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Chapter Text

Ossus: 10 ABY...

Tears flowed from the face of a young Ben Solo as his mother grasped her firm arms around the small figure. Together they embraced at the boarding ramp of the Millennium Falcon, the victor of uncountable battles and the closest thing Ben could call a home. None of the palaces or luxury apartments that the Solo family had lived in throughout the years could match the lasting familiarity of the rustic freighter to Ben. And now, he was saying goodbye to it and his parents indefinitely. Sure, Ben would have his Uncle Luke to take care of him, a staple of his life since birth, and of course R2 would be there to add some sense of homeliness to his new environment, but all of those reminders only exacerbated his longing for the cavernous hallways of the Royal Palace, the impossible canyons of Coruscant's underworld, the tense mysteries of the Senate and so many other wonders that he had taken for granted up until now. Now it was his time to become a Jedi as his mother had attempted to and his Uncle had succeeded in. In this way, Ben felt a sense of honor about the role he was meant to play within his family, as the first of the new Jedi. Despite this, Ben had not even turned six years old and did not know yet how to control the emotions he did not wish others to see. Such as fear. Such as longing. Such as loneliness.  

"Don't make me go mom," Ben pleaded once his uncontrollable sobs had run their course. "Please don't."

Leia pulled a bit away from her son, forcing him to look her in the dark eyes that they both shared. 

"Ben, this is not forever. In fact, this will be your decision. Once you go through basic training with your uncle just as I did, you may decide to stay or return with us."

"But why mom? I won't ever use my powers, I promise." 

"No Ben," Leia whispered, holding back her own tears. "You need this. I needed this when I was your age, but it was a different time, a much more unsafe time for people like us. My connection to the Force became repressed, stagnant. I don't need you to feel like that for your whole life, stagnant, like you don't have a direction in life."

Ben pulled away from his mother, standing defiant.

"But I probably won't even become a Jedi. I want to be a political person like you and your Senate friends."

Leia allowed herself a small moment of humor at the image of her five year old son wearing the scowling face of her husband and claiming he was to be a senator. 

"If you want to be a senator when you grow up, I will fully support you. But right now, you need Luke and Luke needs you."

"Uncle Luke needs me?" Ben questioned, entirely forgetting his original goal. 

"Uncle Luke has been working on this school for over a year now. Longer than that really. Bringing back the Jedi has been a priority of his, and mine, since we beat the Emperor. I'm not saying you have to dedicate your life to the Jedi, but Luke needs to understand what it's like to train others in hopes of making this project a success."

Ben wiped away the last of his tears and turned away as if he was considering his mothers offer. 

"Threepio told me one year."

"Not even," Leia said. "Plus visits, plus holo-calls."

Ben embraced his mother once more, throwing her off balance as he gripped her legs. 

"Okay."

"Good because your uncle is coming right now."

Luke Skywalker strode into view of the two, wearing robes reminiscent of Republic age Jedi robes, although obviously altered based off of Luke's personal needs and fabric availability. Behind him came Han and Chewie who had been on a tour of the school grounds while Leia dealt with Ben's tantrum. The lush greenery of Ossus fit Luke perfectly, giving him a saintly demeanor despite the casual nature of this family gathering. Han and Chewie on the other hand appeared frizzled and winded, unused to the humid mountain climate Ossus sported. 

"Hell of a jungle out there," Han exclaimed while wiping sweat from his wrinkled forehead. 

Chewie gave a deep scoff towards Han's comment. 

"I'm just saying!" Han spat out, hands in the air defensively. "When you haven't left Coruscant in half a year you get used to zero humidity and air conditioning."

Chewie ignored Han, moving to hug the stumpy Ben before heading back up into the Falcon. 

"I think this'll be great for you Ben," Han said. "Luke's already gotta hut up there for you. It'll be just like the kids camps we had back on Corellia. Of course this'll be more about Jedi stuff. Anyways you'll do great kid. We already got your school stuff set up so you won't fall behind on academics."

Ben gave a scowl to this comment.

"Yeah... you'll do fine kid."

Han tussled Bens hair before turning up the Falcon's ramp. 

"Oh yeah, by the way," Han added right before he disappeared behind the Falcon's bulkhead, "Luke already has some kids your age comin' in to study with. Maybe you'll get some Jedi friends."

As his father finally left, Ben turned to his uncle, a hint of worry forming within his eyes. 

"Is that true Uncle Luke?"

"Of course Ben. I didn't want you to feel alone while studying here. Are you concerned you won't get along with them?"

"No.... I'll be fine," Ben answered, clearly unsure.

"Well then, I think it is finally time to head down to the academy."

Luke motioned for Ben to join his side as he turned away. Ben gave a final wave back to his mother who remained in her spot, watching as her only son left her. Leia knew they would see each other over holo-call in less than a week and in person in less than a month. And yet, Leia's heart ached with the pain of a mother. Was this truly the best path for Ben? Is the Force something he truly needs? This debate had been played over again and again within her head since the day of Ben's birth. She had long ago solidified in her mind what needed to be done for Ben's wellbeing, and yet her heart still questioned it. Was the Force trying to tell her something? If it was, she trusted her brother to decipher it. He understood Ben in a way she never fully could. Her desire to connect with the Force on the same level as Luke had always been stifled by her political career. How could she waste time studying an ancient religion when billions of lives suffered every day at the edges of New Republic territory from invasions, plagues and droughts? When the Senate was under threat of collapse? When democracy threatened to fail once more? Leia hoped that her son could experience the joys and wonders of the universe more than she could. As Luke and Ben disappeared into the darkness of the jungle, Leia wiped away the water from her eyes, marched up the Falcon's ramp and returned to her duties.

While the bamboo jungle cover blocked any of the sky from sight, Ben could hear the ionic roar of the Millennium Falcon swooshing away from Ossus. So many times did that sound mark the return of his parents from an interplanetary journey, inviting excitement into the heart of the young boy. But now, Ben began to worry for what the future would bring. So many times had he heard the stories of Luke dueling Darth Vader, battling the Imperial war machine, engaging the Emperor in a final confrontation. Is that what it meant to be a Jedi? Constantly putting yourself in harms way, coming within an inch of death? Ben knew he was powerful in the Force for someone his age, but never truly understood the limits to it. Consumed by thoughts of danger and dread, Ben looked to his uncles arm, which still displayed the faint whiteish burn marks of the Emperors lightning attack. 

"You are nervous, Ben," Luke said, sensing the young boys staring. "Tell me of your fears."

"But I thought a Jedi wasn't supposed to feel fear?" 

"Fear is natural, Ben. If someone in your position wasn't afraid of what lied ahead, I would be even more concerned. The goal of a Jedi is to control that fear, not letting it define who we are."

"Like the Emperor?"

"Yes..." Ben's comment reminded Luke once more of his scars. "The Emperor was so afraid of losing his power, that he became consumed by that fear, turning it into his oppression upon the galaxy. Uncontrollable fear is ultimately the root of the Dark Side. Remember Ben, a well treated mount can get you somewhere faster than a poorly managed landspeeder."

"I will control my fear, Uncle Luke. Or at least I'll try."

Before he could even finish his sentence, Ben bit his tongue, knowing he had chosen the wrong word.

"Try? You know better than that Ben."

"Do or do not, there is no try," Ben said as if he was reciting scripture. 

"You say it, but you don't understand it yet."

"I have tried to understand it Uncle Luke. But it just doesn't make sense. That's what I think about most Jedi stuff."

Luke raised an eyebrow to Ben's comment. 

"I mean, I want to help you with the academy and rebuilding the Order, but I just don't think I have the skills to do it. Not like you do."

Luke turned to the boy, clearly amused. 

"Don't worry Ben. I'll do the rebuilding while you do the skill building."

"Great, more schoolwork," Ben mumbled. 

"Hey, don't be so gloomy. There are some kids your age coming that can help you avoid tons of schoolwork."

As the two exited the bamboo forest, the rolling hills of Ossus revealed themselves. Thousands of years ago, these plains had been home to a Jedi outpost that, according to legend, held some of the Jedi's most sacred writings, all kept within a great library. However, a cosmic cataclysm had ravaged this part of Ossus, leaving it lifeless and burning away almost all the Jedi records. Of course, after thousands of years, the ecology of the planet had recovered, returning light to where there had been darkness. Luke found this transformation profound and chose the site as the basis for his new school. His friend Lor San Tekka had also been a convincing factor in the decision, wishing to use Luke's academy as a base for an archeological dig. In a small valley within the hills, Luke led Ben to a makeshift landing pad where a group had clustered around a landed cargo shuttle. At the center of the group was Lor San Tekka himself, a beaming grin glowing through his unwashed, sandy beard. Surrounding San Tekka, all no taller than waist height, were three children. Two humans, one Quarren, all radiating a similar worry and confusion to Ben. 

"Luke, my friend!" San Tekka met Luke halfway, extending out his arm to give the man a half hug. "Things are finally looking up! The kids are very excited about all this."

"Really?" Luke chuckled. "Because it looks to me like they are all about to have heart attacks."

"Eh. Muffled excitement."

Luke approached the trio, with Ben continuing to hold his spot by his uncles side. Two of the children stared intently at Luke, catching on to the fact he was about to address them. But the third child, a human boy with a bald head, stared not at Luke, but at Ben. Ben was caught off guard by this, nearly flinching. But calm swept over him again when the boy smiled at him. It wasn't a happy smile, nor a mischievous smile. It was simply the smile of a child who wished to be friends. Ben did not return the smile, but he did appreciate the small gesture. The moment was cut off suddenly by Luke as he raised his arm into the air to greet the children. 

"Hello all. Each of you have met me before when I first asked you to join my school here on Ossus. I hope that your journey here has been safe and enjoyable. I know my friend can be quite the blabbermouth." 

Lor San Tekka chuckled at Luke's comment as the children remained silent. 

"Anyways, I am here with you all in an attempt to restart the Jedi Order. None of you were alive during the era of the Jedi and so during our time at this school, I will go in depth into much of the history we have recovered. But first, a prelude. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace in the Old Republic. They used their connection to the Force in order to achieve many great things, saving the lives of countless over the years and using their insight to help the galaxy achieve justice and prosperity for all. However, with the takeover of the Empire over a generation ago, the Jedi were killed off with the Emperor seeing them as a threat to his power, leaving the teachings of the Order scattered."

Luke paused a moment, allowing himself a small time to reminisce before continuing on.

"I have spent much of the last decade recovering the Jedi teachings to bring us to this moment. I hope that in our journey together, you all will become great Knights, learning not just to protect the Republic, but serve the people and the will of the Force."

The children were stunned for a moment, having taken in so much information. But as they contemplated, the Quarren boy raised his webbed hand. 

"Excuse me, Master Skywalker?" 

"Yes, Hennix?" 

"Who is that?" Hennix lowered his arm to point at Ben who still remained at Luke's side. 

:"This is Ben Solo," Luke answered. "He is my nephew and is just as gifted in his connection to the Force as all of you. You four are all exceptionally talented in the Force from my findings and will become my, hopefully first of many classes. Now, I would like to introduce the four of you to our campus grounds, so if you will follow me and Mister San Tekka."

As Luke turned away, the group shuffled to follow him, leaving Ben separated from his uncle. In this moment, the bald boy approached Ben, tapping him on the shoulder and causing him to jump. 

"Hey! I'm Tai and you're Ben, right?"

Ben fumbled for words but was too anxious form any.

"You're scared. That's fine. This is weird to all of us."

"I'm sorry, this is going to be the longest time I haven't been with my parents and I'm scared," Ben managed to say.

"You have parents?"

"You don't?"

Tai looked over at the other two children for a moment.

"The three of us are orphans. I guess Master Skywalker thought this school could make our lives better."

"I think my parents think that also," Ben said, clearly unbelieving. 

"Well, maybe they're right."

Tai smiled once more at Ben before turning to catch up with Luke. 

Ben had always been a reserved child, it was how he avoided confrontation. The forward nature of Tai was something Ben had not accounted for, inviting anxiety into him. Despite Ben's misgivings, it seemed that he would make at least one friend on this new journey. 

Chapter Text

Ossus: 15 ABY....

The four young Jedi mimicked their masters saber form atop a hill overlooking the school compound. The piercing evening sun slowly dipped into the horizon, sending stray rays of light into the students eyes and disrupting their concentration. The students had been training on and off at Skywalkers academy for the last five years as Luke reached out to find more young Force sensitives who would be able to attend alongside his current students. So far, nothing had come of Skywalkers mission, with even Ben considering returning permanently to his parents after having attended the school long after he was required to. Despite these setbacks to Luke's mission, he continued on with Voe, Hennix, Tai and Ben's education as they had always done.

"Tshuu," Luke barked into the echoing hills as he rose his saber into an upward defensive stance.

"Tshuu," the students followed with their wooden training staffs.

"Rhomu," Luke stepped back, bringing his saber with him to a sideways defensive stance. 

"Rhomu," the students followed once more. 

A sly thought crossed Luke's mind for a moment, desiring to throw the students off the rhythm of their current pattern. 

Luke began to bring his saber back, as was next in the saber form, however at the last moment, swung his saber forward into an offensive lunge. 

"Mikkyu," Luke yelled as he shot forward from his stance. Young Ben had caught the deception from Luke, having a stronger mental connection with his uncle than the other students, allowing Ben to follow Luke's new form near exactly. This did not surprise Luke. Ben had always had a stronger ability to read peoples subconscious thoughts than most, especially when he knew the person well. What did surprise Luke, however, was Tai, who had similarly caught on to Luke's deception and now stood in the forward offensive position while Hennix and Voe fumbled to reset themselves.

It must be his connection with Ben, Luke concluded. Luke had noticed that, out of the four students, Tai and Ben had grown especially close in their five years since meeting. There had been various gaps in that period where Ben had left to be with his parents for many months but ultimately, the two would always come back to each other, their connection in the Force growing by the year. 

"Alright Padawans," Luke said as he flicked his lightsaber off, revealing how dark it had gotten, "finish your chores and then you can all go to bed. Tomorrow we have some New Republic emissaries coming to observe our progress at the academy."

"San Tekka hates those emissaries," Ben said as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. "Says they just want you on their payroll."

"That is probably true," Luke chuckled. "But I resigned my military commission years ago and I don't plan on going back. Not now that I have you all to teach."

"Isn't it our job to protect the Republic?" Voe jumped in, startling Ben. "Shouldn't we listen to them if they think our powers can help protect people?"

Luke formed a smile towards Voe, although Ben could tell that he was struggling to find a diplomatic voice to match.

"From the things I have heard, most of the issues they think we could help with are really just political squabbles. Along with that, you four are too young to be involved with proper Knight work."

"So when will we be ready to become real Knights?" Hennix asked. 

"You all will know it when the time comes. For now, focus on your studies and trust the Living Force."

Outside his rock hut, deep into the night, Ben Solo tinkered away at the removed and disassembled engine of an old BTL-S3 Y-wing starfighter, one of the many ships that had served the Rebel Alliance and later been cheaply bought by Luke for his school. The ship rarely functioned, typically sitting limply and rusting on the airfield, allowing Ben the opportunity to hopelessly tinker with the ships various failing parts whenever he was rejected by sleep. In recent days, this had become routine. 

Before he was even within the light of Ben's hut, Tai's presence was made obvious. Ben continued on with his work, hoping that Tai would just leave him be for tonight. 

"Ben, this is the third time this week. I can sense the trouble inside you. Please talk to me about it so I can go to sleep."

"I'm not that loud," Ben scoffed. 

"It's not the sound  keeping me up. I can feel your dread. You're having nightmares again."

Ben stopped unscrewing the venting tube and placed his wrench on the ground. 

"I've been scared to tell my uncle. He's already been having trouble keeping the school going. I didn't want to add on to his plate. Also..." 

Tai already knew. "You are having dark side visions."

"I don't know if they are visions. I've never had ones the way Uncle Luke talks about them. But it's the same every night."

"Tell me."

The two entered Ben's hut and sat down on his small meditation rug. Tai had a hard time fitting into the cramped room, not just because the building was small but also because Ben used his hut more as a storage shed for his mechanical projects. Eventually, the two found a seating arrangement comfortable enough for Ben to recount his vision. 

"It starts off many years ago. I'm looking down at Ossus from above. I see a village I don't recognize filled with ancient Jedi. I feel warm, like I do when Luke talks about the old Jedi like Kenobi or Yoda. Most of the Jedi huddle around some sort of library, it looks like some of the archeological digs San Tekka has found. But as I stare down at the Jedi library, the warmth gets more intense, like an oven heating up. It grows more intense until I notice Ossus's sky has turned red. I feel the darkside, it's overpowering and suffocating. Everything on Ossus burns, including the library...including the Jedi. In the wasteland that is left, I am dragged down into the remnants of the library. In all the wreckage, the only thing that remains is a holocron. I try to walk away but my arm reaches to the holocron. Before I can do anything about it, the holocron bursts in my hand, burning me and scaring my palm."

Ben looked up to see Tai staring at him, not simply observing but feeling the emotion coming out of Bens story. 

"Usually I wake up by then."

"It sounds like a vision to me," Tai said plainly. "In fact, I think this is a sign that you need to go out there and find this old library. Maybe San Tekka will be happy about it."

"Yeah, and get a holocron blown up in my face. Plus, Uncle Luke says that Ossus has some dangerous animals in the wild."

"So are you willing to let these visions persist for who knows how long?"

"I don't know. We don't even know if following the vision will make it stop."

The two came to an impasse. Ben was too stubborn to solve his problems but Tai was too compassionate to let it go. But then Tai remembered something. 

"If we go now, you won't have to deal with the New Republic emissary tomorrow."

Ben thought for a moment.

"...deal."

The comms tower had been picking up too much static again, so it was R2's job to talk with it to find out what was wrong. As had been the problem all the previous times, the towers computer system reported interference in Ossus's atmosphere, hindering its intended range. Luke had ordered a static blocker from the academies supplier Peckhum, but his supply drops came monthly, forcing R2 to manage the problem until then. In the misty Ossus night, R2 worked for hours on end, sitting plugged into the base of the tower. However, as Ossus's moon rose overhead, two figures could be seen out of the corner of R2's visual sensor peripheral. The droids domed head sluggishly spun around to gain a better view of the anomaly. Fortunately, R2 had had night vision sensors installed into his system long ago, allowing him to clearly spot Ben Solo and Tai marching off campus together, both with a backpack strapped to their person. 

R2 spun his dome back around to the academy, his instinct being to get Luke to go retrieve the troublesome young Jedi. However, observing the pace of the two, R2 calculated they would be long gone by the time Luke arrived at the scene. 

Text suddenly appeared on the comms tower computer, reminding R2 that he was still plugged into its socket. 

>YOU BETTER GO GET THEM<

Knowing the tower computer was right, R2 unplugged himself and rolled on after the two young Jedi as they disappeared into the wilds of Ossus. 

Behind Ben and Tai, the whirring sound of R2's wheels grinding through dirt and leaves echoed through the jungle. The two spun around to see the little droid, enthusiastically making his way to them.

"Artoo!" Ben yelled as the droid reached them. "Please go back, I don't want to be watching over you the whole time we're gone."

"I mean, Artoo probably has better survival instincts than we do," Tai retorted. 

Ben didn't respond, only giving his friend a dirty look.

R2 whistled a question at the two. Ben had lived alongside R2 since birth and as a result was one of the only humans his age that could fluently understand binary. 

"We are following a vision I had. There is a lost library somewhere near the academy that keeps appearing in my dreams."

R2 whistled a second question. 

"What is he saying?" Tai asked. 

"He wants to know specifically where we are going."

"I don't know, I thought we would follow your vision. Recognize landmarks."

R2 gave the closest he could to a scoff at this reply. The two had clearly not thought this journey through at all. It was a miracle of the Force that R2 had arrived when he did. 

R2 projected a holomap of the surrounding biome that the Jedi academy was situated within. About a third of it was covered with bamboo jungle mountains while another third was simply made up of grassy plains. The academy was highlighted on the map, sitting near the border of the bamboo jungles and plains. The final third of the map was the nearby Odan-Urr lake, one of the most expansive water features of the planet. R2 bleeped at Ben to describe the features of his dream and where they could fit in the surrounding map. 

"There was definitely water near the library, probably the Odan-Urr lake. I think the library was constructed mainly with bamboo, meaning it's probably near this beach between the lake and the jungle. Other than that, I can't say. We'll just have to go there and hope I feel something."

R2 chittered once more before flicking off the hologram and turning to leave. 

"What did he say, Ben?" Tai asked. 

"He said that he's only sticking with us to keep us safe and that as soon as we get back to the academy he's telling Luke everything."

"Then let's make sure this is all worth it."

The sun peered through the open air window of Luke's hut, alerting him that he was already behind schedule for the day ahead. The New Republic emissaries would be arriving to the school any minute if they hadn't already.

R2 should have woken me up, Luke thought. The Jedi Master quickly draped his robes onto himself and finger combed his hair as best he could. As Luke exited his hut, an emptiness in the Force became apparent. 

Ben and Tai were missing from campus. 

"Artoo!" Luke yelled into the misty fields of Ossus. "Artoo! Where is that blasted droid?"

Luke had been desperate for help managing the school for a long time. While Lor San Tekka, R2 and Peckhum proved to be loyal and irreplicable members of the schools operations, Luke was only able to find a handful of fellow Jedi instructors in his journeys, none of whom stuck around for long. For now, Luke was mostly able to handle the burden of four students, but what he was going to do when that number grew, he hadn't thought through yet. 

To worsen Luke's current situation, the New Republic diplomatic frigate crested its navy blue dome over the nearby mountains, activating its blinking landing lights as it approached the academy. 

Right on time, Luke thought pessimistically. Luke knew that without New Republic support in the project, the academy would have no chance of expanding beyond the small scale it was now. Trusting that the Force would not allow Ben or Tai to come to any serious harm, Luke approached the landing pad, preparing his most diplomatic tone for what was to come.

The two young Jedi followed R2 through the wilds of Ossus. R2 had been on Ossus with Luke long before any of the students had arrived and had scouted out the surrounding land many times over. The little droid made sure to avoid hotspots for dangerous beasts of the jungle, but he knew that there would always be some risk. Fortunately, the droids military grade shock prod was powerful enough to turn away most local animals. 

"Hey, Ben," Tai asked as he caught up to Ben. "What do you think we are going to find in that library? San Tekka is always bringing back cool stuff from his digs. It makes me wanna study more history, like the old Jedi archivists."

"I don't know, Tai, hopefully something that fixes these visions."

"I don't know if you can fix a vision, Ben, it's like trying to fix the ocean, or the wind."

"Whatever, I just can't stand another week seeing that burning library."

Tai looked away from Ben, out and into the bamboo fields. "I feel how the dream troubles you Ben, and I'm here to help, but don't take for granted the gift that you have. The Force naturally flows into you while it only drips into us. And yet you try to build dams and blockages within yourself, like you don't want anything to do with the Force."

"Well maybe I don't want to be different from you all. Maybe I just want to be normal."

"Of course, Ben."

The two continued on, following R2 as he zapped the occasional approaching arthropod. Soon though, the sound of crashing waves grew louder and the tree line grew thinner. The group had reached Odan-Urr lake, bordered by a clay and sand beach and releasing a fine mist that spread out for unseen miles. On the lake, sitting contently in their wooden fishing boats were the long nosed Ossushi, the descendants of a religious Force order that had come to the planet centuries ago, but now existed only as a fishing tribe. They respected Luke and his nearby growing order, but had no motivation or reason to be involved with it, wishing only to keep their water towns from falling into disrepair.

On the shoreline, Ben looked around, visualizing his dream and attempting to connect it to the present scene. 

"It should be here. It feels like it's here." 

Ben felt the sand beneath him, expanding his senses down into the surrounding planet. He felt the burning of the library once more, the death of the thousands of ancient Jedi. The pain resonated within the present spot, and yet it still felt so distant. 

No, not distant. Deeper. 

"The library, it's beneath us," Ben said as Tai approached the spot. 

In sync, the two Jedi pulled out the sand from below them, creating a small sinkhole. Sand swirled down into the hole, as if it had been waiting for a millennia to release. The two stepped out of the way as the sinkhole continued to funnel on its own, revealing the ancient ruins of the Jedi library. 

The two were thrilled with their discovery, however it was quickly cut off as water began to fill the hole. The sinkhole refused to stop. spreading to the waterline and beginning to drain the lake as it went. 

"If the lake keeps draining, the Ossushi's homes will be destroyed," Tai cried out. "What do we do?"

Ben was speechless. On-the-fly problem solving was the job of a Jedi Master like his uncle. He had been so caught up in fixing his own issues, he had become narrow minded and oblivious to the affects of his actions. 

Fortunately for the two, R2 bleeped in with an order. 

"The clay!" Ben exclaimed, translating the droids message. "You hold back the water and I will create a wall with all this clay."

Without retort, Tai complied, dragging back the encroaching waves with his limited grasp of the Force. The water formed into a small cyclone, holding back the existing water, but slowly growing as more rushed in. Simultaneously, Ben lifted massive wads of ground clay into the air with the Force, forming it into small sections of wall in the same way he would form and mold sheets of scrap metal. The clay held sturdy as he added more to the border of the lake. The process exhausted both Ben and Tai, neither of whom had ever used the Force in such an active manner before, but with time and determination, the clay wall was finished and the lake held. The nearby Ossushi in their fishing boats had been disturbed by the rushing waves, but were ultimately unharmed if a little annoyed by the young Jedi. 

The two Jedi fell backwards into the soggy sand, unbelieving that they had succeeded. 

"Hey Ben, how long is this clay gonna hold?"

"Hopefully long enough for San Tekka to come in with proper excavation equipment and reinforce it."

"In that case, we should probably head back to the school grounds as soon as possible."

Ben sat up and approached the sinkhole. 

"I'm not leaving without reaping our rewards."

The library, while certainly an impressive find, was much less grandiose than it had been in Ben's vision. What remained of the library after the Ossus cataclysm and a millennium under sand was little more than cobblestone and rubble. The two slid down into the hole, finding themselves in a stone floored chamber missing all four walls. All paper documents had long been dissolved by time, but many carved and metallic objects still remained scattered throughout the mud. Covered in a soggy ball of clay near the corner of the room, Ben spotted a familiar looking artifact. Approaching it revealed it definitively to be the holocron from his dream. The memory of pain shot through the young Jedi as he remembered the fire and destruction that followed this portion of the vision. As he had done so many times in his dreams over the past week, Ben reached to the holocron, preparing for the all too familiar fiery explosion of glass and metal. And yet, nothing happened. His hand gripped the glass cube without incident, allowing him to observe how ancient the device appeared. 

"Do you think this is what you needed?" Tai asked.

Ben placed the holocron back down, no longer afraid.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Over two-hundred new artifacts Luke! And from the Great Jedi Library of all places! It'll take years to study all of it!"

Lor San Tekka hadn't been this energized since his expedition to Ruusan, Luke thought. 

"After your tea party with those New Republic emissaries, we can probably negotiate full funding into this project. I don't know why your so gloomy Luke, this is what we've been working towards for years!"

Luke stood up from his meditation rug, placing down the cold tea he had brewed for the emissaries.

"I know Lor, I just have other things on my mind."

"Eh, those kids'll whip into shape soon enough. I mean they saved those Ossushi according to Artoo."

"And the Ossushi were only in danger because of their recklessness. I just don't know why Ben didn't come to me with his troubles in the first place."

"I mean, you have been quite busy Luke. He probably didn't want to bother you the week of this New Republic meeting. Y'know what I say, you need more help around here, especially now that we have more publicity with the archeological stuff. Soon enough, you are gonna have a dozen kids who all equally need the attention of a teacher that won't always be available. But before any of that, go talk to Ben now. Set everything straight."

Luke chuckled as he approached the chamber door. 

"I think I might do that right now."

Luke swung the door open to reveal Ben, ear to the wall and wearing a face of pure guilt.

"I'll see you later Luke," San Tekka said as he exited the room. 

Luke motioned his nephew into the room, sitting him down at his meditation rug. The two sat silently for a moment, Ben glancing down at his muddy boots while Luke stared stoically into Ben's eyes. 

He really does have his mom's eyes doesn't he. 

"I'm sorry I haven't been here for you Ben. I am your master and caretaker. If you don't feel comfortable telling me everything, that is okay. But as we study the Force, it is important that you be as open as possible in order to be true to yourself and the Force. I know you don't yet know what life path you want to go down and that's okay. This school can just be a stepping stone in your journey through life. I just hope that it will be a good step for you, one that you look back on fondly and not with contempt. Whatever you want, I will support you."

Ben finally turned his head upwards to look back at his uncle. 

"I want to study more of the Force. I want to help people like I did today. I want to be a Jedi"

Chapter Text

Ossus: 18 ABY...

For Ben, Ossus had become home. In the eight years since his first visit to the jungle planet, Ben had begun to dissociate himself from the bustling, socialite culture of his mother and the New Republic. Of course, he would always love the woman that had raised him right off the cusp of the Galactic Civil War, and his father... was another story. However, after seeing them less and less and dedicating himself more and more to the Force, Ossus and the Academy had become his life. As a member of Luke's original four students, Ben now felt that he had a responsibility to the new generation of Jedi students arriving. With the increased funding of Lor San Tekka's archeological digs and the spreading word-of-mouth publicity stemming from New Republic emissaries, Luke's academy had received an influx of young Force sensitives in recent years, most of whom originated from well-to-do New Republic families.

Ossus was now a community, building to the dream that Luke had always wished for. Students scurried around the grounds as volunteers from the Church of the Force helped erect tent poles for the upcoming Liberation Day celebrations. The holiday, instituted by Mon Mothma after the victory of the Alliance over the Empire at Endor, had mostly served as a political propaganda tool for the New Republic in order to cement themselves as the new conducting government of the majority of the Galaxy. Typically, Luke chose to forgo any major celebrations of the holiday, seeing the event as irrelevant to his school, however, on this occasion, it had been requested and largely hosted by the newly arrived archeologist teams from the Core Worlds, some of whom were the mothers and fathers of a handful of the new generation of students. 

In the midst of the hustle and bustle, two newly teenagers weaved between the flailing arms and legs of the busy adults. The two popped out of the crowd near a clearing where an audience had formed a half circle around Voe, a fellow member of the original four students. Ben and Tai watched as the white haired girl leapt and spun midair as training drones lazily chased her in figure eight motions, to the hushed wow's of watchers. 

Ben was perturbed by the low effort approval Voe was grasping for from these Core World archeologists who didn't know any better. 

"Y'know she's supposed to be blindfolded while doing that," Ben said, loud enough for the whole crowd to hear. 

Voe shot Ben a dirty look at the comment, but did not directly respond, simply reaching down into her robe and revealing a spare strip of cloth. 

"Not like it will be any harder for me," Voe said as she tied the cloth around her head. "A Jedi knows no limits."

The audience was clearly eating up every word of Voe's performance, with heads nodding and hands shifting in anticipation of applause. At first, Voe did not let her watchers down, flipping in-between drones with just as much, if not more fluidity as she had before. Even Tai seemed impressed, despite the fact that he had done the same exercise dozens of times over with the same level of success. Ben held no such reverence for the performance, finding it foolish that Voe would try this hard to gain approval from these university snobs. In a moment of anger, Ben flicked his hand to the right, sending one of the circling drones out of its vector and careening towards Voe. The ball droid hit Voe in the head, immediately sending her toppling to the ground. As the crowd rushed to help the girl up, Ben turned and left, satisfied that he had ended her petty charade. 

Close behind Ben, Tai followed, clearly picking up on the fact that he was responsible for the incident. 

"Harsh, man. You already know what Luke would say, right?"

"Something about controlling impulses and feelings," Ben lazily spat out as he left the crowd behind him. 

"Luke says that controlling ourselves is a constant battle, not something we can delegate to training sessions."

Ben turned his head back to look at Tai, although did not slow his pace.

"Uncle Luke probably would have done something similar to stop Voe from always being so arrogant."

"That's not the point, Ben... Where are you going anyways?"

"Going to find San Tekka. I'd rather hang out with the Church wacko's than the archeologist snobs."

Tai caught up with Ben, still worried for his friend yet willing to push it aside for now.

"Yeah, same." 

"Just trust me on this, Luke. Y'know I wouldn't push this on you if I didn't think it was going to help."

Lor San Tekka held his palms outwards in a persuasive gesture, with Luke clearly viewing it as melodramatic. The two sat at a campfire gathering, surrounded by the fermented smelling zealots of the Church of the Force. These religious fanatics had been a central supporter of Luke's efforts at the Academy for the last few years, often providing leads towards untouched Jedi findings. Luke had always found the Church more than a bit obsessive for his tastes, although the group's image had been improved for him through his growing friendship with Lor San Tekka. 

"Lor, I know you are just trying to help, but I would rather leave that as a last resort. I don't need the Senate to put a spotlight on Ossus and start to question the value the school holds. Not while we are still so early in development."

San Tekka brought the reed of his hookah pipe up to his drying lips, inhaling and then releasing a stream of herb scented fog into the space between him and Luke.

"Your original four are getting old, Luke. Ben just turned thirteen. Back in the old order, he'd have already built his first saber. I know you know you need to get these kids some Kyber, it's just a matter of how."

"But through these New Republic envoy's? This is not just about helping us, Lor. They need something out of this."

"Luke, they aren't building another Death Star. If some Coruscanti scientists want some Kyber to experiment with, let 'em have at it!"

San Tekka offered Luke his pipe, and while the Jedi was hesitant for a moment, ultimately accepted it as a gesture of respect with his friend. 

"I fear that there are still terrible things that could be made with Kyber other than superweapons."

"And if that comes to pass, then it will be the new Jedi's duty to stop it."

Luke laughed as he exhaled the last bits of the hookah smoke. 

"Sometimes I think you have more clarity of purpose in running the Jedi than I do."

"That's why I'm the dreamer, and you're the teacher."

The two ageing men rose from their campfire gathering, making an effort not to step on the robes or hands of the surrounding Church members. Just as the two began to make their way towards the compound, the lanky, teen figures of Ben and Tai came bounding down the rocky path in front of them.

"Sorry, Uncle," Ben said as he slowed to a stop an inch from Luke's position. "We were just coming to see you and mister San Tekka."

"Couldn't stand those academic types, could you?" San Tekka chimed in. Ben shrugged at the comment but didn't respond. 

"I actually did want to talk to you and Tai," Luke jumped in. "Voe and Hennix also need to hear this, but I might as well tell you two now." Luke reached down to his belt, unhooking his ever-present saber hilt and hovering it within the palm of his hand. "After much thought on the matter, I believe it is time for you all to construct your own lightsabers." Luke unscrewed the hovering saber hilt, revealing the elegant, glimmering green glow of his Kyber crystal. 

The two young Jedi stared fervidly at the exposed crystal. Awestruck at the excitement of this development, Ben could not form words. Tai, however, could. 

"I hope mine's purple."

The New Republic Gunboat rested itself gracefully upon the school's cracked and overgrown landing field. Compared to the surrounding secondhand scrap heaps that made up the academy's fleet, the Gunboat projected an air of elegance and freshness, as if it hadn't seen a day of battle. Out of the belly of the vessel came a dozen New Republic military special operatives, all sporting the signature Alderaanian style helmets and garb that had come to define the aesthetic of the new military. Rear ending the soldiers was Representative Aegarn, the attaché to Senator Shub who oversaw Ossus and the Auril Sector as a whole. Aegarn had been the leading voice in persuading Luke to restart his military contract, wishing to present the new Jedi Order as a potential asset to the New Republic defense force. Luke saw things much differently than Aegarn and Shub, hoping that this upcoming adventure would not be twisted into another recruitment session. 

Luke approached Aegarn, with his four eldest students following close behind. Ben, Tai, Hennix and Voe watched as Luke begrudgingly accepted the spindly man's embrace, clearly holding Aegarn in a much less amicable regard than Aegarn held him. 

"Luke Skywalker, my friend! I knew you couldn't ignore us forever. I told you one day you would need help from us just as much as we need your help."

"Well, I value my students' growth and wellbeing over almost anything."

Aegarn slapped Luke on the back, clearly startling the Jedi. 

"And right you are for it, Luke. This will be a great chance for them to get a glimpse at our growing Republic instead of being cooped up at this museum forever."

"You mean the Republic military," Luke added.

"Yeah, same difference. Now, let's get moving. We got some Kyber to collect!"

The five Jedi followed Aegarn into the Gunboat as the New Republic soldiers tailed behind. As the group shuffled in, Ben leaned over to Tai.

"Do you think this guy is dumb enough for a mind trick to work on him?" 

"I'd be surprised if he wasn't," Tai whispered back.

Aegarn tossed a floating holoprojector into the air, filling the small cabin with irritating blue light. An image of a gas giant formed, one that all the Jedi immediately recognized. 

"This is Colsassa," Aegarn began. "It is the fourth planet of the Ossus system and will be our rendezvous for this mission. New Republic agents have located a stockpile of Adegan Kyber crystals on the planet, held on an ancient floating station built by the old Jedi. Before any of you ask why we haven't gone and gotten the crystals already, the gas giants storms have prevented entry to the system for the last couple decades. Good news is that we just entered a rare period of calm for the planetary storm, making now an ideal time for this mission. Bad news is-"

Aegarn flicked the projector, switching the image to an old bulk-freighter.

"-a group of pirates are after the crystals too. Kyber crystals have always been a hot commodity for black market sellers which is partially why it has been so hard in recent years to get a hold of them. Now, our strike team certainly has the firepower and numbers to outflank these lowlifes, but that doesn't mean we should take this any less seriously. This mission should be about speed. In and out. If we do this right, we might be finished before the pirates even arrive."

Aegarn grabbed the floating projector and shoved it into his pocket before collapsing down into the seat next to Luke. 

"You did not make me aware of these pirates, Aegarn," Luke said, attempting to control any noticeable anger in his tone. "If I am to teach my students how to handle violent scenarios, I wish to do so under my terms." 

"My guys will take the brunt of any fighting that might happen. You just have to find the crystals and stay safe. That should be easy for wizards, right?"

"You would be surprised."

The turbulent atmosphere of Colsassa rattled the hull of the Gunboat. Out the rear viewport, Ben could see purple streaks of lighting shoot past them, barely avoiding the ship. Ben had a hard time trusting what Aegarn said about the storm was true, expecting the ship's plating to rip off at any moment. Fortunately, this did not come to pass, with the vessel reaching the ancient floating platform without incident. As the group exited the vehicle, the first thing Ben came to notice was how structurally unsound the station seemed, with the landing platform cantilevered precariously over the raging storm below. Ben had visited the venerable Cloud City more than once in his life and had come to trust the floating technology of stations like it nearly as much as he trusted solid ground. This ancient station, however, instilled no trust into the young Jedi. Before the fear could set in, Ben marched forward to meet with the rest of the gathering group. 

"The pirates beat us!" Aegarn shrieked to his lieutenant. "How could those scum rats have beat us?"

"Before we get too worked up about it," Luke jumped in, "how about we head in and hope we may still reach the crystals first?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Lieutenant, take the lead."

The special ops team entered the station in standard formation, with Aegarn following close behind. As the group disappeared into the station, Luke stopped his students before they could continue on. 

"There are pirates in there. I am unaware of how dangerous they may be and I do not wish to gamble with your safety. You all will stay with me at all times. Understood?"

The four padawan learners gave their master a quick head nod.

"Well then, let's go find some Kyber."

While Colsassa was a modestly sunny planet, the interior of the station let in no natural light, with walls lined with broken and corroded light fixtures. Luke lit up the hallways with his green lightsaber, providing a field of view about two meters in all directions. Aegarns team held their position at the end of the hallway, with Aegarn and the lieutenant clearly debating with each other on their next course of action. Suddenly, Hennix stepped forward from the rear of the group, tugging on Luke's robes with his webbed hand. 

"Master, I feel something. It's like there's singing and I can feel the vibrations in my head, but I don't hear anything."

"Follow it, Hennix," Luke told the young Jedi. "That has to be the Kyber."

The Quarran boy led the Jedi into a splintering hallway, revealing the true vastness of the station. Walls were lined with banisters and weapons from the days of the Old Republic. One embroidery, Luke noticed, displayed a Jedi crest that had not been used since the Jedi Civil War, nearly four-thousand years previous. 

Lor will want to get his hands on all of this, Luke thought. 

As the group turned another corner, Hennix suddenly stopped, hearing the clanging echo of a metal object. The five Jedi grew silent, attuning their hearing to the forward corridor. Muffled voices could be heard as the sound of load lifters groaning and scraping across the floor could be picked out from the ambient noise. 

"The pirates!" Voe exclaimed as she rushed forward from behind Ben, nearly shoving Hennix out of the way. 

"No, stop!" Luke yelled as he attempted to pull her back. 

But it was too late, as a sensor activated above the group, releasing a ray shield on top of them and trapping them within the milky white energy field. 

"How did this happen? We're smarter than this," Ben said, clearly frustrated at how close they had come to the crystals. 

"Apparently not," Tai responded as Voe looked down in shame. 

Shuffling could be heard from the unseen room. Luke sensed about five in the room, certainly not Aegarns team. 

"Do not be afraid, my students. I will not let these malefactors come to harm any of you."

Luke raised his lightsaber within the cramped space, prepared to leap out at a moments notice and defend his younglings. But as a figure emerged from the dark room, fear transformed into confusion. They stood only a meter tall, wearing rusty old goggles atop their massive clay colored head and gripping a blaster clearly designed for a being much larger.

"Maz Kanata?" 

"Oh, Skywalker," Maz let out. "Out of all the days..."

Aegarn followed directly behind the Lieutenant who waved a handheld tracker in front of him. The soldiers waited patiently behind the two as they determined their next course of action. 

"My tracker is picking up an energy reading ahead of us," the Lieutenant said. "Some sort of electrical array, giving off a pulsing signal."

Aegarn snatched the device from the man's hands, interpreting the device's readings for himself.

"What is it?"

"Most likely some power source for the station. Maybe ventilation or heating."

"What if it's a pirate trap? Like a floor mine or stunner."

The Lieutenant snatched the tracker back from Aegarn.

"Unlikely."

"You might as well make sure anyways."

"Is that an official order, sir?"

Aegarn nodded his head. 

Begrudgingly, the Lieutenant reached for his belt where he gripped onto an ion grenade. The man gestured for Aegarn to move behind the wall with the other soldiers. 

"Spark off, now." The Lieutenant rolled the grenade across the corridor where it clattered into the room. The group held for a moment before the recognizable sound of a massive electrical outage could be heard. "Clear. Moving in."

The group made their way into the room, now steaming from the massive ion pulse that had just gone off. The soldiers investigated, looking for the supposed trap. The Lieutenant approached a massive machine at the end of the room, analyzing a console connected to it. 

"So, what was the energy source?"  Aegarn asked the Lieutenant. 

"I believe we just disabled the station's atmospheric engines, sir."

Aegarn was grateful that the darkness of the room covered up the blood draining from his face. 

"Wh... What? What does that mean?"

"It means that the station is now slowly descending from its position, directly into the storm and eventually down into the planet core."

"How much time do we have before we are stuck in the storm?"

"Based on how close the storm was when we arrived, I'd estimate about thirty minutes."

"I thought you had quit pirating years ago, Maz?" Luke asked the wrinkled alien. 

"I will always be the Pirate Queen, young Skywalker," Maz shot back. "Just because society has less room for pirates, doesn't mean they can change who I am."

Maz's crew surrounded the Jedi, all appearing like vicious gangsters, and yet Luke sensed that most of them were less violent than even he was. 

"What do you even need the Kyber for? I know you, Maz. I would think you have other motivations than just handing it over to the black market."

"Some artist back on Takodana wanted to make me a statue for the castle out of Kyber. I told him he was crazy but he paid for the whole mission. Who am I to turn down an art enthusiast in such an uncreative time? Plus, I agreed with him that my crew could have some of the excess Kyber. I was going to donate my share to your academy before you so rudely interrupted my pillaging."

Luke allowed himself a smile. 

"The Force sure can work in mysterious ways."

"Of course it can, my boy. Now, lets-"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake as the station around them shifted. Luke felt outwards, using the Force to sense his present location. 

"The station is falling. We need to get back to Aegarn."

"And I need to haul this Kyber back. Load lifters! Get back to work!"

The janky red loading droids grabbed what cargo they could and exited the way they came. The pirate crew followed suit, not caring that they had left about half of the Kyber. Maz exited last, turning back to look at Luke with her magnified eyes. 

"San Tekka won't be happy about losing this place."

Before Luke could respond, the Pirate Queen was gone.

Luke turned back to the younglings, determined that they would escape safely.

"Hennix, would you be able to lead us back the way we came?"

"I don't think so, Master. I wasn't thinking when I followed the crystals. I just listened."

"That's okay, Hennix."

We don't have enough time to wander through the station blindly before we are stuck in the storm. 

Luke turned his head up to the ceiling. If he remembered correctly, this section of the station had only one floor. Luke activated his green blade and stuck it into the roof, to the shock of the four younglings. Luke slowly carved out a hole that fell to the floor with a blunt clang. The newly formed hole revealed the howling winds of the outside of the station, letting a beam of natural light shine into the room.

"Time to trust the Force," Luke said before he leaped out into the open air. 

Aegarn and his squadron had returned to the Gunboat. The team hurriedly sat back down in their spots as the Lieutenant began to power the ship back up.

"Where are the Jedi, sir?" the Lieutenant asked as he flipped through the ship's diagnostics. 

"They were supposed to either stay with us, or stay with the ship. How much time until the storm consumes us?"

"I don't know, sir. I was just estimating earlier."

Aegarn peered out the window, watching as the storm inched closer as the station gradually descended. 

"Protocol states not to endanger the lives of a military crew for the life of an individual."

"Uh... sir, are you sure?"

"We can send a rescue team later. Right now we need to save our team."

Without another word, the Lieutenant pulled away from the platform, leaving the doomed station behind. 

On the exterior of the station, the five Jedi battled the howling winds. Ben noticed that, as every minute passed, the winds became increasingly violent, shaking them in all directions. 

"Use the Force to balance yourself," Luke yelled through the winds.  "It's a straight line to the landing platform."

What Luke said was true. Rather than winding back and forth between the mazes of pitch black interior hallways, the exterior provided them a straight path back to the landing pad, cutting down the transit time significantly. Luke kept his senses on his students, who were much lighter in weight than him and so had a much harder time keeping their balance fixed onto the station. Suddenly, a new wave of the storm pushed its way onto them, forcing Luke down to one knee to avoid tipping over. Behind him, he sensed Ben battling the storm and losing. The young Jedi was swept off his feet and shot into the air, flailing his arms out to grab something. Tai and Voe reached out to grab him but failed to make contact. In tune with the Force, Luke reached out and levitated his nephew back onto the station. The boy was shaken by the moment, gripping tightly onto the rusty panels that made up the roof. 

"Almost there," Luke reassured them.

At the edge of the station, the Jedi dropped down onto the landing platform, unharmed if somewhat rattled. Despite the small triumph, the group looked around to find no Gunboat. 

Oh no, Luke thought, not wanting to worry the children further. That cowardly scumbag left us behind. Luke turned to the children, all of them confused and wishing the adventure to be over. The Jedi Master didn't know what to say, not knowing if this meant they were doomed along with the station. But before Luke could fall further into despair, the roaring engines of an old bulk-freighter blasted from behind. 

"Skywalker!" Maz's voice rang out from the freighter's speakers. "We saw your buddies ship leave so we decided to stick around!"

"Maz!" all five Jedi screamed out.

"All you, get in here before the storm withers even more of my ship's paint."

On Ossus, Maz's freighter sat listless alongside the academy's makeshift fleet, fitting in more than one would have expected. Maz's load lifters dropped some of the Kyber crates onto the landing field, allowing Luke to open them up and gaze at the thousands of crystals. 

"I will forever be in your debt, Maz. You saved my academy, and my students."

"And your life, don't forget that. Next time I ask a favor from you I won't be wanting any backtalk. I've known thousands of Jedi in my life and you might be the most..."

"Unlucky?"

"...Intriguing. You gonna tell the Senate about that Aegarn guy?"

"Oh, no doubt. I have a close friend in the Senate who will bring him to justice."

"Ah, the Princess. Tell her husband he owes me a new Starskipper. I'll be off with my cut now. May the Force be with ya." 

The Pirate Queen strode back into her ship, unbothered and with the spirit of a youngling. Luke turned back to his crate of Kyber, only to find the dark haired head of Ben rooting through it. Luke strode over to the boy, making every footstep loud enough so that Ben could hear him approach. 

"Which one is yours?" 

Ben held up a crystal he had grabbed, clear as if it was a simple shard of glass. 

"I don't know. They all look the same and I can't feel them the same way Hennix did."

"People interact with Kyber in unique ways, just like people feel the Force in different ways. Try and feel what the Kyber is trying to convey. For me, I feel numbness, like everything else has gone silent."

Ben looked down at the crystals, letting the Force embrace his senses.

"I see stars, like every crystal is its own sun. Some of them are disappearing, vanishing into the blackness of space. Its like I can only see some of them, or only some of them want me to see them." Ben's hand suddenly shot up as he continued to stare at the pile. After another moment of observing, the young Jedi picked out a crystal without hesitation. "This is the one that wanted me to see it."

Luke gripped his nephew's shoulder, looking down at the crystal.

"It may not look like much now, but this crystal is your life. It is up to you to decide how to use it."

Chapter Text

Ossus: 19 ABY...

As the seasonal typhoons of Ossus made themselves known, drizzling transformed into rainstorms which further transformed into flooding. Archeologists scrambled across the muddy beach to raise a tarp over the pit that was the Great Jedi Library. While the archeological team would typically act preemptively to protect their excavations from natural forces, shipping delays in the Auril sector had brought the needed supplies too late, forcing the team to rush to save what they could. Pashoma Harmon strained her middle aged body along with her fellow laborers as the wind attempted to rip away their tarp. Harmon had long found the archeological work on Ossus to be too labor intensive for her tastes, however, stuck around in order to be close to her son, Yorgon, who had been training at the Jedi Temple since he was seven.

All of this is for him, Pashoma thought as another gust of wind nearly brought her off her feet. She could feel her fellow workers beginning to lose their grip on the tarp, with each gust of rain threatening to violently rip it from their fingers. Inevitably, Pashoma was thrust to the ground, relinquishing her clutch of the tarp. As Pashoma was ready to admit defeat, a hooded figure emerged from the storm, raising their arms in a commanding way. The tarp, as if there was no storm at all, gently brought itself to the ground. Not missing a beat, Pashoma and the fellow archeologists hammered their stakes into the ground, locking the tarp into place and preventing further flooding of the library. 

As Pashoma rejoined the others, the hooded figure met them, revealing the soggy, drooping face of Master Skywalker.

"I hope you are all alright. I am sorry I was not here earlier to help."

One of the more senior archeologists stepped forward, still out of breath from the intense labor.

"It all worked out in the end," he spoke through his wheezing. "We're all just grateful for the opportunity to study Ossus in the first place."

Luke gave them a smile, holding his hands together in his robe in a monk-like gesture.

"If there is anything I, or my academy can do to help you all, please do not be afraid to ask."

"There is one thing, Master Jedi. Why don't you come have a meal with us?"

Luke possessed no qualms in this, and so, him and a dozen of his students arrived at the beach later that night, prepared and ready for a feast. Makeshift housing for the archeologist team lined the beach shore, protecting them from the rain, which had begun to die down. Each individual housing module connected to each other through a series of stormproof tarps, not dissimilar to the one protecting the library. This allowed for Jedi and archeologists alike to come and go between cooking areas, eating areas and lounging areas as one would at a normal gathering. Plates and dishes clattered together as archeologists relished their rewards after a hard days work. Many of the Jedi students enjoyed the food on a similar level, having become bored of Ossus's typical diet of fish, vegetables and bamboo. Pashoma especially enjoyed the meal, sitting side by side with Yorgon after not seeing him for about two weeks. Luke observed the mother and son, finding it touching how the tension in either disappeared as they reconnected. Separation between biological family members had been a key aspect of the old Jedi, as Luke had rediscovered in his research. Luke, however, refused to implement the practice into his new academy, having personally experienced the beauty that came with familial bond through the Force in the forms of his sister and late father. Luke knew Yoda and Obi-wan would most likely protest this decision, but was willing look past it. Bonds like the ones between Yorgon and Pashoma, Ben and Leia and himself and his father were natural, and it was more valuable to cultivate and nurture them into something healthy rather than cut them out entirely in fear of cataclysm. 

In the lounge module, Ben and the senior padawans sat in a circle, playing a holo-board game projected by R2-D2. The game had something to do with finances and controlling the rent of space ports but it was truly just a backdrop for the padawans to talk over. 

"Then, Master Luke came at them with his saber and was like, 'I may be one, but I'm not alone...'" Ben reenacted with his unlit saber. 

"Did he kill them all?" Voe asked.

"Did he arrest them all?" Hennix asked. 

Ben slumped back into his cross legged position.

"No, he let the Knights go. But he definitely could have gotten them all, he just chose not to."

"Hm, that's anticlimactic," Voe spat. "I would've cut off one of their hands so that they remember not to come back."

"It's no fun that you get to go on all the cool missions," Hennix said. "We all have lightsabers. I think we all have enough training to protect ourselves. It's our responsibility to push ourselves if it means protecting knowledge or innocents."

A voice tugged at the back of Ben's mind.

Look at how he demeans you all. He is worried you will become more powerful than him.

"Yeah, it's like he doesn't want us to be as powerful as him," Ben said.

Voe turned herself away from the group, peering out the window.

"Well, I doubt that any of us could ever get to Master Skywalkers level, even with better training."

"Maybe Ben," Hennix added. "He is Skywalker."

Wishing to change the subject, Ben looked for Tai, only for him to be missing from his spot. Ben searched for a moment to see Tai at the doorway of the module, halfway standing in the rain. Ben approached his friend to better see what he was doing. Tai held out his newly crafted saber, sporting a bulbous, alien look to it. The blue blade was ignited as Tai held it out into the rain, watching as droplets sizzled off the plasma, misshaping the light in a wispy manner. 

"Uncle Luke taught me that some Jedi from the old order would modify their sabers in rainy environments to hold their shape better. I could ask him to teach us if you want."

"Thank you, Ben, but I think I prefer it this way." Tai swung his saber in a sharp arc, creating a brief wall of blue in front of their sightline. "It's kind of like a bubble wand, except much more dangerous, of course."

Tai extinguished his blade and was about to return to the group before a movement caught his eye. 

"Do you see that, Ben?"

Ben stared into the darkness of the storm, following Tai's piercing gaze. At the tarp covering the library, a hooded figure emerged from under it, dripping in wet sand and mud. Wrapped tightly in their arms was an unseen object about the size of a melon. As the mysterious figure collected themself, Tai and Ben dashed through the modules, dodging archeologists and padawans alike as they rushed to their master. 

:"Someone is stealing stuff from the library," Ben blurted out once he reached Luke. 

"Yeah, they're about to leave," Tai added in. 

Before anyone else could react, Pashoma shot up from her seat, wrapping her raincoat around herself and flipping up the hood. 

"Not on my watch," she commented as she reached the doorway. 

Pashoma was joined by two more of her fellow archeologists as she returned to the storm. Yorgon, Luke, Ben and Tai entered the storm as well, although it didn't seem like anyone else was yet aware of the situation. By the time the Jedi had all exited the module, Pashoma and her backup had already located the hooded intruder. The three easily cornered the figure, with the beach serving as a natural barrier for escape. The three began to drag the captive back to the Jedi, with Pashoma attempting to rip the object from the robber's hands. In the struggle, the robber dropped it in the mud, revealing the red and golden glint of a holocron. 

Run, the Force suddenly shot through Luke. 

Before Luke could react, the hooded figure exploded, knocking everyone to the ground. 

When Luke opened his eyes, he realized he must have been unconscious for a moment, with Yorgon no longer at his side but rather fifteen feet in front of him, cradling the broken body of his mother. The unknown figure had completely disintegrated in the blast, leaving bits of flaming cloth in the rain. The two accompanying archeologists had suffered equally, if not worse injuries to Pashoma, both missing limbs and actively bleeding out. As Luke returned to his feet and dashed to the bodies of the injured, he noticed he could not hear the cries of Yorgon, despite him now being right next to him. He could sense Yorgon's anguish though. He could sense the fear and pain wash through Yorgon. Luke crouched over the body, beginning the process of a healing trance. Yorgon had not been taught this technique, nor had any of Luke's other students, and so, all the boy could do was watch as his master attempted to resuscitate his mother. As Luke attempted to force his desperation into calmness, a shining object caught his eye. Within all the chaos and panic, the stolen holocron still lied untouched in the mud. 

A small ceremony was held at the Academy in honor of the dead. The bodies would be transported to their homes for proper funerals when the time came, but until then, they had been preserved and placed in bamboo wood coffins, resting peacefully in a grove typically reserved for meditation. In the front, the coffins of Jaimar and Ghorlyn, the two archeologists that had followed Pashoma into the rain, sat elevated upon stone platforms. In the back, being raised onto its own stone platform by Luke and Yorgon, was the coffin of Pashoma. 

Jedi Master Luke Skywalker had failed. Luke knew the feeling of death, he had lost many friends in the war. He remembered too well the feeling of returning to the Rebel fleet only to no longer recognize the faces that greeted him, or the voices that echoed through the breakrooms. Of course, some had made it through. Wedge. Janson. Norra. Tycho. But Luke could never wash away the guilt and loneliness that accompanied a battle's aftermath. This had been a leading factor into why he chose to continue pursuing his Jedi potential, wishing to spare others from that pain. Despite this, Luke had failed to save Pashoma. 'Do or do not' was what Yoda had once taught Luke. Always dedicate yourself entirely towards your goal and you will never fail. Yet, Luke had hesitated. Luke had felt desperation, if only for a moment, and in doing so, failed both Pashoma and Yorgon. 

Never again, he told himself. 

No one had much to say other than the expected. 

"She was a testament to all of us...."

"A scholar, a mother, a friend...."

"A monumental loss to us all...."

Yorgon did not speak. No one expected him to after what had happened. His fellow padawans comforted him in any ways they could, but by the end of the ceremony, Yorgon was the first to leave. The day after, Peckhum arrived in his old freighter, ready to deliver the coffins to their final burials. On the landing field, Luke helped load the coffins into the freighter, clutching each one individually rather than simply lifting them all with the Force. Once finished, Luke turned to see Yorgon being comforted by the senior archeologist that had invited him to dinner on the night of the storm. Yorgon had been nearly as entrenched within the archeologists as he was the Jedi, having grown up alongside many of them because of his mother. Their conversation was inaudible to Luke, but it seemed to be melancholic. Soon, the two concluded and hugged before Yorgon turned and approached the freighter. 

"Goodbye, Master," was all Yorgon said before he walked up the ramp and disappeared into the depths of the ship, carrying with him a backpack. 

Pushing away his desire to pursue Yorgon, Luke quickly caught up with the senior archeologist, wishing to know how his apprentice was doing.

"Excuse me, sir. I do not believe we have properly been introduced yet. I am Luke."

The older man turned to Luke, stroking a beard akin to Luke's own. 

"Yes, Master Jedi, I remember you. I'm sorry we haven't truly spoken since I invited you to dinner. I am Lobern."

The two clasped hands in greeting, which Luke turned into a gesture of condolence, resting his free hand on top. 

"I am sorry for the loss to your team. I am aware of how close you all were to each other."

"Pashoma had been traveling with us since she was a university student on Carida. Jaimar and Ghorlyn had only just graduated. I don't know what to say that hasn't already been expressed."

"How is Yorgon doing?"

Lobern looked down.

"That was something I wanted to talk to you about. He isn't coming back after the family's funeral."

Luke kept himself stoic, despite the shock.

"Did he say why?"

"Yorgon doesn't think that the Force has what he needs to move on from this. He wants to be with his family. I know you may disagree, but he sees this differently. I'm not saying you have to support his decision, but I hope you at least accept it, if only by letting him go."

Luke pulled away from Lobern, placing his hands on his hips. 

"I will go inform my students. I am sure they will be sad to see their peer leave, but I will not hinder a decision like this. I hope your group recovers from this. I know how hard it is to see those you have loved become one with the Force."

"Thank you, Master Jedi, but I have one last request of you. "

"Anything, Lobern."

"Identify the bastard that killed them."

In his personal quarters, Lor San Tekka had gathered the remains of the suicide bomber. Not much remained, only bits of charred clothing and some tissue samples. R2-D2 had identified the tissue as being similar to some insectoids, but was unable to pinpoint the exact species. The one remnant of the bombing that was notable was the stolen holocron. Artifact GL-170B had been one of the many recovered and cataloged items from the Great Jedi Library in the four years since it had been located. In fact, the item was the very one that Ben had been called to by when he and Tai had first discovered the Library. 

There is more to this than we may think, San Tekka thought.

Luke entered the chamber, startling San Tekka as he stared into the red and gold of the ancient holocron. 

"Have I opened this one before?"

"I don't think you have. We sent it out for analysis for a year before it they sent it back to us for further study. Since then it's just been sitting on a shelf down there. "

Luke reached out his hand and levitated the holocron above his palm.

"Well then, let us see why this was important enough to die for."

The holocron opened with ease, as Luke expected it to after collecting so many over the years. Its pointed corners orbited like moons as light from inside flickered on. An ancient white light projected a star chart in the air, highlighting three distinct points. One in the deep Core, one on the border of the Unknown Regions, and another deep within the Unknown Regions. 

"Looks like you've got a mission," San Tekka said. 

"It will take some time for me to fully explore all these locations," Luke said. 

"And you don't have much time to do so."

Luke raised his eyebrow at his friend. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, whoever blew themselves up for this probably wasn't alone. Whoever they are, they are probably searching after these coordinates, and whatever is at them, as we speak. If you take months to do this, you might find these places ransacked by the time you get there. Y'know what I say, let your seniors help on this mission."

"Ben and his friends?" Luke asked. "Lor, none of them have been on solo missions before."

"So let this be their first. Let Artoo go with one team if you're so worried."

"And the other team?"

"I'll help! I'm a responsible adult. I'll make sure they don't kill themselves, or anyone else."

Luke stroked his beard in frustration. This was a conflicting time for his decision making after having failed a test of will. In times like these, Luke typically relied on the wisdom of Lor. 

"Alright, but I want to ask them first."

In the Grand Hall of the central academy structure, moonlight provided a dim atmosphere to the small gathering. Most of the other younger padawans had gone to bed, but Luke had requested the presence of his four most senior students, Voe, Hennix, Tai and Ben. Together they gathered in the center of the room, watching patiently as Luke descended from the frontal stage and approached them. In the dark, Luke's face looked macabre, as if he had returned to the war he had long ago ended. 

"My students," the aging master began, "I know how deeply affected you all have been after the bombing and Yorgon's subsequent departure. Do not blame him for his decision, the Force will be with him whether he decides to be a Jedi or not."

The group shifted uncomfortably at the memory of Yorgon's low profile exodus. 

"Tonight, I have a related matter that I wish you four to be involved with."

Luke revealed the holocron from his robe, activating it in the air and illuminating the room with a pale white light. 

"This was the object being stolen by the bomber, an ancient holocron from the library's collection. On it, I have discovered three unique locations throughout the Galaxy. I currently do not know the significance of them, but I believe it must mean something if someone was willing to die for it. I hope that the four of you will come with me, San Tekka and Artoo to find these locations in an attempt to uncover the meaning behind this bombing. We will be separated from each other during this mission, and so, I do not shame any of you if you wish to stay behind. What do you all think?" 

For a moment, the group simply stared at the star chart, still floating effortlessly in the air. Breaking the silence, Tai stepped forward. 

"I want to be a real Jedi and bring justice to Pashoma and the others. Let us help, Master."

Without further hesitation, the others joined Tai, ready to follow their master into the unknown.