Centuries Old Relic

[Jake Daniels]

.::.Planet of Dantooine.::.
.::.Garang National Forest.::.

Within the confines of a tiny room, feeble hands shook violently as they wiped away at droplets of water that seemed to rain down upon a tired face. A gasp of air was inhaled, filling otherwise dry lungs with a breath that hadn’t been taken in ages. Again the weak hands wiped away at the droplets before acting as shields for eyes the slowly began to peek open. Chapped lips separated as though letting out a scream that made no sound. A dried voice grunted violently as the figure began to slowly thrash about. His body screamed at him, his muscles pleading with him to not move. They were denied.

Again the mans lips parted, this time the faintest of names escaping them, a plea for one whom had long since passed. His two hands, one bearing a wedding band, pressed against the glass door that seemed stuck in place. The first push did nothing. His muscles simply gave. Even as the temperature continued to rise and his body continued to thaw; one singular purpose consumed him. Escape. As a mind began to fire back to life, as eyes began to open and take in the confines of the tube, and a body that did not want to be restrained any longer, the man jerked violently. Still the glass door would not budge.

Wiping away at the dew that formed on the glass, blurred vision from icy blue eyes stared into the room. A door seemed ajar, allowing in a sliver of light that helped cast aside shadows. Revealed was a small table; a bottle of water being the object the man focused on. The moment the water was in view the thirst hit him like a wave into a cliff; a collision that brought weakness to exhausted knees. Hands once more pushed against the container. Once more the lid refused to move.

A huff echoed in the chamber as the man resided to resting his forehead against the cool glass. Taking another peek out, his eyes spotted a small collection of clothes in plastic bag that seemed suspiciously new. The desire for water had prevented his earlier observation of them. As the seconds passed into minutes, a small hiss was heard. Glancing out once more, the man watched as the warm air from the container seemed to be escaping into the room around him. It was here that a voice broke the silence in the chamber.

‘Analysis of the outside atmosphere detects no pathogens. Analysis of internal compartment air detects no pathogens. Compartment unlock process can proceed.’

The man pressed his hands against the glass once more the moment the computer ceased talking, this time shoving against the now moving glass door. The door pushed out slightly before sliding to the left. With no support to keep him upright any longer, a bare frame fell outwards. Crumbling to the cold floor, he shivered and whimpered as the pain of the fall momentarily paralyzed him. Silence filled the room again, as he lay motionless, eyes falling closed as the air of the outside world filled his lungs. Breath after breath, the mans body heaved. His heart pounded inside his chest. His muscles throbbed and twitch. His eyes though remained slightly blurred.

Glancing back at the table, the nude frame began a slow crawl of just a few paces. One arm, then the other desperately reached for the table. As salvation was near, as fingertips fought for grip with the edge of the table, the room suddenly flushed with light. The sudden brightness causing the bare frame to curl into a ball while the sound of shouting pounded in his ears.

“Dantooine Hazardous Materials Unit. Do not move. I repeat do not move!” One voice said towards the bare frame, “Bag and tag everything. I want everything tested.”

Men and Women in white hazmat suits poured into the small room, grabbing everything, including the water bottle.

“Sir initial reports indicate no pathogens.” Another replied.

“Treat this place as though there are.”

“Yes Sir.” The second voice coming from a person apparently acting as an assistant to the first.

"Someone check that cryotube. I want to know how long its been here.” The initial voice said. Kneeling down next to nude man, he placed a hand on the shaking individual’s shoulder, “I want this man held in quarantine at Garang Research Laboratory. Full blood work, hair, skin, urine, and fecal samples. If you can test it I want a result.”

The man twitched in agony as the sound of talking caused a harsh aching in his head.

“My name is Doctor Hernandez. You’re safe but we need to ensure you are not infected.” The Doctor said in a suddenly softer tone.

Coming to a stand Doctor Hernandez watched as the room continued to be processed. “Any word on the tipper that gave us this location?”

“No Sir.”

“How are the outside scans going?” Hernandez asked to people the nude figure couldn’t see.

“All is still clear, Sir. The only thing that escaped the room is air.”

“Keep searching. We have to be sure.” Doctor Hernandez shook his head in frustration, “A secret cryochamber that’s been open before we got here. An anonymous tipper that we can’t find. Somethings not right.”

As a pair of individuals came in to wrap the nude individual in a silver heating blanket, another walked up to Hernandez and handed over a panel from the cryotube.

“This isn't accurate.” Hernandez asked with a sudden anxiety.

“I believe it is.” His Assistant said.

“This says the cryotube wasn’t supposed to unlock for another two centuries. Someone manually activated it to thaw early. Why though?” Hernandez glanced down at the figure as he was lifted onto a stretcher.

“Whoever it was left him a bottle of water and some clothes.” The Assistant replied. “They also left this.”

Hernandez took an incredibly aged photo in his gloved hand. Flipping the photo around, icy blue eyes of the nude man immediately recognized the family in it. “Bag it with the clothes. Also contact Security Forces. If he was manually thawed then that person may still be close. Have them begin the search. As for our friend here, at least I know his name now.”

The same icy blue eyes that had locked onto the photo turned towards Hernandez.

“His name is Jake Daniels.”

 

[Jake Daniels]

Two Days Later

.::.Garang Research Laboratory.::.
.::.Dantooine Government Facility.:..

"He hasn't spoken." Doctor Hernandez said. Flipping through the papers on the clipboard, he checked over the newest vitals taken of their surprise patient.

"What is he? A mute?" A harsh, deep, and nearlous callous response came.

Hernandez glanced up. Before him was a man of stark contrast. While Hernandez stood at a modest six feet, this man towered over him by nearly six inches. While the Doctor held a lean physique, this man was husky. Hernadez's dark hair was contrast by the others light though both of their eyes held the same brown iris'. The most contrasting aspect about these two men were their uniforms.

Hernandez wore pastel green scrubs with a white lab coat. Arounds his neck was a stethascope. In his left breast pocket were various medical tools; a writing pen, a small light, and a couple of sterile wooden utensils which looked like jumbo popsicle sticks.

The other was dressed in fatigue greens. A military man. Well polished boots, crisp and clean fatigue pants that were wrapped by a thick leather belt and his overshirt all screamed authority. His name was sticked into the right shoulder of his uniform. On the top of his head resided a typical ball cap matching the rest of his ensemble.

"Colonel," Hernandez said, "He isn't a mute. If the cryotubes computer is accurate..."

The Colonel cut him off, "It is. We checked, rechecked, and triple checked it."

Hernandez let a slight hint of irritation escape his normally calm expression from the interruption, "Then he has spent a very long time in there. He probably doesn't know how long its been."

"You haven't told him?" The Colonel asked.

"No. I've been more focused on his health." Hernandez replied. "He hasnt even asked for food or water. We've had to resort to feeding him through an i.v. just to make sure his body gets the proper nutrients but its hard."

"Why?" The Colonel asked.

"His body isn't adapted to these times, to our foods. We have to try and match whats already in his body. You wouldn't just force food into the stomach of someone who's never had it. You have to acclamate them to it. Again, though, I'm more concerned about his health."

"I thought his tests came back negative?"

"They did. Blood, urine, fecal, and skin. There is no signs of the plague in his system. We did discover one thing though.” Hernandez explained as he flipped through the pages on his clipboard before showing them to the Colonel.
The Colonel took the board then glanced up, “He isn’t immune.”

“No. His system as absolutely zero antibodies to the plague. This also makes him incredibly special.” Doctor Hernandez explained.

“This makes him incredibly dangerous.” The Colonel replied. There was a reason people feared the plague. The most devastating virus the galaxy has ever seen. A virus that destroyed Empires and Republics across every known region. As the centuries passed family linneages grew some immunities too it while others believed the virus had completely died off. There was always that fear that it would return. In the hands of the Colonel were test results that presented a viable possibility for that to happen. A person with no known immunity.

“I'm also highly concerned about his mental health." Hernandez replied.

"Explain." The Colonel ordered.

Doctor Hernandez motioned for the Colonel to follow. The two men walked quietly down the hall. Everything about the building came off as a typical hospital. Nurses manned the stations, Doctors walked about, patients were ushered from one place and to another. The only indication that there was something different; something special about this facility were the two large steel doors. On both sides stood armed guards, men dressed like the Colonel and armed.

Showing his badge, the Guard on the outside of the doors pushed a button to allow entrance. As both men stepped past the first set of doors they came to a stop before the second. Once the guard shut the doors behind them the Guard on the inside opened his doors. Unlike the other portions of the hospital there were no nurses nor patients walking about. It was simply Doctors; some in full hazmat suits as they entered and exited rooms. Silence was also observed. Total and complete there wasn’t a sound to be heard with the exception of the occasional door opening and closing.

It wasn’t long until both men came to a stop at a large room. A large floor to ceiling clear glass acted as one wall. Inside was a television that sat silent, a cabinet with several hospital gowns along with socks. There was a small secondary wall that emerged to give far corner some level of privacy at it shielded from view a toilet and shower. The room was lit by a ceiling light, a cushioned chair, and the typical hospital bed with several monitors. On the bed sat a crossed legged Jake Daniels whom held the aged photo from near his cryotube.

His fingers gently stroked three faces in the image as tears rolled from his eyes, down his cheeks and dripped off his chin. On his left hand was an elegant wedding band, the only item the Doctors refused to remove from Jake. He shook as he sobbed. His throat as tight as a campers knot. Through blurred and watery blood shot eyes, the entirety of his focus remained on the image of a happy family; a family that he lost. A loss that devastated him.

 

[Jake Daniels]

The door to the room opened allowing the Colonel and Doctor to enter. For a moment both stood and watched Jake as he caressed the photo. There was a heartbreaking beauty to what they were witnessing; the loss this man suffered and the love that still dominated his heart. Even a hard soul like the Colonel was hesitant to speak.

“Mr. Daniels. My name is Colonel Andrews of the Dantooine Security Forces.” The Colonel began. “I wanted to speak with you.”

Jake simply sat silent. Though he heard the man talk he refused to acknowledge him.

“Like I said Colonel he has not spoken a word since being woken.” Doctor Hernandez said.

The Colonel took note of scars that covered parts of Jakes exposed legs and arms, “My lord.”

“Thirty percent of his body is covered in them. Scars that range from small to large. We were able to determine multiple causes based on type. Small arms fire, small knife wounds, and several burn marks.” Doctor Hernandez said. “We’ve been unable to determine their exact cause. The theory we are working on is that he may have been a slave in his time.”

“No.” Colonel Andrews replied. “Not a slave.”

“How do you know.”

“Look at him,” The Colonel came to a stand in front of Jakes bed and leaned in slightly. Taking in the sight of the grizzled, tired man he could see something the Doctor could not, “There’s an Alpha in there, isn’t there.”

Daniels icy blue eyes locked onto the Colonels. A sneer, a glare unlike any the Colonel had been given before served as a warning to back away. He did just that.

“We have to play this carefully.” Doctor Hernandez said.

“Why? We need answers.” The Colonel replied.

“Look at him. That loss is still raw for him. He probably doesn’t have a clue what year it is. To him the plague is still ravaging the galaxy.” The Doctor replied.

Daniels turned towards the Doctor and narrowed his eyes. He knew he’d been put into cryosleep; forced into the tube by his own men at the behest of his then deceased wife. Their loyalty to her, to ensure that her husband survived, meant that Jake now sat on the bed to a building he did not know. A man who wanted nothing more than to be with his family was now at the mercy of lesser individuals.

“How long.” A raspy, dried voice spoke.

Both Hernandez and Andrew looked back at Jake in surprise.

Hernandez spoke first, “Several centuries.”

That hit Jake hard as the man trembled. More tears rolled down his face as he contemplated what exactly that meant. New place. New time. His search for a cure had failed. What happened to the galaxy? What happened to his men? What happened to his Master?

“The plague wiped out everything. It wasn’t long ago that we emerged from the dark times. In many ways the galaxy is still recovering from its effects.” The Colonel explained. “We discovered your hidden room here on Dantooine.”

Jake now knew where he was. His birth planet.

“Can you tell us; how’d you get those scars.” Doctor Hernandez asked.

“I need to go.” Jake replied, outright ignoring the question.

The Colonel scoffed, “That’s not happening. You’re under military quarantine and it’s yet to be determined if you’ll ever be let out.”

“What do you remember?” Hernandez asked trying to change the subject.

“Concerning?” Jake replied.

“Events leading up to you going into the cryotube?”

“I didn’t go in it, I was put in it by my men. To ensure my survival they forced me into the tube after the loss of my family. As far as I am concerned I should be dead.” Jake snarled. His anger, his emotions, were as heightened as ever.

“You said 'your men', you were former military?” Colonel Andrews asked.

“Yes.” Daniels replied.

“Who did you serve.”

The dry voice of Daniels turned into an angry growl, “I want to go home. Now!”

“Mr. Daniels, we discovered something about you that is causing some concern. When we did your bloodwork we discovered you are not immune to the plague.” Doctor Hernandez interceded. “Though we believe the plague to be extinct there is still a small possibility it exists. If you become exposed you will be infected and the plague could, by theory, ravage the galaxy again.”

“Most aren’t immune.” Daniels snapped.

“Weren’t.” Hernandez replied, “Over the generations people built up natural immunities. Families that were originally immune to the virus continued on. They propagated and spread their immunity to future generations. You are one of the very few with none. To be honest, finding you is rare. So rare that I’d have had a better chance running through the core of the galaxy without a nav computer then to find someone from your time.”

Jake fell silent. Instead of answering he turned his attention back to his photo and once more began a quiet sob.

“Just curious,” Colonel Andrews asked, “where is home for you?”

“Honoghr.” Daniels sniffled.

The Colonel motioned for the Doctor to follow. After exiting the room they came to a stand at the glass wall. Observing a once more silent Jake go back to stroking his photo the Colonel contemplated his next move.

“There’s no chance your tests are wrong? You are certain he isn’t infected.” Colonel Andrews asked.

Hernandez nodded, “If he was, you and I wouldn’t not have been in there with him. Why? What are you thinking?”

“Let’s take him.” Colonel Andrews replied.

“He’s not infected. He’s also not immune. It’s too much of a risk.” Doctor Hernandez protested.

“My sole duty is the protection of Dantooine. If that means removing someone who can be infected then I will take it. This also gives us a chance to explore his environment; his home.” The Colonel explained.

“What if he gets infected?” Doctor Hernandez said.

“We will have a contingency plan in place for that potential issue should it arise. An opportunity has arisen that I cannot pass up. He isn’t infected. There was no sign of the plague in the room that was discovered. Odds are where he wants to go probably saw massive damage from the plague. We show up, investigate, and eradicate if necessary. Otherwise we let the popsicle live out his last remaining days in solitude.”

“Wait, what?”

“No immunity equals risk. So long as where he wants to do isn’t populated and there’s really no chance for him to escape we can leave him. He’s too great of a risk. This way I can assure the military brass that Dantooine is safe. You can test his environment and do whatever medical and scientific mumbo jumbo you want. We then leave him.” The Colonel explained. “Everyone gets what they want.”

Andrews and Hernandez turned their attention back towards the room. Both were suddenly startled to see Daniels just on the other side of the glass. His chest heaved as he growled. He wanted out. He wanted to go home. He wanted it now.

“Get him ready.” Colonel Andrews ordered. “I’ll work on the transportation.”

As Andrews walked off, Hernandez simply stared at Jake who remained unwavering, unmoving, and unflinching in his stance. There was nothing peaceful about the man who seemed so broken in so many ways. All the medical doctor wanted to do was repair what wasn’t seen. He wanted to know what exactly was going on inside the head of the man known amongst Facility Staff as “The Relic”.

 

[Jake Daniels]

.::.Later that Evening.::.

Daniels stood at the edge of his bed, staring at a set of clothes that had been placed there. His right hand held firm to a rod holding an IV bag. The bag had a long clear tube that attached to a small device which itself was stuck to the back of Jakes hand. His left hand held firm to the photo, not having let it go since the moment he received it.

The door to his room opened which drew his gaze. Doctor Hernandez entered but was followed by someone new. A woman whom held her own notepad. She stood just past five feet, stared up at Jake through green eyes and her raven black hair was done in a bun. She wore a business suit beneath her white lab coat. As she walked her wedge heels clicked against the floor.

“I was alerted that you haven’t gotten dressed yet. Is something wrong? The ships near ready to leave.” Hernandez asked.

“Where did you get these clothes?” Jake asked.

“They were in the same room you were. We found them next to a bottle and some items we’re planning to give you on the ship. Why?” Doctor Hernandez asked.

“If I was in cryosleep as long as you claim then someone put these clothes there.” Jake replied. His voice was growing slightly more agitated. “How is that possible?” Daniels voice remained riggid, dried, and raw. Hours of crying that had still ceased had taken its toll.

Doctor Hernandez placed a hand on Jakes shoulder which forced Daniels to jerk away.

“I don’t like being touched.” Daniels snarled in a sudden threatening defense.

“Noted.” Hernandez replied placing his hands up in a rather submissive manner. “What you should know is that you were not found by accident. Our facility received a tip from someone. When we investigated the tip proved accurate however we discovered that we were not the first ones there. Someone else had been there before us. They are probably the ones that left the new clothes for you and the water.”

“Who?” Jake asked.

“That’s what Colonel Andrews is trying to figure out.” Hernandez replied. “Can I ask, is there anything wrong with the clothes? They look like robes of some sort.”

Daniels stared back down at them, “They represent more than that…” Jakes voice trailed off as he remembered another; a person whom like his Lady Ritcea had a legitimate claim to his life.

Jake held different assortments of clothing based on his tasks. The robes were usually similar in style but the colored varied. The clothes that were sitting before him were for a special occasion; one that had become rarer in Jakes life after his marriage to his Lady Reticea. They were the formal wear for a meeting with his Master. Yet had it been his Lady Silencia that had awoken him there was little doubt that she would have remained. She would have watched over her pupil until he was well enough to fend for himself. In all honesty Daniels was coming to terms with a very real aspect of his life; the odds of his Master having survived the plague were astronomical. Yet Daniels couldn’t, nor would he, focus on that right now. He wanted to get home. He wanted to be with his family.

“Go on.” The woman suddenly said.

Daniels snapped out of his momentary memory, “Who is this?”

“I am Doctor Rebecca Hernandez.” She replied.

“Hernandez?” Daniels asked curiously.

“We’re married.” She explained. “I’m a trauma psychologist here on Dantooine. I work closely with first responders after a crisis in order to gauge and help treat any mental injuries. I was asked to visit you due to some issues my husbands observed and that I am confirming.”

Daniels sneered, “Issues?”

“We want to help you adjust to your new life.” Rebecca replied.

Daniels shook his head, ignored the womans statement, and glanced back at the clothes, “Can I get a different set of clothes?”

Doctor Hernandez nodded before making his leave. Daniels turned his attention to Rebecca who simply took a seat in the cushioned chair. Daniels let out a sigh as he came to the realization that his privacy was now over. Not until he got to Honghor would he be given such a precious commodity.

“I took a look over your medical file. Thirty percent of your body is covered in scar tissue. That’s just the visible damage. I looked at the x-rays they took. You’ve suffered breaks throughout your body; some of the breaks having been rebroken and healed multiple times.” Rebecca explained. “Your blood work shows that before your freezing you were suffering severe nutrient deficiencies.”

Daniels hobbled around the side of his bed, weight shifting to keep pressure off his right knee. His back remained turned to Rebecca. He was tired of talking. Tired of being here. For two days they had kept him locked in this room while they poked, prodded, and performed test after test. For a man with Jakes reputation, a man whom hated restrained, the amount of self-composure he kept currently was alarming.

“Want to talk about your family?” Rebecca asked.

Jakes shoulder sunk with a sigh.

“Want to talk about the woman in the photo?”

Daniels felt it. For the first time since waking, the darkness crept inside. Coursing through his body, the anger that someone would keep intruding on his personal life, stepping across lines he didn’t want neared. She, like his children, were off limits to inquiry. They were his and his alone. Turning his glare, Jakes icy blue eyes, for the slightest of moments had turned yellow. With a blink they returned to their blue.

Rebecca lurched forward startled. Unsure of what she saw. Unsure if she had actually seen anything. She came to a stand and rounded the bed looking into the tormented gaze of the man on the bed. Taking her clipboard, the woman began jotting down some notes. Daniels needed to ensure he kept control. What would she want him to do?

Doctor Hernandez returned within the hour. Setting down a new set of clothes he also revealed something else. “I noticed your limp. It may be awhile before your operating at full strength so I stopped by our rehabilitation wing and got a couple different walking aids for you. Pick one.”

Jake glanced at the various canes the Doctor held in a tight bunch. Each was different. Some had a round handle. Some had an ornament. Others were made of pure wood. The one Jake set his eyes one was a traditional curved handle cane. Made of aluminum and painted black, it served as a good support. What drew Jakes eyes was the design at the bottom of it; flashy and tacky… much like himself.

Daniels carefully held the picture between his lips while he removed the i.v. Setting the small needle down on the bed, much to the chagrine of Doctor Hernandez, Daniels took the picture back into his left hand while his right grabbed hold of the cane. Under the Doctors careful watch, Jake grew aquainted with his walking aid.

Rebecca remained silent. Not having spoken since the episode with Jakes eyes. She had grown intrigued by the man. She had a thousand different questions yet nothing seemed proper to ask. Not yet at least. She wanted to ask about the Plague. She wanted to ask about the effects it had on Jakes family. She wanted to ask about their deaths. She wanted to ask why he refused to let go. Yet everything returned to a simply but harsh truth.

To Jake… it all had just happened.

While the galaxy had centuries to recover, Daniels had days. To him, his family had just been buried three days earlier. To him he just wept over their freshly dug graves. To him he lost it all. So fresh and so raw. This whole situation was new to everyone involved; patient and doctor alike.

 

[Jake Daniels]

.::.Dantooine Security Force Transport Ship.::.
.::. Current Location: Hyperspace.::.

Daniels sat on the small bench in the year of the ship in absolute silence. His forehead pressed against his hands which were both clasping the handle of the tacky cane. His eyes remained shut, tightly so, as he tried his best to prevent a few tears from slipping out. Never before had Jake felt such grief, such pain. Was this what he put his Masters victims families through? Was this the pain he inflicted on the galaxy? The man couldn't be sure. He simply knew a simple truth; this was a pain he had never felt before. The loss. The loneliness. Yet it in this silence, as Jake tried his best to hide the never ending flow of tears from swollen and tired eyes, he reached out in the force.

He was limited in his ability. That was a truth even before his cryosleep. Jake had been trained to be a stealthy investigator. A shadow protector. An unseen hand of his Master. While others relied heavily on the force to survive a fight, Jake might as well have been a Pirate with a vibrosword. He was trained to turn his limitations into an advantage. He was trained to use his ineffectiveness in the force as a drive to overpower those higher on the food chain than him. For years Jake made the force a part of his will; now he pleaded with it.

As he sat in silence, as his mind wandered and thought, two plans were slowly starting to come to fruition. He would return home. He would ensure that he returned to his wife and children. Yet with a new time perhaps there was a new possibilities. What if the force itself was as strong as ever? What if Jake could do the unthinkable? What if he could do what no one would expect of a man with his limited abilities? What if he resurected them? Instead of wasting his life weeping over a grave, what if he brought about a rebirth of sorts.

“Jake?” Rebecca asked, knocking on the wall as she approached.

Daniels glanced up at her.

“Do you have a moment? I wanted to talk.” She asked passively.

Jake didn’t need to answer. Even if he said no, he knew she was going to still talk. She failed in her attempts at the hospital to get the man to open up. How was this time going to be any different?

“I spoke with Colonel Andrews. When we arrive on Honoghr we’re going to do an atmospheric check before landing. As long as the Plague isn’t present, we’ll stop as agreed. What’s waiting for you though?” Rebecca asked.

They are.’ Jake thought but did not say. His family was waiting for him. They were waiting on his return and he wasn’t going to let them down. Not again.

“You don’t have to talk for me to see that you’re not well. I am very concerned. No man should be this closed off after learning everything you have. You mind isn’t invincible. Its shattering. Your eyes reveal as much.”

Jake put his forehead back on his hands, hiding his gaze from the shrink.

“You can deny it all you want but you need help. You need to talk.”
Both heard another pair of footsteps come towards them. Colonel Andrews leaned against the wall and glanced down at Jake, “We’re almost there. Once we are satisfied that there is no risk of contamination. Once we get you to the coordinates you gave us we will leave as discussed.”

“Leave?” Rebecca asked.

“That’s right. Jake and I had a brief discussion after take off from Dantooine. We leave him on Honghor. He promises not to leave the planet. It’s a win-win for both of us.” Colonel Andrews explained.

“You can’t be serious. Look at him. Leaving him alone will only destroy what little sanity he has left.” Rebecca protested. “It’s my job to ensure a patients health.”

“And its mine to protect our people.” The Colonel replied.

Jake glanced at Rebecca who seemed absolutely appalled by this, “Does my husband know what you’re planning?”

“Yes.” The Colonel responded.

Rebecca stomped off in search of her husband. The Colonel took this moment to sit next to Jake, “Our records are sketchy at best with regards to the times before the plague. I can’t find anything about you in any system. You say your prior military. I won’t argue with that but I also can’t confirm it. Whoever you are, whatever you are, I don’t want to see you off of Honghor.”

Daniels simply placed his forehead on his hands again.

“I do, however, not plan to leave a man to die by starvation. I am leaving you with a few months worth of m.r.e.’s. One a day will give you enough sustenance. I doubt you’ll need to worry about overeating them. They rather disgusting. You won’t another until the next time hunger hits.” The Colonel explained. “I’m also going to leave you with a military survival pack. Tent, sleeping back, flashlight and tools such as an axe and a knife. There will also be a small radio with programed music. An obvious solar power charger to keep it running. Take care of it and it should last awhile.”

Daniels nodded.

“There is one more item no one but me knows about. In the bottom of your pack you will find a single blaster pistol. It holds enough ammunition to fire off a single shot. If you can’t bare it anymore…” The Colonels voice trailed off.

Jake knew what he meant. There was no reason to explain further.

 

[Jake Daniels]

.::.Honoghr.::.
.::.Southern Hemisphere.::.


The Dantooine Transport burst through the atmosphere of Honoghr at a slow and steady pace. Inside the cockpit, the pilots, Colonel Andrews and Doctor Hernandez stared at the lush greenery of the planet. A planet wide continent claimed it yet there were vast bodies of water, super large lakes of sort, that help to keep it nourished. The forests the ship flew over ranged in type. There were older dying patches of forest, lush green areas that was highly reminiscent of Dantooine and of course large swaths of tropical rainforest.

“Look at those.” Doctor Hernandez said as he spotted the first of what would become several temples.

Even Colonel Andrews could not help but become awestruck by the site. Nothing on Dantooine could compare to the massive structures and intricate systems that connected one temple to another. They looked well maintained. That brought an alarm to Colonel Andrews who realized that the planet may not have been as isolated as he hoped.

The ships control panels came to life, giving off varied bursts of information about the outside air. Doctor Hernandez paid especially close attention, taking in each line of data as the computer pushed it out.

“The air is clean. Early scans of the atmosphere indicate no signs of plague.” Doctor Hernandez said.

“Atmosphere is fine then. Doesn’t mean biologically speaking there isn’t something on the ground.” The Colonel replied.

“Agreed.” The Doctor said. Simply because there wasn’t a sign of a plague that their computers could pick up didn’t mean it didn’t exist on Honoghr. They had to land, to check the environment itself, to be completely sure. Early indicators by the ship were at least positive.

The pilots followed the coordinates that Jake had earlier given. Through the temple complex they flew, going low as to get a better look at the architicual wonders. Colonel Andrews did what he could to try and spot sentient life yet it simply looked empty. How then could the temples be taken such good care of?

Once they exited the temple complex, they neared a collection of hills. At the coordinates given the ship came to a slow descent. Its four landing gears emerged from the belly of the ship, extended outwards, and slowly touched the grassy surface of the planet. The ship burst with activity as Colonel Andrews, Doctor Hernandez, and his wife all began suiting up in hazmat outfits. The pilots played with their control panels while the Colonels men prepped their gear.

That’s when the ships alarm went off.

“Sir! Jake left the ship!” A soldier shouted as he came into view.

“What!?” Colonel Andrews asked.

“Is he suited?” Doctor Hernandez questioned.

The soldier shook his head. “Once the ship began cooling he pulled the latch and descended.”

“Everyone off the ship! Find him!” Colonel Andrews yelled.

The few men he brought grabbed their equipment, some holding rifles, others carrying bags, and descended down the ramp. Herndanez and Rebecca followed closely behind them while the Colonel was last. He pressed an outer button and shut the hatch manually.

To everyones surprise Daniels stood just a few meters away. Confusion covering his face. His icy blue blood-shot eyes staring at an environment that seemed foreign to him. Nothing was at it was supposed to be. Taking his cane he smacked the ground beneath him. All he felt was earth.

“Whats wrong?” Rebecca asked.

“This should be a landing platform. Solid concrete.” Jake said with a shaking voice. “It stretches from there,” he pointed to the nose of the ship, “to here.” Daniels stomped the ground once. All that was around them however was plush grass.

Everyone looked around at each other while Jake tried his best to understand what he was, or better yet, wasn’t seeing. Confusion and torment were once again written across every expression as he looked at the surrounding trees, the hills, then back to his escort. Even the Colonel was silent as he understood what this was. Jake was now seeing the effects of time.

Without saying a word, Daniels began limping off. The colder crisp breeze causing his right knee to buckle with each step. Through the pain the man pushed himself, disappearing into a line of trees but still followed closely by the Doctors and Colonel.

“There should be a stone pathway here.” Jake said as he looked around. “Right over there,” Jake said, “Was a wooden swing I built my wife for the hot summers.” He pointed to an area that looked like the rest, simply land claimed by a healthy untamed forest, “and there,” he pointed to what looked like an identical area to the first, “its supposed to have a picnic area. It’s were we’d catch fireflies and use them as lights while we stargazed.”

“Doctor?” The Colonel asked.

“Everything is clear.” Hernandez replied. “My scans are not picking up any sign of the plague in any of the bird or insect life. The environment is clean.”

No one removed their eyes from Jake as the man grew more desperate, more panicked, as he continued on. His throat toghtened, his legs weak yet he did what he could to remain standing. That was until a new object came into view. Everyone fell in silent at the sight of the home. Amongst the grown trees was a manor; long abandoned and being reclaimed by nature.

 

[Jake Daniels]

Jake stood in stunned silence. His body shook uncontrollably as reality truly set in. Everyone could tell him that centuries had passed. Everyone could tell him what year it was. They could show him the panel off of his cryotube. That was insufficient. For Jake to truly understand the passage of time he had to physically see it. See it he did.

The two story home, surrounded by encroaching vegetation, looked as though it was barely standing. A near skeleton of its former state the only things that remained was brick and stone. The small amounts of wooden roof that remained was rotted, the rest of it completely gone. Every panel of glass that had once been used as windows were gone. The front door, whose golden knob stuck slightly out amongst vines that acted as a carpet on the ground, was off its hinges. The two story home had one tree growing out the second story cylindrical bay windows. Another, younger tree, was growing from the opposite end of the house, through a crumbling brick wall.

The paint had long since peeled away. The stoney path that led from the landing pad here having been taken back by nature centuries earlier. Yet all Jake saw was the failure of his life. The home he shared with a family, a family he thought he’d never have, was now a forgot piece of history. The happy laughter of its occupants silenced by the sound of a wind that pushed through the home. Daniels wiped away at the flood of tears as they poured out. His home. His room. His family…

“Jake…” Rebecca said coming up beside the man.

Jake suddenly took off. His family. Around the home and to a clearing in the back, three tombstones became immediately visible. It was here that Jake fell to his knees in an uncontrollable sob once he reached the one in the middle. Using a feeble hand, Daniels wiped away at the dirt and vines that grown across it to read the name of the woman that had shared his bed. The name of the woman that had given him his children.

Her grave marker was small. A half oval of marble that emerged from the group. Simple but beautiful like she had been. On each side was an identical marker. Like Daniels had with his wife’s he wiped away at the dirt to reveal their names. Jake was home. Jake was where he belonged. He was with them once again. Their names may have been faded with time but Jake could still read them. He would never forget them. Not in the life nor the next.

“Sir.” One of Colonel Andrews said, “We have multiple biological entities closing in on our position from all sides.”

Daniels let out a sigh. He knew who they were. His hands continued to caress the tombstones. His tears continued to nuture the soil beneath him all while the Colonel came to the realization that his earlier suspicions were right. Honoghr wasn’t void of sentient life.

Through the trees dark skinned bipedal creatures emerged. They carried a variety of weapons from clubs, to axes, maces, and even some thick large swords. Their breathing was pure animal, the posture pure predator. They were the Noghri. They were the heirs of Honoghr. Yet while everyone around showed fear of these unknown creatures, Jake simply payed them little attention. Instead the man continued to focus his attention on the tombstones. To both Jakes surprise and pleasnt relief the species hadn't been eradicated by the plague. How though? Everything was being devestated by the plague on Honoghr before Jakes cryosleep. How'd they survive?

The Noghri further emerged, closing in a tight circle that prevented escape for the humans. The Colonels men raised their weapons, Doctor Hernandez put his frame in front of his wife, the Colonel himself raising a pistol.

“They’ll kill you even before you fire that shot.” Jake said.

There was a change in his voice. A sudden stiffness to his demeanor. Closing his eyes, Daniels absorbed the emotion around him. The fear of the humans. The anger of the Noghri because of the offworlders intrusion. His own grief. All of it swelled and with it Jakes connection to the force strengthened. He was home. He was were he had always felt the most powerful. This was his domain. His territory. This was his land. Honoghr may have belonged to the Noghri Species but he, himself, ensured that this land had been his. It would be again.

“Jake get up. We need to go.” Colonel Andrews ordered.

“No.” Jake growled. Coming to a stand with the aid of the cane, the man turned towards his escort.

They grew startled as Jakes eyes had gone from icy blue to a deep yellow. The darkness he felt, the anger and rage that he wielded now lit an uncontrollable fire in his belly which allowed his grasp on the force to solidify once more. Where as he only felt bits of the force on Dantooine, he could control it once more. It was his to wield again as he so saw fit.

Daniels turned his attention towards the Noghri. “I lived here. This was my home.” Jake said pointing to the old building, “This is my family.” Daniels pointed towards the graves. “I was a part of a family that ruled Honoghr. I was the husband to the daughter of, and served as the Apprentice for your Mal’ary’ush generations ago.”

That Noghri glanced at one another before taking their focus off of Jake and towards his escorts.

“Leave them be.” Daniels ordered the Noghri before turning his focus towards Colonel Andrews, “Drop everything you brought with you. I mean everything. Take with you only the clothes on your backs. If you are not back to your ship within the next two minutes I am not responsible for what the Noghri do to you.”

Colonel Andrews felt betrayed. Feeling like a mouse in a trap he moved his pistol towards Jake. This was were Jake tested that connection his once more felt in the force. With a wave of his hand he knocked the weapon from the Colonels hand and towards the feet of a nearby Noghri. Immediately the bipedal creature crushed it beneath his foot.

“First things first; never call me Jake again. That is reserved for my family. For you all, I am to be known as the Galaxy once knew me; Darth Gravis. Second, leave. Now.” Gravis growled.

The Noghri glanced at one another again; indication they recognized his name. Turning back towards his family’s graves, Gravis brought himself back down to his knees. Laying the cane in front of himself the man listened as the Dantooine Escort dropped their bags, weaponry, and electronics, before shuffling off.

As the Noghri disappeared, some returning to where they had come, others following the Dantooine Escort to ensure their departure, Gravis turned his focus internally. The Noghri had recognized his name. Even if his Master had not survived, the Apprentice to his Lady Silencia understood one very important truth. Her family line wouldn’t die out. His servitude would never end… nor would their power. He was formulating a plan; a plan to get back what he had lost.

Glancing down at his wife’s stone Gravis whispered, “I won’t fail you. Not again. Not ever again. I'll find the spells necessary. I will find your families linneage. Together we will bring you back. I'll bring you all back.”

 

[Jake Daniels]

.::.Six Weeks Later.::.
.::.Honoghr – Daniels Residence.::.

Sweat poured down Jakes wrinkled forehead as his eyes remained focused on the large wooden beam in font of him. His lips were tight, holding firm to several nails that dangled outwards. His nostrils flared as he took in a breath of warm summer air. He frowned momentarily as his eyes stung from sweat that snuck into their corners. His sunburned hands were caked in dirt and dust. His shirt was unwashed, his pants equally so. Daniels came off less a warrior of his Master and more a slob. One set of fingers took a single nail from his tight lips, pushed its sharp into against a new wooden beam, before hammering it in with successive beats.

Once the nail had found its place, Jake took a step back and glanced at his handy work. For six weeks, on and off, the man had been renovating the home. Tearing down what could not be saved due to ravages of time and slowly rebuilding what had once been. It became apparent early on that the majority of the house had to be replaced. Very little was deemed salvageable. The only parts that could be saved with significant tender loving care was the stone fireplace and flooring of the main gathering room. Even after all the years exposed to the elements, the overgrown forest had aided in the protection of that part of the home. At least Jake would still have something from his time; if little else.

“You all need to take a break.” A voice said.

Around the home a peach skinned Togruta male glanced at Jake. His montrals were shorter than many of his species, indicating that he wasn’t old. His physique was one of pure muscle. His clothing did nothing to hide the overall chissled physique. Tight pants with basic work boots helped to show off calves that though toned were nothing compared to his thighs. A thick belt with several pouches wrapped his waist while a leather vest covered his torso. One hand held onto a computer while the other was used to shield his eyes from the sun.

“Get off our back, dad!” Another male sarcastically spoke. From the second floor of the home, directly above where Daniels had been working a human male approved. The man was as tall as Jake, leaner, and with a darker complexion. He was bald yet wore a ballcap. Like Daniels he held onto a hammer with several nails in the other hand. “I swear Umako, I will gladly take that computer from you so you can get dirty with the rest of us.” Whiner was known as Cody Bekren.

“Pass.” Umako replied. “Hey Gravis, I think I found something.” He lifted the computer and pulled up an image of a large museum.

Daniels placed his hammer through one of the loops on his pants. He removed the nails and touched the screen of the computer to zoom in on the building, “What am I looking at?”

“This is Heidenreich Historical Society. It houses, stores, and displays some of the largest private collections in the core worlds for the public to come and marvel at.” Umako explained.

A female twi'lek appeared, placing a hand on Umakos shoulder, and peeking at the computer. She was tall for her species, as tall as Jake. Her skin held a green tone with emerald eyes to match. Her markings were simple dots that went up and down her lekku. The lekku themselves fell to the small of her back, indicating she wasn’t young, “Doesn’t sound like our kind of target.” Her name was Rania Ulaq.

Umako, Cody, and Rania were a small time smuggling operation. They had built up a reputation for small smash and grab jobs. Never aiming for something too big and flashy nor nothing that wasn’t at least worth their time. They were good. Really good from what Jake had seen but at times they got sloppy. That’s how Jake encountered them. On an illadvised treasure hunt they had landed on Honoghr shortly after Daniels arrived. Having been chased through hutt space, they managed to elude their pursuers before finding out Honoghr, like Hutt Space, wasn't going to be friendly. That was when Daniels intervened. Before the Noghri could claim their scalps, Daniels ensured their safety. So long as they stayed on his property as his guest then the inhabitants of the world would leave them be.

Why would Jake have done it though? Why would a fallen Sith Knight, an extension of his Lady Silencias will, rescue such insignificant beings? Because that's how he was trained. To see value in what many would overlooked. Daniels may not have trusted other people but he learned quickly from these three that money still talked. They wanted riches. Quick hits here and there. Jake wanted relics and spells. So long as they helped Jake, he in turn, helped them. In the span of six weeks Jake managed to help them turn a profit. A small auction house raiding here, a diplomats prized passion there, and even the small occasional cash raid on small time banks after hours. His abilities with the force had proven themselves quite effective; especially when dealing with weak minded guards.

“Not ours, no. Sounds like his though.” Umako said.

What Daniels also learned about them was that their relationship with one another was unique in itself. Daniels was a monogamist. He always would be. His love. His body. They were meant for only his Lady Reticea. His three new comrades loved one another. Whether or not Jake personally approved of their chosen lifestyle was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was that they didn’t screw with him or his plans and he ensured he stuck to his end of the agreement. As an added bonus they were offering to help rebuild his home. That wasn’t something even a loner like Jake would turn away.

 

[Jake Daniels]

“Explain.” Daniels ordered.

Umako clicked the screen and sped through several photos. They were of simple items. Pots, paintings, carpets. Nothing spectacular until Umako stopped on one particular image. The main focus of the image, a large marble bathtub wasn’t what caught Jakes eyes. It was what was behind that. On a portable display, covered by a glass box, rested several items. Daniels knew them too well. They were lightsabers. Old lightsabers by the look of it.

“What is it?” Cody asked.

“Weapons.” Daniels replied. “This doesn’t prove that they have what I am searching for.”

Umako nodded, “You’re right. It doesn’t. However this is the first place we have found that houses anything close to what you are looking for. If these are being put on display and if the person that owns these has more of a collection there out of public view…”

“…then there just might be something truly valuable waiting for us.” Rania finished.

“I see two potential problems with this.” Cody added. He held a citrus fruit and took a bite before continuing, “A place like this isn’t our typical rodeo. There is going to be a lot more security involved. A lot more guards. Double, triple, or hell quadruple everything we have encountered so far. This isn’t some old bank guard or Diplomatic aide we’re going to be messing with. If we do this; we’re in the big leagues now.”
Umako and Rania glanced at each other.
“Whats the other problem?” Daniels asked.

Most people had a filter. It was a little voice in their head that told them when to say something and when not to. Unfortunately Cody seemed void of it. Cody was very much like Jake was in his youth; a smart mouth who said what he wanted without fear of repercussion. That was ever evident when he answered the question, “Your smell mate.”

Umako seemed stunned. Rania chuckled.

“My smell?” Jake questioned.

“I mean this with all due respect Graves,” Cody said climbing down from the second story while still holding onto his fruit, “but ya’ smell worse than a bothan after a bath.”

Jake was stunned. One he didn't non-family calling him anything but Gravis. Second most people would fear a man whom could so easily use the force to snap their neck. Daniels could have dropped him within a second in a dozen different ways yet… he didn’t. Though he was filled with rage, anger, and hatred it was all pointed internally. His wife wouldn’t have wanted him to harm those that had yet to harm him. Cody was safe; for now.

“If we’re really going to hit this place you’re going to need to clean up some. Get rid of the dead animal you call a beard growing on your face. Have Mr. Fancy Pants Computer Boy trim your hair. Have Rania give you some of her floral scented soaps to get the smell of sweat, musk, and eww off your body.” Cody truly thought he was funny.

Daniels sniffed himself. Cody was right. Jake stunk. He hadn’t bathed in Lord knew how long. The man hadn’t shaven or trimmed his hair since his awakening. His time had been spent doing four things; meditating at his family’s graves in a desperate attempt to find their descendants, helping the three smugglers get easy scores, searching for necessary relics and texts to aid him in his quest for a spell and rebuilding his home. That’s it. Hygiene hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“Remember the last bank we went to? You probably didn’t even need to use the force on the old guy. He smelled ya’ coming from a mile away and was almost tko the minute we entered.” Cody laughed. “I mean, there’s no harm in taking a shower at least. Smelling good. Its how I got those two!”

Rania rolled her eyes while Umako shook his head.

Daniels yanked the fruit from Codys hand, having it cross the small distance between them with the aid of the force. He squeezed and rubbed the citrus across his neck and under arms before simply tossing it back at the man. “There, I smell better already.”

Cody dropped it in disgust before climbing back up the side of the home to go back to work. Rania laughed as she went inside to continue work on the flooring near the fireplace. Umako however motioned for Jake to follow him. Out of earshot of the others, Umako clicked the screen again, closing the browser and opening up another, “I’ve taken the photo you let me scan of your family and began a database search based on facial features and bone structures.”

The confused look on Jakes face forced Umako to quickly continue.

“Humans are a unique species. Even though you all are everywhere. Billions upon billions of you out there, you are all still creatures of habit. You remain within the same relative genealogical sphere. Example would be common folk procreating with common folk, middle class with middle class, noble with noble, all within the same sector or even planet. You get my drift? Because humans tend to breed within the same groups of people generation after generation, common elements remain. Based on what you’ve told me and from what I have seen with these temples here on Honoghr, your wife’s family wouldn’t just procreate nor carry on a line with just anyone. Selective and private. Think power. Think rich. Using that methodology I’ve begun a search using the facial features of your wife. Bone and eye structure, ear placement, nose width, chin and cheek bone.” Umako explained.

“Anything come up?” Daniels asked.

“Well, yes and no.” Umako said. “Honestly I’m not sure. There have been a couple of fuzzy images of people from galactic events. The people my computer have picked up as potentials aren’t clear enough to get a decent reading. Anything below 40% recognition isn’t worth our time. You see I can only go through basic imagery that’s common place. Stuff that’s shown up on the holonews networks mainly. But if your wife’s family is as private as you claim I’m going to need a better way to search. I need to access a government data base.”

“Chandrila, you mean?” Jake asked.

“Yeah,” Umako replied, “while you and Cody are at the museum, I’ll take Rania and head to the Hall of Public Records and do a search. At the very least I’ll be able to scan through nobility in the core worlds. At most I’ll find a significant match. I'll ensure to do all checks; attempted facial and of course name.” That was a rule among Umako and the others. No one went anywhere alone. You always had backup.

“Alright.” Daniels replied. Daniels didn’t have high hopes. Not with how Umako was searching. It just didn’t feel right. Something inside of him nagging, as though he was going about this all wrong. “We’ll leave in a bit."

"Where are you going?" Umako asked.

"To meditate." Daniels said.

 

[Jake Daniels]

Daniels came a kneel before his Lady Reticea grave. As the sun beat down and continued to scorch his already burned skin, the man placed his hands on his thighs. Closing his eyes, Jake took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. The grief was still hard on him; almost unbearable. The man whom had once struck fear to even the strongest Jedi and Sith in the galaxy now focused on nothing but his family. The man known as the Eternal Apprentice, the man whom proved more loyal than any servant before, clung to that loyalty. While other humans would have moved on, while others would find new mates and make new family's, Daniels wasn't them. Loyalty was his strongest trait. He would not share his knowledge as a father with any other child but those here. He would not share a bed with any woman except the beauty buried beneath him.

In his month and a half on Honoghr, Daniels connection to the force was growing stronger. The darkness that had remained here from centuries past nourished him. It wasn't enough though. Daniels was weaker; physically and mentally. After awakening from the crysleep, Jake had an unlikely side effect; cryosickness. The constant sniffles which he thought was grief had never ceased. An occasional cough came and went while fatigue was not an every day factor. His moments of meditation were breaks for his physical body to recover. Mentally... he was lonely. The cracking in his psyche was continuing. He was growing desperate. There was only so much the force could do. Eventually Jake needed to find solice; to find comfort once more.

As his essence bonded with the force, as Jake took in slow breath after slow breath he reached out into the force. As far as it would guide him the man attempted to search out the lineage of his Lady Silencia. Her family was not like Jake. They were not weak when it came to the force. They were a powerful family and Daniels knew any descendants would rival their matriarch in power if they were old enough. He had to find them. They could help him. They would help him. For his decades of service to the Shamalains, the least they could do was give him back what the galaxy had taken.

It was here that Jake felt a schism. A dark jolt of energy that caused every muscle in his frame to momentarily spasm. Someone shoved back on his search through the force and they pushed back violently. Daniels lurched forward, fingers digging into the soil as he braced his body. Tired eyes shot, his breathing become labored and heavy. Sweat continued to pour outward. As he brought himself back into a kneeling position Jakes eyes widened. A sharp yellow to their nature returned as an object appeared resting on the head of his Lady Reticeas tombstone.

Glancing to his left, Jake spotted nothing but his messy tent. Much like his physical appearance, the one methodical and tidy individual had stopped caring about anything except his personal mission. empty m.r.e. trays were stacked in several piles, trash dotted the ground. Dirty clothes and his sleeping back were simply tossed about without care. The placement of the tent was all that matter to Daniels; when he woke and when he went to sleep, his family was the first and last thing he saw daily. Even his cane, used for cold mornings and evenings simply lay in the grass. The only thing that seemed to be taken care off was the photo given to him on Dantooine. It clung to an inside wall of the tent with a small piece of tape.

To his right, Daniels only saw woods. Standing Jake took several paces around. Narrowing his eyes he reached out in the force, desperate to feel anything that should not be. Small life from birds and lizards to the few Noghri that roamed the outskirts of Daniels territory; they were all he felt. There was nothing else.

"Show yourself!" Jake hollered. Rania and Cody came from the home and caught a glimpse of a visibly shaken Jake.

"What the hell? Everything ok?" Cody asked. Daniels turned his gaze towards the duo who each took a step back. "Ok, Mister yellow eyes has returned." The trio of smugglers had learned that an angry Daniels was not one to trifle with. No one dared joke. They could tell immediately something was terribly wrong.

"Where are they?" Daniels snarled.

"Who?" Rania asked.

"Someone was just here. Right here. They left this!" Daniels reached with his hand and summoned the object to his hand. It was an object he recognized all too well. He had better the man built it shortly after Romano's birth. The lightsaber found his palm; though remained inactive. "Where did they go?"

"We didn't see anyone." Cody replied.

Daniels narrowed his eyes. How could they not have seen someone? How could someone just sneak up on him, leave this, and walk away. His body seethed as he contemplated his next move. They were also the ones that probably caused the schism for him; forcing his concentration with the force to shatter. Whoever it was had to be powerful. Taking a glance down, Jakes eyed the object. It had been taken care of. Daniels had not used it in any battle; it was meant strictly as a defensive weapon. It was here the analytical nature of Daniels began to play connect the dots; whomever had waken him from the cryosleep early was the same person whom left the clothes and picture. That same person most likely left this saber. It meant the once famed stalker was not being stalked himself. For what reason hadn't been determined.

"Gravis?" Cody asked as Daniels began to walk away.

Without missing a beat in his step Daniels gave a cold reply, "Someone apparently has stuff that belongs to me. I'm going to find out who. I'm going to find out how. I'm going to get my shit back then I'm going to kill them."

 

[Jake Daniels]

Daniels held firm to the well polished weapon as his eyes searched the forest around him. For nearly an hour the man had walked. Noghri followed but maintained a distance, their eyes locked on the aged individual as he ventured further from his home. They wouldn't harm him. Whether it was by their own stories from times passed or heritages lessons taught of the family that had long protected the Noghri Race, they recognized Jake Daniels was no threat. He ensured he never gave them a reason to think otherwise.

Life was a balancing at on Honoghr. One wrong step for an animal and they could end up in the clutches of a bigger predator. After all, wasn't that life? No matter how big you were, there was always someone or something that could snap you like a twig. That was where Jake suddenly found himself. He came to a cliff wall and glanced up. Nothing out of the ordinary. Brown and beige ages rocks protruded every few meters. If Jake wanted too he could have climbed it. Something wasn't right though. Something felt different.

Turning around Daniels noticed two immediate things. The Noghri, his own shadow while on Honoghr were gone. Reaching out the man couldn't feel a presence nearby. Along with them the small breeze in the air ceased. Birds fell silent. It was as if every sound on the planet ceased. It was here that the once famed hunter of his Lady Silencia realized a very fatal mistake. He was cornered. Gripping the hilt of the lightsaber firmer, Daniels took a defensive stance. The feeling that something was off turned into an inch. Yellow eyes filled with darkened rage bounced from one area of vision to another.

"Show yourself!" He ordered.

Daniels was brought crashing to the ground. Momentarily letting go of the lightsaber, Jake placed both hands on his right knee. The pain radiated up his thigh as a cold breeze had rushed through and caused the joint to buckle. He cried out in agonized rage. Without his cane to aid him, Jake pushed himself back up against the dirt wall, using the rocks to aid him to stand once more. The majority of his weight was now on his left leg.

"You think this is a game?" Jake asked. He knew that gust was no coincidence. "I command you to show yourself." With an outreached hand, Daniels summoned his lightsaber to it.

Then the first step crunching on the leaves was heard. Followed by a second. Then third. Though the trees a cloaked figure became visible. Like a viper tracking a mouse, she rounded one tree, then another, following the exact same path Daniels had taken to come to the cliff face. She stopped several meters from him however. She was fair skinned with burgundy lips. Dressed in a black cloak, every aspect of her was hidden by cloth of shadow, except for her lower face which showed little emotion. She was dressed as though she was going to attend a funeral.

"You order me like you still command the Sith's 62nd Marine Light Infantry." The woman spoke in a tone that indicated force augmentation. She didn't want Jake to know her true voice. "I hate to break it to you but you're in my playland now."

Daniels snarled and flicked his saber. Nothing happened. Glancing down at the weapon Daniels again attempted to bring its blade to life. Still nothing.

The woman reached out and summoned the sabers hilt from Jake. Holding it, she gave the item a once over, "For centuries I have cared for positions that once belonged to the famed Darth Gravis. I never used what was not mine so unfortunately this saber has sat inactive since you last wielded it. Unfortunately as the centuries passed many of the components have now failed working it seems; much like your leg."

She tossed it back at Jake who caught it single palm, "Why?"

"That question is irrelevant. Why I do what I do is truly none of your concern; not right now anyway. As far as you're concerned I could very well be nothing but a figment in your imagination. The first of what may be many signs of a man growing delirious in his desperate attempt to bring back a family once had." The woman replied.

"Stay your tongue." Daniels growled.

"Or what?" The woman said. She remained as she was. Stoic and unflinching. Her gloved hands were now clasped before her. She showed absolutely no fear for the man. "You're going to hobble over here and try to thrash me?"

The womans point was clear; Daniels was the prey. She was the predator. They both knew it.

"If I am too be quite honest with you, I am not here to harm you. I'm here to protect you. I'm here as part of a vision. So even though your mind is at its breaking point, I'm not a byproduct of it." The woman replied. "Right now, as we speak, you currently lay unconscious near your families graves. You were dropped like you were nothing; the insignificant gnat that you have become. It is by my will you still live so how about you shut your mouth, open your ears and listen to what this lady has to show you."

There was but a brief pause.

"Well then," Daniels said, "get on with it."

 

[Jake Daniels]

Saying not a word the cloaked woman raised a palm. With a flick of her wrist the environment they had known vanished. The trees, cliff face, and foliage covered ground all blurred and blended together like paints on pallet. Daniels kept his eyes locked on the woman whom, in turn, kept her focus on the man. Within seconds the environment they had known was gone. In its place was a barren wasteland. The landscape was Honoghr. The cliff face was not rubble. The trees that had once carpeted the landscape were scorched stumps. The earth was black with ash and soot. Clouds of grey smoke filled the skies.

“Come.” The woman ordered.

Jake stood in absolute silence. Shocked. Terrified. Confused. The Honoghr that he had been raised on. The Honoghr that he had been trained on. All of it was gone. The silenced man simply walked forward, eyeing everything was that no longer was. It was then that Daniels noticed something else. Among the charred covered earth were lumps of charcoal. Yet as he walked passed one, and then another, it became painfully obvious that these were not lumps of charcoal formed from dead trees. These were scorched bodies. Noghri soldiers that had died in a bloody battle.

The cloaked woman ushered him further. Placing a hand on the small of his back, they continued on. In the distance, the ancient Temples of Honoghr burned. Some previously collapsed, others still in the crumbling. Flames poured through any and all avenues of escape. Forests that had yet to fall, they too still burned. Life as it had once been known on Honoghr now ceased to exist; all except for several lifeforms which stood in the only place that seemed untouched by whatever battle had taken place.
Daniels spotted his home first. Over a ridge, amongst the clouds of dust, smoke, and ash, the home appeared. Having long been rebuilt, it served as the only bright spot among the landscape of death. Fires raged among the numerous rows of burned Naghri that lined its entire perimeter. As they continued down their path, Daniels came to a dead stop. Near the rear entrance of the house six people stood in a desperate last stand. Four held lightsabers while the two in the middle were in the process of attempting force spells. It was then that Jake saw the body on the ground. Dressed in robes he knew too well and holding onto a lightsaber that had become an extension of his hand, Jake was staring at his own death.

“Look at them.” The woman said. Around his body stood the most influential people on the life of the forty-two year old man. “The Master that failed you.” She said of Samara Galloway; who was deflecting a blaster shot. “The Padawan that cared for you.” Her reference of Avarra Eslick, whom was in the process of swinging at an unseen enemy. “The Mistress that trained you.” Lady Silencia, who held her palms out towards the horizon. “The woman that loved you.” Lady Reticea who knelt beside Jake with a fiery gaze staring down the unseen forces. “The Children that needed you.” Jakes sons, both of whom seemed slightly older than he recalled. Each holding blades in defensive postures themselves; as though protecting their mothers flank.

“These six people shaped you into the being you have become. The man the galaxy once feared. You in turn had an effect on each and every one of them.”

“Look at your former Jedi Master. You were her first failure. The blemish on an otherwise perfect record. She, like you, was never quite the same afterwards.” The Cloaked woman replied.

“Good riddance.” He snapped.

The cloaked woman didn’t look amused yet continued on, “Avarra Eslick, the Padawan that tried to bring you back to the light.”

“And she got a saber in her back for it.” He retorted.

“You say that as though it was nothing important. Was she not your first true kill?” The Cloaked woman asked.

Avarra was. Her murder changed everything. It solidified his fall from grace. It confirmed his damnation to darkness. It put everyone on notice. He had arrived on the galactic scene.

“Lady Silencia, the woman that claimed your soul. She turned an untapped well into a gold mine.” The Cloaked woman glanced at Daniels, “She protected you when you needed a shield. She unsheathed you when she needed a sword. You were a true representation of her will and you were loyal to her unlike any other. You loved her.”

“I do.” Daniels said. “But not in the sense many think; not in the way I love my wife. I don’t think I can describe it.”

The cloaked woman did it for him, “You loved her beyond the sense of physicality and emotional attachment. While the galaxy was filled in your time with lust filled horn dogs who would have given anything to have your Masters intimate affections; you sought a different kind. You sought a solace. She was your lighthouse in your times; a beacon for you to always find your way back to where you truly belonged. You were her own rock; a vessel she could always depend on. One of the few that she knew would not betray her.”

Daniels felt his eyes begin to water, “Yes.”

“That brings us to them. Lady Reticea, the woman you had no right to love yet did. The woman that showed just how true to your word you are. Wow. The stories were great. Any threat; no matter how small to her, was handled without prejudice. You were bound to one another. Even in her death your bond of loyalty is as strong as it ever has been.”

A growl emerged from Daniels, “What’s your point.”

“You will see my point shortly enough.” The Cloak woman bluntly replied. “Then we have Lysander and Romano. One a sire of another man and the latter an heir to you directly. Both called you father. You called them sons. Not many men loved a step child like you did.”

Daniels knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, “I had no step-son. I have two sons.” Regardless as to whether he fathered both children, he raised them both. He fed them. He changed their diapers. He was there for them; always and forever. They were his boys. Jake would kill anyone who thought otherwise. He wanted them back. The man had no problem ripping this galaxy a new black hole to do it. They would live again. He would ensure it. It was in this moment, as he gazed upon his wife and children that the watery eyes finally allowed their tears to escape.

“I meant no insult. I was simply making a point. A point I don’t think you’re entirely seeing with this vision.” The Cloaked Woman scolded, “Look at them. Look at all of them. Each one holds an important part of your life, some more than others but what do you see?”

“All I see are two Jedi who deserved their deaths, a Master I failed to serve in the end and a family I failed to protect.” Daniels replied.

“Stop thinking in simple terms. Use the mind that she,” The cloaked woman pointed towards Lady Silencia, “helped shape. Use the mind of the man that had fractured the Jedi Order itself.”

Daniels huffed but did as instructed, if for no other purpose than to end this nightmare. From one face and too the next, the man understood the impact they all had on his life. The reason they were shown here. Then the analytical side, the strategic nature that Lady Silencia hammered home during their hours long training sessions, kicked into overdrive. His eyes dried. His mind cleared. His lips parted in surprise.

“You see it, don’t you.” The woman asked.

“I do.” Jake said.

“Then tell me,” she said, “What does this vision truly mean.”

 

[Jake Daniels]

"My drive for knowledge and power will lead to this outcome. I will get everything I want back. Everything. But it will be fleeting." His eyes turned towards to the two Jedi women. As they slowly began to fade, an army began to materialize. Republic and Jedi fighters were in the air in the process of firing down on his home. Jedi rushed across the landscape, supported by soldiers, all aiming for the small band of hold outs on the otherwise dead planet. He came to his knees as he realized that this vision wasn't a vision at all. It was a premonition of what was to come. "My drive for the relics; the power I seek will bring a fiery hell upon those I hold most dear. I will lose what I gain all over again."

The cloaked woman looked down at Jake, "Why is that?"

"Because I'm not meant to have such power." Jake replied shakily. "In all of my years I never had a drive to learn anything but what my Master taught me. She taught. I learned. I lived. I never had a lust to learn what was forbidden to me."

"Go on." The cloaked woman said.

"Now that I do, I've become lost within myself. What this vision is telling me is I will soon have that power; the power to resurrect the dead. That power will turn against me though. I will draw the anger of an enemy I am not familiar with in a time that is still foreign to me." Daniels explained. "I will lose them all."

"Unless?" The woman asked.

Daniels locked eyes onto the sight of his Master, "Unless I do what I was trained to do. Find her descendants. Find the family I serve. Give what power I can to them. They will do what I cannot."

The woman placed a hand on Daniels shoulder, "You were never going to be strong enough to both bring them back and keep them alive. You are right; this vision shows the outcome of your current path. Should you continue as you are, this will come to pass. Only you can change this outcome."

She was right. Daniels knew it. "But why? Why is it that I've been forsaken by the force? Forsaken to a life of minimal abilities and mastery of a sword? Why can't I do what she could?" Daniels still stared at his Master. "Why can't I show her I can be as strong as her?"

The cloaked woman simply shook her head, "You look at this in terms of simple power. Power enough won't bring them back and keep them alive. You know that. We can beat around the bush all we want but this really comes down to one thing..."

"My pride." Daniels replied.

"Yes. Put it aside. Admit to yourself you can't get the power and use the ones you search for. You will never use the descendants of that family. They will use you. That is how its always been. That is how it always will be. That isn't a bad thing; its a necessary thing. For you and for them." The cloaked woman replied.

"I was their father. I was her husband. It was my duty to protect them. I failed them. I can't do that again." Daniels was almost pleading with himself. Trying to reason that he could do the unimaginable. "Tell me something. How can you come to a grieving man and show him this? How can you dare try and convince me not to do what any other man in my position would?"

The woman glanced at the Daniels home, "Because there is no other man like you. You were special. You are special. Its time for not just the galaxy to remember that; but for you to as well."

Jake grew frustrated. The premonition of his eventual failure. The irritating scolding he received of his pride. All of it was starting to become too much. To admit to himself that he simply was not gifted enough to rival his Masters abilities was one thing. To forcibly admit to himself that he simply wasn't strong enough to bring his family back was something entirely different. Something Jake didn't want to hear. Something he didn't want to listen too.

"Why are you doing this?" Daniels said coming to a stand.

The cloaked woman simply clasp her hands in front herself.

"Why show me this? Why try and guide me? There has to be something in this for you!" Jake continued.

"We'll see about that" The woman replied. "I believe I must leave you now. Just know this; you need your family, your Master. You should ask yourself one question though."

"Whats that?" Daniels barked.

"Let's say they do come back. Lets say this premonition is wrong and you beat the odds. You, the formidable Darth Gravis is successful, will they even want you? In a new time. In a new place. Who's to say people want a washed up has been their lives?" She paused for but a brief moment before dropping her tone into a whisper.

"Will they even need you?" Before Jake could say anything the woman raised a hand. With a simple flick of her wrist everything went black.

 

[Jake Daniels]

"Damn it! Keep him on his side." Rania said. She was knelt behind Jake. Her thighs positioned to prevent the man from rolling onto his back. Her hands held onto his shoulders while his body continued to twitch.

Daniels eyes slowly began to flicker as his mind cleared the dark fog that consumed it since the Cloaked Woman had finished her premonition. As his body continued to uncontrollably seize, Daniels mind was regaining its prior state. He could hear clearly, concentrate on what exactly was going on with him. The one thing he clearly understood; the woman was right. Daniels never left his property. He'd been dropped.

"If he dies easy streets over." Cody huffed.

"Have some heart." Rania retorted.

Cody shook his head as he held a cold rag to Jakes forehead. It was that comment that confirmed Jakes suspicions. They may have been helping him rebuild his home. They may have been helping him look for a family long since lost to him. They held no loyalty; no true care. To them, Darth Gravis was a man whom could use the force and make their lives easier on heists. That was heartbreaking in its own right. How hard was it for people to just be loyal?

Daniels felt control come back to his arms as his torso began to still. His vibrating legs calmed. A succession of quick coughs allowed for foamy sickness to escape his lips. Turning over and pushing himself onto all fours, Jake continued to get sick. Anger and rage, confusion and sadness. A tidal wave of emotion rocked the man as his mind ventured back to the nightmare. The vision, the premonition, that showed the signs of his failure.

"We aren't alone." Daniels coughed.

"We didn't see anyone. Whomever left that lightsaber is long gone." Cody said.

Daniels turned his attention to the blade still gripped by his hand. Like in his premonition Daniels attempted its activation. Like in his premonition the device failed to ignite. It was here that the feeling struck him; like a sense os deja vu', that told Daniels he was still well on the same path to making the premonition come to reality.

"I wasn't talking about that person. I was talking about him." Jake said finally looking up to see a Noghri soldier holding a large metal staff. He was dressed in the brown and black robes of his people. The Noghri was a small tank. Tree trunks for arms and legs, he stood just slightly shorter than Jake. There was no mistake however; he weighed a hell of a lot more than the feeble human.

Turning slightly, the Noghri said nothing. Instead he jerked his head and motions for Daniels to follow him. Why though? What did the Noghri want with Darth Gravis? Jake was hesitant. They had left him alone since his arrival here. These werent the same beings that had served the family he loved. They were descendants who only knew of Jake by name; nothing more.

Hesitantly the fallen Sith Knight came to a stand. Still with a wobbly knee he picked up his cane, clipped his inactive saber to his belt and slowly began to follow the creature as he stalked away.

"Gravis?" Rania asked.

"I'll be back. Keep working on the home." Daniels ordered before disappearing amongst the trees.

 

[Jake Daniels]

Jake walked in silence as the Naghri Warrior led him on. An hour, perhaps two had passed. Daniels head was still light, his stomach uneasy. The effects of his seizure had yet to fully dissipate. It was a surprise that Jake was even standing. Most humans would have needed several hours just to get their head clear. Yet he wasn’t the average human, was he? His cane dug into the earth beneath him, his limp ever evident, which drew the occasion glance from the Warrior. Daniels ignored the looks and instead focused on where he was going. Most people would have been surprised by Jakes behavior. Here was a man that listened to no one but his Master. A man so fiercely loyal to her that he would stand his ground and face death itself until he was ordered by her to retreat. Why then would such a loyal individual listen to a Noghri that simply ordered him to follow? Because his Master would have wanted him too.

The Noghri people were much like Daniels. Proud. Independent. They also preferred to be left alone. That was the understanding they had of him. Though the man knew little of their particular language, the recognized him; if only by name. At least some part of his history survived. Out of a sense of loyalty to their past Mal’ary,ush or as a sign of respect for Jake; they stayed out of his way. He made sure he returned the favor. The Knight was not were near his physical prime before cryosleep and it seemed it was just getting worse. Could he have fought a Noghri. Yes. Anyone who thought he couldn’t would have been a fool to not think so. Would he have survived the encounter was a different debate all together. That was the brilliance that Daniels showed from time to time. Recognize when one was not the top predator yet do what you must to ensure the top dog didn’t bother you.

Yes things got a bit hairy when Daniels intervened and protected the Smuggling trio that now had their ship on his property. Again though, the Noghri did not come onto Daniels property. He did not let the Smugglers venture from it. A simple but effective understanding. In a galaxy with a history of broken treaty’s, it seemed a frail human and a warrior race on a planet nearly everyone overlooked kept one going. As he walked Daniels could only ponder on the premonition he had just witnessed. Was he truly destined to fail? Was he truly never going to be strong enough to do what needed to be done? So many more questions flooded his mind. Then the sense of déjà vu’ that had indicated he was still on his path to failure didn’t help. He should have been home, heading to Chandrila.

The Noghri stopped and stuck his thick arm to the side. Daniels came to a stand next to the Warrior. Directly before them was a village. Homes made of large stone with wooden roofings it came off as something from 17th century England. With night beginning to set in, Daniels watched as Noghri climbed a half dozen large towers. Taking torches they let large pires on the towers. The fire burst into infernos that lid the landscape up just as if it were noon. Shadows were forced to retreat which allowed Jake a moment to take in his surroundings.

“We’re on the other side of the valley.” Daniels said as he glanced around. Behind him was the forest he was most acquainted with. The path he had not noticed before coming clearer as he studied the land; the path that had led straight to his home. In front of him though was a flat plateau of lush land. To the right of the village was Noghri farm lands which was used for crops as well as animals. Then Jake was poked.

Glancing down at a two smaller Noghri warriors, Daniels looked at his escort who simply walked away. The two new Noghri ushered Jake into the village. Passing through an outer perimeter of pointed sticks and wall, the fallen Sith Knight took in every detail he could. Small children walked around. Some Noghri adults were butchering up dead animals then placing them on grills. Others worked on stone homes; much like he was with his. In his observations Jake did notice one thing. This village of Noghri were smaller than he was used too. The Noghri Daniels usually associated with were much like the one that escorted him; only a few inches shorter. Never before had Jake been in a Noghri village. Never before had he truly understood the diversity they too had amongst their species.

It was here that Jake realized where he was bring led. Through the village and past the Dhuka, Jake was brought to the blacksmith. An apparently older Noghri, his face was as wrinkled as Daniels. It was hard to tell based on their species what old truly was but Daniels show the man his respect. The heat of the blacksmiths home was nearly unbearable. Jakes sunburnt skin screamed at him to leave. That was the blacksmith handed Jake a grey paste and barked an order. Daniels simply looked at him confused. Daniels rubbed the paste between his fingers, feeling its texture. It felt more like a wet clay than anything else. Again the blacksmith barked an order at Jake; an order Daniels simply didn’t understand.

 

[Jake Daniels]

Was Jake ignorant? Absolutely not. He just never learned to speak Honoghran. His force ability with comprehend the speech of other sentient beings was limited currently. His connection to the force had yet to reach its full strength. It was when Daniels saw the Blacksmith act as though he was rubbing his own arms, then the sight of the same past on him, that Jake understood what was being ordered. The paste was a shield from the heat.

Slowly Daniels rubbed the bit of paste across both arms. The Blacksmith then handed Daniels a bowl filled with more of it. Jake placed it on areas of exposed skin, and even his own face. The relief was unimaginable; like jumping into a swimming pool on a hot July afternoon. The sensation washed over him. The constant burning subsiding. Daniels handed the bowl back to the blacksmith whom simply placed it aside.

He barked an order at the two escorts who left. The Blacksmith pulled an elongated piece of metal from the fire pit next to him. Setting it down on the anvil, the Blacksmith lifted a large mallet into the air. A large hunk of steel with a flat end served as its head while the handle seemed to be made of wood wrapped in aged animal hide.

‘Ting… ting… ting!’​

Daniels momentarily winced his eyes as the heat that radiated from the searing metal filled the room. Quietly Jake watched, cane still in hand, as the Blacksmith worked his magic. A few beats on the metal, before flipping it over, beating it more, and the switching again. The Noghri was a master of his craft and it wasn’t long until Jake saw what he was making; a thick broadsword; one of the many weapons the Noghri used in combat. When he was satisfied with the overall shape, the Blacksmith poured water on the metal. Steam rose up and fogged the room like a cool spring morning. Daniels swiped at the air and kept focus. Gently the Noghri set it aside to allow it to cool. Pulling a long clay casting from under a workbench, the Blacksmith set it on the table. Turning towards Jake he barked, pointed at Daniels then pointed at a pot of molten metal which was simmering in the firepit.

“You want me to take that and put it in the mold? I’m not much of a blacksmith.” Daniels replied.

The Noghri crossed his arms for a moment, narrowed his eyes and stared down the human. There was nothing about his demeanor that came off as friendly. He was openly challenging Jake; refusing to budge on his earlier command of the human. Will versus will; Daniels refused to budge, the Noghri refused to relent in his stare down. Jake eventually relented. Setting his cane aside the man moved without a limp. Momentarily surprised, he attributed it to the warm air of the workroom.

Using glove the Noghri handed off him to, Daniels slowly began to move the pot of molten metal. The damn thing was heavier than Jake anticipated. Under the vigilant eyes of the Blacksmith, Daniels slowly poured the metal into the mold. Something went wrong though. The Noghri Blacksmith shouted at Daniels, snatched the rod holding the remaining molten metal away and placed it back into the fire.

“What’s your damn problem?” Daniels shouted back.

The Noghri barked at Jake and pointed to the mold. Daniels saw it. There were uneven lumps in the metal; bulges. Using his hands the Noghri demonstrated how the metal should go in. Daniels needed to pour it in a quick but steady flow down the entire mold; not just at one end. The blacksmith then disappeared deeper into the workshop.

Jake listened as the sound of metal being tossed around pounded on his ears. Then just as quickly as the blacksmith had vanished he reappeared holding deformed swords. The swords were bulgy and waving. Even Jake could see that they were brittle in some areas. Looking at his handiwork cooling in the mold and the work he was being shown, Jake actually saw the effect his mistake. It had nothing to do with the metal; it had everything to do with him. He didn’t ask to be shown how to pour metal into a mold; he just acted. The Noghri motioned for Jake to follow him. Heading to the door the Blacksmith pointed at several small children then to the deformed swords they both held. The Blacksmith then pointed at Jakes sword, then to Jake.

The point was clear; Daniels had the skill set of a child with an impatience to match.

 

[Jake Daniels]

The Blacksmith lifted chunks of newly formed but shattered swords. Looking at Daniels, the Noghri crushed the metal without a problem; the brittle metal crumbling in his bear like hands before falling into the pot of newly formed molten metal. Both human and Noghri watched as the cooled metal slowly began to disappear.

Hours had passed and Daniels had not given up. While the Noghri worked on the brittle, broken, and worthless failures of Jake Daniels, Daniels himself continued to work on his current attempt. He beat the metal with the exact precision necessary. He rounded molded the hot top, bringing it to a point. Once he had it wear he wanted, the man stuck it into the water. The steam filled the workroom once more. The Noghri stood in silence and watched.

Neither the Fallen Sith Knight nor the Blacksmith spoke. Once the metal had cooled, Daniels lifted the metal and observed it under the light. There were no lumps or unwanted curves. The blades width was slightly smaller than that of the Noghri variant; almost as though it was made of a human to wield. Daniels moved the blade slightly. It felt even across the entire length however the Blacksmith saw something Jake did not.

Taking a sword of his own off of a wall, the Blacksmith swung it. The Noghri black snapped Daniels without resistance. Jake was stunned. Frustrated at another failure the man didn't wait for the Noghri to do it; he broke the sword with his mallet and tossed the chunk he held into the fire. Before Daniels lifted the second half of the blade from the floor; the Noghri showed him a small fracture near the point the sword had broken. The sword overall was in good health but as Jake watched the Noghri motion about the error became clear. Daniels molded the sword just right but the mallets connections were slightly off. He spent too much time near the center; which meant as the edge cooled and Jake hit it, the metal cracked. Putting it into the water only enhanced its weakness.

With the metal again molten, Daniels slowly pulled it from the fire pit and once more poured it down the length of the mold. Setting the pot back into the inferno, Daniels tended to the mold. Watching with his icy blue eyes there was a calmness to Jake as he worked on the metal. With the metal cooled enough to be lifted from the mold. Daniels this time set it into the fire, allowing the mettle to become slightly malleable. Pulling it out once the orange turned to yellow, Jake began a steady beating on the metal. The blade began to gradually flatten. Turning the blade at an angle, Daniels hit the metal. Flipping the blade to the other side, Jake did the same thing. He slowly began to sharpen the edge. Before the Blacksmith could say anything, Jake put the blade into the fire again. Heating the metal up, he once more pulled it out and repeated the process. As Daniels worked, the Noghri watched.

When it came to a point that the blade may be damaged, the Blacksmith took the cooling blade and set it into the water. Taking a broom, he handed it to Jake and motioned for him to start sweeping. Daniels huffed but did as he was instructed. Small bits of metal that had been missed by earlier pick ups were quickly brought into a pile. Reaching out with the force Daniels began to lift the metal.

'Smack!'

Daniels was hit hard in the arm by a leather glove. The bits of metal fell back to the ground. The anger that Jake felt caused his icy blue eyes to turn yellow. The moment his glare reached the Blacksmith, the Noghri hit him across the face. Jake sneered but backed away. He thought before he ever tried to react. He stared down the Noghri who motioned for Jake to use the dust pan; Daniels wasn't allowed to use the force.

Why though?

Taking the dustpan, Daniels made quick work of sweeping the metal into the dustpan. The Blacksmith then took it and dumped it into the pot of molten metal. Jake set the broom against the wall but as he turned the Noghri shoved his cane into his chest and ushered the fallen Knight out. The cold air hit Jake like a punch to an unsuspecting gut. His knee buckled which caused the man to once again rely on his walking aid. The Noghri pointed at Jake then the exit to the village.

What had Daniels done? Had he offended the Noghri? Was it his angry display? Who wouldn't be angry?

When Jake looked at the exit to the village then back at the Blacksmith, the Noghri then pointed to the moon which was high in the sky. Taking two digits he pointed to the moon, then Jake, then the village entrance. Daniels didn't need to speak their language to understand; he was being ordered to come back in two days.

"I will be off planet in two days." Jake said.

The Noghri poked Jake harder. The Moon, then Jake, then the entrance. Again, just two digits. Daniels sighed and nodded. He couldn't insult the Noghri; his Master would have been ashamed had she seen it. He again nodded. It looked like Daniels would be returning in two days.

 

[Jake Daniels]

.::.The Next Morning.::.
.::.Daniels Residence.::.

Daniels simply walked through his home. Much of it was showing signs of improvement; signs of rebirth. The area they currently worked was healthy. The wood wasn't decayed or age. Rania had used a sealant over the floors wood planking's that should help in preventing future damage. The fireplace had been cleaned out with some stones replaced. Overall Jake was pleased with the progress but not happy. He hadn't been happy in a very long time.

He turned his attention to the next part of the home; the stairs. Cody had been working on the pair of rooms above the sitting den that Rania and Jake had rebuilt. He had to climb up the side of the outside home to do it however. The inside stairwell was simply too damaged to do step on.

"Hey, what time did you come back?" Rania asked as she stirred another can of sealant.

"Couple hours before sunrise." Jake replied.

"You've been working on the home sense?" Rania and her unique family still slept on their ship which still rested on the grass covered landing pad down the path from the home.

"Yeah." Jake said with a growl.

"What wrong?"

"I don't like doing this. I shouldn't have to rebuild my home. It should have been passed from one generation and to the next..." His voice trailed off when he heard Cody climbing back up the side of the home.

Rania debated trying to console Jake. She knew the man who demanded to be referred to as Gravis didn't like being touched; it was one his quirks. He didn't like people prying into his personal life. It was a rare for him to say anything more than a sentence at a time. Coming to a kneeling position, the Twi'lek began the process of applying a second coat to the flooring in the completed room.

"Can you tell me about her?" Rania asked.

Daniels reached out with the force and gently pulled each step. The tattered, chipped, splintering wood fragments pulled away with ease. Pushing them outside the front door and into its own little pile, the man turned and began pulling the side of the staircase off. There were several moments of tense quiet as Rania waited on her answer; an answer Jake wasn't going to give.

"Gravis?" She asked.

The man sighed, "I do not speak of my family with any more detail than I must. Umako only knows what he does because it is essential to my search. Nothing more."

She took it as a hint. It was the tone, the edge to his words that alarmed her slightly. To her, the man known as Gravis had always been uptight. He was a shell of a human male desperately dancing on that fine line between sanity and lunacy but it seemed as though he might have finally been swaying to one side. She had a feeling it wasn't going to be the side that could tell right from wrong.

​

​

...What though could possibly pull him from the brink of outright losing it?​

 

[Jake Daniels]

The sweat, the humidity, it was all starting to get to him. Even in a house that was filling with the sounds of actual people once more after centuries of silence, Daniels was alone. He shook his head with an anxious twitch each time he hit the hammer against a nail. His eyes once more showed the signs of a man with too little sleep with too much on his mind. His face was beaded in sweat as the humidity rose. The smell of the sealant irritated his nostrils. For hours he listened to the incessant chatter of Rania and Cody as they joked, played, and laughed to pass the time. Daniels hadn’t said a word. That hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Cody and Rania occasionally asked a question of him; to which he outright ignored. Consumed within the vacuum of his thoughts. He struggled to keep any of them straight. They jumped; from memories of his family, to his Master, to the wars and battles he fought. The one proud warrior whom smashed his enemies with a ferocity unrivaled by any other at his level was now smashing nails into a plank. Taking the last nail from his lips, Daniels lined it up and quickly pounded it into the wood; his head twitch with each ever so slightly. Glancing at his handiwork to ensure it was acceptable; the man turned and walked out. Stepping over a kneeling Rania whom was just about finished with her second coating of sealant in the family room the man left the house.

“Where are you going?” Rania asked.

“To get supplies.” Daniels said.

“How does he do it?” Rania asked as she watched Jake pass Umako who was coming towards the home with bags full of needed materials.

“Do what?” Umako asked.

“Know when you’re coming.” Rania replied.

Umako chuckled as he set the bags down and glanced back at Jake, “He seems off.”

“Yeah.” Rania replied. “Listen, I know we said we’d help given what he’s done for us and all but I’m starting to have second thoughts about this arrangement.”

“What do you mean? What happened?” Umako asked.

“Nothing happened, it’s just him. He seems off. More so than usual. Quieter. Angrier. And there’s this twitch he’s been doing today. Each time he hit a nail his head would jerk. I don’t think all the pieces are there.” She explained.

Umako sighed, “The pieces are there. They just aren’t all where they are supposed to be.” Rania was right though. The term psychologically damaged was commonly used in the galaxy to describe someone. Was someone super angry? They were crazy. Was someone sad? They were crazy. The term was so overused that it was hard to actually see when it was truly accurate. In the case of Daniels, it was. “We’ll watch him. Let’s at least help him on Chandrila. Should anything give us further cause for concern then we’ll take the appropriate action. If that means leaving him stranded here like he was before we arrived; then so be it.”

“Promise?” Rania asked. “I mean if he really was a Sith at least he hasn’t killed us.”

Umako glanced back at Daniels who could be seen coming up the path. Behind him and being held in the air by his telekinetic abilities were three piles of wooden plants. On them were several cans of paints and primers. “And he won’t. We just won't act rash without reason. As you said he hasn't done anything ill to us so we won't cause him unnecessary stress."

 

[Jake Daniels]

Daniels made his way back to the ship. With the wood, paints, primers, and bags of needed wares already at the home there was just one other set of necessities waiting to be brought up. If Umako was anything it was efficient. The man could find anything Jake needed him too but he also remembered to do the simple things; like buy food, toiletries, and the hygienic stuff he and his comrades used. Jake had still not taken a shower or bath in weeks. The man still planned not too. He was simply... too depressed. Ah yeah, the 'd-word'. Daniels didn't know if he was suffering from it or not. Cody had an idea though; Rania agreeing with it but Umako personally thought there was something else wrong with Jake. As though there were a multitude of mental problems currently tearing apart the psyche of the fallen Sith Knight.

Taking a break and sitting out of the sun, Umako, Cody, and Rania watched as Jake brought back the remainder of the supplies. Quietly the Fallen Sith Knight picked up his hammer, grabbed a small bag of nails, then went back to work. From their vantage point the three watched him begin to work again.

"He's like a machine." Cody said. "Focused on just that house."

"I'm more concerned that he hasn't slept. How long can a human go without sleep?" Rania asked.

"A few days max. Some rumors state that humans have gone a week or more with no sleep but they lost their marbles shortly after. When's the last time anyone saw Grave's sleep?" Cody asked.

"I can't recall. When we get up he's usually already working on the home or flipping screens on Umakos datapad." Rania replied.

Cody sighed, "You know what we're going to have to do right?"

Umako knew. It's what needed to be done. They were still going to go to Chandrila but they wouldn't be going with a Gravis that hadn't slept in days. If he was unstable now; imagine a week of no sleep. "We'll drug him. We have some sleeping pills in the ship, the ones Rania used awhile back. Grind em up slip just enough in his food to drowsy him to the point he has to sleep but not so much that he tastes it."

Rania was the sole protestor, "Do we want to piss off a yellow eyes? Imagine when he wakes up."

Umako nodded, "He won't be happy. Look at him though. His body is failing him. He seems to always be sick. His eyes have a pain written in them, an anguish, that even we can't touch. I don't know what we can do."

"Maybe we can't do anything." Cody replied. "Think of everywhere we've been. Across this galaxy we have taken down banks, businesses, smaller ships. You name it. We happen to get chased through Hutt space and land here. What does fate hold?"

"A yellow eyes." Rania replied.

"Yeah. We're here helping him. He was left on this planet by himself. Everything he knows is gone. If he is really from four hundred years back; I don't think he'll ever get adjusted to our times now." Cody said as he took a bite from a protein bar that Rania fetched from one of the nearby supply bags.

"We aren't just leaving him. Rania and I already talked about this." Umako said.

"I'm not saying that it's just...." Cody's voice trailed off for a moment as Daniels emerged from the home.

The Fallen Sith Knight grabbed a bottle of water, twisted the top off and quickly chugged it down. Then a second. Then a third. With a sigh, Jake shook the weariness from his head and headed back inside. Exhaustion wrought in every step he took.

"Ok." Rania said. "We help him sleep."