Star Wars: Duality

CHAPTER EIGHT: REVELATION

    "Jedi Master Yoruuk Vohz, initiate retrieval mission, third entry. The child is safely aboard the shuttle; his parents, working-class merchants, named him Drystan. The boy's average midichlorian count undersells his connection to the Living Force, for even the skies stormed and poured forth their anguish at his departure... or perhaps they had help.

    "There was another Force-sensitive child, I would guess five years of age. The parents said nothing about him, but I could sense him watching me, hiding. Never before have I known a child to radiate such chaos, such vigor. I did not investigate further; it may have only been fear of the older boy's inclination to the Dark Side that swayed me, but I believe there is more to the pair than I can see now. I dare not disrupt their entwined destiny; I can only take Drystan back to the temple as ordered, and await my opportunity to return to this place and learn more.

    "May the Force be with that family... there is a storm approaching this place, one they may not be able to weather like they did these rains."

—

    The recording stopped, and the datapad switched to security cam footage of a dark, filthy alley. A cloaked figure stumbled into it, and flung itself down behind an industrial garbage bin. Stormtroopers ran by, their search pattern thankfully missing their quarry's hiding place. Dropping his hood, Master Vohz grimaced and pulled back his robes to address the blaster wounds on his midsection.

    As a lupine Shistavanen (and a Jedi Master), his endurance was far greater than most beings could hope to achieve; even then, he had taken multiple shots to the gut, and the damage looked too severe to escape with. Then, someone spoke from out of frame. "I know you..."

    I guess I was going to have to rewatch this at some point, Aedan thought, full of regret as he watched himself step forward into the recording.

    "It seems that even the winds that toss the sea can drive one to safe harbour," Master Vohz breathed, almost too low for the camera to pick up. "Come closer, young man."

    Aedan's digital expression was anguish and confusion. "It IS you: you're the wolfman who took my brother, when I was a kid! Why are you here? What happened to you?"

    The Jedi master sighed. "It is no surprise the news has not reached this place yet... the Order is finished. The HoloNet will say the Jedi Council tried to wrest power from the Chancellor; whatever truly happened on Coruscant, the Grand Army slaughtered everyone at the temple. Across the galaxy, we were so caught up railing against the Republic's enemies that we were blind to our own..."

    "Shut it! Was my brother at the temple? Is he...?"

    "I know not. At the height of the Clone Wars, I left Drystan to search for–"

    Master Vohz was cut off by Aedan's pained, manic laugh. "Of course! You cryptic, useless sack of bantha crap, you couldn't even keep him safe in your kriffing Order, could you? You just threw him away when you were done using him!" He turned away for a moment, before looking back with tears in his eyes.

    "My parents are dead, you mutt, and now you're telling me the only family I have left probably got swept up in a kriffing genocide because of you? Give me one good reason I shouldn't leave you here to bleed!"

    "Like I left you, yes?" The Jedi coughed, and shook his head. "My destiny is already drawing to a close. Yours is still unfolding." He reached into his robes and pulled out two objects, a datapad and a lightsaber hilt. "My journal has everything you need to learn about the Force, about the true nature of all living things. A great evil lies dormant on this world; this blade comes from its resting place, which is soon to be revealed. You may be the only hope your home has left for survival.

    "I know you place the guilt of your losses on me, and I cannot refute that decision. But if you do not learn to properly harness and control your passion, your fire, it will burn you wholly from within." Yoruuk managed a smile. "I never overlooked you, my boy. I saw your potential then just as I do now."

    Aedan's hologram was shaking, and not just from emotion. A rhythmic THUMP-ing heralded an Imperial walker on approach. Master Vohz struggled to his feet, and drew his own blade. "Run now. Learn everything you can, and never stop fighting," he said firmly. As Aedan stumbled backwards out of the footage, the Shistavanen Jedi lunged forward at the approaching stormtroopers for his final stand. The recording shut off.

—

    The speedertruck was so quiet you could hear a credit drop. Aedan felt like puking, and Drystan looked pretty much the same. Finally, Maive spoke up.

    "Aedan... did you know...?" Her question was measured, so Aedan couldn't tell if there was real betrayal in her voice or if he was projecting.
    He took a deep breath. "I only put two and two together about the tomb afterwards. I knew who Drystan was right after he said his name, and we had some kind of mutual vision of the day he was taken. I still have no idea who's been chasing us or for how long, and I–"

    Aedan was interrupted by a guttural yell as Drystan launched himself in a flurry of limbs and cursing. Aedan took a few good shots to the ribs before reaching out and Force-pushing the younger man straight out of the door of the truck.

    "What the shit!?" Aedan called out. Maive stopped him with one hand on his chest, then went to help Drystan to his feet; he was unhurt but barely coherent.
    "You lying bastard! You evil, filthy thug!" Shouting matches were not uncommon down in the slums, but Aedan still worried Drystan's vehemence would attract the wrong kind of attention.

    Drystan unsuccessfully wiped tears from his face. "You gave me hope that I would see him again, and now I find out you abandoned him, sentenced him to death! You even spoke his words, because you got to learn from his journal, didn't you!?"

    Stepping out of the speedertruck, Aedan raised his hands in surrender. "I know, man, I should've told you before, but we weren't safe. Even now this conversation might cost us our head start on Mister Darkness."

    "That might be true," Maive interjected, "but you can't exactly stop now. Seems like you owe Drystan a lot more than you owe me, but I also want to know: what exactly was your plan here?"

    Aedan sighed. "Honestly? I was hoping Drystan could tell me that." At his brother's startled look, he pressed on. "Seriously, half the entries on that datapad are so mystical and poetic that I can't actually figure out what this 'destiny' of ours is supposed to be. All I know is, your master was convinced something big is gonna go down on Tyrne and that tomb is ground zero. Maybe we can go there and like, save the day, I don't really know.

    "You're family, Drystan, and I'll stand with you whatever you decide to do; you can have the journal, try and leave this place behind, and I wouldn't blame you for a second. But... Master Vohz seemed pretty sure that this whole night of reunions and adventures and whatever was always bound to happen. Now we're in the middle of it: what do you want to do?"

    Drystan stood there for a moment, bent, as if he were a gladiator, persevering in spite of great injuries. He moved to climb back into the speedertruck but stopped next to Aedan, his voice low. 

    "I'm not doing this for you. After tonight, I'm gone." He moved on, and Aedan hung his head.

    As Maive followed the younger man, Aedan braced himself for another reprimand, an accusation, whatever. But all she did was squeeze his hand, and when he looked up, the understanding in her eyes melted something sharp and cold in his chest.

    "Give him some time... and don't forget that we're a team, okay? All of us, now. Drystan will come around." Maive put on a brave smile, and then Aedan was alone.

    I guess that didn't suck as much as it could have, Aedan thought morosely. Now we just need to evade our evil stalker, fight the Empire head-on, and not die.

    Piece of cake.