Anakin's Empire: A Star Wars Alternative

8: Kira's Past and Treason

The same cozy ship that first touched the damp sand of Jakku now landed on an island on the planet Ahch-To. Yoda descended from it along with Kira, the girl from Jakku. They walked on the lively grass and climbed many stone steps, only to enter a structure made of the same material with a vaulted shape. Yoda sat on a stone chair, but Kira remained standing:

"I can't believe what I'm doing. This is wrong."

"Calm down. Your story, tell me."

"That is precisely what I am never allowed to tell in Jakku. Although my parents have discreetly revealed it to me throughout my life. I shouldn't tell you, but something... tells me I should."

My family and lineage is from Coruscant. My parents always claimed we were royalty, although I always had my doubts. From what I was told, we belonged to a high-class group that based its economy on gambling. I don't exactly remember the name of the group, but I think it was something like Cantonica Betting. The reason I remember the name of our family group is because my parents used to go to a planet called Cantonica, which was reputed to be a paradise for some and a hell for others. You either won or you lost. My parents used to travel to a city whose name I don't remember. But what I do clearly remember is that the leader of our group was an old man who was always hiding from us. He wore golden robes and expensive jewelry, and his presence made me feel... uncomfortable. He had strange habits: he met with figures dressed in black, gambled a lot but then retired and those bets were never made personally, and things like that. My parents called him Lord, and nothing more. I clearly remember how my parents used to say "Relax, little girl. When the Order arrives, you will let the galaxy know what your full potential is. Lord has promised us." That man they called Lord was always seen in dark places, but the only time a small light bulb illuminated his face I saw a deformity. He had hundreds of scars, even thousands of them. His walking was extremely slow, and he was always helped to walk by other people.

My parents never took me with them, but they always promised to do it when I was 10 years old. They wanted me to "learn how the business works." However, when I was months away from being 10 years old, there was a conflict within Cantonica Betting. All I remember is that we once travelled to Jakku to demand payment from some customers when we received a terrible message from Cantonica. The hologram showed a gambler close to my family communicating his dissatisfaction with the situation in that city in Cantonica. The man claimed that the Separatist Alliance had invaded the city and that the casino area was besieged by thousands of battle droids. If the casino didn't work, our income would no longer reach either our Coruscant facility or us. However, we were hopeful. Our transporter in Jakku also received the message so he took an urgent trip back to the casino. He assured us that he would return as soon as the separatists left town. At that time we were in a more or less stable situation, as we were rich and had many credits. But those resources ran out, and after a month we were forced to join the Jakku society. We settled in that place called Niima Outpost, and every day we fought for our food and looked for scrap metal like the rest. We even do it to this day, even though we have become accustomed to that life. We dream day and night about the possibility of someone or something showing us the way home... If there's still our home.

"Hmm... I see."

"Now that we're here... I'd like to know why you brought me to this desolate island. I don't see the point."

"The Force, you know?"

"Yes. My parents talk to me all the time about it and we meditate constantly so that it is at our disposal. They always promise me that someday I will discover something dark inside me. But darkness ends up being the best option."

Yoda rose to his feet, furiously pointing his cane at Kira:

"No! The Dark Side, that is. Our slave, the Force must not be. Flow through us, it must."

"I don't understand. We dedicate our whole life to the Force, but it's not a good power. It has bad intentions, so we try to dominate it."

"No, young girl. Good, the Force is. Manipulated you, your parents have. Dark Side users, they are. Trust them, you must not."

"No.... I can't believe you."

"Feel this place, you must. What you feel, you must say."

Kira closed her eyes for a few moments, only to open them furiously as she closed her hands in anger.

"Deception. Hostility. That's the only thing I felt when I came to this place, but I never said it because I trusted you. And what I'm feeling right now that I didn't before is... that you're a Jedi."

Kira furiously turned on a red lightsaber, and swooped on Yoda. But the Jedi pushed her skillfully with the Force. Kira decided to abandon her enemy and headed quickly for Yoda's ship. She turned it on almost effortlessly and flew over the island, starting the engines at maximum. Yoda tried to bring the ship down, but a dark aura emanating from Kira prevented the Jedi from doing this. The scavenger reached an appropriate height and quickly jumped into hyperspace.
Now, the Grand Jedi Master was stranded on a desolate island without transport. Yoda looked around with a void in his eyes, surrounded by dozens of ancient Jedi constructions.