I sat frozen in the Void, my breath shallow, my thoughts spiraling as I stared at the man across from me or who I thought was my future self. Every part of me screamed in resistant's. This couldn't be real I thought, but instinctually I knew, he was me and he did speak the truth. This was no random Force vision. Nothing is random when it comes to the Force.
"Good you searched within yourself, and you know what I say to be true" my future self said calmly, his voice carrying a weight that pressed against my being. If he was me, but just older, how could he be so intimidating.
"What I am about to tell you will be alot. But remember we don't have much time and what you see will hurt, or even break you."
Before I could respond, he lifted one hand and swept it through the air. The Void realm shifted like a desert mirage.
Reality shimmered and shifted appearing almost instantly, as images flooded the emptiness. The first scene was one of stone in a jungle engulfed in sunlight.
I saw myself or the older me, his shoulders were broader as they moved with great speed, they were so precise. he had his same look but just different clothes. And the look on his face, he was stoically smiling. He was standing within a massive stone temple. The architecture looked ancient, carved with the nature surrounding it. Multiple jungle vines crept along weathered pillars, sunlight filtering through the clouds above.
The stone sanctum I recognized it anywhere. This was Yavin 4.
But my older self wasn't alone. Across from me stood a boy.
He was young maybe early teens, maybe just shy as a preteen. His sandy-blonde hair clung to his forehead with sweat, fair skin tanned by constant training beneath the bright sun and open skies. His eyes were blue and burned with focus and determination as he gripped a green lightsaber.
The two moved.
Their blades clashed with ringing clarity, the boys green against my goldish black. My future self pressed forward with what looked like controlled aggression, using makashi and vapaad and Djem So and Shien. The boy countered with speed and creativity I recognized the same as the styles. They weren't as refined as my older self but he was still amazing, his footwork raw but instinctive and kept pace. He slipped under a strike, spun, and brought his blade up in a clean arc that my older self parried easily.
"Again," my future self said gesturing the boy to attack again.
The boy grinned fiercely, "Yes, Master," and attacked anew. The boy came back faster with more precise strikes.
My heart skipped. "Who is he? He looks so familiar" I asked.
My future self didn't look away from the vision. "My Padawan. Jin Skywalker."
My eyes widened. "Anakin's son? Wait that's Luke," I said realizing why he looked so familiar.
He nodded. "In the original timeline yes, his name would have been Luke. But Anakin named him after his father and brother. His full name is Jin Wan Skywalker."
Something warm spread through my chest despite the dread coiling there. "That sounds just like him. Please tell me Anakin didn't fall and become Vader?"
"No he didn't, but to be honest I would have rather dealt with Vader."
Before I could ask what he meant, the vision shifted slightly. I saw more of the temple. More Jedi and a few familiar faces. I saw Maul. He was older and looked stern but moved with ease. He was training with what looked like padawans with their saber forms. They surrounded him but he just used his hands. He moved with ease, redirecting and dodging lightsaber strikes from four individuals.
I then saw what looked like soldiers, they were of different species from humans, Twi'leks, Arkanians, Echani. They all wore the same uniform something with a logo. It said E.G.A. But then I saw what looked like scholars in the middle of lecture with a holocron levitating infront of children and adults.
I saw Force-users training civilians in meditation and martial arts, I saw what looked like Jedi Knights in ceremonial armor mixed with robes, speaking with soldiers and what looked like senators and political officials or nobility.
My future self then spoke. "The world your seeing is Yavin 4. We fully moved there after purifying the spirit of Exar Kun.
"Why Yavin?" I asked. "Did something happen to the temple on Tython?"
"No, well not yet anyway" my future self replied. "The Order expanded. Tython remained the heart, we send many padawans and force users their as a sort of pilgrimage. Since we started going by the Ja'daii. I was sent here by Master Plo as the schools leader. We were gonna set this planet up as a official school. We had many more but I just finished establishing one on Dagobah."
My eyes widen. "We established a school on Dagobah?"
"It's more like like a Ja'daii Praxeum. I overseed its development for the last 3 years, and then I had Kar Vastor take over. I been overseeing Yavin Four with Seris and her Padawan."
"Wait Kar Vastor? Like Mace Windu's brother? How did you accomplish that?"
" I didn't accomplish it alone. I went their with Anakin and I will say even with the both of us, that man pushed me and Anakin to our limit and beyond. I have never been so afraid in my life. I saw Anakin shaken for the first time in my life. But he kept pushing."
Before I could ask more, the image changed again.
I saw Seris stepped into view. She was older now, still calm and reserved, but even more beautiful, like a warrior princess. Her silver-white hair longer and bound in a single elegant braid that fell down her back. Her presence radiated quiet authority. At her side walked a young girl, brown haired, her demeanor matching Seris's.
She looked so familiar It unmistakable. This was Leia.
I saw my future self lifted his hand slightly, as if reaching for Seris through the image. But he stopped himself placing it back down.
That's when I noticed it. She had a silver like bangle on in the image, and the hand he reached out had the same. But his was covered in blood, and had so many scratches.
My throat tightened. " Is that girl Leia and are you and Seris married."
"Yes."
A smile tugged at his lips—but it didn't reach his eyes. Until it went back to a cold gaze.
"That's great how many children did we have?" I asked softly.
But he only looked down.
" We didn't have any. We were always busy with responsibilities to the order or the galaxy. By the time we were ready, it was already to late, we waited too long," he said. "There was a mission. Something went wrong. Seris and I survived, but…" He exhaled slowly. "She was left infertile. It broke her.... broke us. But we managed and got through it together."
The words hit me harder than I expected. "I'm sorry," I said quietly.
He inclined his head, accepting it. "Don't be. If you saw what I'm about to show you, then you wouldn't want children to come into this galaxy. Only to suffer through hell."
The vision shifted again.
The girl beside Seris stepped forward, laughing, her presence bright. Jin followed her, and the two began talking.
"So that's really Leia?" I asked.
"Yes. But in this timeline, she was named for her grandmother. Shmi Skywalker. "
"That's so like Anakin."
The scene warped.
Suddenly Jin, Shmi, and my future self had staggered to the ground clutching their heads as if struck by something in the force. Their mouths moved—but no sound came.
"I can't hear them," I said, confusion rising. "What was that?" I then saw what looked like chaos forming. Children, and adults all began to attack one another. They looked entranced as some ignited their lightsabers and killed one another.
My future self's jaw tightened. "There are limits to what I'm allowed to show you and tell you."
"Allowed by who?"
"The Force Priestesses and the Ones. They granted me the means to do this, but not without rules. And when I am done I will have to pay a price."
My stomach dropped. "How did things get this bad that you needed them. What price do you have to pay?"
He didn't answer with words. Instead, the vision shifted again. But what I saw next made my skin crawl.
A abyssal swallowing darkness and from it crawled horror. Cities lay in ruins, their spires broken, streets flooded with corpses. People ran in terror, and from the carnage I recognized the monsters. Rakghouls. They surged through the wreckage. Their flesh pulsed with black veins, and their movements coordinated, purposeful. They tore into armored soldiers, and as those soldiers fell, and then rose. Blackened veins spread, bones snapping, bodies convulsing as they joined the horde as Rakghouls.
"What the hell…" I whispered. "That's the Rakghoul Plague, but seems more twisted then I remembered."
"More like refined," my future self said grimly. "Perfected by darkside alchemy and cosmic horror."
The scene changed.
Ja' daii in battle armor along with soldiers fought creatures that looked like zombies, until those soldiers and Ja' daii were bitten, and slashed by the infected. Moments later, they turned on their comrades, spewing black blood, screaming praises to something unseen.
Above them hovered a massive bio-sphere tower, pulsating like a living heart. And perched upon it— A creature. It looked like a Krayt dragon, but impossibly larger, its hide black as void, but it wings blotting out the sky. I then saw someone rode upon its back.
It looked like a woman, but I couldn't see her face. But she control the dragon as it reined down black fire bringing down starfighter and ships alike.
" Is that a dragon? What the hell am I looking at?" I demanded.
My future self's voice was hollow. "You're looking at hell."
The visions accelerated.
Jedi went mad, clawing at one another, tearing flesh with bare hands. Their lips moved, chanting the same phrase over and over.
"The Mother of Chaos loves me."
I was so confused and then I saw her, and my blood ran cold
It was Barriss. But her eyes were covered in cloth, her expression serene as carnage unfolded around her. As Jedi and soldiers slaughtered one another in her presence, smiling as they died. Then they bowed to her in some sort of reference.
"That's Barriss but how... why is she like that, is she responsible for all this?" I asked.
"No," my future self said sharply. "She's is only a victim. One of many I couldn't save."
I stood up, anger flaring in my golden eye. "Enough riddles and bullshit. You're me, so be more direct. Not this vague shit! If the Force limits you, then cut through it. Tell me what I need to know."
He looked at me for a long moment. Then he pointed behind me.
I turned, and my world shattered.
I saw a dark world of rain. I saw Master Plo Koon dying in my arms, his breathing shallow, his strength fading as I begged him to hold on. " Cain.... your now the Grandmaster of the order.... Please safe the... May.... the .... Force be." Then Plo went limp and his body disappeared.
I saw My future self along with Anakin and Seris running down the corridor. It looked like they were in a ship. Derren standing alone fighting against a tide of monstrous creatures. I recognized them immediately.
The Yuuzhan Vong,
My eyes widened. But it was still to early for the Vong to be in the galaxy. But they looked different. Black veins. Their movements were Demonic.
Derren roared defiance as he force pushed everyone through a corridor as it was closing behind. They began to overwhelm him, but Derren didn't stop he fought and fought. He looked back towards the others as the door closed.
He smiled as his eyes began to blacken, with veins running across his face. " I'm leaving things to you guys. Take care of them Ice princess, and Anakin Cain, save Barriss. The corridor closed then moments later a powerful explosion could be felt.
Anakin, collapsed to his knees beside Seris, who had tears falling down her face. While my older self roared in anger, the Force shaking the very hall as tears ran down his face.
Next I saw Tython being consumed. Corrupted flora strangled the planet, twisting it into something alive and hostile. A colossal structure loomed above the atmosphere, tethered to the world like a parasite. Zombies consumed the planet as civilians and jedi ran for ships to escape.
But I saw one person holding back the horde as the others escaped. It was Josa. She was desperately fighting, one lekku severed, blasters blazing until the horde swallowed her whole. As she was being swallowed she screamed. " It's up to you Sephi boy." Then a huge explosion that consumed the temple.
I then saw Obi-Wan and Satine in the middle of a Vong attack, they were protecting a group of children escaping with a what looked like a blonde hair Ja' daii woman. She looked at pain to leave them, but I could tell Obi-wan saying to go. Not to long after the two died together, struck down by Vong warriors.
Bo-Katan with an eye patch over one eye wielded the Darksaber beside Jango and Boba fett. Their men died and the dead rose around them. Jango and Bo turned, leaping into the horde to give Boba a chance to escape with the Darksaber.
I then saw myself fighting beside Anakin and a figure with a red lightsaber—someone who looked like Anakin, but with white hair and my golden eyes. He was handsome with sharp features. The three of us carved through a path of bodies that went on for miles.
I then saw Ahsoka fleeing Anakin children along with other children and a few Jedi, vanishing into hyperspace toward an unknown galaxy.
Thrawn appeared next, he was wounded, ordered planetary destruction from a Chiss warship. It looked like it was aiming for the planet orbiting Tython.
I then saw Mother Talzin and the witches of Dathomir unleashed Force magick against an impossible tide of Vong and zombie hordes. I saw Talzin and the some of her fellow night sisters get consumed.
I then saw Maul who stood shoulder to shoulder with clone veterans—Rex, Cody, and Wolf. and their clone armies of gray beards. One by one they fell to hordes of monsters sent by the Vong and rose again. Maul fought on alone, wielding a brutal double-bladed metal weapon until he stood atop a mountain of corpses. Screaming and fighting on then he stood dead on the pile of corpse. Not consumed or corrupted but died from exhaustion, from fighting days nonstop.
Then Vong and their commander and priestess bowed in what looked like respect for a fallen Warrior. They did not convert him, but burned him in a pyre of fire .
Then— Seris lay lifeless in my arms. Anakin stood alone as a horde of Vong, Rakghouls, and zombies approached, his indigo lightsaber ignited blazing.
"Go," he told me. "I'll hold them. And make sure this hell never happens"
I saw my future self, gut torn open, staggering into the World Between Worlds as the portal sealed behind him.
Anakin ran into the horde alone.
Then the visions ended.
I fell to my knees in the Void, tears streaming nonstop. My chest felt hollow, crushed beneath the weight of it all.
"What… how did this happen?" I choked. "How could all that happen?"
My future self stood before me, his presence fading.
He managed to speak right before vanishing. "Abeloth."
My eyes widen as the Void went silent, and my future self disappeared.