The Children of the Stars

Vader's Castle

Nellith stood at the end of the loading ramp, observing the bright green rain falling from the turbid skies above Vjun.

"Acid rain," Ben muttered gruffly. "We're going to want to shield ourselves in the Force, or stick to those who know how to do it. " He drew the black hood over his face. "The last time I was here, I at least had a helmet."

"You came here when you were Kylo Ren?" Nellith asked.

"It was a long time ago." Ben ignited his green lightsaber. "We should get going— I can feel your mother, she's deep within the castle."

"I wonder what happened, for her to need us to come and find her," Jacen murmured as he joined his father and sister.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with that giant wreck over there." Kyp nodded nonchalantly towards a heap of metal and scrap in the distance.

"Good eye." Ben shifted into the teaching mode he had assumed when he had first made Kyp his apprentice all those years ago. "That's her ship, I can see the markings on the side."

"The Jade Shadow," Nellith murmured. She looked back to her father. "Do you think—"

"There might be Imps here," Ben agreed grimly, raising his saber with both hands. "This was one of their strongholds after the first war."

"If not, there's something equally as bad," Jacen agreed, looking to be the spitting image of his father with his own green blade.

"Well, that sounds promising." Nellith closed her eyes, picturing an invisible layer of protection around herself. She imagined the molecules forming together, a small wall repelling the toxins around her. "Let's get moving."

With that, she took off from the Millennium Falcon down the rocky landscape. She felt as if she were inches away from an energy field, for her skin buzzed with energy. She felt pure adrenaline running through her veins, her strides growing longer as she leapt from place to place with boundless energy.

It was the Force in its purest form— this was the feeling that reminded her why she was a Jedi, why she could never give up what or who she was.

She darted under the obsidian archways that protected the path from the falling rain. She turned to see the others following suit and the Millennium Falcon taking off in the distance.

Tahiri had agreed to pilot the ship with Chewy, since it was best to keep their getaway vehicle safe and mobile, in case they needed a quicker exit.

Nellith looked back to the end of the arched corridors. Between each arch was a white light panel, and at the very end there was a door with a clunky and outdated control panel at the end.

"It's still active," Ben muttered as they approached the control panel. "That means the defenses are still working in the castle. We'll have to be careful. I guess that the Imperial tech was better than any of us thought."

He then looked to Jacen. "You've got your sister's multi-tool, don't you?"

Jacen nodded and pulled out the dented worn model that had been Jaina's throughout their childhood adventures. She had been gifted with a newer, more updated model when she'd gone off to the Flight Academy.

Jacen knelt down and started fiddling with the electronic locks. "This would've been easier if we brought Artoo along, he's way too good at slicing."

"Yes, but can you imagine having to escort that tin-can through the acid rain?" Kyp ran his hand through his curls.

"What, like you'd have trouble giving the droid a shield in the Force too?" Nellith teased.

"Fair enough," Kyp grumbled good-naturedly.

"If you lovebirds are finished, the door is open." Jacen stood up and dusted off his green flightsuit. He had grown some bulk since being freed from his years-long captivity all those weeks ago. His old clothes no longer drowned him in fabric, although it was still baggier than it used to be.

They'd all changed, and not just physically, Nellith mused. A part of her wondered how much more they would all change before this was over.

It had to be drawing to a close, soon— Nellith had to believe it would. They were about to find Rey, the one person who could end all of this.

They all drew their lightsabers as they entered the dark entry hall of Bast Castle. Nellith could feel the energy of the dark side here. It was one of Vader's castles— he'd had two major ones, one on Mustafar and one here on Vjun. This one was the one more-used by Imps after the fall of the Empire, however.

Probably because Mustafar's castle was always under the constant threat of being destroyed via lava.

It had less of Vader's sorrow, less of his anger here— instead, there was the greed and ambition of the generals scrapping for power that came after the loss of the Force-sensitives in the First Order. The very human element of corruption.

Nothing seemed to be in the entryway, so the party continued into the next room. Light filtered through the large circular window with the spider-like lacing over the top, creating a halo of sorts around the toppled and broken statue of Darth Vader.

"I guess someone didn't like him," Kyp joked. He immediately sobered upon seeing the look on Ben's face.

"Do you know where Mum is, in the castle?" Nellith asked.

Ben closed his eyes, and Nellith could feel him mentally reaching out.

Then his eyes opened. "The library— and she's not alone."

He then took off, leaving the three younger Jedi struggling to catch up as he raced up the flights of stairs around the walls before slicing open a door with his lightsaber and running down a hallway.

Nellith had almost made it to the door when she felt it— a warning from the Force.

She turned just in time to see an ancient bipedal droid lumbering at her— she sliced right through the head.

But it didn't stop the droid. With a loud series of clicks, the blasters that acted as its arms developed an electrical field around them.

Nellith blocked the first arm's swing and just barely darted out of the way of the blaster bolt, which bounced off of the wall and ricocheted into the debris on the ground floor and set it afire. She then skipped back several paces, swinging her saber to build up momentum.

That's when Kyp and Jacen had finally realized that Nellith wasn't right behind them, and were doubling back.

Jacen threw his saber, which Nellith ducked under to avoid the searing blade. The droid blocked the blow with its arm, causing the blade to go sailing back into Jacen's hand.

Nellith engaged the blade as Kyp used the Force to flip over the droid and land with the perfect opportunity to strike the droid through the back.

Nellith stepped back just as the end of the violet lightsaber ignited through the droid's chest— inches away from her own.

She could only hear her heartbeat as the droid crumpled to the ground, only a heap of scrap metal at this point.

"You okay?" Kyp clipped his lightsaber back on his belt.

"Never better." Nellith managed a smile before turning back to Jacen. "We'd better get Mum and Dad, and fast. That was an HK-50 model."

"Those are ancient," Jacen murmured. "And they were manufactured at the Star Forge in Revan's time. Do you think that means—"

"The Remnant has been here." Nellith nodded, confirming it. "We'd better get going."

With that, the three Jedi sprinted down the corridor Ben Skywalker had disappeared down.

Then they entered the room where they felt Rey Skywalker's Force signature.

They stood on a precipice, where the stairs had fallen, possibly years ago, to rubble on the library floor. Ben was staring down at something further— it was Rey, who was collecting as many files as she could.

And there was not one, but two people with her— a young man around Jacen's age and a girl about hers.