The mission successful and the Sith Academy demolished once again, they fled Korriban, a number of the “students” going with them. Akharo and Jorgan were having to coral a number of children on board the command ship, since it was where they had the most space. The boy that had been thrown at her, Uzani, had been cleared by the ship’s medical droid and followed the General the entire trip.
Vaylin returned willingly to her meditation chamber, little more than another cage. Akharo thought that was odd, but also probably wise. The dozen or so youngling force sensitives they had on the command ship was not something she thought the former Empress should be around. Even though she was following orders, there was always that feeling like a timer was counting down when she was nearby.
Eventually, they landed on Alderaan, where the Alliance had allies, though the Republic disavowed the attack, some members of the Senate outright condemning it. The young adults were taken to be processed separately, possibly to find new homes, possibly to enter training. It had been their choice to leave the Academy, it had to be their choice what they wanted to do next, too.
The youngsters, though, had been left with the Alliance forces for now. Two score Force sensitive children all told, barely in control of their abilities, was not something that could be handled just now. They were happily playing outside the city where their ships had landed. It was nearly Life Day, and some small gifts and food were being brought up from a generous nearby village. They seemed to be enjoying the festivities. Akharo assumed this was new to them, but who could know? She had no idea if it was celebrated in the Empire.
That’s when she noticed that a few had separated from the rest, sitting nearby in a desolate area, and went to see why.
Oh. She was out.
“Hello, younglings, are you bothering our friend, here?”
The Storm looked up at her from the rocky ground she was sitting on. “They’re fine. They just decided they wanted to sit with me. Don’t ask me why.”
Well, whatever Akharo thought of her, she had brought the Academy crashing down and freed them. Were they grateful?
“Because you’re powerful and we want to be powerful, too.”
Vaylin tried to interrupt. “You don’t want…”
“Because you can break anything that tries to hurt us again.”
“Well, yes, but…”
Uzani, who had followed Akharo up here, said, “And because we know you will.”
It didn’t take the Force to see the thoughts going through Vaylin’s mind, or the emotions. Eventually she turned away, saying, “If you’re too weak to break them yourselves, why do you think I’d do it for you?”
“Because you wanted someone to do it for you.”
Did the boy have a death wish? This was Vaylin he was talking back to.
Or did he know something Akharo didn’t?
That’s when the snowball streaked toward Vaylin’s head. Much faster than the boy could have thrown it. He must be using his talents.
Vaylin just caught it with her own power, leaving it hovering there, half a meter from her face. She turned with that predatory grin and said, “What was this supposed to do?”
Akharo had seen decorated soldiers blanch at that smile. Uzani, though, just said, “Distract you.”
That’s when snowballs started flying at the Storm from all directions as the younglings demonstrated why they were here. Mostly, she caught them like she had the first or dodged them, but there were so many she was eventually pelted by several at once and knocked into a snowbank.
For several moments, there was just the sound of children’s laughter. Akharo both wished she had her blaster cannon and knew it would do no good. There was steam coming from where Vaylin had fallen, and some sparks. And then, an unnatural sound, a sound that hadn’t been heard in over a decade.
Vaylin’s laughter. Not the laughter of the broken thing that had emerged from Nathema, not the laughter of a spirit being broken, but almost the laughter of a child. Laughter from a place something like joy.
She scrambled back to her feet, and the fight was on.
One snowball sped toward Akharo, which she almost knocked from the air with her gauntleted hand, but she knew it was no threat and she let it hit her in the face. Let them have their fun, and it gave her an excuse to join in.
Later, with the children in bed and Vaylin still sitting on that same rocky outcropping, Akharo approached her again and asked, “Were you actually enjoying yourself?”
Vaylin shrugged and said, “Maybe. Or maybe I just went along because I didn’t want the Alliance to kill me if I hurt the children. Or to make you trust me a bit. How could you be sure?”
Akharo thought about that for a moment, then went and sat down next to her former enemy, looked out over the mountains to the stars as Vaylin did. “I don’t think you’re that good an actor.”
She looked over and saw Vaylin’s grin. “I think you’d be surprised.”
Maybe she would at that. But, for now, Vaylin had helped them make this day possible, and also to comfort children that had left the only life they’d ever known, horrible as it was. And that would be enough. “Happy Life Day.”
Then they sat in silence and watched the snow and the stars.
