him squarely on his flat nose. Akhi Lian roared more in surprise than pain and let go; Jaina focused the Force against the ground and blasted herself away from him, rolling back into an upright position out of his reach. She could see the Yuuzhan Vong standing as well, blue-black blood dripping down his face. His species' expressions could sometimes be hard to read, especially for warriors who had their own faces remade to be more fearsome, but he seemed to be smiling.

"You fight well, Jeedai," Akhi Lian said. "It will truly be an honor to kill you."

"Oh, don't gloat yet, Commander," Jaina taunted, smirking. "Tsavong Lah thought the same thing, and, well… you're no Tsavong Lah."

"I may not be warmaster," Akhi Lian spat, "but I am still warrior enough to finish you."

"Really? Because I would have thought that all the real warriors would have been at Coruscant- excuse me, Yuuzhan'tar- when we were there taking it back. Instead we find you out here, a year later, doing what? Babysitting a bunch of shapers and priests, looks like to me." Jaina smiled darkly. "Face it, Commander. The only reason you're here is because you got a job no one else in the warrior caste wanted."

"Silence!" Akhi Lian roared, charging forward. He struck Jaina with his armored shoulder, sending her crashing to the ground with her lightsaber spinning away and landing on the rocks. Jaina groaned and looked up to see the fearsome armored figure towering above her. "Where are your bold taunts now, infidel?" he demanded. "Your mockery ends here."

"Now see," Jaina said, "there's still one thing left you have to learn- when you think you've got the Trickster at your mercy, that's when you should be most afraid of her." The commander's amphistaff struck down, but Jaina was no longer there when it landed; rolling quickly away, she pulled herself up into a crouch and leapt into the air. Her lightsaber flew from where it lay and landed in her hand just as she spun over Akhi Lian's head. The blade ignited in violet fire and the commander's eyes widened in surprise for an instant before Jaina landed lightly behind him.

Akhi Lian's head hit the ground a moment later, an almost comical expression of shock still written across its features. The commander's body remained standing slightly longer, then buckled forward and lay still.

Jaina stood and turned to face the assembled warriors who now regarded her with a mix of rage and awe. "Well," she said, "anyone else interested in trying me?" She raised her lightsaber before her in mocking salute.

Before any of the warriors could respond, an explosion rocked the Valley; out of the corner of her eye, Jaina could see the shapers' biot crashing to the ground in fire. The warriors stood in silent rage for a moment before one- a subaltern, Jaina thought- stepped forward.

"The Jeedai has deceived us!" he shouted in Basic, no doubt for her benefit. "She was merely distracting us so her companions could sabotage our shapers' work. Kill her!"

Once more, the poison-spitting heads of dozens of amphistaffs were pointed directly at Jaina, and this time, challenging the commander wasn't an option for getting out of it. This, the young Jedi thought as she, raised her blade in defense, is not going to end well…

///

Tahiri stood in the heart of a vast, dark space that she recognized in an instant as her mental image of the interior of the worldship above Myrkr- the place where Anakin had died. Here in this shadow place she had fought a desperate battle against herself that had led to the two halves of her being- the old Tahiri and Riina- to combine together into the person she now was. And now she had been forced here again, and this time the ghostly image of Emperor Palpatine hung before her, his insubstantial hand buried in her chest.

"Give up," the wraith hissed to her. "Why do you resist me? Why resist the inevitable? You are not strong enough to hold on for long. What are you, child? Not a human, not a Tuskan, not a Yuuzhan Vong, and certainly not a Jedi. You are nothing…"

"I am a Jedi," Tahiri gasped, though speech was difficult. "I was trained by Master Skywalker… he Knighted me… the Force is with me…"

"The Force is with only those who have the will to master it," the Emperor said. "What will do you have? I can see your heart, your very soul, and you can hide nothing from me. You should have died here, on this ancient ship, years ago. Only one person could ever have cared for you, and he died here. Your friends shrink from you, never knowing if an enemy lurks within you. The Yuuzhan Vong either hold you in contempt or venerate you falsely- for what have you done to merit veneration? Be a victim in a madwoman's experiments? You are part of many things, Tahiri Veila, but you are all of nothing. And how can nothing hope to resist my will?"

The shade of Palpatine sank deeper into Tahiri's body, and she felt as if his tendrils were reaching throughout her, consuming her identity so he could take what was left for himself. Just give up, a tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind. He's right, you should be dead. Let him end you. At least then, you'll be with Anakin again…

At the thought of Anakin's name, Tahiri remembered the Master, that perversion that wore Anakin's face, and emotion surged through her, not rage but determination. The pride of her heritage- all her disparate heritages- awoke within her, and with it the determination that she would not die here, would not be defeated by this horror, and that she would defeat the creature that had unleashed him.

Tahiri knew that she was far from the greatest Jedi of the Order, far from the goddess the Shamed Ones wanted to make of her. But for now, none of that mattered, because someone had to stop the Master, and she was the only one who could.

Reaching up, she seized hold of the Emperor's ghostly arm and began to push him back.

For a moment, something that might have been fear flickered in Palpatine's yellow eyes. "It is not possible," he whispered. "How do you find the strength to resist?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Tahiri asked. "You think my trials broke me down, but they just made me stronger, made me who I am. I'm not a sad little girl whose will you can just break, and I'm not a bloodthirsty Yuuzhan Vong warrior who'd be easy prey to your temptations, either. Mezhan Kwaad, the poor, ambitious fool, never understood what is was she made. I'm the best of both my selves, or at least I try to be, and you're the one who's nothing but an old ghost desperate to grab hold of what you lost. You're not even the real Palpatine, just a nasty little trick he left behind. You want to know who I am? I'm Tahiri, daughter of the Sand People… of the Jedi… of Domain Kwaad… I am greater than the sum of my parts… and I want you out of my head!"

With all of her power in the Force behind her, Tahiri tore the Emperor's hand from her chest. Palpatine shrieked and fell back, and the image of the worldship around them shattered, replaced by the slightly less dismal one of Lord Res's tomb. The shadow of the old Sith Master now twisted in apparent agony above the black pyramid before giving a final ghastly shriek and dissolving into mist. The pyramid itself shuddered a moment longer, then burst into a rain of glossy fragments.

The Master stared at his ally's fate in openmouthed shock. "How-?" was all he had time he had to whisper before Tahiri leapt forward and slammed the full weight of her body into him, tackling him to the ground. Reaching up, she placed each of her hands on the side of his face and then pressed his forehead to her own. If there was any of the Anakin she knew in there, she had to try and find it, make contact. Mustering all her will, she reached into that part of herself she'd once shared with him…

And then she was blasted off of him. Rolling to her feet, she stood and saw the Master apparently at war within himself, doubled over and clutching his head while mouthing curses in Basic, Yuuzhan Vong, and what must have been the old Sith language. Finally he straightened up and opened his mouth wide… while another image of Anakin overlaid itself on him. This one was translucent and glowed blue, but its eyes were not yellow, and its face was at peace, not contorted in madness.

"Anakin?" Tahiri whispered in awe. Had she somehow managed to draw his spirit back into this body? Was it even possible? "Is that you?"

"Tahiri," Anakin said, and the ghostly image smiled even as the flesh-and-blood one beneath it writhed in helpless rage. "Yes, it's me. You managed to put enough of your strength into our bond to let me manifest myself in this body, but I can't stay long. I've been dead for more than three years and I've had to move on, and his will is horribly strong."

"Anakin," Tahiri whispered, tears at the edges of her eyes; she didn't bother to wipe them away. "I was just trying to awaken enough of you in him to weaken him, maybe turn him against himself… I didn't think…"

"It's okay, Tahiri," Anakin said. "I'm at peace now. I can't come back completely, but to have a chance to talk to you one last time is something I never imagined I'd have until you passed on as well. I wish I could have been there for everything you went through, but you met your challenges and overcame them- I've never been prouder to have been your friend, or to have loved you." A spasm of pain crossed the ghostly face. "I'm sorry we don't have longer."

"I'm going to have to kill you, aren't I?" Tahiri whispered, her mouth dry.

Anakin nodded. "I will hold him for as long as I can, but he can't be allowed to escape. He's strong enough that who knows how much damage he could do before he was stopped. In a moment, he'll force me out, and when he does, you know what you have to do." A glowing, ghostly hand reached out and touched Tahiri's face; it felt like a cool breeze. "Don't be sad. They're both wrong, you know- the Sith think death is the enemy, and the Yuuzhan Vong think death is their friend, but the truth is, there is no death."

"There is the Force," Tahiri finished the last line of the Jedi Code and found herself smiling through her tears. "I love you," she said.

Anakin's ghost gave a lopsided grin and for a moment he resembled nothing so much as a younger version of his father. "I know," he said. "Now, Tahiri!"

The young Jedi stepped forward called her lightsaber to her hand, planting its emitter firmly against the Master's chest. The glowing image of Anakin wavered for a moment, seemed to whisper "goodbye", and then was gone. The Master groaned at his departure and refocused his eyes on Tahiri.

"You will pay for that," he snarled; there was nothing of Anakin in his face now. "I will destroy you, and then…" His voice trailed off as he looked down and saw where his enemy's weapon was positioned.

"About what you were going to say?" Tahiri asked. "I don't think so." Before the Master could respond, she pressed the activation stud. She heard the distinctive snap-hiss and then the blade burst from the middle of the Master's back. His eyes widened in sudden horror, and then the life dimmed out of them as she pulled the saber out of him. The body slumped to the floor of the tomb- and then, like the Emperor and Joruus C’Baoth before him, he vanished in a burst of blue-white flame.

Tahiri turned and ran as the raw power of the dark side filled the tomb. She barely made it to the corridor she had descended before the flames dimmed and receded, but even as she did so she heard a hideous rumbling all about her. The entire tomb was collapsing. Drawing on all her powers of Force and body, Tahiri forced herself to run as fast as she'd ever run before, the sound of falling stone echoing behind her. Finally she thought she saw the sickly light of Korriban's sky ahead of her- and then the entire floor gave way beneath her, and Tahiri found herself plummeting into darkness.

Someone caught her, not with arms but with the Force. Tahiri could feel her body be hoisted up out of the pit and then out of the tomb entirely and under the broodingly overcast sky. She hit the ground with a muffled thump, then turned to look at the angular, grey-skinned, heavily-tattooed face of her rescuer.

"Well, Jeedai," Keenah said. "It seems that the gods favored you over the Master in your struggle, considering that you are here and he is not." The priestess regarded the Jedi for a long moment, her expression unreadable and then, surprisingly, she smiled. "And that means that they must still have a task in mind for you – and for me. Come, then, Tahiri Veila. Let us see too it."

///

The Yuuzhan Vong surrounded Jaina, their eyes cold and weapons raised. She kept her saber raised before her, eyes tracking down the line of warriors looking for some weakness she could exploit. Even a Jedi couldn't take this many, and though it was possible she could escape, her odds of doing so looked decidedly low.

So, she decided, it was time to change the rules. As quickly as she could, she reached into her belt and pulled out her comlink. "Cappie, now!" she shouted.

The Yuuzhan Vong paused, seemingly uncertain of what to make of the apparently meaningless words- and then fire rained down on them from the sky. Jaina's x-wing swooped low through the Valley, firing into the mob of warriors, killing some and forcing the rest to take cover. The fighter landed beside its owner, and Jaina used a Force-assisted leap to reach the cockpit and pull herself inside.

"Thanks, Cappie," she said to her astromech, who beeped happily in response. Smiling coldly, Jaina took manual control of the X-wing and lifted it off the ground with weapons primed to face the warriors who now clustered on the Valley floor. Some looked determined to face their deaths with honor as they bought time for the others to flee back to their own ship and even the playing field.

Jaina growled in frustration- she didn't like the idea of firing into unprotected beings on the ground, even if they were Vong- but before either party to make a move, a thunderous roar echoed through the Valley, far louder than the detonation of Corran's charges had been. On the ridge above, the tomb that the warriors had been guarding shuddered and began to collapse in on itself. While it did so, all seemed to stand in limbo, the warriors pointing and shouting in what looked like almost religious horror, while Jaina herself was consumed with fear for her friend. Finally, the destruction subsided, and shortly after two figures appeared on the path that had lead to the tomb.

Both were female, one a tall, black-haired, heavily-tattooed Yuuzhan Vong, the other a slight golden-haired human, and to Jaina's surprise they were walking together, not in any apparent conflict. The Yuuzhan Vong- who must have been that priestess, Keenah- stepped forward and began to address the warriors at length in their language, and whatever she said, it had a dramatic effect, with many of them going to their knees and others screaming in what sounded like disbelief and rage.

Jaina activated her comlink. "Tahiri," she said into it, "what's going on down there? What's she saying?"

"Keenah is telling the warriors that the gods have withdrawn their favor from this mission and that they should surrender," Tahiri said, her voice sounding determined, but with something that sounded almost sad beneath the surface. "It's over."

///

And so our story comes to its climax. This isn’t quite the end – I still have an epilogue – but it is the point where most of our major plotlines get wrapped up.

The Master’s true nature was something I’d always planned, and I worked to plant foreshadowing for it throughout the earlier portions of the fic. A mix of Anakin and a Sith (and a little Yuuzhan Vong), he’s very much intended to be a dark mirror-image of Tahiri’s own dual nature. At the same time, I deliberately wanted to push back against LotF’s characterization of Tahiri and the idea that seeing Anakin again, in any form, would be enough to push her to the dark side. Nah, I think that after all she’s been through, Tahiri’s made of sterner stuff than that (not to mention that after all she’s been through and survived, I always figured her brain was pretty much made of emotional adamantium by now and she’d be extremely resistant to further tampering, as Holocron-Palpatine discovered). Her vision is a new addition this chapter, to further tie things back to Anakin’s own vision in Conquest and give some closure to that plotline, something that Legends failed to do.

Speaking of visions, Keenah’s is also new this version – I felt that we really needed something more to tie together her emotional journey in the fic and her crisis of faith. The vision itself was probably brought on by a combination of her emotional turmoil and the generally strong, turbulent Force activity on Korriban – whether it actually represented a conversation with some manifestation of the goddess Yun-Ne’Shel is, I think, a question better off not answered.

In any case, I’m very pleased with how this sequence turned out, both in the new and revised versions. We’re almost at the end, everyone!

-MasterGhandalf

 

Epilogue: I, Warrior

"… after that, there's not much to tell, really," Tahiri said to Master Skywalker. "Most of the warriors, adepts, and acolytes surrendered when Keenah told them too, and she helped us subdue some of the troublemakers. Jaina contacted the Alliance fleet and they sent a Mon Cal cruiser to escort the coralcraft to a moon on the edge of the Unknown Regions, where Sekot will send representatives to take custody of them. Ziil went with them- I imagine on Sekot they're already telling stories about how he fought beside the Slayer of Shedao Shai to defeat Kizin Qel the Mad Master Shaper." She spread her hands. "Then we came back to Ossus to report to you."

Master Skywalker was quiet for a moment as he seemed to take everything in. He was the first to whom Tahiri had told the full story of the Master's true nature and how she'd defeated him, and she found herself wondering nervously what he'd say. Finally, he just shook his head. "We probably should have seen something like that coming," he said, "but it's still hard to believe that the Yuuzhan Vong actually managed to clone Anakin- and I don't think anyone expected a Sith spirit to possess the body." He looked directly at Tahiri. "And speaking of spirits, I'd like to talk with you more later about what happened when Anakin- the real Anakin- manifested through the clone's body. I've seen plenty of Force spirits before, but never anything quite like that."

"It was him," Tahiri whispered. "For a little while, at least, the real Anakin was there. I think it was an effect of our bond, but beyond that, it's as much a mystery to me as to what really happened there."

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Master Skywalker asked, looking concerned. "To have to kill someone who looked exactly like the person you loved and to see his spirit just before you did it can't have been easy."

"I'll be fine," Tahiri told him. "I made my peace with what happened to Anakin when my old selves merged together- seeing him again was hard, but like the Code says: there is no death, there is the Force. I'll make it."

Master Skywalker put his hand on her shoulder. "You will," he said quietly. "There is something else that you said that troubles me. The Sith spirit that inhabited Anakin’s clone was released from the crystal when Jacen fought Onimi; you said the Master described that battle as a shockwave in the Force. It makes me worried that there might be other things out there in the galaxy that felt that shockwave and were woken up by it – things that might have been better off not being disturbed. I’ll tell the Council to get word out, make sure that if anyone runs across anything unusual, they’ll know to tell us. Hopefully it’s nothing, but I think we’d better be sure. So, is there anything else you had?"

"One more thing, actually," Tahiri said, standing and walking over to the door of the Skywalkers' dwelling. "I brought someone with me who wanted to meet you. I think you'll be interested to talk to them."

Master Skywalker stood as well, looking intrigued, as Tahiri opened the door. A tall woman in heavy brown robes with the hood up stepped inside. She looked around briefly as if to make sure that she and the two Jedi were alone, and then reached up two taloned hands and pulled her hood back, revealing a face that might almost have been human save for its too-angular shape, and were it not for its slate-grey skin, flat nose, and intricate network of tattoos and scars.

"You are the Master Jeedai?" Keenah asked.

"I am," Master Skywalker said. "You must be the priestess Tahiri told me about- the one that can touch the Force. I'd actually been hoping to talk to you- I only know of only one other member of your species who had the Force, and he died fighting my nephew. I would like to hear your story."

"I would like to tell it. I am a member of the priest caste, a servant of the gods' will," Keenah said. "Twice I thought I had found a conduit to that will, but both the old ways of my people and the ways of the Sith have failed me. Both fell before the Jeedai." She paused and drew a deep breath, as if what she was about to say was extremely difficult. "I believed I was chosen by the gods for a special destiny. I was wrong – or perhaps it was the destiny I thought I had found that was wrong. I surrender myself not to your Galactic Alliance or to the world called Zonama Sekot, but to the Jeedai, for I still seek the will of the gods. Perhaps it is your way that will finally help me find it."

///

Tahiri sat in the cockpit of Memories of Yavin, using the Force to balance her lightsaber on the tip of one finger as she stared out the viewports at the landscape of Ossus, a planet that had been brutally damaged but not destroyed, not broken. Like me, she thought.

Ever since her integration- or even before that, since her shaping- Tahiri had been plagued by a single question: who am I? A human raised by the Tusken Raiders and a Jedi who had almost become a Yuuzhan Vong, it was difficult for her to sort out anything close to an answer. But now, thinking on it, she thought she knew.

She was a warrior. Not a Yuuzhan Vong warrior, driven to fight for the gods' glory, but an indomitable spirit, someone driven to fight for her friends, her beliefs, and her own identity because someone had to. She was someone who had been tried terribly, but had emerged from her trials as someone strong. Maybe Anakin's vision of her was still her destiny, but she didn't think it was any more than becoming a second Darth Vader had truly been his. She had chosen to reject the false Anakin, the Master, and though she might falter, she remained determined to reject the dark, to fight against it.

Tahiri flipped her lightsaber into the air and caught it, hanging it on her belt. She didn't know what her future held in store, but for now, she was determined to face it and survive. It was who she was.

///

And so it ends! I feel like this short epilogue is mostly straightforward, tying off some loose ends for Tahiri and Keenah and giving some brief reflection on Tahiri’s arc and why I named the fic what I did. As I’ve mentioned previously, I was deeply disappointed with how the post NJO - Dark Nest through Fate of the Jedi – handled Tahiri’s storyline, and in particular how disconnected it felt from where Final Prophecy left her. There were essentially three main focuses of Tahiri’s storyline in the NJO, in my opinion, and they were her relationship with Anakin, her shaping and its aftermath, and Anakin’s vision of her potential dark destiny. The post-NJO stories more-or-less ignored the first two and badly regressed her on the first so that Caedus could manipulate her. My goal with this fic was to follow up more directly on Keyes’s characterization of Tahiri across his NJO books (and to a lesser extent the NJO as a whole) and bring some closure to all three of those arcs, since even Final Prophecy – the last book to really focus heavily on Tahiri before she got derailed – still didn’t feel like an end to her story. I hope I succeeded!

Several years ago, after I finished the first iteration of this story, I considered launching a longer series of fics with a wider scope that would serve as a sort of NJO-sequel that never was. When the Disney buyout happened, I ended up scrapping the idea after a few chapters. I’m considering returning to it now, but with a somewhat different format, as a series of rotating stories focusing on different next-generation Jedi but with running subplots that will ultimately tie together, a bit like a Star Wars version of the Marvel movieverse. Tentative series title, Knights of the Galactic Alliance, with focus character of the next fic probably being Tenel Ka (if I do decide to go through with this, I, Warrior will likely retroactively become Knights of the Galactic Alliance Book I). If I do, I hope some of you will stick around for the ride! If not, I’m still happy with where I was able to leave Tahiri (and Keenah!) and I’d like to thank everyone who’s stuck with us on this journey. May the Force be with you!

-MasterGhandalf