The Children of the Stars

Archaeological Digs

Nellith Skywalker let out a sigh of relief as Serenity left hyperspace, holding true and steady. Kyp thought her fix for the hyperdrive wasn't the most reliable, and while he was probably right, they didn't have time to fix it further.

After all, her sister needed her.

She pulled down the intercom— one of the older pieces of Serenity, she'd discovered. She'd taken great joy in abusing it to surprise her crew at any time.

"Everyone buckle in, we're about to head into the Valley of the Sith," Nellith said. "Oh, also, this is your captain speaking."

She heard Kyp snort as he entered the cockpit, taking the co-pilot's seat.

"You and that thing."

Nellith rolled her eyes as she grinned. "It's fun. I've never been a captain of a ship before. Also, are you going to help me land this thing or not?"

"I was just thinking I could sit here and look pretty." Kyp then tossed his head, showing off his glossy black curls.

"Pretty don't land ships," Nellith said. "Although I hear it can launch a thousand."

"Two-thousand, for mine."

"Shut up and fly, pretty-boy."

The descent shook up the ship a little bit, but nothing fell off, and everything was still stable. Serenity held true, all the way to the makeshift spaceport next to the Valley of the Sith.

"Your Ugly sure is more than she looks, isn't she?" Kyp asked.

Nellith patted the dashboard. "That's my girl."

Nellith was the first to emerge from the ship, with her flowing dress and leather jacket, looking a perfect mix between her mother and her father.

Kyp was right behind her, Jysella next to him and already clutching her lightsaber. Tash and Artoo brought up the rear, clearly the shyer members of the crew.

Well, Artoo wasn't shy, but he was gaining a higher sense of preservation in the years passing since Threepio had briefly lost his memory for the mission to Exogol.

Besides, Nellith knew it was probably worse for her health that Artoo was taking up the rear. He was always up to some sort of mischief.

Out of the central white tents emerged Allana, Valin, and a young woman that Nellith barely remembered, but was all the same familiar to her.

Valin frowned. "Jysella? What are you doing here?"

Jysella folded her arms as the crew of Serenity approached. "Nellith needed someone like me on her crew. Besides, it's the closest I'll get to a traditional apprenticeship, given how many of the masters are dead."

"And Durron?" Before he could make a snarky comment, Allana placed a hand on his arm.

"That's enough, Valin," she said gently. "We've got more to worry about than this."

Kyp frowned. "The hell, Horn? I know you're an uptight prick sometimes, but we didn't get along that badly."

Nellith put a hand up, signaling Kyp to stop. For good measure, she glanced at him, pleading with her eyes for him to wait. They'd all been briefed, that something was up with Valin, something Sith-y.

After all, that was why Serenity had come to Korriban in the first place.

"It's good to see you, sis," Nellith said, lowering her hand. "Dad told me you found something about Mum."

"Apparently she wanted us to come here of all places," Allana said as she strode forward. Wearing a long white tunic with a train that blew in the wind, she reminded Nellith of how their mother looked in the older holographs.