By the ti we made it back to the upper levels of the villa, the storm had begun to weaken sowhat. Stepping outside, the rain was no longer falling like I was walking into a cold shower, and the lightning strikes weren't as frequent either. Of course, the distant rumbling still ca pretty often, but the whole thing felt less oppressive now. Or... Maybe that was just my exhaustion talking. Since we 'finished' I began feeling it more and more, and I was barely able to stay awake and hold back my yawns, but there was still work to do.
Vila wasn't any better either, walking close to , almost shoulder to shoulder, and she kept checking my face now and then. I knew I looked terrible, thank you very much... My cheek was swollen where I got hit by that damned droid, my jaw hurt with every step, resonating through the broken bones, and every breath made my ribs tingle. Ugh... Of course, her own side was bruised from where that golden-gloved bastard had thrown her into the wall, and Sareh’s arm had been hastily wrapped with a strip of torn fabric and a field patch from her belt. HK was the worst of us, which was impressive considering he kept insisting otherwise.
He walked, but barely. Every few steps, one of his legs jerked slightly, and there was still smoke leaking from under one of his plates on his back. The sll of scorched circuitry followed him like bad perfu, and whenever I reached out to steady him, he made an insulted little twitch and kept going as if nothing was wrong. What a stubborn rustbucket!
[Statent: Cease hovering around , atbag Kael. I am fully operational.]
“You nearly got fried from the inside out,” Vila countered him angrily.
[Correction: I fried sothing else from the inside out; thus, I won the battle.]
“You’re limping.” She added with a deadpan look, watching him.
[Statent: Tactical asymtry to throw possible enemies off balance.]
“You’re smoking.” I also joined in, enjoying the fact that he was this stubborn.
[Clarification: Intimidation tactics.]
"Sure..." Sareh actually laughed at that, and I couldn’t help but smile despite how much it made my face hurt.
The Vindicator waited where Adrian had landed with it, its lights cutting through the thinning rain, giving us a path to follow. The old gardens around it had been crushed under its gear and engine, which I now noticed, no longer focusing on the Sith AI alone. Huh... To think that Tal Naas had lived there, or, well, the one who had beco Tal Naas as a... droid? Damn, this was confusing!
I wonder how it was for a Sith who looked at the Force and saw it as a tool, thinking that flesh was just a flaw, and thought of dying as an inconvenience, and decided he could out-engineer it. Did he realize he didn't make it happen? The fact that he just created sothing that was imitating him? I guess I will never know. Maybe he would be proud that thousands of years later, so part of him had almost succeeded with... I don't even know with what.
“Kael?” Vila asked, noticing falling silent.
“Just thinking,” I said.
“If it's sothing stupid, just drop it.”
“Yeah, I will.” I humd as I looked at the villa one last ti. “Let’s not co back here.”
[Statent: Agreed. Unless orbital bombardnt is involved.]
“That,” Sareh muttered, staring at the building with disgust, “may be the first thing you’ve said today that I fully support.”
The ramp lowered before we reached it, and Adrian’s voice ca through the ship’s exterior speaker as we clambered on.
“You’re alive? Good, good. Get in before the planet changes its mind, and we can't leave or sothing.”
The mont the ramp sealed and the sound of rain vanished behind the hull, I felt my body realize it had been holding itself together by stubbornness and, probably, a tinge of remaining adrenaline and nothing else. Vila caught my arm before I could stumble, and I imdiately leaned against her. As for Adrian, he was waiting for us just inside the corridor, out of his captain’s chair for once, as his eyes moved over all of us, stopping longest on HK.
“You look like shit.”
[Statent: The price of total victory.]
“He got into a slicing duel with an ancient Sith AI built from soul-ripping nonsense,” Vila snorted, walking past him with in tow. “He won, we won. You only look fine because you refuse to leave your little ship.”
"I'm not a warrior," Adrian blinked once, not even arguing, "That's not my job description."
“Let's not get into it. He needs repairs,” I joined the discourse, and then he answered with sothing I didn't expect.
“So do you.”
“I’m fine, and I’ll complain later.”
“Huh,” Adrian chortled, following us toward the bridge. “That sounded like Dad.”
I winced at that, but I ignored it. The battlefield above was still visible on the main projection, though it had changed since we had left. The Dominator was now crippled, surrounded by Remnant Star Destroyers and Republic vessels. Its engines were offline per the readings, and much of its port side was shattered open, with several sections still burning from internal fires that vented into the void. The swarms of droids no longer moved across its hull at all, and they beca debris that now drifted around it. All things considered, the battle was over.
“That thing is disabled?” I asked, stepping closer to the display.
“Mostly,” Adrian nodded. “Dad's fleet forced it into a surrender condition. Well, not surrender, considering it was piloted by brainwashed people and droids. Anyway, it stopped firing after the Sith thing was destroyed. Republic fighters and boarding teams are keeping distance both because they expect a trap and because I caught that Dad has already claid the wreck as their own.”
“Smart,” Sareh said with a scoff. "And the Republic owes its butts to him."
“What about the planet?” Vila asked.
"Um..." Adrian’s face tightened. “That’s the problem.”
“Already?” I asked with a moan.
“Both sides noticed us going down. The Republic wants to send a recovery and investigation team down to check. Our father wants to secure the surface before the Republic does. He had already contacted ...”
“What did you say to him?” I asked coldly.
"What do you think?" Adrian gave a flat look. “It’s Dromund Kaas, Kael. Ancient Sith capital, with a rebuilt droid empire waiting to be unleashed. I told him to just deal with the disabled dreadnought in orbit and let us deal with the dangers down here."
“And it worked?” I asked with great surprise.
“Until now.” He smiled faintly, "But with the battle over, they will want to co down, for sure."
“They will not,” I said, and my voice ca out colder than I expected, thinking about my... father. Tsk. “The Grandmaster ordered that nobody land until he arrives. Nobody. Not Remnants, not Republic.”
"The Grandmaster?" That made Adrian pause. “Luke Skywalker told you that?”
“Yes.”
"I didn't notice any incoming calls."
"He told us personally." I glanced at him, watching his brows rise to the top of his head.
“Personally?”
“Force Projection.”
"..." He stared at for a second longer, then rubbed his face, “I hate your kind.”
“Sa,” Vila said back by reflex, but Adrian just chuckled at that, shaking his head.
"We need to tell them to stay put," Sareh moved toward one of the side consoles, holding her injured arm close. “We need to transmit before either fleet decides they are coming down. We still have the advantage of the shock of the battle, so we can't let them think more than they need to.”
“Go ahead, I already have channels open,” Adrian shrugged, moving back toward his chair, and the mont he sat down, the ship responded around him, screens lighting up and comms aligning. “But I warn you now, this is going to be ugly.”
“We will start with your father,” I said.
“Our father,” he looked back at , but didn't argue more than that, "Why?"
“Because he’s more likely to listen to you than to , and I want the easy part out of the way. I don't know who the Republic had sent here, so... let's leave that for later. Not to ntion if we make the Remnants stay put, they will too, out of pride if nothing else.”
“Unfortunately true,” he muttered, and then he opened a secure Remnant channel.
It took less than five seconds for the answer to co through when a hologram flickered into life before us, resolving into my father’s face. He looked exactly as usual, wearing an immaculate uniform with an unreadable, stern face.
“Adrian,” he said first.
“Father.”
Then his gaze shifted to , and to my surprise, he said my na.
“Kael.”
“Sir,” I answered automatically, and I hated myself a little for it, watching as his eyes moved over my bruised face, Vila’s burned clothing, Sareh’s bandaged arm, and HK’s smoking fra, assessing the situation.
“You found sothing, that much is clear.”
“It's gone,” I said simply.
“Evidently." He nodded, squinting a little, "And?”
"We need the planet locked down." I continued, "There will be no landings and no salvage teams. Nothing.”
"..." His expression did not change, but then he took a deep breath, “That is not yours to decide.”
“No,” I said, raising my head a little, not backing down. “It’s Luke Skywalker’s.”
"And he is not here." He countered, and I was ready to start arguing, but then Adrian leaned forward before I could open my mouth.
“Father, I’m sending you a summary packet, with limited data." He said quickly, throwing a look to trust him with this, "The threat was not just the dreadnought. Why do you think it stopped fighting and didn't blow itself up? The planet below contains linked facilities, so nasty, hocus-pocus Force-thingy, ritual engines, weird Sith systems, and Force-based contamination we don’t fully understand. Do we want to risk more than we have to? I want to be off this planet as fast as I can, not co back down to it! Look, the Grandmaster and other Jedi Masters are currently eliminating backup nodes across multiple systems, or whatever else they found linked to here. Still, until they're done, I don't think it's wise to just... co down.”
“That sounds convenient,” my father said, probing the truth behind Adrian's words.
“It is inconvenient,” Adrian replied without flinching. “Which is how you know it’s true.”
"..." For a mont, neither of them spoke, then my father’s mouth tightened a lot, just like his tone, “You expect to keep my fleet out of reach of the most significant recovery site discovered in centuries?”
“Yes,” Adrian said.
“And allow the Republic ti to organize a landing party?”
“They can't co down either. Nobody can, in fact.”
“And trust that the Jedi will properly contain what neither side understood until now? Taking everything away?” He snorted, but Adrian’s posture straightened.
“No, father,” he said. “I only expect you to understand that landing now could cause a catastrophe for both sides. The Vindicator’s scans confirm deep-structure systems below the surface anyway. Look at what I sent over to you! Many are inactive now, but we don’t know whether that is permanent or not. We also don’t know if Republic or Remnant slicers might trigger dormant relays by accident... Let the Jedi sweep the Force-related contamination first, that's what they are good at, no? Then we secure the technological remains under quarantine, properly and jointly if needed.”
“Jointly,” my father repeated, clearly disliking the word, catching it at the end of Adrian's babbling.
“Better than nothing,” Adrian said smoothly.
“You argue well.” He muttered in the end, and I was surprised that Adrian managed to have an effect on the old bastard.
“I learned from you.”
“Do not flatter , boy.”
“I wasn’t.” Adrian smiled, "I'm flattering myself."
“You have Skywalker’s assurance?” Father suddenly asked, ignoring Adrian's last retort.
“He is coming here,” I said, joining back into the conversation. “He told us to hold everyone back until he arrives.”
“And if the Republic refuses?”
“They won’t,” Vila said suddenly as my father’s eyes moved to her, but she just crossed her arms, ignoring how soaked and battered she looked. “They lost ships, while you didn't. They got hamred badly before you arrived, and they’ll posture, sure, but they’re not going to rush into an ancient Sith capital after getting mauled by a resurrected dreadnought. Especially not, if you stay put.”
In the end, he just looked at us, then, at the bellator-class ship, deciding that securing that was a better priority than coming down to check on... probably nothing.
“I will hold position,” my father said at last. “No Remnant vessels will descend without further authorization. But understand this: if the Republic attempts to seize the surface, I will respond in kind.”
“Understood,” I said.
“Adrian.” He then added, before the connection would be cut.
“Yes, Father?”
“Your ship perford... adequately.”
“Adequately?” Adrian stopped mid-movent, raising a brow.
“Yes.”
“Hmph! That is insulting!” and with that, he turned the call off, visibly fuming.
Before I could make fun of him, he opened the next channel, countering my thoughts, and this one routed through standard ergency military frequencies. The hologram that appeared showed a New Republic officer whose uniform and expression had both seen better days. Behind him, a bridge crew moved frantically, damage reports still flashing on displays.
“This is Commander Vel Atris of the New Republic task force,” the man said. “Identify yourself.”
“This is Jedi Knight Kael Valtherion aboard the Vindicator." I answered, "We are transmitting on behalf of Grandmaster Luke Skywalker.” Hearing that, the commander’s expression changed at once.
“Jedi?”
“Yes,” I answered simply.
“You were the unidentified vessel that descended toward the planet?”
“Yes.”
“We are preparing a recovery mission, and then—”
“No,” I said firmly, "As the present representative of the Jedi Order, I ask you to stay in orbit and do not approach the planet."
“Knight Valtherion," He answered with a much colder voice, "With respect, this system is an active combat zone. We have suffered losses engaging a hostile dreadnought and associated forces. We need to secure evidence, survivors, and operational data before the Imperial Remnant claims the field.”
“Do that, but that battle never reached the surface,” I said at once. “No one lands until Grandmaster Skywalker arrives. We already agreed on this with the present Remnant fleet.”
"..." That silenced him for a brief mont, looking at sothing at his end, turning back to with a different question, “And when will that be?”
“I don’t know.”
“That is insufficient.”
“Commander," I tried again, "what attacked you was not the whole threat. It was one branch, and the planet contains systems designed to manipulate minds, control droids, and possibly compromise organics through Sith artifacts. If you send crews down without Jedi protection, you may not get them back as themselves... and you wouldn't even know it until it's too late.”
"..." The commander stared at without blinking, and I stared back, wanting to get this over with. Speaking with my injuries was a chore, and I was getting suuuuper annoyed thanks to the pain. “Are you sure about that?”
“He is." Sareh joined, and when he looked at her, she said simply, "I am Sareh, Representative of the Revani Order currently cooperating with the Jedi to eliminate a Sith threat.”
"Revani... Order?" His expression beca even worse. “Dark... What was it... Dark Side affiliated?”
“We aren't affiliated with any side,” she replied without flinching. “Which is why you should listen when I tell you not to touch the planet. It isn't safe, as Jedi Kael had described.”
Huh... That was a brave approach, but the commander didn’t dismiss it imdiately. Probably because his fleet had just watched a dreadnought nearly tear them apart, and sensing the hesitation, Vila added the final push.
“You already lost people today. Don’t lose more because soone wants to be first to plant a flag in cursed mud.”
"Tsk," The Republic commander made a troathy noise, shaking his head. “We are not planting flags,” and then he looked off to the side, listening to soone beyond the hologram. Damage reports, probably, or casualty counts, before finally, he looked back at us. “New Republic forces will remain in high orbit and maintain quarantine distance for now. No surface landings unless hostile action resus. Agreed?”
“Yes," I nodded, "Thank you, Commander.”
The hologram vanished at that, and the mont it did, I let out a breath that turned into a pained moan.
“Well... That went better than expected.” Vila slumped into her chair, chuckling.
“They’re exhausted,” Adrian said, "That's why."
“And we are not?" Sareh asked quietly.
As if the Force heard her, a new alert sounded, but it wasn't about hostile activities.
"Oh... shit..." Adrian muttered, reading them.
"What?" I asked, fearing the worst.
"A fleet just dropped in... and, whoa... There are about... fifty ships? Ten of them are pretty big, whoa!"
"What kind?" We all asked, perked up, alert, but I couldn't feel any hostility in the Force.
"Mandalorian..." Adrian said, furrowing his brows, looking at , "They are hailing everybody on open frequencies.
When it was tuned in, to my surprise, Jaina Solo's voice ca through.
"My na is Jaina Solo, the current Master of the Jedi Order. We are here to contain the situation. We ask everyone, both from the Remnants and Republic side to cooperate with us, and until the planet is deed safe, maintain your distance. Thank You."
"Cavalry, huh?" Vila asked, watching the projection as the Mandalorian fleet approached the planet, settled into orbit, surrounded it, and erected a full-on blockade. "Good thing we have allies, huh?" She added, glancing at , making chuckle.
"Yeah... Good thing indeed."
...
....
......
It was indeed a good thing. Because later on, everyone continued to arrive, and the whole star system was blocked off from access with the Mandalorians' help. Eventually, the whole thing was handled like how Korriban is, struck from records, marked as forbidden, and agreed to handle the system as a no-go zone. As for us, we were allowed to rest and... that's it. I didn't even complain.
My face was fixed quickly, just like everyone else's injury, and, when it was ti to part ways, I was surprised by myself... I shook Adrian's hand. We didn't hug or anything, but... oh well. I felt a bit off when we were transported over to a Mandalorian ship, while he drove the Vindicator over to the Remnant fleet, joining in the efforts of bringing the dreadnought away, and be away just like that, as if we would et tomorrow anyway.
As for us, we didn't do much after that.
"We will take over from here," My Master said when he arrived with Vestara and Kyle, all of them looking proudly at us, patting our shoulders.
"Can we go ho now?" Vila asked with a moan, receiving a smiling nod.
"My father will handle the rest," Ben chuckled, looking back and forth between us, "You earned your rest."
"Then I guess, this is goodbye," Sareh added, turning towards us, and I realized, yeah... she was right. "I'm staying, of course." She smiled, standing with Vestara now, who would help the rest to contain the planet and whatever else was down there.
"Don't get possessed." Vila joked, making Sareh shiver.
"I'm fine staying on a ship... I had accumulated enough personal experience for a decade. I'll just read about it from now on, maybe write about it, too, and send you a signed copy."
"Sure," I nodded, shaking her hand, "Just don't forget to put us in a good light, if you ntion us at all."
She only chuckled, which wasn't reassuring, but... I was glad when a Mandalorian escort vessel took us on board, and we left the system to head back towards Yavin 4.
"What do you want to do next...?" Vila asked, leaning against in our cabin, sitting in a chair while she sat in my lap, HK standing at the edge of the room, in a 'sleep' mode or sothing.
"Next?" I chortled, holding her, "Stay put... Rest. Maybe teach?"
"Teaching, huh?" She humd, thinking about it, "Taking a padawan... Isn't that too early?"
"I didn't say that I want to take a padawan." I answered, tickling her, "Maybe hold so dueling lesson or like that... I don't know. Sothing that is less dangerous than chasing Sith droids and artifacts."
"Mhm," She moaned, stretching like a cat, "That does sound nice... I think I'd try it out too. After a long rest, that is!"
"How long?" I asked, watching her turn around and plant a kiss on my lips.
"A few weeks should do it... or a month." She whispered, snuggling up with , "Until I get bored with wrestling with you."
"Oh boy," I laughed, pinching her bottom, "I don't know if I'm ready for that!"
"Don't worry~!" She muttered as we both just sat there, hugging, "You are."
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