Back on the Non-Existent Planet, dusk began to creep over the horizon, as the sun slinked behind the surrounding trees of the forest blanketing the city of Canterlot. In the center of the forest, the Masked Figure sat cross legged on a rock, waiting for his little droid friend to respond back to him.
Behind the mask, his face showed one of deep thought and concentration, focusing on the arrow he pulled from the tree. Through it, he tried to learn more about the girl named Sunset Shimmer, what she was like, where she came from, how powerful she was in the Force. But most of it was in vain; he was strong in the Force, but the ability of Psychometry eluded him. The only way he could truly learn anything about her, was talking to her face to face; which he hoped he could do when Red brought her to him.
"Hello Gerrun."
The boy was broken from his trance, recognizing the new voice that spoke to him. Looking over his shoulder, he could not believe his eyes. The being that spoke to him took the form of a person from his past, a past he had longed to forget, but didn't want to let go of. The boy was scared of the being, despite the warm and welcoming smile on his face.
"Master," the boy whispered, "How can this be, you are dead."
The being that looked like his master nodded, "This place is strong in the Force. Through your connection to it, as well as your memories of me, I was given shape. I am here, because you want me to be."
Gerrun slumped, "I see, so you are not my master. Just an illusion of him created by my memories."
"Whether I am real or not, you desired me to be here. So here I am," the Figure spoke, taking a seat on a stump adjacent to the rock Gerrun was sitting on, "Tell me, why have you come to this place?"
Gerrun was hesitant to speak, but also a little eager. Whether he was real or just in his head, he had wanted to talk to his master for a long time, "I.. I'm here because of you. Remember the holocron you opened, the planet you discovered? I found it, the map led me right to it. I'm certain that it is here that I might find the next piece I need to complete your work!"
"But why?" Gerrun's Master asked, "Why spend eight years trying to finish the work of a dead man?"
Gerrun could not believe what he was hearing, "How can you say that? This was your legacy! Your chance to grant the Jedi ultimate power! The power we could've used to defend ourselves from the Empire! I will not not rest until the power you sought is in my grasp!
His master had a look of sorrow on his face, sad that this is what his padawan had become, "So, is power all that you desire?"
"What? No, of course not," Gerrun tried to explain, "I'm trying to keep it from the Empire."
Despite these words, Gerrun's master just shook his head, "My boy, power is meaningless without purpose. What would you do with this power should you control it instead of the Empire?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Gerrun asked his master, "I'd use it to defeat the Empire! To overthrow the government that betrayed us, and put in a system where the Jedi can flourish once again! We'd put in something new, something better, where we can rule over the entire galaxy fairly and justly! We wouldn't make the same mistakes we did!
Again, Gerrun's old master shook his head. A Jedi did not seek power, nor did they seek to rule. The apparition had become afraid of what his padawan had become, "And what of the girl?"
Gerrun was taken aback by the question, "The girl?"
His master nodded, "The girl, Sunset Shimmer. The one you sent your little friend to go fetch for you. Why does she interest you so?"
Gerrun shook his head, "Surely you've felt it, if not you can read my thoughts at least. She's Force Sensitive. I haven't met someone like her in years."
His master raised his eyebrow, "It is true, you have not. But I know you better than that, Gerrun. You were an outgoing boy, but even you had moments when you meant more than what you said. You had your secrets, just as I had mine. Why are you interested in her, really? How does she fit into your grand plan of galaxy domination?"
Gerrun winced, his plan sounded better in his head then it did out loud. He was certain that should his master really have been here with him, he wouldn't have approved of his plan. But still, he believed he was right, that he could create something better where the Jedi had failed. His master could never truly understand his plan. But that mattered little, his Master had asked him a question, and he had to answer in a way that was sure to appeal to him and his teachings.
He chose to use knowledge as the base of the answer, "You once told me that there were places in the many planets of the galaxy, where the Force flowed strongly. However, there were instances where they were the most sensitive to people that originated from the planet it resided in. It has taken weeks for me to find this place, and I have yet to find the clue it guards. But that girl, this place opened up to her so quickly, allowed her to bathe in its power while I have had trouble doing so. Perhaps, she is the key to finding the temple that hides away here, and the secrets it contains."
His master sighed, saddened by the answer, "So that is all, she is nothing but a means to an end for you."
Gerrun winced once again. He had apparently said the wrong thing, failed to appease the illusion of his master. His master took the arrow from his lap, twirling it through his fingers, "You intend to use her affinity with this place to steal the next clue to my foolish crusade. Then, when you have it, you will cast her aside. I wonder, if she matters so little to you, why send your droid after her? If she is as expendable as you say, why not simply tell them, instead of lying and claiming that you are trying to protect her?"
"No, that's not true, I am trying to protect her," Gerrun claimed, "The Empire will find this place, eventually. They always do! Once I'm done with her, I'll take her with me. Drop her off on a planet in the Unknown Regions, where she can spend the rest of her life in safety."
There was a disapproving gaze in his Master's eyes, "So that is your plan? Rip her away from her friends and family, and leave her on a planet, unfamiliar to her, to rot away?"
Gerrun was becoming upset again, "No, it's not like that! I'm saving her life, I'm protecting her from the Empire!"
"You of all people know what it feels like to be ripped away from your home, from who you love, what something like that does to a person," his Master warned, "If you go through with this, you will prove yourself to be no better than the Empire."
"NO!" Gerrun shouted, his negative influence of the Force growing stronger. The weather began to change; the skies became darker, the rain become aggressive, and a flurry of lightning bolts shot through the sky.
Gerrun stared at this image of his master, angry at him for not seeing things his way, "You know nothing of how cruel the Empire is, what they've done to me, what they've turned me into! You're not even real, you're just a semblance of my master! Well, my real master is gone; he has been gone for years, and the Empire took him from me! Every day I continue to live, they take something from me! My father, my home, my whole life! But no more, I will not allow them to take another single thing from me! I will destroy the Empire, make them pay for what they did to me, what they did to you! They will all grovel before me, beg me for mercy! Then, I will show them the same mercy they showed us!"
Then, as quickly as it came, the brief surge in Gerrun subsided. The storm became smaller again as his power faded away. Then, he began to cry, his tears spilling out of the bottom of his mask and mixing with the rain. He had known the cruelty of the Empire... better than most people. To hear that he was just as bad as they were, from his own master no less, scared Gerrun beyond belief.
"I miss you," Gerrun whimpered, his body pathetically slumped in front of the ghost, "You were everything to me, I wanted to be like you. To become the Jedi Master you thought I could be. But the Empire took you away from me, and suddenly I had nothing. This crusade is all I have left of you. To abandon it now would be to abandon what I have left of you, dishonor the memories I have of you. I have to continue, to find the power you sought, and use it to protect others like Sunset, like I know you would have. If I do that, perhaps I can be whole again. Perhaps, I will finally find my redemption."
His Master just watched over him, a look of sympathy remaining steadfast on his face. It pained him to see his padawan in this state. He understood that Gerrun's motivations were not ones of cruel and selfish nature, but the path he was leading could allow for them to become that way. But there was not much that he could do to help him anymore. Only sit and listen. Observe.
"Gerrun," the phantom began, "Obtaining this power will not bring me back. Neither will it erase the past, or bring you the resolution you seek. Many who have fallen prey to the Dark Side have done so out of desire for power, some of them for reasons much similar to yours. If you continue down this path, you will see yourself become something far worse than the Empire you try so hard to run from."
"Then tell me what I must do," Gerrun begged, "What must I do to save myself from this future?! Tell me, master! Please!"
The ghost said nothing. Then, after a moment, he uttered a single phrase, "Take off your mask."
At these words, Gerrun had become silent. He had been asked to do the thing that he dreaded the most, "Master?"
The illusion of his master did not flinch, as his pupil had, "You have heard me quite clearly, take off your mask."
Gerrun's eyes shivered with fear as he ran his fingers alongside the edges of the mask. This mask, alongside the Training Saber and his Master's old Holocron, were the only keepsakes he had left of his old life as a Jedi. To lose any of these things, would be to lose a part of himself.
No, that wasn't it. There was a deeper meaning to the mask than the lie he told himself. A deeper and darker meaning. The mask did not hold onto a part of himself. Instead, it concealed it.
"So you understand," the illusion spoke, "The mask you wear does nothing but offer you false safety from a truth you cannot escape. If you are to become the protector you say you wish to become, you must cast aside this barrier you have built, and embrace the truth. Only then, can you free yourself from your past. Only then, can you begin to heal."
Gerrun's hands trembled as they reached for the sides of his mask, stalling the moment as long as he could. In his heart, he knew what his master had said was true. That he could never be what he claimed to be, as long as he hid away from himself. Still, the situation frightened him beyond measure, coming to terms with his past, and facing the part of him that lingered, that changed. His conjoined love and fear of his mask overpowered every other emotion he had felt before, even his hatred for the Empire.
There was a small hiss, as the mask depressurized, and Gerrun slowly removed it from his head. The mask was not two inches away from his face, when he caught his own reflection in one of the visors. His vision became shaky as his hands struggled to firmly grip onto the edges of the mask. Then, he began to hyperventilate, to panic. He could not bear to look at himself anymore. With a quick motion of the wrist, Gerrun pulled the mask back over his face, the silent hiss returning as the mask was pressurized once again.
The phantom gave Gerrun a look of indifference, as his old pupil fell from his rock onto his knees and hands, repeating a simple phrase over and over, "I cant'. I can't. I can't."
The vision sighed, "How disappointing. You would rather prolong your inner suffering, than to face what you have become. Perhaps you are not worthy of this place's secrets, after all."
The master then got up from his stump, towering over his padawan at full height. The young boy could only cower in fear of his presence, "Be warned, Gerrun, your mask grants you a false safety, one you cannot hide in forever. There will come a time where you will have to tear off your mask, and embrace what is underneath it, if you are to save someone you care about. If you do not, someone else will, and the consequences will be irremediable."
Then, the ghost of his past began to fade away.
"Master?" Gerrun spoke, realizing what was happening, "No, please! There must be another way! You can't leave me!"
Yet, despite his pleas, the illusion continued to disappear. Just before he did, he said one last thing, "Perhaps, your new padawan will help you succeed, where you have failed alone."
"Please, don't leave!" Gerrun cried, "I need you, Master! Don't leave me! Father! No!"
The Masked Figure had awoken with a start, his sleep-like meditation cut short by the sound of rustling paws and snickering snouts. From his small mattress, the boy could see a couple of small furry creatures with huge furry tails, break into his food supply and stuff themselves silly.
"Hey, that's my breakfast!" the boy called out, unconsciously thrusting his hands out towards the creatures. The Force responded to his call, and pushed the creatures away from his food box. Unfortunately, due to the lack of focus from just waking up, the push sent the food box flying as well, spilling its contents all over the dusty floor. The creatures instinctively went over to the mess, and grabbed as much as they could before scurrying off into the trees.
"Ah kriff," the boy sweared, as he lumbered over to the mess he had made. Bending over, he tried to salvage as much food as he could, but much of it had either been stolen by the critters, or was too dirty to safely consume. After a while, the boy just abandoned the mess, and went back to his sleeping mat, eating what little he scrounged up for breakfast.
As the Masked Figure silently hungered, he got a better look at his surroundings. It was no longer raining, the early morning sun had dried up all the dew, and bathed the small clearing in a familiar warmth. He was no longer where the clue was hidden, he had set up camp in a smaller clearing just outside where the temple was concealed. Here was most of his equipment, his mat, his food and supply storage, his clunky short distance holoprojector. He had put a lot of credits into that old hunk of junk. And of course, his pack, where he kept his most precious belongings. His Training Saber, his Blaster, his old Master's holocron, and the newest to his collection, the stone arrow that girl Sunset Shimmer had with her when she found this place.
As he stared at the primitive weapon, the boy remembered a part of his... dream? Was it a dream? It felt so lifelike. No, it had to be a dream, his master was dead, and no one had known him by Gerrun in a long time. Anyway, back to the arrow.
"What did he mean by, 'My new Padawan?'" the boy asked himself, as he twirled the arrow between his fingers. He never thought about taking on an apprentice. His own training was limited to what his master had taught him, and even showing off his powers was incredibly dangerous, let alone teaching someone else to use them. A padawan would be a bad idea, wouldn't it?
Unfortunately, the Masked Figure did not have time to dwindle on this topic, for there was a rhythmic beeping coming from the communicator on his belt. Jumping slightly at the sound, he dropped the arrow before fumbling around his pants for the communicator, "Red? Red, that you?"
The boy gave a sigh of satisfaction as the familiar beeps of his astromech buddy greeted him from his communicator, "Good to hear your voice too, buddy. So, did you find her yet?"
In response, Red beeped and bopped in confirmation, telling the boy that he had found his quarry without unnecessary struggle. The boy gave a small "hurrah" to himself. Now that he had her help, he couldn't possibly fail to find the temple, "Great work, Red. Start leading her back, we've got a lot of work to do."
Red began to beep in response, but he was suddenly interrupted by another voice from the channel, "Red, who are you talking to? Who is this?"
The Masked Figure was confused, Red couldn't speak Basic, and he was certain that wasn't Sunset Shimmer's voice. This voice sounded different, curious and determined, yet a hint of naivety. It reminded him of the Republic scientists, "Red, is there someone else with you? Red, come in?"
"Oooh, hiya mysterious voice!" called another, more hyper and playful voice, "Nice to meet ya! What's your name, where are you from, are you a part of Red's robot mind that he unwillingly shares with you?"
The boy was overwhelmed by this... child's questions. It appears that getting Sunset over here was gonna be harder than he thought, "Red, the mission was to bring me Sunset, not start a party. And you tell me that I can't keep a low profile."
"A party? Ooooh, I love parties," called the child's voice again. Though, she was interrupted by another voice, one the boy was more familiar with, "Hello? Who is this? You said the name, 'Sunset Shimmer'. How do you know that name?"
The Masked Figure knew this voice to be the one he was looking for, "Sunset Shimmer? You're the one I've been looking for! Please, come back to the forest. We have much to talk about."
"Woah woah woah," came yet another voice, a bit more raspy and tomboyish than the others, "Sunset's not going anywhere until you tell us who you are. Are you another evil entity from Equestria? If so, then prepare to have your butt royally kicked!"
"Now now, Rainbow, no need to get jumpy," said a sophisticated voice, definitely sounded Coruscanti, "However, she does have a point. We don't know who you are, or what you want with our darling, Sunset."
It had become obvious to the boy just how close these people were to Sunset. It would not be easy to steer her away from them so that they could talk. But what could he do to show them that he was trustworthy? Then, as if Red could somehow read his mind from 50 miles away, he beeped and booped a suggestion.
"The holoprojector?" came that nerdy voice again.
"A holo-what now?" came a more simpler voice, like the moisture farmers on Tatooine.
The Masked Figure could not believe what Red was suggesting, "That old piece of garbage we got from that junk dealer? You know I can't get it going without your help. It barely works as is!"
Red then gave a set of sarcastic beeping. He reminded him that he was in no position to complain. Whether he liked it or not, this was the only way he was gonna convince these girls to give him the time of day. Unless, he had another bright idea?
The Figure sighed, "No, I don't. Fine, I'll see what I can do. But don't expect any miracles."
With that out of the way, the Masked Figure hauled the heavy piece of equipment to the center of the camp and got straight to work. Although, it was certainly tough. He had only received basic lessons on technological repairs from his master, and he had no reason to continue to practice it, as Red could get it done much faster than he could. But Red wasn't here, which meant he would have to revive this old thing by himself.
"Does it go here?" he asked himself, "No, that goes there. The receiver gets plugged in there, no over there. Ah, where's the transmitter? Oh, of course the holorecorder's busted, this is just perfect. Agh, kriff, my head!"
This went on for about five to ten minutes. He heard the chatter of the girls from his communicator, but he was too busy butchering the projection pod to really tune in. After that was done, he just needed to give it some power, and hope that the thing didn't blow up. Crossing his fingers, and praying to the Force, he connected the machine to the Ion Battery.
There was a loud sizzling crash, and the Masked Figure ducked for cover. To his surprise and delight, his camp was still intact, and the holoprojector was very much working. At the center of the camp, it projected what Red was seeing. The boy stared in awe as he was surrounded by the holographic images of seven girls, a bit younger than he was. He could see bits and spots of the room they were in, but not enough to really get a grasp of what kind of room it was.
And then, standing a few feet from him, he could see the blue sizzling figure of the girl he had been so anxious to meet. The Masked Figure quickly got up from his spot and regained his composure. Even from so far away, he could feel her connection to the Force. His mask hid it well, but his face was one of excitement, and delight. But he was also incredibly nervous, he had never talked to a girl his age before, let alone someone who was like him. I guess you could say he was... "nervouscited"?
Clearing his throat, he walked over to the image of Sunset Shimmer, and gave her a short bow, "Sunset Shimmer, we meet at last."
Sunset returned the bow, albeit a bit awkwardly. She then asked him, "Who are you? How do you know my name?"
The Masked Figure then realized, that he had not yet given them his name. He thought about his name for a minute. He had gone by so many now, it was hard to keep track of all of them. He could give her any one of those names, but a few of them were known by the criminal syndicates, which were arguably more dangerous than the Empire. No, this time, he'd go by the name he did when talking to Red, or when he was alone on The Enigma.
"Of course, sorry about that. You may call me... Kaan. Darovit Kaan."