A Jedi Rises

Ilum was an icy planet. Mar couldn't fathom why the Jedi would send children to this world to collect their crystals. As he hopped out of the star hopper he felt the chill bite through the armor he was wearing. KC beeped in concern as he reached out with The Force to try and figure out where he was going.

"Well I don't know exactly where... I'm just trusting my instincts." Mar said.

KC bwooped in concern.

"You don't need to understand, it's The Force." Mar started towards a large ice wall in the distance with KC not far behind him. The ice crunched under his feet. The wind howled. It wasn't until he reached the snow wall that the sun began to peek out from behind the clouds and the storm let up. And he found himself in front of a massive temple.

KC let out small beeps.

"I know... sometimes The Force scares me too." Mar slowly ascended the stairs and into the main hall of the temple. Light poured in from a hole closer to the ceiling and hit a large crystal lens that was striking a wall of ice... melting it and holding it in place to reveal a cave beyond. "Huh... The ice freezes fast here... the light keeps it melted... An interesting test..."

KC voiced her concern.

"Oh I doubt they actually let young jedi freeze to death here." Mar said. "Probably just a trick to help them advance faster than they normally would." He looked to KC. "You stay here..." Mar started into the cave.

KC let out a nervous "Bwoooo" as Mar left her in the main hall.

Mar followed the path, it didn't branch or deviate for the longest time before he reached another hall with three archways. Mar wondered which one he needed to follow, reaching out with The Force to try and get a hint, but he was met with no response. "Damn..."

"You shouldn't be here." Tal said.

Mar turned and saw her as he remembered. "I have to be here." Mar said. "I have to do this the right way..."

"You betrayed her... like you betrayed me..." Tal said. These words cut him deeply. "And now she'll suffer the same fate as me... Because you were a coward!"

"I won't fail her like I failed you." Mar said.

"You still don't know the truth..."

"What truth is there? I sold you out to Vader... left you to die... I have to live with that for the rest of my life." Mar said, eyes closing as he clasped the pendant with her saber crystal.

"That doesn't belong to you either." Tal said.

"I carry it to remember you..."

"You carry it because you can't let go..."

Tal disappeared. Mar looked to the middle archway and walked through it. It grew darker the deeper he went, and just before he was about to switch on his torch he tripped and fell and he heard something go skittering across the stone floor and into the darkness. Mar hissed as he got up and felt the pendant was missing.

"Wait... no! No!" Mar desperately scanned the cave floor for it but found it was gone he let out a cry of anguish. "Tal! Please! Don't leave me!"

No response. He was alone.

Mar made his way through the cave and was met with a wall of what he soon realized were vines.

Jungle vines.

Once he pushed through them he found himself on a familiar planet. The world he and Tal had crashed on all those years ago. He was adorned in his Inquisitor garb... and he felt sick wearing them.

"Mar! Mar! Did you see the TIE fighter?" Tal came running through the jungle towards him. He remembered this. This moment their little world came crashing down.

"I did... I guess The Empire discovered my old distress beacon..." Mar grimaced. "I... we need to run."

"We can't run, Mar. They'll find us... You... you have to turn me in."

"No!" Mar shook his head.

"It's the only way." Tal went to him, cupped his face in her hands, and looked to him with love in her eyes. "If we fight they'll send others... we'll die... but if you turn me in... we'll have a chance..."

Mar shut his eyes. He knew how this ended.

Vader's breathing invaded his mind. He opened his eyes and was on The Executor. Vader's star destroyer.

"You have done well, Inquisitor." Vader said as he studied Tal, her hands were bound.

Mar didn't say anything.

"You will tell us where the hidden Jedi are. You will not resist." Vader said to Tal as he began to choke her with the Force.

Mar's heart twisted with anguish at the sight.

Tal struggled and choked. Mar remembered what he did next. He turned and walked away. But not this time. He pulled his saber, the crimson blade igniting as he went to strike the Dark Lord down. Vader was too fast, his saber was already alight and clashed with Mar's.

"You will suffer her fate as well." Vader said as he shoved Mar back. His strength was great, far greater than any Mar had faced. Vader started after Mar with more slashes of his lightsaber. Mar defended himself, parrying the blows while backing away. Then Mar let out a roar and pushed the Dark Lord away with The Force, sending him into the nearby wall, denting it deeply.

He turned to Tal, used the force to undo her binds. "Run!" He offered his hand to her and the two started down the corridor. After a while the lights in the hall darkened and the door at the end sealed closed. Mar tried to open it but to no avail. Then he heard the low hum of a saber behind him. He blocked the swing, then another, it was all he could see. Then the saber came down, he blocked it, clashing with Vader.

Except it wasn't Vader anymore.

It was Mar himself.

The lights came on, no the space opened up, shifting into the Void Swift. Mar was dressed in his usual garb, a tunic and belt. His saber clashing with his Inquisitor self.

"Who are you?" The Other Mar roared as he kept pressing into the clash, slowly forcing his way clower to Mar.

"I... I don't know!" Mar shouted. In response, The Inquisitor Mar pulled away and swung at him again, this time catching Mar's saber at the hilt, much like how Serenity had destroyed it on Mandalore. Unarmed Mar was at his dark half's mercy.

"Master!" Serenity cried out as she ignited her lightsaber leaping in to defend him.

"Serenity! No!" Mar screamed, but The Inquisitor was already dueling with her. His swings showing their power who how Serenity strained to stand her ground against them.

"Run, Master! I will save you!"

"No, you can't!" Mar tried to protest but he couldn't do anything as he watched her duel The Inquisitor.

She struggled to fight him off, but soon the dark shadow that was his past had disarmed her, sending her saber flying into the shadows beyond the vision. Then he grabbed her with The Force, and Mar knew then that this dark doppleganger was about to crush the life out of her.

"What are you?" The Inquisitor Mar said again as he began to crush the bones in Serenity's body.

"I... I don't know! I..." Mar didn't understand.

"Are you this?" Tal's voice suddenly came into his mind. He looked to The Inquisitor. "Or are you more? What are you Mar Leto? A slave to The Dark Side?"

Serenity's screams filled is mind now. Then they went silent as Mar's mind reached an answer.

"I am a Jedi..." Mar said. A saber fell into his hands. He ignited it, the green blade glowing brightly as he brought it up and struck The Inquisitor down. Serenity was released and as she collapsed she too faded from the vision.

Mar looked down at the saber as he switched it off. It flew from his hand as Tal reappeared and caught it. She smiled at him, love in her eyes like he remembered on those wonderful days in the jungle.

"Then go... Jedi..." Tal said, proudly. She released the saber, it flew apart, the components scattering as the crystal remained suspended in the air. Mar reached out and plucked the crystal from where it floated and looked to Tal. She just smiled. "Go... and remember... I will always be with you, my love." She faded, as did the vision.

Mar stood in a large cavern full of crystals, glittering in the dim light from his torch. He held a green crystal in his hand. Then Mar nodded.

When he returned to KC she let out happy beeps.

"I'm fine, KC..." He looked back to the entrance of the cave. "We're done here..."

They returned to the hopper, and left to rejoin the others.