About an hour later, after our discussion, I was sitting inside our temporary cell. Well, they didn't call it that, but realistically speaking, we weren't free to wander the ship either. Not that we could leave as we had already jumped to hyperspace and were on our way to... somewhere.
Still, the quarters they gave us were more comfortable than I expected—more so than they had any right to be, given the circumstances. They were spacious, with polished floors, a sleek refresh station, and even a transparent viewport showing the blue hyperspace lane gliding past as the Reborn flew silently toward its destination. As for where it was, I didn't know, but I knew that by the time we arrived, Vestara would expect my Master to help her with the last leg of the trip.
But I don't know if he would. For now, I couldn't even feel his presence as he retreated to his own private alcoves branched from the common chamber, each with a fold-out sleeping berth, a low meditation platform, and clean, minimal furnishings. As for Master Katarn, he also closed himself off to meditate a little.
Which, I suspected, was the point and something I should have done myself, but I wasn't really in the state or the mood to do so. Instead, I lingered in the main room, slowly walking around, studying the room, trying to get a feel for this place through the Force.
There were no cameras or monitoring equipment that I could detect. The Force was still muted but not completely suppressed, unlike before when we were in the hangar. Here, it was there, but it was more like background static, like listening to a discussion from a room above.
In the end, I sat down on the couches in the corner, watching the table in front of me. There were fruits placed on it, clean water, and after a brief argument with myself, I decided to taste one. It was... juicy. There was no synthetic edge to it. I found that more unnerving than being fed some prison slop or something laced with a drug or anything similar. They wanted us to feel cared for and welcomed... which was not what Sith should do. Even if they say they are not Sith... Ugh. This was getting on my nerves a bit.
Munching on the piece of fruit, my eyes grew distant while I tried to clear my mind, reorganizing my thoughts. There was a lot of information dropped in our previous meeting, from which much went over my head. What I was focusing on was going over her words and her philosophy, trying to make sense of them, and comparing them with old Sith teachings. I don't know if I believed her... Yet. Power must serve a purpose? Emotion is a tool, not a chain... The Force is balanced...
It all sounded... plausible. It was too plausible for my taste, and I hated that. After a time—I wasn't sure how long—a soft knock tapped against the thin metal backrest of my seat, bringing my focus back into place. As I moved my eyes, Vila's face came into view, gazing at me.
"Kael? You okay?"
"Yeah," I said automatically. "I was simply thinking. What's up?"
I asked, studying her face and noticing that her expression was unreadable and her feelings... confused. She had a stiff sitting position, too, her lekku draped behind her shoulders, and her posture was tense. Yeah... something was really bothering her, and she couldn't really get herself to start talking about it.
"..."
"Couldn't sleep?" I asked, trying to help her begin.
"Meditation's overrated tonight," she muttered. "My thoughts won't shut up."
"Yeah," I admitted, leaning forward. "Don't worry about it. Same here, so it is not only you."
"I guess..." She looked at me, long and quiet, our eyes just studying each other. "Do you believe her?"
That was the question, wasn't it? I leaned back against the bulkhead, exhaling slowly.
"I don't know."
"I do." She said suddenly as she looked down at her hands. "That's what's bothering me."
That surprised me. Vila, as stubborn as she could get... The first to draw her saber. The first to laugh at anything that smelled of propaganda... believe them? I did not expect that.
"Seriously?"
"Not all of it," she said quickly, pouting. "Not... the whole thing, that is. But parts of it. Kael, you felt them, right? I mean, those Acolytes. The way they looked at us. At first, I thought they would be angry or, you know, hateful. The way they served without fear, I thought they were doing it to provoke us or show we were their prisoners, and they are controlling our fates now... But... I don't know. I am not as good as you with this, but my thoughts were different from what I felt when I touched them. They weren't brainwashed, and for sure, they weren't angry. They were surprisingly focused instead of all that."
"Yes, that's true." I nodded because I had noticed it, too.
"To me... It felt like... like a mirror," she continued. "A different version of what we are. But not twisted. Not wrong. Just... a bit different."
"Stricter," I added. "Less forgiving. You are not wrong, but I also felt them to be a bit more... cold. No, that is the wrong word. More selfish? No... that's more Sith-like... Hm." I grunted, crossing my arms as I found it hard to put it into words. "What I gathered was that they would use methods we deem unreasonable if it solved their issue faster than any other possibility."
"Yeah. But it also felt less hypocritical. Do you remember what it was like facing Iowi and his preaching? I know he has changed since then, but some things he still does are rooted in what he believed back then. Sometimes he still acts like that and can be... smiling yet not at the same time."
"I understand what you are saying, but do you think the Revani Order has a better idea? Really?"
"..." She didn't answer right away, but then she said, very softly, "No. I do not... but... I think they're trying something different. And maybe... maybe different isn't evil."
"True..." I stared at her, letting out a soft sigh. She looked troubled, not converted, of course. But I could see the cracks forming. "You're worried what that means for the future," I said. "Indeed, we can't just kill them or suppress them if they are not a danger to the galaxy."
"Yes, I'm worried about what it means if she's telling the truth. If she's not lying, Kael, if she means to coexist, to share the galaxy without control, then... Are we... Are we wrong about what the Dark Side can be? Okay, I am not stupid; I know we are not wrong about all of it... But... Ugh, this is so confusing! If the Dark Side is not so easy to define, how will I make sure I do not fall for it and prove that idiot Iowi right?!"
"Because you are Vila," I answered with a smile, reaching out and holding her hand, squeezing it. Maybe we are wrong about the Force and its sides, but honestly, we are still only Padawans. I myself believe that the Grandmaster knows better. So, instead of worrying about it, I would say we just need to do what we must and let the more experienced Jedi Masters see through the issue.
After a moment, sensing her calming down a little, I shifted the topic to something I was actually, really, really, really worried about.
"Have you seen HK? Anywhere?"
"Ah..." She blinked her eyes, her lekku beginning to twitch like crazy. "Actually... no. He disappeared after we landed. Like, disappeared disappeared. Not even a sarcastic beep or derogatory meatbag comment."
"That's what I have been most nervous about," I muttered. "He was behind us when we landed. Then—poof. No trace. I didn't know he could do that."
"You think Vestara's got him?"
"No way," I chuckled nervously. "She hasn't mentioned him once. And I think if she did capture him, we'd know. Loudly. Violently. HK wouldn't be one to allow being captured, no?"
"So where is he?"
As if on cue, the comm panel on my wall chirped. I jumped at once because it was unexpected, while Vila stood abruptly, both of us staring at the blinking light. Coincidence? No... It didn't feel like it, so I pressed it.
[Hopeful Inquiry: Meatbag, I mean, my generous Master Kael?] came the familiar voice just as we were discussing where the hell he disappeared to.
"Where the Tatooine did you disappear to?!" I asked, my voice a bit higher pitched than I would want to admit it.
[Statement: Good. You are alive. I was growing mildly concerned you had accepted hospitality protocols and become a casualty of some poison. Then I would be free, oh the horrors.]
"HK?! Where are you?" Vila interrupted his monologue, sounding surprisingly angry. Or worried. It was hard to tell.
[Statement: Hidden compartment 3B, deck 17, forward maintenance array. You would call it... the crawlspace where secrets fester.]
"...That's not ominous at all," I grunted, shaking my head.
[Addendum: You should come. Alone. What I found is... classified by your standards.]
"Really?" Vila leaned in close. "What's going on?"
[Proud Statement: Currently, I hacked into the ship's internal systems. The connection is not stable, but they have not picked it up yet. I don't have much time, so please, move your meatbag bodies here.]
And with that, the connection was cut out, leaving us there standing, mouths slightly agape.
"I'm coming with you." She said at once before I could open my mouth.
"He said alone."
"He meant us, without our Masters." She gave me a look, rolling her eyes.
"Isn't that suspicious?" I argued, but she just shrugged.
"We are on a Sith-not-Sith vessel. Everything is suspicious... that is why I am coming with you."
"Haaah..." I sighed, "Fine. Come... let's see what he found!"
And with that, both of us were out. I was surprised... really. The door wasn't locked, and no guards were posted there. As for why? I had plenty of reasons and ideas... but I pushed them to the back of my mind as it was better to focus on the now. It made things easier.
....
.....
....
Back in the cabin, in the quiet stillness of his alcove, Ben Skywalker sat cross-legged in meditation. The Force surrounded him like a massive tide, hidden behind a thin veil of control, unaffected by the dampening effects of Vestara's ship. As he was sitting there, he felt a whisper tugging at his thoughts coming from the connection between him and Kyle.
"They're gone."
Ben smiled faintly as the voice echoed through his mind, but he didn't open his eyes.
"I know."
"We should go after them." Kyle's mental tone was sharp and a bit worried. "This place is not somewhere the two should wander around alone."
"I know you are worried about Vila," Ben replied, his mental presence remaining calm and collected. "But no. Let them go."
"You're serious?" Katarn asked after a brief pause.
"Yes."
"Are you sure...?" Katarn's voice sharpened, audibly unhappy about Ben's decision. "Ben, you said it yourself—Vestara's playing a type of game. And now our two Padawans have snuck off into her flagship alone. How is that not a trap?"
Ben took a slow breath.
"It is not a trap. Even if it was, then it's one they have to navigate. Alone. But it isn't. Trust me."
"You're gambling."
"No." Ben's mental voice softened, shaded by his intuition, a clear trust in his own Force-suggestions. "I saw something. Not clearly. Just... a moment. A flash... Them, standing at a crossroads, not physical but something more. Something that matters."
"You had a vision."
"It has been a long time since the last one... but yes," Ben admitted. "This was strong. Enough to know that this trip will shape our Padawans. Maybe change them. It will happen, even if we want to interfere in it. It is the Will of the Force, Kyle. We can't do anything about it..."
"That's a big 'maybe' to leave them alone..."