REVENGE OF THE SITH

Part XII – To All Things, An End

 

Epilogue

3 years later

 

The crispness of the air was the first thing the stranger noticed as they exited the transport ship. As they stepped onto the landing pad, the smell of the waters that surrounded the area wafted through their nose, coupling with the breeze that was felt.

Talravin was an unassuming planet within the Core Worlds, once a seaport for trade ships to exchange harvest and fishing exports. As the stranger began to walk towards the city square, the remnants of that former life were still practiced, with a heavy populated marketplace straight ahead.

Past the marketplace was entry into the city, a sand covered cobble stoned street leading the way proper, just as the stranger had been told.

They only received a few looks, however their appearance did much to emote the unspoken and very clear wish to be left to their own devices – a dark black robe covered the person’s form, an over sized hood engulfing the head to protect against being identified – and their leisurely, yet directed, steps were done in determination in order to arrival at whatever final destination the streets would take them.

Continuing down the cobbled road, the stranger kept along the path that overlooked the ocean, watching as transport and pleasure ships alike coasted along the waters. The further the walk, the more the dock began to transform into the sandy beaches that this side of the planet was known for.

Despite the galactic turmoil that had taken place, the planet of Talravin had barely changed in the wake of two near galaxy takeovers by the Sith; it still maintained its seaports and fishing ships that were easily seen in the midst of transport ships. The marketplace that greeted tourists continued running – in fact, due to the displacement of those from Telos and planets around the Peragus system, the market had grown to a thriving hub within this sector.

Having never been to the planet, the stranger kept their head down, however their eyes took in everything that made the environment so lively – residents and tourists walked along the streets, interacting with the merchants as they unloaded ships or coming from the transports. As they continued past the market and down the street, the market began to blur into more traditional shops before slowly transitioning into one and two story townhomes.

The walk was casual, the stranger wasn’t in too much of a hurry to reach their destination now that the crowds had begun to fade away.

A lot had happened to the galaxy in the last few years – the destruction wrought by the True Sith and the Dark Lord Trayun had seemingly reversed all the hard work that had been done after the coming of Darth Revan.

And much of the galaxy had not forgotten the ashes that had been left in their wake.

By some gracious miracle, the fuel situation of Telos had been solved – as much as the Ithorians and a bartender on the planet Nar Shaddaa were able to solve it. The destruction of Peragus II still reverberated through the systems, as Telos Citadel Station wasn’t the only place that relied on the fuel supplied by the planetary station. 

The restorations had done wonders for the planet, bringing it back to its former glory. But it had taken time and even now, three years later, the surface was as it had been before the Jedi Civil War.

But that was just the beginning…

Telos’ restoration was the sign and catalyst the Republic needed to authorize other planet restorations, the process slow and met with push back from Republic politicians who felt these changes wouldn’t benefit them in anyway. Finally, after three years, the surface of Telos had been returned to its former glory and it pushed the Republic government towards using the Ithorians to branch to the other Core Worlds and even past that.

Headed by Chancellor Robert Belyn, Sr, those heading the government on Coruscant were far more persistent in ensuring that galaxy’s safety, even if it means relying on the previous guardians who had brought such disastrous results. However, that did leave a lingering question for the rest of the galaxy…

What would become of the Jedi Order?

Or rather, would there ever be a Jedi Order again?

As far as the public was concerned, the Jedi had turned Sith and vice versa and their actual loyalty was to be questioned. And many did question the motives of the ever mysterious Jedi.

The stranger continued their stride, these very thoughts swirled around in their head as they walked on. The sounds of the hustle that met the stranger when they stepped on to the dock had since faded and now, the quiet sounds of city life were brought forth. There wasn’t a connection to the ocean this far into the neighborhood, instead there was a large lake set along to the west and the waters seemed to go on for miles, outstretching from an outcropping of sand to signify a beach area. The area was slightly offset from the road, with the street curving into a bridge type overlook for the area below.

This was the destination of interest for the stranger.

As the beach came into view, they began to slow their steps, focusing their attention on the happenings below. Despite the amount of tourists that had accompanied the hooded stranger, there were only a handful of people on the sand lot – a few stood at the edge fishing, while a small number of boats were out on the water.

On the sand itself was a quartet made up of an elderly woman with graying strands of dark and three young children, two girls and a boy. The little boy stood next to her, standing while she sat, and following the way she would point out things around the water and the sand. The two girls were running, chasing each other around, their screams of excitement echoing through the air and reaching the stranger as they stood watching.

“They’re adorable, aren’t they?”

The voice came from the right, though it didn’t surprise the stranger, who only turned slightly to give the newcomer a passing glance. A nod was the only answer the newcomer received.

“Normally,” the voice continued, gazing out on the quartet. “I wouldn’t allow my mother to take them so far down toward the water, but as you can see, there’s not a ton of people right now.”

The newcomer – a young woman with long brown hair put up in a ponytail that swung as her head turned, smirked at the stranger. “Are you so worried you’ll be recognized, even out here?”

Meeting the smirk with one of their own, the stranger removed the hood, revealing short cut red hair that sat on a pale head, with slight stubble that matched. There was a bit of a mischievous look held in green eyes as they looked their companion. The dark, decaying gray pallor that had once signified him as a Dark Lord had since receded, bringing back the youthful face of Ellis Yoly.

Or at least the face of the Ellis Yoly that had once been.

Though his features had returned to normal, there were still scars that resided within; these last three years, Ellis had spent going back and forth between the planet of Rhen Var and his adopted home of Telos IV, struggling with the revelations he had discovered and desperately trying to put his life back on some sort of path. It had taken all this time and would ultimately take far more for him to truly be at peace with himself.

And Ellis wouldn’t be on Talravin if not for the woman that stood next to him.

Bastila Korr had gone through her own path of understanding when it came to her actions from the past. Her taste of dark sided power had opened a door to deep seated resentment that she had buried behind bravado and overconfidence to keep those insecurities at bay. While most still remembered her as the pivotal force behind the Republic’s capture of Revan, only – thankfully – a handful of people were aware that she herself had fallen to the dark side and it was Revan who had brought her back to the light.

Since then, the young woman had enjoyed a sense of reawakened freedom. 

Certainly if her younger self could see her now – married to the man she had once fought against, the mother of his children, and standing next to a man she had fought against only a few short years previously – the shock alone would’ve made her swoon and collapse.

Cripes, she had been such a prude of frivolous behavior!

She, like her fellow companion, had found peace and that peace had led them both to this place, this planet. She and Revan moved to Talravin after the birth of their first child, both wanting to have a fresh start for their child – correction, children – without the stories of their famous parents hanging over them as they grew. 

Helena Shan wasn’t at all opposed to the move, loving the aspect of being able to watch her grandchildren grow and ultimately make up for the lost time between her and her only daughter. Time had thankfully mended the rift that had overshadowed their relationship for much of the younger woman’s life.

The former Jedi Knights turned Dark Lords turned back towards the lake, standing in reflective silence. “How are you, Ellis?” the woman asked, glancing to her left. The redhead was certainly far healthier than she had seen him in the previous years, his face no longer the ashen sight of dread and terror.

“Truly?”

Ellis nodded. “Better,” he said, taking a deep breath and feeling the air fill his lungs. “It’s…it’s slow, but…” 

He looked down at his hand. 

It had once been a powerful conduit, wielding both the light and the dark powers that a Jedi or a Sith could feel deeply within. “I can still feel…remnants, but they no longer trouble me. If it returns, then it returns. If not…”

He turned to look at Bastila and smirked. “It’s not as if I haven’t been without it before.”

The brunette scoffed affectionately. Ellis had made such a miraculous recovery, to Bastila’s eyes at least; she was still uncertain as to how the event happened – how this once promising young knight had lost his connection to the Force – but she was well aware that it had started and ended on the planet of Malachor V. Even now, nearly fourteen years in the aftermath, no one involved discussed what had transpired.

The compatible silence was suddenly broken by the peels of laughter as the two girls began to run headlong toward the adults. One of them ran straight to Ellis, slamming excitedly into his legs and throwing her arms around them tightly. She shared his same red hair, though hers was a bit lighter, but the same shade of green stared back at him as she looked up and smiled widely. Her friend had gone to his companion, grabbing the woman’s hand and pointing at the elderly woman who also began to approach insistently.

Ellis matched the redhead’s smile, cupping her face in his large hand, which she grabbed with her own small ones. “Did you have fun today, Arren?” he asked.

Young Arren Yoly, named for her grandmother, nodded excitedly before launching into a recap of her day and gesturing wildly to emphasize her points. The young boy who accompanied the elderly woman also ran to Ellis, arms lifting to reach for him, which the man granted by picking up the boy and receiving the quick snuggle for the effort.

The boy was a bit more tousled than the girls, his shorts and face dusted with a few particles of sand. His blue eyes were heavy, indicating the boy would soon be ready for a nap, but there still held some buzz of eagerness to tell his father about their day.

“And what about you, Ardie?” questioned Ellis, wiping away some of the dirt from the boy’s cheek. “Did you have fun in the sand?”

“Sand!”

Giving a nod to the elderly woman, Ellis responded, “I hope they weren’t too much trouble.”

“Nonsense,” Helena huffed, sending an affectionate smile to her granddaughter, mostly in response to the raised eyebrow she got from her daughter. “They were angels, the lot of them.”

“I find that seemingly hard to believe with this one,” Bastila joked, looking down. 

Shayla Korr looked similar to her mother when she was younger, something that Helena had been remarking on since her birth. Her own brown hair was held in two ponytails, her eyes also alight in childish joy; while she may have looked like her mother, she held all of her father’s personality, including the playful smile she now gave. 

“All the children were such wonders,” the elder Shan continued, ignoring her daughter’s statement. “Your boy is a curious one, questions all day about everything he found on the beach.”

Ellis looked at the boy. “I hope you didn’t bother Miss Helena too much with all your questions.” To his credit, little Arden Yoly hid his face against his father’s shoulder. At three years old, the boy was fascinated with the world around him and was filled with questions he knew grownups could answer.

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Helena chuckled. Getting Arden’s attention, she said, “You go right on asking questions, young sir! Some of our greatest problems happen because no one ever asks questions anymore. In fact, I have a very important question to ask right now – is there anyone here who could possibly help an old woman eat a plate of yummy cookies?”

All young eyes and heads turned toward the elder woman before immediately turning back to their respective parent for permission. This was where Helena shined, of course, a doting grandmother who would give and do anything for these children; she would’ve done anything for Bastila at that age, but she had been too young to understand the sacrifices she had made to indulge Galen in his adventures.

She had been strict and hard on her daughter in order to spare her, now she could be the mother she should’ve been. Seeing three clearly hungry children, looking to her for their afternoon fix, the elder woman laughed at their antics.

Ellis acquiesed to his son’s plea to be put down, giving both children his blessing in afternoon cookies, while Bastila tried to remain firm with her own child. “One cookie, Shayla Gale,” she chastised. “I mean it.” Looking to her mother, she continued with a reinforced, “I mean it, Mother. Just one cookie!”

Helena waved her daughter’s words off with a quick agreement, however her tone immediately changed once she had taken the hands of the Yoly children in each of hers, allowing her granddaughter to lead the way. While Bastila would swear up and down the planetary lines that Shayla was very much her father’s daughter, it was becoming abundantly clear that the authoritative persuasion of the Shan women had cleverly been passed down.

Despite being the younger of the three at two and a half, Shayla was already taking command of the cookie situation, leading the group toward her grandmother’s and babbling quickly about the types of treats she had already tried.

“She’s never going to sleep after this,” the brunette groaned, running a hand over her face. “Come on, then,” she replied, wrapping her arm around his and, much like her daughter, began to pull the man along with her. “There’s no way I’m facing that alone.”

Chuckling, Ellis said, “If I’m lucky, they’ll both fall asleep on the way home and if that doesn’t work, I’ll just say it’s your mother’s fault.”

“Good plan.”

The pair walked in silence, the murmurs of the children and Helena carried in the air ahead of them. “I meant to ask earlier,” Bastila murmured. “If you had anything pressing to attend to in the next week or so.”

“Not to my knowledge,” came the reply. “Why?”

“Revan wants to meet with you,” she explained. “On Dantooine within the former academy. It’s a whole meeting, rather, and I know he was planning on asking you about it when he next saw you.”

Ellis gave the woman a confused look. Since saving the small community of Khuunda, he hadn’t even begun to think about his former training grounds and in all the time he had recently spent with Revan, the former Jedi hadn’t mentioned it either. “Is there a reason why?” he asked.

Bastila shook her head. “He hasn’t even told me the specifics,” she huffed. “Only that he has an idea he wants to discuss. And I did say it was a meeting of sorts; he’s invited the whole lot of us. Whatever it is, it’s big enough spectacle that we’re all invited to, so…”

“I’ll speak with Brianna,” he said, nodding his head slowly.

Their silence returned as they continued, but now there was a mysterious element attached to it. Bastila had been truthful in that Revan had only mentioned he had an idea that he wanted to discuss with everyone, and he had meant everyone. Even she had thought it strange for him to want to return to what barely remained of the Jedi academy on Dantooine, but he only said it would be fitting for what he had in mind.

Ellis was equally curious. While she hadn’t said it, Bastila’s words implied that Revan wanted both him and Brianna in attendance, something that was strange in itself. The couple had been such a help to them both and much of the hate and resentment he had carried for his former friend and commander had dissipated, but Ellis would be lying if the familiar feeling of suspicion hadn’t graced his thoughts.

Noting that even Bastila wasn’t aware of her husband’s plan, Ellis relaxed but only slightly; surely there was more to this than just a simple meeting, but whatever the reasoning, it would have to wait until the next time the two couples would see each other.