The Children of the Stars

The Message

The suns were rising on Tatooine when the Falcon made planetfall.

Nellith landed the Falcon expertly on the makeshift spaceport. It seemed that the Jedi had moved quickly in restoring their Praxeum. It wasn't restored to its former glory quite yet, but many structures had been put up, or were in progress of being made.

It was beginning to look like home again.

Nellith hadn't realized how she'd missed the Falcon. For all that she'd loved having her own independent ship, she had to admit that this ship carried far more than any other ever could. It was history, a legacy— as Kyp had described.

She could feel her co-pilot's eyes upon her. She knew that they would have far more to discuss when they disembarked.

But they had work to do now.

"Home sweet home," she said as she unbuckled the safety restraints.

Outside, Ben Solo was waiting for them, alongside Tionne Solsaur and Kyle Katarn. Nellith knew that Allana had made a transmission while they were in hyperspace, but she didn't know how much they'd been told.

She suspected, however, that part of it was what had happened to Valin over the course of the journey.

Ben Solo regarded all of the party with solemnity— his eyes searching for Rey, but not finding her. He bit his lip, presumably disappointed.

"I see we're going to have a lot to discuss," Ben said. "Lucky for us, we've constructed spaces where we can debrief away from snooping Padawan eyes."

After they finished their tale, the Masters exchanged a knowing look.

"You should have come back straight after Jakku," Katarn said. "Clearly there's something strange going on around the Observatory, and I don't like it. Places like that have too much influence on a Jedi."

"We'll make a note in our archives that the Observatory is dangerous to Jedi," Tionne said.

Ben said nothing.

"Luckily, I think Goldenrod might know something about whatever Sith-spawn Force disease Darth Keera let loose into the galaxy," Katarn said. "It seems Keera's gotten into all of the old things."

"She's merged with Darth Plagueis somehow," Allana said. "We don't know the details, but she confirmed it in the temple of the unknown world. She let Plagueis in her mind, and he's influencing her."

"It must have been during her Trial of the Heart," Ben said. "I was not given details about what Queen Evaan had told her to do, but she had to complete the trial to become the next Queen of Alderaan. She was gone for months. We've been such fools."

"How did none of us figure it out?" Jacen asked. "We should've been able to sense it, we should've seen it coming—"

Katarn reached over the table and clapped a hand on Jacen's shoulder. "We can play that game all day and all night son. That's not going to help your sister at this point."

"Besides, there's clearly more going on than we know," Tionne said. "What's more important is that we make a plan for going forward."

"It would have been nice to know where Rey was, though." Katarn leaned back in his chair wistfully. "We could use her insight— she brought you back from the dark, after all."

Ben looked to Allana. "You said that you did find a genuine holocron from Rey?"

"Oh, right." Allana pulled aside her cloak and retrieved the holocron from her satchel. She placed it down on the table.

The Masters exchanged another look.

"We'd better take a look," Katarn said.

"I'll open it." Ben's voice was hoarse. He outstretched a hand, and the small glowing pyramid opened to reveal the blue holographic form of Rey.

"Ben, sweetheart," she murmured. "I'm so sorry. I discovered the task that Alderaan had put her up to— they wanted her to retrieve the robes of the ancient Alderaanian Qel-Droma Jedi dynasty, that were lost on Korriban, as a symbol of her overcoming the dark."

Rey then shook her head. "But that part doesn't matter. Plagueis got her. The Sith master who trained Palpatine. He's got our daughter, and worse than how Palpatine and Snoke had you."

"Where are you?" Ben asked.

Rey smiled sadly. "I can't tell you that, Ben. Thea and Plagueis are interfering with Force bonds, among other things. She's learned the Ancient Ways of the Sith, and she has far too many tools at her disposal. I can't have her risk finding me before I've finished what I'm doing."

"I can help you, just tell me where you are," Ben pleaded.

Rey shook her head— her holographic self was crying.

"I can't. I'm looking for a way to save our daughter, but I can't risk her finding out."

"She's already looking for you."

"Then you can't!" Rey's expression turned fierce. "It would destroy everything— and I can't lose any more of my children! You have to let me do this."

Ben swallowed— he was also crying. "I just wish there was another way."

"It won't be forever, I promise." Rey managed to smile again. "We'll be a family again soon. I'll let you know through our bond. I know I can break her interference— but when I do, you'll have to come quickly, because it will send out a flare in the Force, letting Keera know where I am."

"I'll come back for you, sweetheart," Ben vowed. "I promise."

Rey blinked— even though this was a pre-recorded bit of her soul, programmed to respond as she would, Nellith could sense her mother being touched by that statement, across the entire galaxy, who knew how many stars apart.

"I love you," Rey said. "We will be together again."

And with that, the hologram vanished. Everyone was silent, contemplating what Rey had said.

"What do we do next?" Nellith asked.

Ben took a deep breath. "It would be best to take you and Allana to Coruscant— they're hosting the Senate hearing there."

"For Sam and Danni," Nellith realized. "I thought the Senate operated on Chandrila now?"

"Coruscant's chamber is bigger than Chandrila's, and everyone is sending a delegation to decide on whether we will go into war yet again," Ben explained. "Rumor has it that Tenel Ka is sending a delegation to hear out the New Republic."

"Then let's get moving," Nellith said, standing up. "I have a feeling our own testimonies will be necessary?"

"Especially now," Ben confirmed. "It might not feel like much, but it's what you can do."

"Then we'll do it." Allana rose as well, looking like a queen. "We have a duty— and I'm ready."

Nellith had a feeling she was talking about more than giving testimony to the Senate.

She was talking about the Hapan Throne.