Fragments of the Dark

Chapter Thirty

Din tightened the strap across the crate.

"I think that's the last one," he set his rifle on top. Celene gave him a nod, turning to face the crowd of villagers that had accompanied them back to their ship. Omera was at the front, her daughter giving Grogu a final hug.

"I wish he could stay here," Din said quietly, knowing Celene would hear. She didn't answer but her fingers curled into fists, the only acknowledgment she gave. The children finished saying their goodbyes and Celene bent down, picking Grogu up. She disappeared up the ramp to the ship without a glance back.

Din met Omera's gaze one last time and gave her a nod before he pressed the button on the panel. The ramp hissed and slowly closed behind him, sealing the interior of the ship. Celene was already seated in the cockpit, flipping switches. Grogu was in the chair behind her watching with fascination as Celene's hands flew over the controls. The ship roared to life and she guided them gently into the air.

They rose through the upper atmosphere and the planet of Sorgon faded away. Celene pulled up the nav computer and stared at the holographic image. "Where the hell do we go now?"

Din folded his arms standing behind her. "We could try another backwater planet."

Celene scoffed. "You really want to, considering how the last one turned out?"

Din looked at Grogu sitting quietly in the co-pilot chair. "We have to get him somewhere safe."

Celene's hand slid from the controls. "Somewhere safe," she muttered. She spun to face Grogu and then him. "There is only one way he will ever be safe."

"How?" Din ran through the possibilities in his mind.

She sighed heavily. "We have to find a Jedi."

Din blinked. "How the hell are we going to find a Jedi? I thought..."

"Thought they were all extinct?" Celene shook her head. "If the Sith are alive then the Jedi will always be in existence to challenge them. They are just few in numbers. Hiding."

She spun back to the nav charts and typed in coordinates. "This planet is worth a try. I have a trustworthy source there."

Din peered past her shoulder. "Nar Shaddaa? Really?"

"Lovely place, really. Have you ever had the privilege of going?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Should we really risk taking Grogu there?"

"We don't have a choice." She jerked her head to the seat. "Strap in."

Din slid into the seat, bracing himself as the Falcon's engine hummed, and then they leaped into hyperspace. The stars raced past in a vortex of color and Celene rose from the pilot's chair. "I'll feed him and then he can go to sleep. He's had an exciting few days."

She disappeared through the doors but he didn't follow. He listened to her receding footsteps and then alone in the cockpit, he removed his helmet. The air met his face and he let out a breath. He watched the stars race past outside the window without his visor obscuring his vision now.

More and more he was growing to hate the helmet he wore. He hated that Celene or Grogu had never glimpsed his face. He hated that it was a boundary he couldn't cross and that if he ever did, he would hate himself. Though he supposed the line was already half crossed when he and Celene the other night...

He shut down the train of thought as soon as it came. She hadn't spoken a word about it since and he certainly wasn't going to bring it up. He didn't know where they stood. They'd had the conversation in the woods but, he still felt like he was treading on unsteady ground. Not to mention there was still so much about Celene he didn't know.

And he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

By the time he emerged from the cockpit, Celene was alone in the main hangar, Grogu presumably already asleep. Celene jerked her head to the pile of storage crates they had been gifted full of food from the village. "I can leave if you want to eat."

Din shook his head. "I'll eat later, it's fine. So who's this contact we're going to see?"

Celene took a drink, spotchka, Din assumed from the village. "An old friend."

He raised an eyebrow, though she couldn't see under his helmet. "An old friend?"

She nodded, not offering up any more.

"What makes you think your friend will know where to find a Jedi?"

Celene leaned back, raven hair shifting in the light. "He collects information among other things. If anyone will know where or how to find a Jedi, it will be him."

"And you don't know where to find any Jedi?" Din regretted the question as soon as he voiced it.

Celene glanced sharply at him. "What's that supposed to mean? If I did, do you not think I would take us right there, instead of risking a trip to Nar Shaddaa?"

Din raised his hands. "That's not what I meant... It's just..." he struggled for the right words. "What about your parents?" He said finally. "Are they not Jedi?"

Celene's face darkened and Din knew he had broached the wrong subject with her. She shuffled her drink. "Were. My mother is dead and my father... I would assume he is dead too."

Din frowned. "How do you know? You said the Emporer manipulated your memories, so isn't there a chance that-"

Celene slammed her drink down so hard the glass shattered. "My mother is dead, Din, because I killed her."

The silence that echoed through the room was deafening. Din's heart stuttered in his chest, his blood freezing over.

"And my father..." she shook her head. "There is no way he survived his injuries." A cold, humorless laugh escaped her, one that had Din's nerves frayed. She pinned him with her gaze, that brutal scar across her face seeming to shift in the light. "I know how you're looking at me. I know what you're thinking. And you're right." She spread her hands. "I'm a monster through and through. And nothing will change that or what I've done."

She rose from her chair, heading for the door.

"Celene, wait." Din caught her arm before he realized what he was doing. She stiffened beneath his touch. "I didn't mean to press you, fuck, I'm sorry."

Her shoulders dropped and she was silent for a moment. "My scar," she said finally. "On my face is from my master. The Emperor."

Din stayed quiet while she seemed to be finding the words to continue. Finally she said, "Lightsabers are effective for scarring because the crystal burns so hot that it cauterizes the wound as soon as the cut it made. No blood. No risk of bleeding out. When I returned with only-" She swallowed. "With only my mother's head and not my father's, my master said I needed a permanent reminder of what I'd done- of my failure and that mission."

Din's stomach bottomed out and he searched for the right words to say but came up empty. Because there were none.

But Celene didn't seem intent on waiting for his reaction. "Goodnight, Din." She whispered and slipped from his grasp and into the dark.