Star Wars: Legacies

Luke and Leia

    When Luke arrived back in his bedroom later that night, he couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, tried counting to a hundred, everything. Minutes ticked by, and the events of the day bubbled freshly in his mind. Finally, he opened his eyes and nearly jumped out of his skin.
    Perched on his bedpost was a convor, bleached white in the moonlight. She cooed at Luke, ruffling her feathers.
    "How did you even get in here?" he asked, noting his blinds were closed.
Morai cooed  again and pointed her beak toward the window.
    "You want me to look out the window?" Luke asked her.
She bobbed her head in a sort of nodding gesture, and he obliged, scooting to the foot of his bed and opening the window. He saw Leia creep across the courtyard, just as she had the night before.
    "I can't follow her again, I'll get caught," he told the convor.
Morai shook her head and hopped over to the windowsill, landing on Luke's arm. She pointed her beak at one of the trees, and that's when Luke saw it.
    A dark bird-like creature with bony, large, dark wings, and a pale, bald head, with a razor sharp beak. It had long, taloned claws, and a crest of black feathers around its neck and along its back.
    The vulture looked up at Luke, its red eyes glowing in the night, eyes that much like Morai, looked much too intelligent for any normal animal.
    He looked at the convor, whose eyes looked troubled. "Do you know him?" he asked.
Morai cocked her head in a sort of nodding gesture. The vulture hissed angrily and flew away, following Leia into the shadows.
    "Wait, I've seen him before," Luke said, getting smacked with a memory so old he'd forgotten it.
    "The night Maul and Talon kidnapped us, I saw him out the window, then again when the fortress on Mustafar went down, he flew away from it!"
    Morai cooed excitedly like Luke had just said something right.
"You're tied to Ahsoka right? You've been around my entire life."
    Morai ruffled her feathers and made another nodding motion.
"So he's tied to Talon then?"
    Morai squealed happily, flapping her wings.
Luke shook his head, "But I don't get it, you're just a bird, but you're not. I'm missing something."
    Morai flew off his arm and back to the bedpost closest to the door.
"You want me to follow you again?"
    She nodded, hopping in place a bit. "Are you gonna help me save my sister?" Luke asked the bird who definitely was more than just a bird.
    Morai nodded and fluttered her wings, cooing again. Luke opened the door and followed her into the hallway, and she led him to the library.
    "Morai, I already talked to Master Offee, they don't have anything on the Sith temple underneath us."
    Morai hooted a sound Luke was beginning to understand meant no, and flew into the library, disappearing into the restricted section.
    "Morai, I can't go in there!" he hissed.
She landed on the password lock and ruffled her feathers expectantly. Luke sighed and entered his father's passcode, opening the vault. He expected alarms to start blaring, but no such thing happened.
    Morai flew to one of the holocrons, pecking at it lightly with her beak.
Luke strode over and picked it up, noticing that the blue faces were adorned with Loth Wolves.
    Taking the hint, he assumed a meditative position and opened the holocron, allowing the force to flow through him and into the device. When he opened his eyes, a projection of the planet Lothol appeared, then zoomed into the surface to an old Jedi Temple Luke remembered visiting with Obi-Wan when he was younger.
    "You want me to go there?" he asked the convor.
Morai chirped in a way Luke was beginning to learn meant yes, and ruffled her feathers.
    "And this will help me help my sister?" Luke asked again.
Morai chirped yes again then flew out the door. Luke shoved the holocron in his pocket and ran after her.

Leia walked through the corridors of the temple, hearing the flapping of Kismet's wings behind her. He flew past her into the training room, landing in a vulture-like stance on one of the crumbling railings. The creature that followed Talon around had a unique presence about him. What was perhaps most unsettling was his glowing red eyes that were just a bit too intelligent for her liking.
    "Are you sure you weren't followed this time?" Talon asked, standing up.
Leia frowned, "Yes, Kismet made sure of it."
    "They won't understand what I'm trying to teach you, Leia. Their arrogance blinds them, they think that their way is the only way. But you're doing the right thing. Think of how many people you'll be able to help with your new skills," Talon said, brushing a long, graceful red finger over Leia's cheek.
    "It is the way of the sith to love, pet. To fight with all that you have to protect it. The Jedi preach detachment and apathy, the very emotions that make us human. It makes them weak. It makes you weak."
    Leia nodded, folding her hands, "I know, I want to help people, I really do. And I believe this is the way."
    Talon smiled, and patted Leia's cheek affectionately, "You are wise beyond your years, Leia. I truly believe you will leave your mark on the galaxy. Now come, let us begin."
Leia cocked her head, "What are we doing tonight?"
Talon stretched her arms, "lightsaber training. Your technique is impressive, but sloppy. It needs refinement."
Leia scowled defensively, "I'm the best duelist of any padawan."
"Be that as it may young one, you'd never stand a chance against a knight, let alone a master. Now, assume your stance."
Leia pulled her lightsaber from her belt and ignited it, crouching slightly and raising the hilt next to her ear.
Talon shook her head, causing her decorated lekku to move in unison. "Your feet are too close together, you're too easily unbalanced. Lower your sword, you're making the lower half of your body vulnerable. And hold the hilt closer to the blade, it makes you harder to disarm."
Leia did as she was told, and Talon assumed her own stance.
"Now, attack me," she instructed.
Leia flung herself forward in a wide swing, but Talon simply sidestepped, grabbed her by the wrist, and cast her to the floor with ease.
"Again."
Leia hauled herself back upright and tried again, this time aiming lower, but Talon saw it coming, easily sweeping her leg and sending her crashing onto her back.
Kismet cawed in a sort of mocking laugh, flapping his large, jagged wings. Talon twirled her lightsaber around assuming a different stance.
"Again, Leia."
The apprentice stood and went in for another swing, but at the last second, whipped around, changing her trajectory, her saber clashing with Talon's in a bright flash. Talon reacted casually, easily disarming Leia and sending her back to the stone floor. "Better. Again."
They did this over and over for what felt like hours, until something resembling a real duel finally commenced. Leia was battered and bruised, every one of her muscles ached with fatigue, but she continued to push, determined to learn, determined to succeed.