Power

04.

"Did you kill him?" Maul says when I arrive back.

"No, I did exactly what I came to do." I say, walking inside the ship. "I planted the seed. I exposed the deception within their group, and created distrust between them." Maul nods, sitting beside me. I active my communicator, an Imperial officer stands in the hologram. "Alert the Second Sister. Tell her the Jedi knows everything, and to track him. He will likely head for the holocron soon."

"When we return, Lord Vader wishes to speak with you." Maul tells me, I nod. When we arrive back at the fortress, I head straight for his chambers. I walk inside to see the Sith Lord waiting for me.

"Lyra, welcome back." He says as I walk to stand beside him.

"Thank you, Lord Vader." I say.

"You have done well with your search for Cal Kestis, and you were wise to expose Cere Junda's secret." I nod, looking out the window with him to see the almost completed construction of the death star. "I believe Trilla is more than capable of completing the task on her own, for you I have something else."

"And what is that?"

"A rebellion is beginning to rise, they plan to bring the fight to the Empire and restore the republic." I look over at him.

"They cannot possibly beat us." He nods.

"I suspect they have the support of Master Kenobi." The thought of my Master comes to mind.

"Master Maul will want to handle him." Vader glances at me.

"Your master will be given the task of finding Master Kenobi. You will help him track the Jedi down." I nod, turning to walk away. "You and your Master either kill Master Kenobi where he stands, or you bring him to me."

...
Quite some time after
(by this point, she's the same age as Han Solo)
...

"If we can find Obi-Wan, he will likely be able to reveal the location of the other rebels." Maul tells me.

"I agree, Master. You will soon have him within your grasp." I say. He places a hand on my shoulder before walking further into the cockpit. We come out of hyperspace to reveal Tatooine, why the old man choose this as his hiding place is still unknown to me.

"You check the villages, I'll head into the Jundland Wastes." I nod and have our ship drop him off there before soaring into the village. I watch as the villagers scramble in fear at the sight of us. I walk out into the blistering sun and look around at them. I turn to my purge soldiers. "Gather them all."

The people are dragged screaming into the middle of town, I walk to address them as the soldiers keep them in line. They all stare at me in horror, I pause for a moment until they're silent.

"I have come in search of a fugitive. A Jedi, hiding amongst all of you. You would be wise to turn him over immediately." I tell them. They all don't utter a word. "Only if the Jedi is given to me will your lives be spared." They whisper to each other in fear but Kenobi is not given to me. The tip on his whereabouts came from this very village, now it seems they are too cowardly to tell me where he's hiding. "Fine, you've made your choice." I turn to the captain of my purge troopers. "Take the children, they can be turned into troopers for our cause. As for the rest," I turn to look at them once more. "Kill them all." I turn and walk towards my ship as the children are ripped from their mothers and brought aboard, then come the screams of pain as they're slaughtered.

There's then a shift in the force, pain rips through me like I have never experienced. I fall to my knees, the sand slips between my gloved fingers. The captain of my band of troopers, Maro, rushes to me, falling to one knee and placing a hand on my forearm.

"Grand Inquisitor, what's wrong?" He asks me, I look up at him. I shake my head and breathe heavily as visions of my master flood my mind. "Ma'am, why don't you let me help you inside so you can remove your helmet. It might help you to breathe and focus." I nod and he pulls me to my feet, walking me inside my ship. He lowers me to a seat and takes the helmet from my face. "Focus, Commander."

I stare at him, barely able to focus my eyes on him. He then removes his own helmet and meets my eyes.

"Match my breathing." He takes exaggerated breaths, gesturing with his hands to show the in and out. We soon match to each other, I squeeze my eyes together and then open them to look at him, he smiles at me. "Welcome back, Commander." I place a hand on his arm and nod at him, offering him a very small, gentle smile.

"Thank you, Captain. I'm usually much more in control of myself." I tell him, looking around the ship.

"No need to thank me, Commander." I meet his eyes and smile.

"Do not speak of all of this." He chuckles and puts his helmet back on.

"Not a word, Grand Inquisitor." He offers me his hand and pulls me to my feet. I then try and focus on the feeling I have, a vision of my master laying unmoving in the sand comes to mind. I snap open my eyes and look at Maro.

"Get everyone aboard and drop me off at the Jundland Wastes. Take them back to the destroyer and then return to me. Something has happened to Maul." He nods and then rushes off the ship.

...

I quickly arrive at the wasteland and exit the ship, it takes off behind me. I run through the sand, searching left and right for my master.

"Master!" I scream. I then remove my helmet, continuing to shout for him. Just over the hill, I see a flash of red on the ground. My eyes widen in horror and I run to it, stumbling across the sand. Laying on the floor is my master, he's unmoving. I collapse beside him to see him barely clinging to life. "No no master-" He shushes me placing a hand on my face.

"My daughter." He struggles to say. I shake my head and look down at the gapping wound in his stomach.

"I can still save you." He shakes his head at me.

"It is too late for me, Lyra." He pauses, coughing. "I told you I wanted to give you what I never had. But in reality, you gave me something I never had."

"And what's that?" He just barely smiles.

"Compassion." A tear slips down my face. "We may not be blood, but Lyra you will always be my daughter. And I will always be with you."

"I love you, father." He stares up at me one last time.

"I love you, little one." As the last word leaves his mouth, his eyes flutter shut and his hand falls. I scream in agony and let my head fall on his chest. As his life force leaves and he becomes one with the force, his body disappears from my grasp. I watch as sand passes through my fingertips and tears flow down my face. My connection to the Empire, the reason I stayed so true to them, it's gone. The one thing I cared for has fallen out of my reach forever.

Above me, a ship descends from the atmosphere, I assume it to be my own. I sit unmoving in the sand as it comes closer, I quickly realize it is a ship I know all to well. The Mantis, the ship carrying Cal Kestis and Cere Junda. I watch as it lands a few feet away from me, the ramp opens and Cal walks out with his lightsaber ready.

"Cal Kestis." I say, the emotion gone from my voice. He points the saber at me.

"Try anything and I'll kill you." He says. I chuckle, though it sounds lifeless.

"I've heard about how powerful you've become, from stories Lord Vader has told me." I look up at me. "Don't worry, Kestis. You won't be meeting your end at my hands."

"You're coming with us." I furrow my eyebrows.

"Are you so sure?" He comes toward me and uses the force to bring my wrists up. He clamps cuffs on my wrists and they begin to glow blue, cutting me off from the force.

"Yes." He pulls me to my feet and drags me into the ship behind him.