Chapter 19: Those who can't teach, Do.

The dim glow of the light cast a ghostly blue tint on Sola's face as she paced back and forth, her hands clasped behind her back in deep thought.

"What about Darth Vengeance?"

She suggested, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous chamber we'd claimed as our brainstorming lair.

'My bedroom is way cooler here than on Ares II.'

I leaned against the cold stone wall, crossing my arms.

"Too cliché."

I muttered, shaking my head. It was like trying to choose the perfect username in The Old Republic, except this wasn't a game, and Sola wasn't an avatar. She was real, and so was the weight of the name she'd carry.

"Fine. Darth Maleficent?" Her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Sounds like a fairy tale villain. Pass."

I could almost feel the frustration simmering off her, and it took everything in me not to smirk. Naming a Sith was serious business, but watching Sola get all worked up was a rare treat.

"Then what do you suggest, oh wise one?"

Sarcasm dripped from her words, yet there was a playful twinkle in her piercing eyes. I pushed away from the wall and started to pace alongside her, feeling the gravity of our task. A name was an identity, a declaration of intent, and Sola deserved something that encapsulated her stormy spirit and unyielding resolve.

"You're not just any Sith..."

My voice trailed off as inspiration struck like a lightning bolt, fierce and sudden.

"Say it," She prompted, stopping in her tracks to look at me, anticipation written all over her face.

'Marchion Ro, forgive me for my trespasses.

"Darth Tempest"

I said, the words resonating in the air between us.

Her eyes widened, and then she smiled. A gorgeous smile that was all teeth and triumph.

"Darth Tempest." she repeated, rolling the syllables around in her mouth like tasting a fine wine. "I love it."

"I Figured you would"

I replied with a half-grin, relief washing over me. It suited her. The chaos of a huge storm, unpredictable and powerful. Just like Sola.

'Too bad we couldn't come up with something to encapsulate her beauty too, but oh well.'

'Dude, stop being so cringe.' My thoughts battled over my crush.

"Darth Tempest"

She whispered again, a hint of reverence creeping into her tone. I watched as she embraced the name, the way one might embrace their destiny. And in that moment, I felt a flicker of something rare. Pride, maybe, or something like it. Whatever it was, watching Sola step into her new identity reminded me why I was doing all of this in the first place.

'To cull my loved ones' enemies and create a paradise for my future children to edge in freedom!'

"Let's make them remember it."

She spoke with determination, setting her jaw and lighting a fire in her soul.

"Yeah," I agreed, the word more vow than response. "They'll remember."

*****

The name Darth Tempest lingered between us, a storm brewing in the calm of my room. I paced the cold durasteel floor, my boots echoing like distant thunder.

"We need to hit them where it hurts," I muttered, more to myself than to Sola.

"Them?" Her voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and clear.

"Ya-ta Kesyk." I said, spitting out the name like it was poison. "Her and her precious Artus system."

"Artus."

Sola's brow furrowed, her fingers tapping against her arm, a silent drumroll to my brewing plans.

"The slave trade hub." She spoke calmly.

"Exactly." My hands clenched into fists at my sides. "An attack on Artus could cripple their operations—send a message that Darth Relic is not to be trifled with. More than that, it's the Kesyk family that's out for blood."

Sola's lips twisted into a frown, her gaze piercing the holographic star map in front of us.

"An attack? That's too direct, too messy. It'll bring the wrath of the Duke down upon us."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Frustration simmered within me, but I kept my tone level. Patience hasn't been my strong suit lately, but Sola... she deserved that much.

"Think, Vex." she urged, circling the map like a predator stalking its prey. "What's the lifeblood of Artus? The slaves, yes, but more importantly, their sale."

"Go on." I leaned in, intrigued despite myself.

"A blockade." Sola stopped, her finger hovering over the glowing planet. "If we stop the flow of slaves, we strangle their economy. We make the Duke and his darling daughter feel the squeeze."

"Blockade..." The word rolled off my tongue, tasting of potential. "That could work. But it's not just about the economy. It's about sending a message."

"Of course." Sola's eyes met mine, aflame with the thrill of strategy. "A blockade would show our strength without unsheathing a single lightsaber. Fear will spread through their ranks like wildfire."

I nodded, a slow smile creeping across my face.

"Wait, how will we get ships to blockade them."

"Frek!"

Sola thought outloud, then she paused, tapping a finger to her chin as she studied the holographic map.

"There must be another way," she murmured.

I watched her carefully, sensing the gears turning in her brilliant mind. That was one of the things I admired most about Sola her ability to think creatively, approaching problems from new angles.

'She's so much smarter than me in hindsight, fuck.'

"What if..."

Sola traced her finger along Artus' orbit, zeroing in on a cluster of small dots representing defense platforms and satellites.

"Instead of a blockade, we infiltrate and hijack their orbital defenses?"

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "oh, word?"

Her eyes lit up, a cunning smile spreading across her face.

"Artus' orbital defenses are state-of-the-art, designed to detect and destroy incoming threats automatically. If we hack into the central control system, we could turn those defenses back on Artus itself."

She tapped the cluster of dots emphatically.

"We target key military and economic installations from orbit. No need to waste resources on a blockade. So not only can we bombard them with their own cannons, we will also trap them on the planet, too."

I crossed my arms, picturing the wanton destruction from above. It was bold, audacious...and appealed to my appetite for vengeance.

"The Duke would be furious," I said slowly. "His own technology used against him, wreaking havoc on his domains..." A wicked grin crept onto my face. "Oh yes. I like the way you think, Sola."

She lifted her chin, eyes glittering. "Sometimes the simplest path is not the most...impactful."

I laughed, an eager fire kindling inside me. We would make the Duke pay for his sins against my family. Sola would be by my side, her brilliant cunning fueling our victory. This was only the beginning.

"We're gonna need a ship, a handful of droids, and…" Sola prattles off as she thinks about the logistics. "We'll have to meet up with my contacts when we have time."

"Let's not rush this. If this heist succeeds, I'll be able to cut off the head of my immediate problem far sooner than I anticipated."

"I will get the ball rolling in my spare time then darling." Sola spoke to me with a deep blush. Her eyes locked onto mine.

'How long before she tries to throw a proper label on us, I wonder?'

*****

The thrumming of clashing lightsabers filled the large training room with the melody of danger and precision. Sola was a natural, her blade an extension of her will, but as we sparred, my confidence waned. I could dance through these duels with my eyes closed, but teaching... that was another battlefield entirely.

"Good, now feint—no, not like that."

I corrected, parrying her strike with an ease that came from somewhere beyond me.

"You have to make me believe it."

Sola's brow furrowed, frustration evident in the slight tremble of her saber.

"I'm trying, Vex. It's not as easy as you make it look."

"Nothing ever is."

I muttered under my breath, suddenly aware of the vast gulf between doing and teaching. My skills, my innate understanding of combat—it wasn't something I could pass on with mere words or demonstrations.

'I mean, Santa granted me these powers because truck-kun 9/11d me. Rest in power, you poor truck. May the elves take pity on your soul.'

"Maybe this was a mistake."

I confessed, deactivating my saber with a click that echoed too loudly in the space.

"I may have bit off more than I can chew by offering you an apprenticeship."

Her piercing gaze met mine, searching for a hint of jest. But she found none.

"What are you saying? That you can't teach me?" Sola looked at me with utter heartbreak in her eyes.

"I'm saying..."

I trailed off, struggling to articulate the storm of inadequacy brewing within. How could I explain that all my strength and battle knowledge wasn't my own?

And then, as if the Force itself whispered in my ear, a sliver of memory surfaced, a tale of ancient power and knowledge. Bane. Darth Bane had been a self-made lord of the Sith, his strength earned rather than bestowed. And he had learned from Revan's Holocron.

'I think?'

"Wait." I said abruptly, holding up a hand to still her next question. "There might be another way."

"Another way?" Sola lowered her weapon, curiosity replacing her ire.

"Revan's Holocron."

I said, the words feeling both foreign and familiar on my tongue.

"A repository of knowledge from one of the greatest Sith Lords who ever lived. If I can find it, if I can remember how Bane discovered its secrets, perhaps it can teach you what I cannot."

"Revan's Holocron." she repeated, a note of reverence creeping into her voice. "That's a legend, isn't it? Are you sure it's real?"

"More real than you know."

I replied though doubt gnawed at me. The path ahead shimmered with promise and peril, much like the edge of a lightsaber.

"We'll need to uncover it first, but it could hold the key to mastering your potential. And the low key, I really want to fucking meat Revan."

"Then let's find it." Sola cooed, looking at me fondly.

"I might have a place to start."

*****

Back in my room, I desperately flick through my datapad, which I've had my whole life.

'Being an iPad baby finally paid off.'

I was scrolling through it because when I came into

consciousness at three years old, I wrote down every single detail about Star Wars I could remember. This sounds stupid, but it's true. Once I knew I was here, I knew my memory days were limited, so I wrote down literally every single thing I could remember.

"Bane, Bane, Bane, Bane." I swiped through my datapad like an absolute fiend.

"Darling, There sure is a lot of porn on that thing," Sola spoke with a heated face as she watched carefully behind me.

"Ah, here it is!" I said with elation.

Sola squinted her eyes as she looked at my old notes.

"Who is Darth Bane?" She asked, perplexed.

"It doesn't matter." I interjected. "What I remember is this. Somewhere in the Lower Korriban Library is a book that leads will tell us where to find the Holicron on Rakata prime. The book is titled…."

I read my notes.

"Fuck it just says the ancient book has the word Rakata in the title."

I sigh

"Well, it's fine, right? Let's just go ask the librarian."

*****

We stepped out of the Upper Korriban Academy for what felt like the first time in forever. I kept my saber close. As we walked along the Ancient stairs that led to Korriban proper.

'Now this is Star Wars fuck yeah.'

I smiled at my thoughts as we entered an ancient building. We trudged through the halls, making our way to the library located in the depths of the Academy. I took in the sights, knowing this was where Bane would have made the same journey someday if I didn't actively fuck up his future right now.

"I'm sorry Bane but in your loss i will make a new order, forged in a mostly similar way maybe?" I whisper to myself.

'Wait, no, Bane, sorry, I'm just gonna do whatever the fuck I want. The true Sith way. But still… You're a real one.'

Weirdly, the massive library was empty.

"I see the Sith in the lower academy has no concept of the riches within this room," I spoke to Sola.

"Apparently, neither does Father's upper academy." She responded with surprising criticism of her father.

'I wonder if he's gonna be a dick to me?'

After searching for less than three minutes we anticlimactically found what we were looking for. We didn't even end up asking for help.

"The Rakata and the Unknown World" I spoke annoyed at how little effort it took to find. "By Darth Revan" I smiled at that part.

'This is fucking hype as fuck, like finding Tom Riddle's journal.'

"This will definitely take some time to fully absorb," Sola chimed in, her surprise evident at the sheer size of the book in front of us.

"Yup," I sighed in agreement. "Let's take our time with it, I guess…"