______She awoke in a strange room.
______Suppressing the initial surge of fear, she quickly assessed the situation. She had no memory of how she had gotten there.
______She scanned the room, searching for an immediate threat to her person. After ascertaining that she was, at least for the moment, safe, she looked around again. Details presented themselves before her: she was in one of the rooms of one of the temple, that much she could tell.
______The walls were stripped of the decorations and tapestries that adorned her room. The bare stone gave the chamber the appearance of a prison cell-which is most likely what it was.
______Was Sahaar behind this?
______The furniture in this room was very bland, and purely functional. Gone were the fine dark wood chairs with the rich velour backing, instead replaced by fixtures crafted from light colored composites of non-organic materials.
______The sparse furniture that dotted the room added no warmth, no comfort to the chamber, and only reinforced the idea that she had been...imprisoned...
______Wait! a voice inside of her cried out. She froze, straining to hear the barely audible whisper in the back of her mind. She sat perched on the edge of epiphany, and her eyes swept the room slowly in search of the final clue. Methodically, she absorbed the details of each object one at a time.
______Again she felt a sense of déjà vu, only this was more tenable than before: she really felt like she had been there--
______This is my room…! she suddenly realized.
______Her hands clenched the blankets to steady her reeling perception. A panicked glance around the room confirmed that this was not an anonymous cell, but her own chamber within the Alliance headquarters-the same room she had occupied for months.
______Why didn't I recognize it? she asked herself, realizing to some dismay that she already knew the answer.
______She forced herself to calm down, and reigned in her rapid breathing. She centered her focus, and with every passing moment she felt more concrete in the present, and as herself.
______She looked down at her hand, and only when she consciously willed it to do so did it release its grip on the bedding. Her eye was immediately drawn to the Prince's signet on her finger. First the incident with the ring, and now this. She was leading a double life, and the two were starting to bleed into one another.
______No. That wasn't entirely true, was it? One was beginning to overtake the other. It was just as Kavolo warned.
______One thing was certain: she wasn't sharing this with him, despite the danger. He might reevaluate his position on the experiments, and she couldn't allow that to happen. Especially not now.
______She would just have to be more...careful.
______She retraced the events that led her to awaken in her own room. The last thing she remembered was Morgan coming for her with news of the Queen.
______And with that, the memories it brought.
______Before she rushed to the Queen's bedside, she turned to take her leave of Agdamaria. The old witch was nowhere to be seen.
______There was only a moment for her curiosity to ponder that as she and Morgan raced to the temple. Her lungs burned for air by the time she stepped into the Queen's chamber.
______Morgan caught up a few moments later. Aeon just stood there: fixated on the sight of Vail's mother.
______The Queen lay on her bed, the color drained from her face. She lay so still that for a moment Aeon feared the worst. Then she detected the slight murmur of the thick blankets covering her-the only betrayal to her lifeless appearance.
______A man hovered above the Queen, holding her wrist and counting quietly. Aeon assumed he was her doctor.
______What happened? Aeon asked. Morgan walked toward the bed, beckoning the Prince to follow. Aeon forced one leg to step in front of the other, and reluctantly she drew closer to the Queen.
______Memories thought long forgotten were released from their secret prison, painting a diorama from years ago.
______The memory was so vivid it bordered on hallucination. She was far away from Yavin in both time and distance. She was a child again, in her mother's room on the star cruiser Ameil.
______Aeon froze, overwhelmed in a deluge of emotions.
______She could see her mother as she clung tenuously to life in the last few days. Aeon's heart collapsed within itself, and she realized she might have been wrong about wounds she assumed had healed.
______She studied her mother's stoic face. Her skin was pale, and her features were sunken and sallow. Her nostrils flared in rhythm to her shallow breathing.
______This couldn't be real, could it? Was the crystal reaching into the not so distant past so that she could relive this moment?
______It was so painful to remember, and yet, slowly, as she viewed the scene she developed a strange detachment.
______Over the last few years, she found it increasingly difficult to remember her mother's face. She could barely admit that to herself, and she was too ashamed to ever tell her father. But as she looked through the window of her memory, she could make out the minutest details of her mother's countenance.
______That brought her some small comfort. Seeing her face in such detail opened up doorways to other memories-happier memories-of her mother.
______She couldn't remember exactly when her mother fell ill. One day she was fine, and then suddenly she was bed-ridden. It seemed as though she was sick for a long time, but a child's perception of time is skewed by the fact that they have so few years to compare it to.
______Looking back, she realized that she didn't even know what her mother had died of.
______She may have been poisoned, Morgan said.
______Aeon looked up, standing in the temple again.
______Or had she been there all along? She couldn't say for sure. She couldn't guarantee that the images of her mother's face weren't counterfeit, and her momentary comfort was tarnished.
______The fact that her perception could no longer distinguish where the line between her memories and her reality met frightened her a bit.
______Morgan presented a goblet fashioned of polished metal. This was found on the floor beside her.
______Aeon took the heavy chalice in her hand. The metal was chilling to the touch, a cold so intense it bordered on pain. Aeon set it down quickly, and shook the sensation from her hand.
______Where's Sahaar? she asked. His name was the first word that popped into her mind after hearing 'poison'.
______The people attending to the Queen look worriedly amongst themselves. Aeon realized that she could have been subtler in her statement, but she didn't care.
______He's with your Father, Morgan looked around nervously. They've been gone all day to trek to your grandfather's tomb.
______Why? Aeon asked.
______In your grandfather's tomb are the key to certain spells, Morgan informed her. Sahaar is trying to find a solution for the recent drought.
______He was after the Rites of the Bogan, her intuition told her. Or so he was telling the King. But that didn't mean he wasn't responsible for the Queen. It simply meant that he wanted him and the King to be somewhere together away from the castle to defer suspicion.
______She thought of Vail's father, and realized that he will be devastated when he sees her. Perhaps that's part of Sahaar's plan.
______The King wasn't the only one. She thought of how it felt to be in the Queen's arms that night. She knew how it felt again to have a mother's love.
______Is she going to--? Aeon asked Morgan. She couldn't finish the question.
______Morgan's gaze shifted involuntarily to the doctor, and the gesture was an answer in itself. Whatever news there was, he wanted the doctor to tell it. That wasn't a good sign.
______The Doctor looked up at Vail, and conjured a smile that was contradicted by his eyes. We're doing everything we can, your Highness.
______She plopped down hard on a chair at the Queen's bedside, and took the Queen's hand in her own. It was cold, just like the cup. She squeezed it, covering it with her warmth.
______Please, mother, she whispered, you have to get better.
______I don't think I can go through this again...
______Are you going to be all right? Morgan began.
______I have to get to the Agdamaria. She can help. Her vision dimmed for a moment, and she put a hand out to balance herself.
______What's wrong?
______Nothing, she replied. I have to--
______It happened again, only this time instead of an undefined darkness she saw a bright light.
______She heard Morgan's voice call out: Your Highness!
______I must-- she began, the echo of her voice reflecting very close to her, save my...
______She was standing in front of the crystal, and her arms tingled from a lack of circulation. The light within the obelisk faded quickly.
______Kavolo looked up, somewhat surprised. You're…here.
______Before she had a chance to comment, the weight of her person became too much to bear. She sank to the floor, listless. She leaned against the base of the crystal for support.
______Kavolo rushed over to her as she felt the spell passing. It was the first time that she had been 'released' naturally from the crystal's effect, save the time that it had summoned her.
______I'm okay, she assured him. I feel okay. He helped her to her feet, and steadied her until she could stand on her own.
______Except for the fatigue, she felt fine. The time her father had disconnected her forcibly had left her lying in the med-lab all day.
______Aeon, Kavolo asked gingerly. Who do you have to save?
______The Queen, she answered tentatively. She's fallen ill.
______Kavolo lingered a moment before probing the subject. And how does that make you feel? he asked.
______I don't know... she answered.
______Aeon, I made your Father a promise, he started. Here it comes, thought Aeon to herself. The scientist continued: that I would put your safety first.
______He paused for a moment, searching for the right words. But this discovery...what it could mean...
______I know my faults. I know that, in the past, I have become blinded by the quest. I have to know: can you handle this?
______Yes, she answered. It may or may not have been a lie.
______Because if you want to stop, we--
______No! she declared vehemently, perhaps revealing just how much she wanted-needed-to continue. Perhaps she also revealed her much her own judgement may have been impaired.
______Kavolo measured her with his gaze. I hope-for your sake, he said knowingly, that my blindness is one thing that we do not have in common...
______After ensuring that she was all right, he left her alone in the chamber. They didn't discuss the details on the experiment, like usual. She didn't tell him about what she had witnessed in the sky: the appearance of the terrifying, impending darkness.
______A doorway had been opened, the old witch had told her.
______Kavolo left the chamber deep in thought, and appeared wracked by guilt. She could see it in his face that his conscience and his passion were at war, and his passion was winning.
______Aeon returned to her room to get some much-needed rest.
______Again she resolved not to tell him about her disorientation. There was no guarantee it was on account of the crystal, she rationalized. Often when they found a new base of operations she would have feelings of dislocation upon awakening in a new room.
______Why alarm Kavolo over something that could be nothing?
______You're walking a dangerous path, child, she could almost hear the old woman tell her. Well, she would tread very carefully.
______Aeon slipped quietly out of bed, her feet making only light taps on the cold stone. She had no idea how long she'd slept, but she felt rejuvenated. Perhaps Kavolo would be ready to begin again.
______A knock at the door interrupted her train of thought.
______Hold on, she called out, fishing some clean clothes out of her bland, purely functional furnishings. Come in! she yelled after a moment.
______The door slid open, and Cammie entered. The others will be along in a minute, she informed her.
______Just leave it open, then, Aeon said, sliding on her boots.
______Cammie pressed the lock on the keypad, and the heavy metal door remained recessed into itself.
______Aeon stood up as Cammie turned, and Aeon was able to see her friend for what seemed like the first time in ages. She looked different, older.
______I love your hair, Aeon commented. Cammie smiled bashfully.
______Do you really?
______Yeah, Aeon affirmed. Cammie had pulled up the sides of her hair, and pinned them so that her hair fell straight down her shoulders. It was an entirely new look for her, and added a year or two to her appearance.
______And was she also wearing a little make-up?
______Aeon, Cammie inquired tentatively, can I ask you something?
______Sure. Aeon was a bit concerned by her tone. Was something the matter?
______Do you...? she began, still unable to look Aeon in the eye. She swallowed visibly, and mustered her courage.
______Do you like Tam? she finally asked.
______Of course, Aeon replied simply. Why?
______No reason, Cammie answered dejectedly. She walked into the room past Aeon, tugging the barrettes out of her hair.
______Cammie, Aeon reached out to her. I--
______The ship assignments were posted today, she interrupted, doing her best imitation of normalcy. We're all on the same ship-even Gates.
______Aeon walked over. What's wrong?
______Cammie's reflection looked her in the eye.
______I can't compete against you, Cammie confessed, perhaps finding strength in the illusion of the mirror.
______Compete? Aeon exclaimed. Why would you have to compete with me?
______You really don't know who you are, do you? Cammie asked, shaking her head in wonder, or consternation-or both. Aeon didn't understand.
______You're my best friend, but with you around… she stared into Aeon's mirror, taking a hard look at herself, it's hard to get people to even see me.
______She could understand that. She had felt that way many times, especially around her father. She couldn't imagine making someone else feel that same emptiness-especially someone she cared so much about.
______Aeon paused a moment, and stepped a few paces away. She debated whether or not to tell Cammie her secret, her decision. She hadn't told anyone-not her father, not Kavolo. She feared the reactions of both men.
______That won't be a problem… Aeon said.
______Cammie looked over her shoulder in the mirror. The unspoken question was evident in her face.
______I'm staying on Yavin, Aeon elaborated. I'm not going with the fleet. She felt a sense of relief. She had been keeping that to herself ever since she returned with the Prince's ring. And now that she had told someone else, it made it seem much more real.
______What? Cammie's eyes widened, and she spun around. Why? If its because of me, I--
______No, it's not, Aeon assured her.
______Then why? Cammie pleaded.
______It's the crystal we found, she began. Whatever's happening... she paused, its real.
______She walked over to Cammie, and showed her the Prince's ring. That's from the Prince. It belonged to him, and when I came out I was wearing it.
______Do you believe that? she asked, hardly believing it herself.
______Wow! Cammie uttered incredulously. She stared at the ring on Aeon's finger.
______Here, I'm a nobody, Cammie. There, I'm a Prince. I'm important.
______You're important to us, Cammie said. And to me...
______Aeon felt pangs of guilt, and she thought of the other piece of jewelry she wore: the necklace given to her by Cammie-a token of their bond that was more like sisters than friends.
______I'm sorry, Cammie, she said. I really am. But I have to know. The crystal holds the key to the secret of the Massassi.
______And besides, its not like you'll never see me again. I'll catch up with the fleet later.
______How? Cammie asked skeptically.
______I don't exactly know how, Aeon admitted. But I'll think of something. I promise
______Cammie just frowned. She remained unconvinced.
______Cammie, this is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. I just can't leave and always wonder what might have been.
______Aeon could tell by Cammie's expression that she understood that. Is Lom Kavolo staying? Cammie asked.
______I don't know, Aeon shrugged. I haven't told him yet. I'm not sure how he'll react.
______I don't care. I'll stay by myself if I have to, she declared.
______What are you going to tell your Father?
______I was curious about that myself... she heard thunder across the room. They turned, and her Father was standing in the open door.
______Aeon frowned. That wasn't how she'd wanted to tell him. Cammie, can I speak with my daughter alone for a minute? he asked.
______Cammie just nodded. As she left the room, she walked around the General. Aeon understood why: anger radiated from him in waves. She had never seen him so furious.
______You're angry, Father, she stated. It was uncomfortable for her to be in his presence.
______That surprises you? he inquired. Aeon, I let you continue with these experiments because you seemed to be so bored here. I thought it would give you something to--
______Bored? she exclaimed. Father, I love it here. This is the first planet that's ever felt like home to me. If you would ever listen--
______And that's why you're staying? Aeon, when the Empire comes--
______If..., she countered.
______When they come, they'll scour the planet in search of clues to our whereabouts. If they found you, they could make you divulge the location of the fleet. We can't afford for you to stay.
______Aeon paused. Not if I don't know, she said.
______What are you saying...? her Father demanded.
______I've stumbled upon an amazing discovery, and I have to see it through to its conclusion.
______You're obsessed-just like Kavolo! her Father said. His own words set his mind in motion. He's behind this-isn't he? He's the one trying to convince you to stay!
______No! she objected. He doesn't even know that I've decided--
______The hell you are! he said vehemently.
______Arguing in circles was beginning to annoy her. She didn't know what to say to her father to make him understand.
______She realized that he didn't understand because he didn't want too, and probably never would.
______Father, she said as calmly as she could muster. If they could talk about this like adults...
______Aeon, he said, I will not hear another word about this!
______Fine, she said angrily, If that's how you want it-fine! Then you won't hear me when I say good-bye!
______She stormed past him, and exited the chamber.
______She was furious, and walked blindly through the temple corridors. She replayed the conversation over and over in her mind, frustrated that she couldn't get through to him.
______She suddenly remembered the ring. Why hadn't she shown him the ring?
______Why was it that she could never think of the right thing to say at the right time when it came to her father? With other people she was intelligent and confident. With him, she was a clumsy child who constantly tripped over her words.
______It was only after they argued that she was able to articulate what she had really wanted to say-and by then it was too late.
______A warm breeze blew through the fabric of her clothes, and her attention was drawn away from her father for a moment. She looked up, and could see the end of the corridor up ahead, and the night sky beyond that.
______Lost in thought, she had wandered to the terrace at the summit of the temple. She stepped out of the mouth of the temple corridor, and under the canopy of the stars.
______She hadn't slept that long after all-just a few hours. Breathing deeply of the warm night air, her anger dissipated as she exhaled.
______The beauty of this planet never ceased to amaze her. She would be content to spend the rest of her life here if she had too.
______I think this will be my temple, she thought to herself with a smile. Or should I live in that one?
______There are worse things than being alone. She had felt that way much of her life anyway.
______Her thoughts drifted to Cammie and the others. She would miss them as much as her father. Kavolo, too.
______Overcoming her momentary bout of self-pity, she realized that she wasn't alone at all, and depended on her friends as much as they depended upon her. They were her extended family, her surrogate family.
______Aeon looked out at the stars, and couldn't shake the argument with her father. But it wasn't because she was angry: he had echoed the sentiment implied by Kavolo. He called her obsessed.
______Was there some truth to his words? She had to consider the possibility if she was to remain honest with herself.
______It would be ironic that she accused him of not understanding her when, in fact, the opposite was true.
______She walked to the edge of the balcony, and scanned the endless array of stars. Regardless of what her father thought-regardless of the truth-she had to know what the future held for the Prince.
______Tomorrow she and Kavolo would start again. She would just have to be mindful of what she was doing.
______Having resolved the matter in her own mind, she turned to walk back into the temple when she caught sight of a particular star out of the corner of her eye.
______She studied it for a moment, sensing a familiarity in the frequency of its pulsating light.
______Realization dawned upon her: that star, although in a much different position at the time, was in close proximity to the frightening shape she saw in Yavin's sky.
______The Sith. That's what the old woman had called it.
______Aeon could pinpoint almost exactly where it had been. Thankfully, it was just empty space now.
______She had never felt anything so intense in her life. The memory dimmed almost as soon as she had freed herself from its grasp, and she was grateful for that.
______What had frightened her most was that, at the heart of that undulating nebula, she had detected a presence.
______Deep within lied an unspeakable sentience. It didn't seem to possess conscious thought, or even a basic intellect. It was more emotion than reason, and that emotion was fear.
______Struggling to understand it only blurred what little perception she had gleaned from her brief contact with it.
______She stared at the point in space where it had festered. She thought of Agdamaria's words, and how she instructed Aeon to reach out to the shape.
______On a whim, she attempted to do the same in the present. She focused on the same point in space, and stretched out with her feelings.
______Her consciousness expanded as before, and she freed herself from the limits of her physical being. She reached out to the stars, redefining the boundaries she accepted when she visualized her self. While still contained within the body comprised of physical matter, she had in the same instance left it far behind.
______In this state, the balance of her senses was reversed. She did not rely upon reason to classify and clarify incoming stimuli. She perceived without judgement, and her perception was limited only by what her reason failed to believe.
______She wondered: had it always been that way?
______But it was her reason that triggered the fear impulse when, in the vast emptiness of space, she sensed life forms. Many life forms.
______There was thousands of them-easily triple the population of the Alliance. They inhabited an armada of vessels closing swiftly upon the unsuspecting planet-and its immigrant populace.
______Her heart raced within the shell of her physical form. Aeon recognized those ships: their distinctive triangular shape had been the embodiment of fear ever since she was a child.
______Among the multitude of life forms, she sensed an anomaly. It was different from the others-stronger, more powerful.
______In her mind's eye, she penetrated the hull of one of the vessels. She was on the bridge.
______The anomalous life form stood with its back to her, indifferent to the flurry of activity that seemed to orbit it like so many satellites. It was much larger than she, shrouded in a thick black cape. The bridge lights reflected off the frozen, inanimate features of its angular black helmet.
______Above the distant cacophony of the bridge sounds, she could hear the ominous persistence of its regulated, mechanical breathing. As she drew nearer it became louder, drowning out all other sound.
______And as she got closer, she could feel the chill seeping from what remained of its soul. It was a familiar sensation-she had felt it from the Queen's goblet.
______The figure straightened, ignoring the officer that had nervously approached it. Fear gripped her as she realized that-somehow-it had sensed her presence. It turned to face her, and--
______She gasped as she snapped back into herself. Her heart pounded inside her chest, and her hands trembled.
______Spiraling into focus, her conscious mind suddenly grasped the true implication of her vision.
______It's not possible...!
______She couldn't tear her eyes away from the stars. The advancing armada-it easily outnumbered the Alliance fleet. If caught by surprise...!
______She had to alert her father. They had to evacuate the planet immediately!
______But how could they have gotten past the patrols?
______She peered critically at the sky. Hiding amongst the radiant glow of dawn, the telltale stars offered no hint of the impending danger.
______Had she imagined it...? Was it all an illusion-perhaps some side effect of merging with the crystal?
______No. It was real. She was certain of that.
______Time was their enemy now. There was no telling how long they had. Days? Hours?
______Was it already too late...?
______Despite the old woman's admonitions, she feared for her friends, and her family. She feared for herself.
______Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Aeon chased her elongated shadow as she fled into the dark maw of the temple.
______She had to warn the council. She had to warn everyone!
______The Empire's here...!
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