It had been awhile since I had done something important with someone else. I didn't turn to Qui-Gon but felt his mind and tried to ease the tension there. I who had been to the Heart of the Darkness many times had become used to the Dark Side energy there. This Jedi Master had never been there before and his anticipation might kill him.
He gave a gentle push back with his own mind and I went back to only myself plus my surroundings.
"You need to focus on what you'll have to do." He said kindly.
"And you need to be relaxed." I replied and didn't dwell on the fact that I hadn't told him everything.
Qui-Gon took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I felt his mind relax but not by much.
"I guess that will have to do." I said with what could barely be called sarcasm.
As we exited hyperspace a cold feeling ran through my veins and I could see the Jedi Master shiver, though he had it mostly under control. I was used to this cold that had nothing to do with temperature and my body made no sign that I was affected.
Upon exiting hyperspace the Heart of the Darkness came into view. It seemed to be a little smaller than the average moon. It had five points jutting out of it and a sphere for the center. The five points jutting out of it were five Navigator ships. They had originally been ships that Navigators, like myself, had both piloted and taken care of.
I didn't immediately fly towards the Heart of the Darkness but instead took note of Qui-Gon. I held his left hand in my right hand. He looked into my eyes and I could feel the terror in them. The Massacre had left me with such a fear, especially when it was over and I had realized what I had done. What I had been capable of.
Qui-Gon nodded and I touched his mind with my own. Where I felt horror I left calmness. I didn't fully calm him as he wouldn't have been able to do what he'd need to when he entered. After a few minutes I felt that he was calm enough and left his mind.
"Thank you." He said.
"You're welcome." I replied and flew towards one of the entrances of the Heart of the Darkness. I went towards one of the five points and was afraid that I'd need to calm Qui-Gon again. Luckily that wasn't the case.
Landing the small craft in one of the cargo bays wasn't hard to do. But I didn't take that as a sign that this mission would be easy.
I got up and walked to the door that would allow me to set foot onto the Heart of the Darkness.
Turning around I said, "Ready when you are."
Qui-Gon paused a moment before he followed me out of our small ship and into a much larger one. I stretched out with my mind and other senses to look at the cargo bay. So much had happened here and soon there would be no need of it anymore. Except for nostalgia.
"It used to be much nicer." I told the Jedi Master. "What it it has become is not what it began as. It began as a way to explore the universe not a way to help end it."
He was about to reply when a loud alarm went off. We both took off running with me in the lead. I took out a small blaster and he took out his lightsaber. The plan was for this to go as quickly as possible. Showing him around could wait for later.
As we exited the cargo bay and into one of the main hallways lasers started firing at us. I dodged them while Qui-Gon used his weapon to have the blasts hit the lasers that fired them. The alarm system had turned on because Qui-Gon was an alien that had not been entered into the system. The Five had entered Navigators to be the only things allowed in. Which was why I had never had a problem with the ship.
I fired my blaster at a droid that had appeared in the hallway. It dodged it and when I fired my next shot it became paralyzed. A third shot finally brought it down. The spider-like droid was down and yet another of the model appeared behind it.
Qui-Gon was able to spare a moment to redirect a laser blast to distract it and I put it down.
More spider-like droids came after us and the laser firing system continued to function. This went on until we reached a door that would allow us into the sphere of the Heart of the Darkness. That would allow us to enter the control center of the whole ship. Well, space station really.
I teleported behind the door and updated the system to allow Qui-Gon in. After a few seconds the security system deactivated. I opened the door and was given a view of Qui-Gon deactivating his lightsaber and putting it back on his belt.
"Couldn't you have just teleported there in the first place?" The Jedi Master asked as he walked into the sphere.
"I had to make sure you survived." I replied.
He just looked at me and I turned away.
"Besides, a lot of things about this are illogical." Were the only words that came out to counteract Qui-Gon's look.
He nodded. "That they are. You can still go back."
"No," I said. "I wouldn't have come this far if I didn't plan to end this."
With this new man by my side I walked to the center of the ship. Upon arrival I walked into the center of the room and allowed Qui-Gon to take in the sight. All five were in cryogenic chambers around the room. I had made sure to keep track of how each one was doing. If each one was dying or surviving.
"We'll have to unplug them." I told him. "Basically just make the cryogenic chambers kill each of them. I made it as a safe guard if anyone tried to unfreeze them. The normal way to do so kills them, it takes prior knowledge to remove them safely."
I saw the emotions overtake his face. He finally realized that killing the Five wasn't about fighting an enemy, but killing that enemy in their sleep. Killing the enemy when they couldn't fight back. An dishonorable way to kill, especially for a Jedi.
"There has to be another way." He managed to say but I shook my head.
"Unless you want to unfreeze them and fight them. Even if partially woken up they will fight as strong as Master Yoda. You won't be able to fight them easily, even with me by your side." I paused. "You probably won't survive and I don't know if I can kill them in a fair fight. And if they are released they will tear this galaxy apart."
Qui-Gon walked slowly over to a cryogenic chamber and did the actions to unfreeze one of the Five, which did the opposite. I felt him go through many emotions as he did the actions. He was feeling if he was betraying his order and yet doing good for that same order.
"I couldn't kill them when I had the chance." I told him as I killed another of the five. "If I had I wouldn't have put you into this situation."
"It's hurting you more, isn't it?" He asked as he went onto the next one. "I shouldn't have put you in this situation."
"If I hadn't become a Navigator I wouldn't be in any of these scenarios."
"I'm glad you did decide to become one." He said with a little too much affection.
Finally I came to the final member of the Five. I knew his name without looking at the tag on his cryogenic chamber. His name was Carver and I smiled at the good times. But when the bad memories came to me I felt no regret as I killed him.
Qui-Gon put his hand on my shoulder and I leaned into him. They were gone now. I was now the only Navigator left. I had no comfort to find except the man beside me. And one day he'd be gone or dead.
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