Dagobah's Open Terrain

Jemima's eyes widened at the appearance of a man who was actually called Darth Bacon. That certainly wasn't expected.

Now she knew for sure that she was dreaming. Darth Bacon and Darth Eggs? Well, this made for one weird adventure.

"As interesting as all that money may seem..." she said, "...I respectfully decline. Not because I can't use those credits, but really, because I'm actually getting sleepy in this dream..."

With that, she bid Cal Witwer farewell, as with everyone else, and stepped through a door, disappearing from sight...

*Bacon frowned at the being's seeming distaste for bacon, judging by his hesitant reactions, then his announcement that he preferred the "real thing." This made his brows furrow as he lifted the container before his eyes.*
"Real thing"? I assure you that—
*He went silent as he read the words "contains no actual bacon" upon the container. Suddenly scowling, he threw it upon the ground behind the counter, causing it to pop open and spill its contents everywhere; Bacon took this as an invitation to stomp on them.*
What a load of poodoo!! There'll be no such sin in my kitchen!
*He then paused, glanced around the room at those gathered, then gave a nervous grin and chuckle.*
Eh-heh, er, sorry, didn't mean to lose control, but faux bacon does bother me so... Eggs! Come sweep this up!
*A resigned "yes, sir," was heard as a yellow-skinned man appeared from the kitchen, wielding a broom, which he used to sweep away the shattered sinister substance upon the floor. He glanced at Bacon, as though half-expecting the man to ask him to clean his shoes too, but surprisingly Bacon was leaning down to take care of that act himself. Eggs then disappeared back to the kitchen, Bacon looking around with a renewed pleasantry.*
Once more, sorry. I hope you enjoy the food, and if you're looking for more, I am right here!

*The Dark Side Cave was not a long march from Yoda's hut. Indeed, they had arrived in no time, the approaching darkness growing stronger in perception. Aerandir had warned Morgan to guard her mind, even though he knew she had been here before and would be aware of its properties. He idly thought back to her recounting what he had encountered in the cave: A horrifying vision of the Maelibus Psallo Kyrie murdering the personification of Felucia before taunting her with the fact that darkness existed within everything. It had even claimed Aerandir himself was susceptible to its temptations.

Aerandir scoffed.*

"What?" *Morgan asked, her voice betraying some apprehension but no true fear.

He shook his head, confidently replying,* "Oh, nothing. Anyway, I must do this alone. Hold this for me, would you?" *He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and handed it to her, and she took it, seemingly amazed at his lack of hesitance. He chuckled softly.* "Bogan doesn't scare me. I'd like to say I'm gonna make it the other way around, but he's a tough one to crack."

"You show him," *Morgan encouraged, apparently recalling her own experiences here as well.

He smiled at her before approaching the cave, lowering himself down into its eerie glow without another word. The dark side surrounded him... and yet, it did not seem to actually touch him.*

"Disgusting..." *rumbled an ethereal voice.*

"Back at ya," *Aerandir quipped, looking about at the cold, empty cave, at the rocks and dirt and roots illuminated by the otherworldly glow. There wasn't anything of particular interest at all in this place; much like the dark side itself.*

"You offend me with your thoughts as well as your very presence, Jedi," *the voice continued.* "But know that your efforts are in vain."

"Heard it before, try something new."

*The darkness let out a hum, then a deep laugh.* "You are at least amusing. That will make your fall all the sweeter."

"Still waiting."

*Silence ensued a moment, and yet, the darkness did not seem frustrated. If anything, the trace of amusement still lingered.* "Laugh while you can. The darkness grows in strength. Your enemies, the First Order, their ranks only increase. They expand, yet you tarry here, mocking me. And the Jedi Order names you as their 'Grand Master'?"

"Trust me, I feel I need to earn the title myself." *Aerandir was indeed having fun, but his expression and tone became somewhat more serious before he continued.* "I'm not wasting my time at all, though. I just had a meeting that answered everything I needed to know. Well, almost everything. I came here for the rest."

"Then allow me to enlighten you." *The pun was not lost on Aerandir, who smirked but allowed the speaker to continue.* "Whether or not you choose to believe it, I dwell within all living beings. Always there, always lurking. Your own child... You have seen it, have you not? Her surrendering to my will?"

*A scowl flashed across Aerandir's forehead, but he immediately contained himself.* "A falsity and a poor attempt to shake me. She rebuked it. I hear she rebuked you personally, in this very cave. Smart girl. You could learn a lot from her."

"It is apparent from where she derives her petty rebellion from."

"You might've heard, but I kind of brought back 'Rebel' as a galaxy-wide label... I mean, well, I just referred to it as an 'Alliance,' but—"

"Can you take nothing seriously?" *The dark did not sound agitated, only lamenting.* "Regardless—"

"I accept that shadow and light are two sides of the coin, and one cannot exist without the other. But you ever notice how the side of the coin that's dark is on the bottom? Contained from sight? It's kind of like that."

"You are taking that metaphor a bit literally..."

"I'm aware the comparison is a bit of a stretch but for all intents and purposes it works. The darkness exist, but it can be tamed. It does not control me. It won't control me."

"So you say." *At last, the darkness began to form in the center of the room, taking the shape of Soku Ren, his hands held before his smirking face, fingers fully extended and pressing against the tips of those of the opposite hand.* "Imagine, if you will, the future. The flag of the First Order's flag across the galaxy. They march upon your home, crushing the Jedi Order you helped maintain." *Sounds began to enter the chamber, unpleasant sounds of blaster weaponry and lightsabers, the cries and the screams of the wounded and murdered; many of them belonged to children.* "You dared continue to stand and fight, despite being outnumbered and outmatched. You are overwhelmed... but are not killed." *The figure lowered its right hand to the side and a curved lightsaber hilt materialized within. It raised its left hand.* "You are instead forced to watch." *In the left hand materialized an infant boy, not even a year old, hollering as he was held up by the neck. Aerandir's eyes widened but he willed himself not to move, even as the beast held the child at arm's length before impaling it with his weapon.* "First, the youngest..." *The figure dropped the now-lifeless form of Alvis Simon Calmcacil to the ground.*

"Daddy!"

*The cry belonged to Lucy, toddling toward Aerandir in fright, only for a beam of red energy to lash out and strike her to the ground. The whip trailed back to the form of a familiar purple Rodian, sneering at him. Movement from the other side of the Soku figure drew Aerandir's eye and he saw Mina with her staff, attempting to engage the Knight of Ren, but blaster fire from a hidden source ensured she never got the chance. "Soku" then turned to face the form of Kayla, who attempted to wield her training saber against him, but he cleaved the weapon in half before felling her with a slash.

Lastly, Jake and Morgan stood against their combined threat, Jake with his yellow saber, Morgan with her green as well as her whip. But they stood little chance; Jake was struck down by the orange blade and Morgan fell to the lightwhip.

It was the most difficult thing Aerandir ever had to watch; indeed, his greatest fear was losing his children. But the cave chose not to stop there, for suddenly, kneeling before him, was the harried figure of his wife Cassie, looking up at him with broken and empty eyes that glistened in the cave's dim glow. She made no sound, other than a hoarse cry as "Soku" pierced her torso with his blade. She then slumped to the ground as the figure grinned evilly at him, eyes glowing a dark red.*

"And as your family falls all around you, and you are forced to watch helplessly... What will you do?" *The figure began to pace before him.* "Will you give in to your primal emotions and unleash your fury? Or will you wallow in your despair before meeting your end? Either way, the answer will please me..."

*Aerandir took a deep breath, steadying himself. He'd be lying to himself if he said the scene hadn't made him a little uneasy, but what father wouldn't be after watching such a grisly reenactment of the slaughter of their children? But it was a mere trick of the dark, an attempt to unnerve him. And it would not work.* "Your first mistake is believing I would sit idly by and watch. There is no such thing as surrender in such a situation; I would protect them, or die trying. Even were I unable to get to them, yes, I would be shattered, but would take comfort in that we stood against the dark until the very end, and we would all be reunited in the Force.

"Secondly, the Jedi were wiped out once or twice... or three times before. And they came back each time. Even if we fall, our defeat will be temporary. Ashla is resistant, and the dark fears the light."

"I fear nothing! Ashla is a worm, wriggling free from my grasp only to multiply in the soil. I merely must restore balance when she grows unchecked."

"There is nothing balanced about being ruled by primal animalistic tendencies," *Aerandir retorted.* "Those lead to nothing but corruption, destruction, and death. It's not a galaxy I would want to live in, not over one that's free to choose their own path while respecting and aiding others."

"Idealistic."

"And worth fighting for."

"Very well. If you will not listen to reason..." *The figure stepped forward, blade trailing at his side.* "... then you must be destroyed." *In one swift motion, the figure lifted the blade and brought it down diagonally across Aerandir's form to sever him.

And yet it met resistace. The Jedi, who had closed his eyes, had channeled the light within, creating a barrier out of his own aura that halted the stroke. When he opened his eyes, he found that the figure had grit its teeth as it glared angrily at the point where its illusory weapon refused to move.*

"I know that blow would have done nothing to me," *Aerandir admitted, before his lips curled into a smirk,* "but it's too fun to toy with you. That, plus I really don't want you touching me. It's unsanitary."

*The figure continued to glower upon him for a moment, then it grinned and laughed with what seemed like genuine laughter. It withdrew its blade, which melted out of existence into the air around its hand.* "After all of this, and you still have the capacity to joke... You will be an interesting challenge, Jedi."

"Don't flatter yourself."

*The figure only smirked as it too began to fade from existence.* "Until we meet again..."

*As it vanished from sight, leaving Aerandir alone once more, he relaxed his aura and let out a breath. Truth be told, he hadn't expected himself to perform that well, but he had stood tall in the face of his enemy, refusing to allow it to overpower him in any way. It would... take a little effort to recover from the images of his murdered family, but he'd be fine.

He turned and exited the cave, climbing out through the entrance and back up into the swamp. Morgan, quite alive and well, awaited him, seemingly having been pacing with nothing better to do. When she saw him, she ran towards him, looking relieved as she asked,* "How'd it go?"

"As well as it could have, I think. Didn't make him fear me, but I at least made him respect me. I can live with that."

*She seemed unsure how to take this answer a moment before she allowed a small smile to cross her lips.* "Good. So... we can go now?"

*He chuckled and nodded.* "I'd say so. I've done everything I set out to accomplish on this world and more. Let's go home."

*The two of them then begun their trek back towards their ship, though not before getting caught in the rain. This only quickened their pace, and yet they smiled, even laughed as they did so, as though it were a cleansing rain, easing any and all tensions they may have had while upon this world; or even before coming here. Before too long they made it back to the Quiet Perseverance, boarding and lifting off from the swamp world, both of them taking the experience with them. To Aerandir, this was the most fulfilling leg of his journey yet...*