Chapter Six

Talyc stared, mouth agape, looking as nervous as he had on his wedding day. Knarf donned off the underwater suit and walked up to his friend. He gave him a sympathetic smile. Shadie spoke to the Sphere through the Force, looking very focused, but the Sphere was not responding.
            ‘What’s happening?’ Mrs. Holt whispered. Brenum began explaining.
            Shadie, keeping her hands on the Sphere, turned her head towards the others.
            ‘It knows I’m here, but it’s still in defence mode. It won’t respond.’
            ‘But Fane’s in there!’ said Talyc. ‘He’s been gone all this time without…food or…’ Talyc swallowed hard. ‘What if–’
            ‘Talyc, that what-if game has only led me towards the dark side and towards fear and anger and hurt and despair,’ said Shadie. ‘Come.’ Talyc reluctantly approached. ‘Place your hands on the Sphere. It knows you. Speak to it.’
            Shadie removed her hands from the Sphere and backed away. Talyc looked unsure of himself, but he spoke.
            ‘Sphere, please, I need to know that Fane is alive.’ There was nothing.
            ‘This is serious business,’ said Mrs. Holt. ‘What altercation did your friend end up in to be in this situation?’
            ‘Please,’ Talyc pleaded. ‘Fane, my man, my husband.’ Talyc’s words could barely be heard. ‘Please.’
            Knarf wanted to say something encouraging, but he could not find the right words with which to comfort his friend. Before he could worry about it, the Sphere pulsed quickly, once, and everyone was thrown to the ground. Then, an opening appeared. Talyc ran in almost faster than Knarf could register, as though he had the Force. Knarf followed in, as did Shadie, Brenum and Trylia.
            Knarf heard Void speak to Nriwe and Mrs. Holt. ‘Probably best not to overcrowd poor Fane.’
            Talyc got down on his knees by Fane’s side. The Jedi was lying on a small mattress-looking platform that the Sphere had created, looking deep in slumber.
            ‘He’s in a healing trance,’ said Shadie.
            Talyc took Fane’s hand as Knarf crouched on the other side of Fane, across from Talyc. The clan leader placed a hand on Fane’s cheek. Fane moaned softly and moved his head. He breathed in deeply. Slowly, the Jedi opened his eyes.
            Talyc wiped his eyes and smiled. ‘Hey you,’ he said. ‘Fane, my man, you’re alive.’
            Fane narrowed his eyes. ‘Of course, I’m alive.’
            ‘Not lost your sense of humour then,’ said Knarf, relieved.
            Fane looked from Knarf to Talyc, and at Talyc holding his hand. He scowled. ‘I’m sorry. Do I know you?’
            Knarf felt a lump in his throat and saw Talyc’s smile fade, and could only guess how Talyc was feeling. The clan leader let out a few short exhales.
            ‘Fane, it’s me, Talyc.’
            ‘I’m pretty sure I’d remember you had we met,’ said Fane, propping himself on his elbows.
            Knarf didn’t miss the little flirtatious smile Fane flashed Talyc, but Talyc merely let go of Fane and fell back into a sitting position. The look of dismay on Talyc’s face was devastating to Knarf; Talyc looked more dismayed than Knarf had ever seen him in years.
            ‘Fane,’ said Shadie, ‘do you not remember what happened to you?’
            Fane snapped his head at Shadie, eyes wide. ‘What are you doing here, Shadie.’
            ‘I’m here because I’m your friend,’ said Shadie, keeping a calm voice.
            ‘You’re no friend of mine,’ spat Fane.
            Talyc shook his head. ‘This can’t be.’
            ‘Fane,’ said Trylia in a soothing voice, ‘what’s the last thing you remember?’
            ‘I remember sparring with Master Kloh,’ said Fane.
            Knarf bowed his head. ‘How many years have been lost?’ he whispered.
            ‘I’m sorry, you are?’ asked Fane.
            ‘Fane,’ said Brenum, ‘I’m afraid something terrible has happened and you’ve lost your memory.’
            ‘Brenum, how?’ Fane looked about. ‘Where are we?’
            Talyc stood abruptly and took a few steps back. He turned his back to the others, facing the Sphere’s wall. Knarf stood and walked to him. Talyc was shaking his head, tears filling his eyes.
            ‘I don’t know what Awgro did to him, but I’m going to kill him.’ Talyc clenched his teeth.
            ‘First, let’s find out what actually happened,’ said Knarf.
            Talyc turned back to Fane. ‘Fane, I may not be Force-sensitive, but I will do everything in my power to help you remember who I am.’ Talyc took a few steps towards him.
            ‘I’m sorry, I have no recollection of you.’ Fane frowned apologetically. ‘The way you speak… Your tears. Please tell me, who are you?’
            Talyc crouched by Fane’s side. ‘Your husband.’
            Fane’s eyes grew wide. ‘My husband!’
            Talyc nodded. ‘Do you not remember anything from the night they took you? We…’ Talyc looked down. ‘I’m sorry.’

            He stood and exited the Sphere. Knarf hurried after him. He could hear Fane speaking to Shadie and it hurt to hear Fane talk to her the way he was. But he knew that Shadie understood, and despite the sadness in her voice, there was much love and understanding.
            Knarf found Talyc leaning against the Sphere, hand on his forehead, weeping. Knarf put a hand on Talyc’s shoulder.
            ‘I’ve lost him,’ Talyc sobbed.
            ‘No, you haven’t. Did you not hear the way he spoke to you? You can start anew, the love is there, it just needs to blossom again.’
            ‘Don’t,’ Talyc warned, ‘don’t try to make this what it’s not.’ Talyc turned to Knarf. ‘I’m being punished, aren’t I?’
            ‘Whatever has given you that impression?’   
            ‘All the terrible things I’ve done in the past. Sure, on Mandalore, we can blame Relsor, but Dromund Kaas was my fault. This is what I get for squandering the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’
            ‘You have to stop thinking like that, Talyc!’
            Talyc pointed at the inside of the Sphere where Fane was shouting at Shadie for her relationship with Kromus and something about Lahnius.
            ‘That is not my Fane,’ shouted Talyc.
            ‘Yes, it is!’ Knarf said pointedly, matching Talyc’s tone. ‘He’s just the Fane from before you met.’
            Talyc backed away. ‘I can’t deal with this right now.’ He turned and left. Void looked at Knarf and nodded. He went after Talyc. Nriwe looked devastated, and Mrs. Holt looked like she’d been filled in.
            ‘I’m so sorry,’ the Czerka executive said.
            Knarf nodded and re-entered the Sphere.
            ‘Please, Fane, I’m not the same Shadie you met back then.’
            ‘You are to me!’
            ‘Please!’ Knarf spoke loudly. ‘It doesn’t matter, those details don’t matter.’ He approached Fane. He softened his tone. ‘Fane, you are a remarkable Jedi; you survived a mortal wound because of a Holocron that gave you the power of regeneration. Do you remember that? The galaxy was dying, the Force was sick, and you were the only one able to defeat the Sith who was causing all of it. Do you remember your victory?’
            Fane shook his head. ‘I did that? I saved the galaxy?’
            ‘Yes. All you ever wanted was to be a worthy Jedi with a worthy purpose. You are a Protector of the Force,’ said Knarf.
            ‘Thank you, but it’s all overwhelming. I’d much rather discuss this with Master Kloh.’ Everyone looked at each other uneasily. ‘What’s going on?’
            ‘Fane,’ said Trylia gently, ‘Master Juun Kloh has died.’
            ‘What? When? How?’
            There was a pause. Trylia spoke. ‘You. You fell for a brief moment towards the dark side and you killed him.’ Fane’s mouth kept opening every time he closed it, as though he were saying “what,” but no sound was coming out. ‘But then you turned back to the light. This act allowed you to have a bond in the Force with Lian.’
            ‘Lian? Why Lian?’
            ‘He’s Master Kloh’s son.’ Again, Fane’s mouth fell open with shock, even wider this time. ‘And it’s this bond that allowed you to defeat Relsor, the Sith whose mere existence was sickening the Force and many people were dying because of him. As Knarf explained,’ Trylia smiled reassuringly, ‘you saved the galaxy.’
            ‘Why did I fall? Why did I kill Master Kloh?’
            ‘Because of me,’ said Shadie, her voice low. ‘Because I defeated your brother in combat. Because of the anger you now feel and are reliving. I’m so sorry, Fane.’
            ‘You…’ Fane whirled his head towards Shadie. ‘I feel anger towards you, Shadie, yet, I don’t know, I don’t feel this compulsion to turn to the dark side. You say you killing Lahnius is what did it? So why am I not feeling the same level of hatred now?’
            ‘Because deep down, you’re still Fane, our Fane, the Saviour of the galaxy,’ said Shadie.
            She stood and stepped out of the Sphere. Fane looked to the side.
            ‘This is all so overwhelming,’ he said.
            Knarf let Brenum and Trylia continue to speak with Fane. He exited the Sphere. He heard his wife sniffle, but she took a deep breath and nodded.
            ‘He just needs to get over his initial shock,’ she said. ‘We can help him, explain all the finer details in due time. I was trying too hard in there,’ she admitted. ‘I need to give him his space. In the meantime, I need to figure out why the Sphere allowed us in but is still relatively unresponsive. It worries me.’
            Knarf took his wife in his arms. Shortly after, Brenum and Trylia emerged from the Sphere accompanied by Fane. He seemed unsure of himself. Talyc and Void returned as well. Talyc walked up to Fane and held out his husband’s lightsaber.
            ‘Talyc Kandera, clan leader. The Jedi order allowed us a special…allocation, if you will. You are the Jedi affiliate on Mandalore. Your lightsaber.’ Fane took the lightsaber. Talyc also handed him some of his other belongings. ‘If you’ll excuse me, Master Herl’unik will want a report, and seeing as you’ve lost your memory, I’m the only one out of the two of us able to brief him on what’s happened.’
            Talyc left and went elsewhere. Fane stared after him. He looked at Knarf.
            ‘I’m pretty sure I’d remember him,’ he said.
            ‘He’s a good-looking man, isn’t he?’ said Knarf. Fane blushed. ‘Part of you remembers, in your heart; part of you knows and feels it, somehow.’
            Fane clipped his lightsaber to his belt and glanced around. He motioned his hand and then frowned. He tried again; a look of worry came to him.
            ‘Why can’t I use the Force?’
            ‘Oh, about that,’ said Brenum. ‘It appears that Awgro, the Sith who had you captured, drained you of the Force.’
            ‘Great, so the only reason I’m still alive is that Holocron thing and my connection with the Crypt?’ He sighed. ‘Makes no sense to me, but I’ll take it.’
            He started off, with Brenum following him. Not long after, Talyc returned.
            ‘How are you feeling?’ asked Knarf.
            ‘Well, let’s see,’ Talyc began, sarcasm thick in his voice, ‘I’ve just had to tell the entire Jedi Council that Fane has lost years of his life, my husband doesn’t know who I am, a Sith is trying to kill me, the Sphere won’t acknowledge its Lady, and we’re miles underwater, and I feel like drinking myself to a stupor. Life couldn’t be grander.’ He started off.
            ‘Talyc, wait!’ Knarf called out.
            ‘Let him be,’ said Shadie. ‘This is difficult for us all, but most of all for him.’

* * *

            Void found Fane meditating in a small quiet alcove, away from the others. Fane opened his eyes.
            ‘The only thing I can still do, it seems, is meditate,’ he said.
            ‘Sometimes, it’s all that’s needed,’ replied Void.
            ‘Tell me something, how does a Sith Lord end up gallivanting around the galaxy with a bunch of Jedi and Mandalorians?’
            Void chuckled. ‘Well, it begins with a man who thinks he can help his wife get pregnant. He uses Sith alchemy, but something goes wrong, the child is ill, his wife goes mad and they duel. His wife dies, and he can’t kill his son himself, so he entrusts the task to someone else. The child grows up to be Relsor. Then, the older Sith becomes Head of the Dark Council and assists the Jedi destined to destroy his son. The Jedi is victorious. The Sith’s secrets are uncovered, the Dark Council banishes him, and he is invited by Jedi Master Lian Kloh to join him as a master at the Crypt. And thus I am here today, a friend. How about that? Oh, and I along with Usharr, another Sith, are to thank for your regeneration ability.’
            ‘That was a crude summary,’ said Fane.
            ‘I’ve had a crude life.’
            ‘But you’re unlike any other Sith I’ve met.’
            ‘Wait till your memory returns, if it returns,’ said Void, a smile tugging on the side of his mouth. ‘You know, even if you don’t know it, you are not the Jedi you are said to have been years ago. I never knew you then, but I know you now and you are too much like the Fane I know. My apprentice may have taken your memories and the Force from you, but he has not taken you away from you.’
            ‘Wait, your apprentice?’ said Fane. ‘Sithspawn! Sorry, no wonder you landed with us. You totally owe us.’
            ‘Perhaps,’ said Void. ‘And what do you owe to whom?’
            ‘What do you mean?’
            Void smiled. ‘Just mull that over while you meditate.’
            ‘Wait, thank you.’
            Void nodded and left Fane to contemplate his words.

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“Connections in the Force” is written by Celinka Serre (2023).

Disclaimer: The Characters in this Fan-Fiction are new and have original names. The story is an original written work. The story is derivative and consistent of Fan-Fiction since it borrows the franchise world of Star Wars. Certain jargon and places, or concepts mentioned, along with the SW Old Republic universe belong to Lucasfilm Ltd. and Disney. No characters or story lines from the films are used. No story lines or characters from the games or books are used. A handful of characters from the games may be referenced, but are not the main focus in this fanfic story.  This fan-fiction story falls under Fair Use.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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