DISCLAIMER: Star Wars and all publicly recognisable characters, names and references, etc are the sole property of George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd, Lucasarts Inc, 20th Century Fox, Timothy Zahn, Barbara Hambly, YKW and the other writers of the expanded Star Wars Universe. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
By some small miracle, Larin had managed to get a shuttle. Vaiya did not question him as to how he had gotten it, she just accepted it and boarded. Larin waited for her at the top of the ramp, his face bright as the withdrawl of the drugs faded slowly from his body. He seemed remarkably healthy for having been in a healing trance for such a short time, but Vaiya did not question that, either. Just as she did not question her own calm, her feeling of strength.
"Where is your lightsaber?" Larin asked, his smooth face crinkling into a frown as his eyes landed on her bare waist.
"I left it," she whispered. She kept going, taking her seat at the small console, beside the pilot's seat, which Larin quickly took. He started up the engines, and Vaiya took it as a sign that he didn't want to fight with her over it--as by human logic he should have; watching her go into a battle without a lightsaber to defend herself was about the equivalent of watching her committ suicide.
"Why?" was all he asked.
Vaiya frowned, knowing she had an answer, but unable to voice it. "A long time ago, my father was training to be a Jedi," she tried. "He was trained by the Jedi Master Yoda, on Degobah. And when he faced the dark side for the first time, it was in a cave that was heavy with evil. They think a sith lord died there or something like that. But the point is, when Father went to go into the cave, he took his lightsaber and his blaster. Master Yoda tried to warn him, telling him that what he would find in the cave was only what he took with him. Because he brought his weapons, he was faced with a vision of violence, and part of it came true. He didn't trust in the light side of the Force, didn't trust in its strength." She paused, carefully chosing her words. "The light side of the Force may not have been enough to give him faith, but I've found something better than just the Force. And after all I've seen, I'm willing to put a little faith into this, even though I'm walking right into the dark side."
Larin nodded. "Master Luke told me that story. He told us that we were walking into our own cave, and to take with us only what we want to find." Larin shifted, and Vaiya caught the glint of Valeris' old lightsaber. She wanted to be surprised, even upset, but instead she just nodded. "I was told to bring this, Vaiya. I have no intentions of using it, but I was told to bring it."
"That is your path," she whispered. "I wish I knew mine."
Larin managed to piece together from his fractured memory a rough plan for getting into Cal's station without Cal knowing, and they managed to hide in an obscure dock that was probably used only for disposing trash. It looked abandoned enough to be safe, but they took care in getting inside, relying heavily on the Force to watch for unexpected occupants. A surprisingly short time later, they were in the core, over the catwalks, heading for the throne room. Vaiya looked around her and shuddered. A brief vision of her fight with Seth flashed before her eyes, but she dismissed it.
Now was not the time.
"This is too easy," Larin whispered. They paused, only half-way across the catwalk, their bodies tense in hesitation. "He should have detected us by now."
"Maybe he wants us to come to him," Vaiya whispered. "He wants us to walk into a trap, or whatever is behind those doors."
Larin nodded. "Then perhaps we should split up."
"Good idea. You go find Valery, and I'll take Cal."
Larin jerked his head around to gawk at her. "What?"
"You heard me." Her voice had gotten deeper and she took a step forward. "Go find your brother." She looked at him, hard. "You've spent most of your life running away from him, Larin. Now you have to find him. His life depends on it."
Larin stared at her for a long moment, and then nodded. "Do you want my lightsaber?"
Vaiya smiled faintly as she gazed back at the throneroom door. You find only what you take with you... "No," she said. "I'll be fine."
They exchanged meaningful looks, and then parted ways.
Larin moved quickly and with purpose. The Force showed him the way, Valery's young mind in a strange state of calm, as if the boy knew that rescue wasn't far away. Larin sent him reassurance, only to find that it was he who needed it, not Valery.
He smiled to himself. He was so young, just barely a decade old. The last few years of his life, though, were spent beyond his youth. He had been searching for Larin, and Larin always knew it. But he'd run, taken to the stars with Vaiya and her Jedi friends when they had come to bring her home, because of Mara's amnesiatic state. Then he'd fallen right into Cal's hand, and while he'd remained hidden from his brother the entire time, he had found that the harder he ran the worse things became for him.
Funny....his own flesh and blood, and Larin felt he barely knew the boy. He was a quiet child, always quick to smile, with those great grey eyes that were sometimes too old for a child his age. His rich brown hair always fell into those eyes, giving him a rather shaggy, adorable expression. His parents had always said he would be a heart breaker someday. Sometimes they wondered if Yejion hadn't sent them an angel to care for and love as their son. The day they had found him, just a baby, encased in some sort of stasis block, and brought him home had changed their lives. But Valery had only been half past his sixth year when both their parents were killed.
He cringed. Those days were not fond memories...he let his rage rule him, gave himself over to it. That was how he'd gotten invovled with Cal to begin with. If he had stayed with his brother, provided for him rather than letting the boy go with his aunt and uncle, perhaps none of this would have happened.
And he never would have met Vaiya.
Larin shook his head. No, that was the only bright spot. He knew that they hadn't exactly had the most romantic courtship, but his heart knew her and loved her beyond human reason. It was like they were connected, and not in some big dramatic sense. The bond had always been there, even before they'd first laid eyes on each other.
The corridors were long and winding, but surprisingly clear. As if someone had made way for him. Instantly, Larin stopped and stretched out with his feelings. No one was close, and there was no sound except for the very low hum of the electricity flowing through the station, giving light to the long hall.
This had to be a trap.
Larin? came a familiar voice to his mind. Larin jumped.
Valery?
I'm over here--can you see me?
Larin focused on the direction of the send, but the errie quiet around him was distracting him. He stepped forward and crouched, straining his eyes, and saw a faint light--no, it was more like a sheet of light, stretched across a doorway a good hundred feet down the corridor. He practically ran to it--the forcefield was weak, but it held steady. And behind it stood Valery, a few years added to his youthful face, his eyes still wide and grey, but gentle. He smiled, pure joy radiating from him. Larin felt a sudden urge to cry. All he had done, and Valery was gazing at him as if he were one of Vaiya's angels.
Larin found the nearby control panel and realized it needed a code to activate it. Stretching out with the Force, he found where the small circuts that projected the beam itself were embedded in the wall. Taking up his lightsaber, he reached up and sliced into the wall, making a log cut all the way from the top of the doorway to the bottom. The forcefield faded slowly, but as soon as it was gone Valery rushed out and hugged him.
"Did you find her?" he asked.
"Who?" Larin replied.
Valery gazed up at him. "Vaiya. I met her, you know."
"When?"
"When I was with Grandpa Valeris." Valery gave him a slight frown. "Why weren't you there?"
Larin struggled for an answer, but could find none. After several seconds of silence, Valery pulled away. A look crossed his face of pain, the sort of deserted lonliness that one often sees on stray dogs left out in the rain. Then it cleared, and his face brightened. It was like those eyes could see right through him.
"It's okay, Larin," he said, his soft voice almost cheerful.
"No, it isn't." He bent down, putting his hands on Valery's shoulders. "I deserted you. If I had stayed with you---"
"Then were would we be?" Valery asked, his young face looking older by the second. "No, Larin. Things happen for a reason. Yejion makes good come out of evil. Now, I'm going to get to be a Jedi, and live with my sister, and my father, and my father's wife." There was a dreamy look on his face now. "Mother promised me," he whispered.
Larin frowned. "Val, Mother never knew where you came from."
Valery shook his head. "No, not our mom. I mean my mother. She promised me that I would get my family back...poor Aunt Gretta and Uncle Stan are probably pretty worried, but I didn't have a choice but to leave. I called them several times to let them know I'm okay, but they still want me to come home. I hope they don't fight too hard when Vaiya's parents come to take me. I would hate to have to hurt them, but I have to go with the Skywalkers."
Larin shifted on his feet, confused. "Wait a minute--when did you see your mother? She died years ago."
Valery smiled at him. "She comes and visits me...she was with me a lot after Mom and Dad died. She talks to me, shows me things, and sometimes knows what is going to happen before it does. Her name is Callista, and she has this pretty, thick braided hair that looks like a silk rope down her back, and her eyes are like mine. She never stays for long, just long enough to make me feel better when I'm sad. But she told me that she can't stay with me much longer, so I have to find my family soon." He glanced up at Larin, who was staring at him strangely. "I know that you are my family, Larin, even if we aren't blood. But I was meant to be a Skywalker. I just know it."
Then, as if a sudden light had been turned on inside of his face, Valery's face exploded into a symphony of expression, going from panic to pain to urgency.
"What is it?" Larin asked, grabbing the boy even though he made no attemt to physically move.
"Vaiya...we have to hurry. The bad man wants to kill her, and he's taken over that devil-worshipping cult. They almost killed her before, but their old leader was with her."
Larin briefly remembered Vaiya's lightsaber trick--not a trick, but a miracle. "Her angels will protect her, Valery," he reassured him.
Valery shook his head. "The angels weren't for Vaiya. They were for Seth. But Seth is gone. Vaiya has to face her fear and defeat the cult, and she can't do it alone." The grey eyes began to glow. "I have to help her, Larin. You have to help her."
Larin shook his head in confusion. "Of course we will, Valery. But why wouldn't Vaiya's angels protect her now when they were sent before?" He didn't know how he knew that Valery would be able to answer his question--asking a 10 year old child for a theological explanation was not something he did on a regular basis. But somehow, he was sure the answer was right on the tip of Valery's tongue.
"Because," Valery said, almost impatiently, "we're her angels, Larin! Sometimes, Yejion makes us do things for ourselves. Now let's go!"
And they proceeded to run.
Vaiya hesitated outside of the doorway. There was a strong sense of fear, and she wasn't sure if it was coming from her or from Cal. But she could feel him, as surely as he felt her. Even with the heavy metal closing off the entrance, she could feel his eyes boring into her. She swallowed, and said a quick prayer. This time, something told her, she would have to face Cal alone. She was not to be a warrior, but a Jedi, a peacemaker, a disciple for Yejion. She was to go into that room even if it meant her life, and if Yejion chose to deliver her, He would send her His angels again, in whatever form he choose.
The doors slid open and she stepped inside. The first thing that hit her senses was a low humming sound that was distinctly vocal. She strained her eyes and saw the giant transparisteel window that arched around the back of Cal's self-made throne was dotted with shadows, the figures of the cult, chanting their diabolical hymns. The air was thick with the dark side, and Vaiya struggled to keep the light before her as she entered. She briefly wished she had brought something physical to light the way, but it seemed that she saw all in her mind as clearly as if the noontime suns of Tattooine were beating down upon them.
As the doors slid shut behind her with a hiss, she drew a breath. She had been preparing for this moment for only a short while, and her unreadiness was disconcerting. Cal was sitting, silent and glaring, from his place, but there was a look of sadistic pleasure on his handsome features. Not only that, but the first swirling lines of a red and black tattoo.
"Well, well. People do move up in the galaxy." He leaned forward, grinning at her in a nearly charming way. "Now the great Vaiya Jade Skywalker is a Jedi Master."
She shook her head. "I am what I am, and no more. And you, Cal...what have you become?"
"More powerful than you." He stood up, and the humming grew louder. "You know, I have a confession to make--I didn't give these brothers enough credit. Without Seth blocking them with his light, they're actually extremely powerful in the dark side." He shrugged. "Of course, I already knew that. That was why I took them in all that time ago."
"Yes, because you knew they would give their power to you." Carefully, she stepped forward, reaching out with her senses. "And how long have you depended on them for your power, Cal? Perhaps only with them using you as a focus can you really tap into the power of the dark side. You've become addicted to them, haven't you?" Her voice was gentle, almost sympathetic. "If you had trained in the light----"
"I tried!" Cal's voice thundered and he glared down at Vaiya. She had known his face as one not much older than her own, but what stared at her now was the furious, aging man underneath it. "I tried to train. I came to your parents' precious academy and they rejected me because I was too good!"
"That wasn't why," Vaiya said softly. "They rejected you because you were seeking to use the dark side of the Force, not the light. And you came to the academy surrounded by the dark side. You had these men make you young again, and you deceived us. You deceived me." Her voice nearly broke. She had not let herself face that pain...the loss of his friendship was drowned out by the anger she felt at his betrayal.
Cal stared down at her. "Your mother getting angry at me, I can understand," he said conversationally, his tactic switching so quickly that Vaiya jumped. "Your father hating me, I can understand. But you...what did I do to you, Vaiya? We were friends, you and I...you know, I actually liked you. And when you had that vision, I was only trying to show you the truth."
She jerked as if he'd struck her, taking a heavy step back. "That was your doing?" she rasped. "You sent me that visions of my parents killing each other?"
"I sent you a vision of what should have happened, what could have happened. You were too proud. You walked around like you were incapable of doing wrong. Like everyone should kiss your feet because you were a Skywalker." He almost grinned. "The only thing endearing about that is the fact that you get it from Mara."
She blinked hard, tears springing to her eyes and she felt a horrific sense of injustice. "You should talk about pride," she snarled, and then forced herself to calm down, shaking away the tears. "Cal," she started again, calmly, carefully, "are you telling me that you had no intention of bringing any harm upon me or my family when you came to the academy."
He glared at her. "And what if I didn't?"
She stepped forward again, her heart praying harder with every beat. She felt like something was stuck in her throat, the way the words refused to come out. "Then," she finally managed, "I am sorry for what happened."
He snorted, but the look that followed was just the one she had been hoping for. A look of consideration, not that homicidal maddess that hovered just beneath his smooth face. The same look Seth had worn when he looked at her, wanting her and yet terrified of what it would mean.
But this was Cal Saphringer. He had only desired Mara, and in the process had completely destroyed any chance he would ever have of making peace with her. He had struck at her family, at her home, at her own memories. There was no chance of Mara ever being in his life.
"But you could still be happy," Vaiya whispered.
Then, Cal's face hardened, as if it had turned to stone. The partial face tattoo seemed to twist and grow, and a maniacal look was in his eyes. He stepped forward, and swung his hand out, snapping his fingers. The door behind her slid open again, but Vaiya did not look. She did not have to. Larin and Valery entered the room, their astonishment at their entry rippling through the Force.
"Just in time, my friends," Cal said, his voice cold, deep, like the men behind him. Vaiya could sense their dark powers congealing around Cal, charging him as if it were electricity. She felt the urge to run, to push Larin and Valery out the door ahead of her and just run. But she stayed her ground, and waited.
"Leave her alone, Saphringer," Larin warned.
Cal clicked his tongue. "Come now, Larin...you know she hasn't suffered enough. Why should you get to have all the fun? Besides, isn't this what you wanted? For Vaiya to be broken and beaten...don't you remember?"
Larin shook his head, and said, "Not this time, Cal. Those were your desires, not mine. I've had enough of your attempts to control me. Mark my words...you will never do it again."
"Indeed," Cal sneered. "It's a real shame, Larin. You have so much potential in you for the dark side. I tried to help you with that drug, but you still fought me. I don't know if you realize what you could have been--the next Vader, or better than that, the next Palpatine! But you're too stupid to accept it. Don't you know the power of the dark side? Must I prove it to you yet again? Or must I destroy you?"
At that moment, the five men behind him started to glow. The dark side presence was nearly choking her, but Vaiya was able to watch as the blue energy flittered around them like a heavy tentacle of light. Their hands were raised, stretched out into the center of the circle, and from their fingertips the tentacle of light began to congeal, then spin and flash. Smaller beams radiated from it, and Vaiya recognized it as a kind of Force lightning she had never seen before. It was more dangerous than any she'd ever encountered. It was thick with the evil from Cal's soul.
And Cal was going to destroy Larin. He raised his hand, but Vaiya cried out, "Stop!" and it made him pause long enough so she could get between them. "It's not him you want to kill, Saphringer! It's me!"
He glared at her. "You'll get your turn," he hissed.
"Cal," she pleaded, "you don't have to do this. For your own sake, I'm begging you. You can leave this place, you can come with us, I promise that whatever hold the dark side has on your soul will be broken. You just have to let us help!"
He sneered at her. "You're ridiculous, Vaiya. Why in the world would I want to do that? What good are you, anyway, except for judging me and my kind? We have powers at our fingertips that a God like Yejion bestows stingily on weaklings like you. Why would I want to be weak? Look at you...you didn't even bring your lightsaber!"
She shook her head. "I don't need it, Cal. I'm begging you for the last time, don't do this to yourself. If you strike me down, if you kill me, you will never defeat me. You will only be defeating yourself!"
The disgust on his face was matched only by his snarl as the Force lightning suddenly shot forth, surrounding her in a painful storm of dark side energy. She screamed, her arms flying out to her sides, her elbows nearly embedded into her sides, her chest rising as if her heart were being pulled from it, her mouth open and every muscle in her neck stretched and strained until they looked ready to snap. Then Cal pulled back, and she crumpled, landing on her knees, gasping for air. The pain radiated from her, and Larin tried to rush forth to help her, but Valery's small arm held him back.
"The men with the faces," he whispered. "Mother says to strike at the men with the faces."
Larin cast a fleeting glance down at Valery, and then at Vaiya, who had fallen onto her side and was struggling to get back on her knees. Her cloak lay across her like a shroud, spreading around her like a pool of blood. His terror for her life was heavy and overwhelming, but he swallowed it back, relying on Valery's calm for his strength.
He prayed. He sent his will out to Yejion, and found what he needed to do. Without even thinking about it, he pulled his lightsaber from his belt and lit it just as Cal launched another attack.
Vaiya did not scream this time, but her entire body convulsed. She collapsed again, panting heavily. So this was what it had been like for her father, screaming and dying underneath the blue bolts of pain. So this is what her mother had endured, weak as it was from Cy'Both. And she had endured it as well, from these same cult brothers as they sought to capture her.
But they had not tried to kill her. Nor did they have before the seething hatred of Cal Saphringer. Perhaps Seth's feelings for her had saved her before--he was not here now. Perhaps now was the end, to die in pain like this, to die in this graphic, bright glory, destroyed by the dark side because it could not have her, and in effect giving her life to save that of Larin and Valery.
She glanced at them. Valery was holdin Larin back, but Larin grabbed his lightsaber from his belt. And from behind Valery, she saw something else---something bright and beautiful, dressed in a silver-grey robe, embroidered with pearls, almost like the angels that had appeared to her, but different somehow...as if the person inside it were not an angel, but a ghost.
Cal struck a third time, and the figure grew brighter as the pain drew nearer around her. It turned and looked at her with wide, grey eyes, her malt-brown hair tumbling down her shoulders and spilling out of the hood of her cloak.
Callista.
She did not know how she knew the woman, only that it was indeed her, staying close to her son, watching over him like a guardian angel. From beside her, Larin shut his eyes and raised his arm, the blade glowing a fierce white in the darkness of the room.
Pulling his arm back, he released it. Vaiya was blinded by the lightning once again, this time her consciousness sent into partial oblivion. She felt someone run to her, felt a small hand rest on her shoulder, realizing that the sizzling sound of the electrical blasts had stopped, and there was now a horrible shrieking sound.
She raised her head, but her eyes wouldn't focus. Finally, she dropped to the deck in exhaustion, her body spent.
Larin lifted the saber in his hand. He would only have one chance. True, this job was more up Vaiya's alley, considering her keen telekinetic powers. She could balance a dozen lightsaber with a mere thought--he wasn't sure about his own skills.
As he raised it over his head, he was compelled to shut his eyes. A feeling overtook him, the sensation that something was at his shoulder, guiding his arm, begging him to trust.
He let go with his feelings, and then swung his arm around, the lightsaber flying from his fingertips as lightly as if it had been caught by air sprites and carried to its destination. It swung around, the heavy thrumming sound mingling into the terrified shriek and sickening slicing noise as the blade found its first victim, then its second, then it's third, fourth, and finally fifth.
Within seconds, Cal's power faded from him, and he turned to see the cult of the destroyer as dead as any mortal, their bodies sliced in half, their horned faces forever wide in astonishment, not understanding how they had been struck down so easily.
Cal shuddered. Now he was off-balance. Now he was weak, vulnerable. But the worst of it was, he was afraid.
He glanced at Vaiya, who was not moving. Had he killed her? He'd been trying to, but now the thought seemed to weigh on him. He glanced back at Larin and watched in astonishment as the saber returned to the man's hand.
"It's over, Cal," Larin announced. "Whatever else you could do to us won't be enough without your back-up supply of dark magic."
Cal just stared at him, the beginnings of despair creeping into his mind. He had a choice to make: either he gave in to the Jedi and they attempted to "save" him (the thought made him shudder in repulsion) or he...ended the battle.
He turned and walked toward the slain sith lords, expecting a storm of dark energy to wash out of them. So many sith lords! How had he and the others survived the Force's backwash? Surely it had to come---but there was nothing! Just cauterized bodies, the stink of ozone, the heavy taste of death.
Larin stepped closer, his saber still in his palm, but his face more gentle. "You see?" he whispered. "They all fall before the Power of Yejion."
Cal looked at him, his eyes defiant and proud. With a sneer, he dropped to his knees. "And I will fall, too," he bit, putting his lightsaber to his chest.
Larin jerked, surprised. Cal....commit suicide? Because of a little set back like this? Sure pride would prevent him from dying at his own hand! He shook his head. "You know you don't want to do that."
Cal was panting slightly. "Then what?" he demanded, and shook his head, the hate swelling in him. "You have defeated me," he hissed. "What should I do? Repent, as you have done? Surrender myself into your custody?" He paused, as if considering his own words,and then said, "I would rather die."
He ignited the lightsaber, and the orange beam passed through him, flying out his back, like a comet's tail. His face changed, the pride completely consuming him as death rushed upon him. His eyes took one last look at Larin, who could only watch as he slowly crumpled, his soul shrieking as it left the room, shrieking with the maddness of the dark side, with defiance, with evil.
Larin stood back, feeling suddenly alone. So Cal had chosen the dark side in the end. He had embraced that oblivion. He had chosen himself over all else, and was now where he desired to be.
The fact that Cal had chosen it, freely and willingly, was what frightened him more than anything else.
Valery rolled the woman onto her back. Her insides were bleeding, her organs were in danger of erupting, and she was in a semi-comatic state. He had to do something quickly.
He had not been with his aunt and uncle for more than a year when he'd discovered his uncanny ability. Once he had found a bird, flopping around the base of a tree, and had picked it up. Its wing was broken, and hung beside the animal, dead and useless. Carefully, Valery had lifted it, and stretching out with what he had always known as the Psyenergy, he was able to set the small, delicate bone back into place. The creature's pain shrieked out at him, and just as quickly he abated it. Within a few moments, both of the birds wings were flapping into the sky--Valery had given the bird back his life.
Vaiya was not a bird, but that mattered to him little. He had healed human wounds before, small ones--no one he'd touched had ever been close to dying. He'd kept it secret from his aunt and uncle, knowing instinctively that they would probably try to capitalize on his ability. His aunt and uncle were not cruel people--they just did what they had to in order to survive, and if that meant exploiting their nephew, they would do it. He had always had the feeling that they weren't that fond of him, but they were responsible people and had treated him well enough, keeping him fed and sheltered and clothed as the law ordered. His mind did not travel to them much since he left his home to find Larin. He knew that they would be worried, as decent folk are, but they knew he was alive, and perhaps they even sensed that he could take care of himself, because while in their home they had never really disciplined him--of course, he had never given them cause. He had been a good guest in their home. But all of that ended.
This woman was the link to his future. He could already feel the bond between them, the bond of blood. He touched her mind with his own, willing her own Jedi abilities into the healing of her body. She stirred and turned her head, and looked at him, her eyes widening. Blue-green, like the dark stones that his father had once mined, cut and made into a gift for his mother, the only thing he had left of his adopted parents. He had mourned them, but that too seemed behind him. All there was before him was the future.
He touched her heart, and Vaiya took in a heavy breath of air as her lungs cleared. With a few more proddings of the Force, her body's natural painkillers kicked in and within a few minutes she was able to sit up.
From behind them, badly shaken and his mind locked away from them, came Larin. He gripped the white-bladed lightsaber in his hand aimlessly, as if he had forgotten that it was there. But as he came near Vaiya, he shoved his disturbance away and reached out to her, kneeling down and taking her hand in his own.
"Are you okay?" he whispered, his voice raw although he did not know why.
Vaiya glanced at Valery, who smiled as he reached around her back, his small fingers on her shoulders. "I will be," she said, the pain blanketed under his healing ministrations. She could feel her body excelerating its own healing process, the blood filtering out, her insides no longer in danger of rupture, the ache in her bones subsiding. He worked fast for a little thing, she thought, and smiled at him. She was upright, and was now working at getting her legs under her to stand. Larin helped her, letting him lean heavily on him. She staggered a bit, but quickly grabbed for Valery's shoulder, which was right beside her.
"Shall we get out of here?" Vaiya suggested.
"Perhaps we should," Larin said, sparing a glance behind him at where Cal and the cult lay dead. "But I have a feeling that we should destroy this place."
Valery's big grey eyes went to him. Larin was shaking slightly--he stepped forward to offer his services, but Larin shook his head. "I just don't think I could live the rest of my life knowing that this place still exists."
Vaiya nodded slowly. "My family isn't known for leaving enemy strongholds in one piece," she said with a wry grin, glancing down at Valery. Then she sighed and said, "We should at least give everyone a chance to evacuate, first." She stepped away from them, still unsteady, but Larin held her back.
"Let me," he said. He strode over to the small control panel, and within a few minutes the alarms were sounding. He glanced up, the red light reflecting errily on his face, the sirens as horrible as the dying shrieks of the cult brothers.
Valery tugged her hand. "Let's go!" he said, and Larin was beside them again.
"Can you run?" he asked her.
"I can move fast enough," Vaiya said, but her tone was unsure. In reply, Larin picked her up, his hand under her knees and around her shoulders. "I said I can walk!" she protested, sounding like her mother.
"No time to find out," he replied, sounding like her father. With Valery close beside them, the scurried out of the throne room, headed for their ship.
When it blew, it was strangely anti-climactic, but all three felt a strange sort of release, like something very bad had died on that station, even though everyone left on it had been already dead. The strength of the dark side, which had pressed at them from the first minute they'd ever entered the station, diminished. Larin paced the window, his fingers running idly along the thin metal sill. Vaiya lay on the only bunk in the small shuttle, her head turned to watch but turning away to face the wall as Cal's great fortress was blown into oblivion. She sighed, and within a few minutes she was dozing lightly. She would be fine in a few hours, Valery had told him. As if nothing had ever happened--physically. And then those grey eyes had regarded him, saw right through him, knew that yet again Larin was going to leave him. It mattered little to his childish heart that this was the only time he should have left, to think and to pray and to heal himself. He was using every ounce of his power just to keep upright. The withdrawl from the drug Cal had forced upon him, the emotional trauma of recent events...he was ready to crack. He needed time.
Valery turned away from them and stormed out into the hallway, feeling uncharacteristically angry. He stode all the way to the cockpit and threw himself down into one of the chairs behind the pilot's seat. There he crossed his arms and sulked...but not for long. He could feel her, beside him, then move to sit in front of him, her long, rope-like hair snaking over her shoulder and falling before her, her eyes smiling at him.
"What is wrong, my son?" she whispered.
Valery shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it," he said.
Callista smiled. "I understand. You don't have to tell me, you know. I can see that you're having a hard time letting go of your own life. You're so very young, Valery, to be able to take this much. You're entitled to a bit of anger."
Valery's eyes gentled at the mention of the word. "But anger is of the dark side," he whispered.
Callista shrugged. "Yes, it is. But it is a natural, human emotion. You have been asked to give up all of your old family, my son. It has been revealed to you that they were never yours in the first place. Now you are going into a nest of strangers. You cannot help feeling anger, or fear. But as long as you do not give into those and let them rule you, the dark side has no power over you."
Valery nodded, his eyes growing sad. "Are you going to leave me, too?"
Callista smiled at him again, that loving, motherly smile she always gave him whenever he questioned her coming or going. "I will always be with you, Valery Ben Skywalker," she whispered. "You may not see me, but I will be there. I am not one of Vaiya's angels, so I cannot remain here for long. I was sent back only for you, until you found your place." She reached out, and although her spirit-like form was not solid, her fingers caressed his thick hair. It felt like a soft, warm breeze to his skin. "Yejion has a special place for you, Valery. You have been prepared for it since your birth. This is only a continuation of that preparation, not an ending or a beginning." She looked very sad for a moment. "I wish you could always see me, but when we land on Durran, I will have to leave your sight. But remember, my heart, that I will always be watching you, and listening for you. No matter where you are, I promise that."
Valery nodded. He wished for the first time that he could hug the spirit of his mother, but had found out very early that that was not possible. Tears formed in his eyes, and she caressed him again with that warm breeze.
"Do not cry," she gently encouraged him. "Where you are going is a wonderful place. You will have a father...and a mother that you can hug. And Mara will love you, Valery. As surely as she loves her own daughter. She's been looking for you for a very long time. When you feel their joy, all doubt will be erased from your heart."
The words made his face brighten. "I love you, Mother," he whispered.
"I love you," she replied, and then, slowly, she disappeared, only her eyes remaining for a brief while longer before they, too, faded away.
Vaiya carefully made her way down the ramp. It was night on Durran, but she knew her parents were awake. The scanners on the shuttle had directed them back to the inn where her parents were staying, and there was a great party going on--probably some offical function, or a service of the inn, she decided. There had been a great bonfire burning, which gave a great light into the sky. They had landed a safe distance away, not wanting to crash the party but keeping close enough so she could walk it.
She was feeling remarkably good for having suffered from electrocution. She briefly considered being checked out in a local medbay, but dismissed it as Valery came up beside her, his arm around her waist.
"Take it easy, Vaiya," he said, his young voice sounding old and wise. She smiled at him.
Larin followed, almost hesitant. When Vaiya reached the ground, he hurried up to catch her, his hands reaching for her, pulling her close.
"Are you still going to be okay?" he asked anxiously. He didn't want to leave her. As he looked at her, he began to doubt everything he had felt, began to doubt that the last several hours had even happened. All that mattered to her at this moment was him.
But somehow she had gotten that same calm look on her face as Valery had when they landed, that understanding gaze that made some of his shame abate. She touched his cheek, her fingers curling slighty into his hair. "I will be fine," she said, accenting each word gently. "Trust me."
Larin shook his head. "I know that," he said. He looked down, torn. He knew he had to leave again...."When I come back," he said, lifting his face to hers, "I promise I will never leave again."
She shook her head. "You can't promise that, Larin. But I understand that you have to go. I have to go, too. I have to go back to Yavin IV. There are many Jedi who need to learn what I have learned. Until there are others who can do it better than me, I am obligated to teach what I know. And you know you couldn't come with me to Yavin IV. So if it makes you feel any better," she said with a serene smile, "I'm leaving you, too."
He nodded. "I won't forget," he whispered, "I won't forget what I promised you."
"You won't have worry about forgetting," she reassured him. The compassion in her eyes reached out to him, and he realized that just being with her had done much to start his healing process. But there was so much for her to do...once again, they were being broken apart. Before it had led him to nothing but trouble. This time, he would not be so foolish. Besides, Cal was dead...there was little danger to him now. The battle was over.
Her face grew solemn, and he looked back at her, feeling it. "There is always danger," she whispered. "We are always fighting the evil in ourselves, our own dark sides. It doesn't matter if you're a Jedi Knight, a Master, or just an ordinary human being. This battle doesn't end, Larin. We are always fighting it. We can all fall, but we can get back up again." She put her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer.
"We can only fight the good fight," he whispered. "Even if we don't win."
"We will win, but not on our own." She smiled. "Don't be afraid, Larin. Fear is useless. Nothing can harm you if you do not give it the power. What you need is trust."
He took a deep breath and nodded, then shut his eyes, feeling her presence beside him, holding her close. She hugged him, getting even closer to him if that was possible. Her hair, tendrils of thick, spiraling honey, brushed his cheek, and he ran his hand across it, caressing it. He squeezed her hard, almost willing the two of them to fuse together into one body...but all too soon it passed, and he let her go as she pulled away.
They stared at each other for a long moment, their hands locked together. He leaned forward, and his lips brushed hers, then paused, and she returned the kiss. They didn't know how long it lasted...only when Valery cleared his throat did they break apart.
"Soon," he promised, the only word he could say. He backed away, then slowly turned up the ramp, his back to them. He knew that if he looked back, he would not be able to leave.
As the ship lifted off the ground, he could feel Vaiya's presence inside his mind. He could feel her love, as if it were a tangible thing. He sighed. It would not be long, he promised himself. His return would come very soon.
Inside, he felt something stirr, a soundless voice reassuring him that he was right, that he should not give up, that he was doing the right thing. It said, The path to true happiness is victory over your own passions. He remembered hearing that once, when he was just a boy. He glanced out the cockpit window, but by now Vaiya and Valery were too far way.
But how soon? he asked the soundless voice.
All times are soon, the voice replied. And Larin felt his heart grow light.