The Children of the Stars

Lost Empires

"Rey was at Marka Ragnos's tomb."

The group looked up from their meals of rations and games of pazaak to see Aya Tico and Dr. Bria Tharen standing in the doorway of the tent where they'd spent the rest of the lingering afternoon on Korriban.

Nellith rose to her feet, dusting the sand off of her light blue dress. "Sorry, Dr. Tharen— what?"

"I apologize for the delay." Dr. Tharen smiled warmly, wrinkling her nose. "Excavations have quite an interesting pace. We may spend days where not much happens— and then all of a sudden, all hands are needed on-deck!"

"We found some evidence that Sith tassels and prophecy crystals were hidden somewhere around the Exar Kun memorial tomb," Aya explained. "That'll be interesting. But tomorrow, we'll be looking at Marka Ragnos's tomb instead."

"You said our mother had been there?" Allana asked.

"We found evidence that the tomb had been disturbed and the fissures and marks are as recent as two or three years ago," Dr. Tharen said. "There isn't much evidence of grave-robbing anywhere else in the Valley of the Sith, so I'd take a guess that Rey Skywalker ended up there."

Then Dr. Tharen shifted for a moment, a strange light coming over her eyes.

"Who knew that her husband was Kylo Ren, the Jedi Killer of all people?" Dr. Tharen gave a nervous laugh. "The Last Jedi and the Jedi Killer— that will be one for the history texts."

Nellith and Allana shared a look— one that shared their mutual disdain for Dr. Tharen's detached description of their parents and their romance.

Allana was the first to break the look. "I suppose it would be strange, to outsiders."

"I apologize, Knight Skywalker—"

"Oh, I'm not a knight— call me Allana if you must, please," Allana said in that dainty and regal way. Like a princess.

Nellith was baffled at her own emotions. She'd literally never held the desire to be either of those things. She was never like Thea or Allana, the princesses and royal heiresses of the family.

No, she'd always been more like Jacen and Jaina— truly leaning into the Corellian blood from Han Solo. Wild and reckless, a flyer at heart.

As for boys— well, she'd had her crush on Kyp Durron as a younger Jedi, and would be lying if she said she didn't still hold the candle now.

But it was ridiculous to be jealous over a few glances, she told herself. Especially when they were being debriefed on their next mission.

Focus, Nellith, focus.

"So, that said, be ready about one standard hour before dawn," Dr. Tharen finished. "I'll be waiting outside with a crew. We'll be on frequency 3 of the comms— just let us know if you need us to come and get you."

"Well, it's likely that pyrotechnics and emergency excavation techniques won't be exactly helpful," Tash interrupted. "Records from the Lore Seeker state that Ragnos has a tomb that is incredibly easy to access— because he did not fear grave-robbers and had left far more subtle traps."

"You really think Sith ghosts are still lingering at the site?" Dr. Tharen raised her eyebrows. "The writings of Jedi Master and Master Historian of the Old Republic Mical Antilles state that it is not possible— Sith cannot form ghosts."

Tash's blue eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I'd think the New Jedi Order would be privy to that knowledge." Dr. Tharen continued to smile jovially, not knowing how she had offended Tash.

Nellith could sense her crew-mate bristling in the Force, like a Tooka Cat about to pounce. She gently sent out a warning to her friend in the Force, along with some vague attempt at calm.

Then again, it was hard to be calm in time such as these.

"Thank you, Dr. Tharen," Nellith said. "We appreciate you and Aya's help with finding our mother. We miss her greatly, and so does the galaxy, we find."

Dr. Tharen smiled sympathetically. "Everyone misses Rey Skywalker. It's just a pity that Kylo Ren was the one found instead."

Allana's hand darted over Nellith's wrist, and the Hapan princess smiled charmingly enough to block that three of his children and several Jedi who had trained under him were now giving Dr. Tharen the stink-eye.

"Sorry," Aya mouthed as she ushered Dr. Tharen out of the Jedi tent.

Jacen was the first to speak. "What a condescending moof-milker!"

"I know." Tahiri placed her hand on his shoulder. "The galaxy— they just don't know him like the Jedi do."

"Speak for yourself," Valin muttered.

Nellith was about to defend him when someone else spoke up.

"Valin!" Jysella cried, standing from where she crouched on the rug laid on the packed sand. "You know Master Solo— he's been nothing but a good man to us!"

"Like you don't know that Dad's only sworn his allegiance to Rey's Order, not Ben's," Valin sneered. "You should hear him, when he's had a few Corellian Firewhiskeys in him. How he thinks Ben should have been shot, for what he did— Exogol or no. He should have stayed dead."

"Valin, you don't mean that?" Tears started to well in Allana's eyes. "Don't say these things, please."

"Yeah, this doesn't sound like you," Jacen said.

"Is it so hard to believe?" Valin raised his eyebrows.

"Yes," Tahiri said just as Kyp said, "No."

Everyone then looked to Kyp.

"You've always been an uptight prick and an absolute goody-goody who can't see the moon for the stars!"

"Oh, you're just mad because I see right through you, and I always have, Durron," Valin spat. "You're just a scared little boy playing at darkness—"

"What happened with Exar Kun wasn't my fault, and besides, I didn't hurt anyone—"

"Yeah, but you almost killed people, yet Solo still let you off the hook, even offered to train you himself." Valin's voice was dripping with bitter laughter and jealousy. "What hypocrites. Wanting to bring justice when we let murderers and liars and thieves hang around—"

"The Jedi helped Mom and Dad get together," Jysella reminded him furiously. "She was a smuggler— would you have preferred she got to jail with Grandpa and—"

"There's a difference between the two and you know it—"'

Nellith's eyes widened, and she stumbled back half a step. This wasn't right.

They would never say anything like this to one another— not under normal circumstances.

But these weren't normal circumstances.

Nellith realized in that second that she and her father had made a terrible mistake. Many young, impulsive, and powerful Jedi with very little experience against the dark side, all in the Valley of the Sith, where the darkest of the dark spent their afterlife, haunting all that was left of their legacy.

"EVERYBODY STOP!"

Everyone in question turned to look at Nellith.

"Guys, think for one second about where we are." Nellith's voice drifted conspiratorially low. "The Valley of the Sith. Their ghosts are preying on us, making us the worst we possibly can be, so we'll succumb to the dark side."

The Jedi backed away from one another, and the tent was quiet for the rest of the night.