**Chapter 438**
**Departure from Ryloth**
**Scene 1**
**Dagon POV**
The liberation of Ryloth was officially complete.
After eleven hard-fought days, the last Separatist strongholds had fallen. Wat Tambor was in Republic custody, his remaining droid forces deactivated or destroyed. The skies above Lessu were clear of enemy ships, and Cham Syndulla's freedom fighters were already working alongside Republic engineers to restore power, water, and basic services to the battered capital.
Skywalker and Kenobi would remain behind with a sizable occupation force to secure the planet, coordinate relief efforts, and hunt down any lingering Separatist cells. I had been given leave to return to the 12th Sector with the bulk of my fleet.
As the *Gray Wolf* prepared for departure from high orbit, I stood on the observation deck watching Ryloth slowly shrink in the viewport. The orange world turned peacefully below us, scarred but free.
The strangest part of the entire campaign, however, was not the battles, the lightning techniques, or even the political complications with Senator Orn Free Taa.
It was standing right behind me.
**Scene 2**
I turned slowly, arms crossed over my chest, staring at Master Shin Wren and her Padawan Erictia. Both women stood at attention in fresh Jedi robes, travel packs slung over their shoulders.
"You want *what*?" I questioned, voice laced with genuine confusion.
"We want to come with you," Shin said calmly, her striking purple eyes steady. "We wish to join the Mern 13 and serve alongside the Darkstar Legion."
Erictia nodded, her amber eyes bright with determination. "We've spoken about it. We believe this is where the Force is guiding us."
I blinked, momentarily speechless. My mind — usually sharp in combat — stuttered like a malfunctioning protocol droid.
"Uhm… I don't mind, really," I stammered, feeling heat rise to my face. "You guys are cute — wait, not cute, lovely— I mean—" I stopped, rubbing the back of my neck. "It's just… I'm a tortured soul. Messed up in the head. Constantly involved in life-threatening situations. The kind that usually ends with people dying or planets getting glassed."
I was panicking. Actually panicking. And blushing. I never blushed.
Still, they insisted.
Shin took a step closer. "We understand the risks better than most. We've already felt the bond that formed when you saved us. We're not asking lightly."
Erictia added softly, "We want to learn from you. Fight beside you. Whatever comes next."
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. "Perhaps… it's time the truth comes out. All of it."
**Scene 3**
We moved to my private quarters aboard the *Gray Wolf*. The lights were dimmed, and the hum of the ship's engines provided a low backdrop as I spent the next hour laying everything bare.
I told them about my past life — fighting against Skynet, the machine apocalypse that had consumed my original world. I explained how I had been thrown into this galaxy, disoriented and alone. I spoke of the bonds I had formed with Ahsoka, Zule, Flare, Visenya, Kayla, and Stella. The life-and-death moments we had shared. The proposal I had made. The eventual breakup driven by my own fears and the weight of what I believed I had to become.
I told them about the multiverse threats I had glimpsed, the Sith Lords I had faced, the ancient knowledge from Malachor, and how I had used forbidden techniques to heal Nox and Ashara — giving them new bodies and new lives.
I left nothing hidden. Not the darkness I carried. Not the Soldier I had become. Not the equation I lived by — that I was damned for what I must do.
When I finally finished, I expected shock. Rejection. Perhaps even righteous Jedi condemnation.
Instead, Shin Wren looked at me with calm, compassionate eyes.
"Okay," she said simply. "We accept."
I stared at her. "You… accept?"
"As Jedi, we often risk our lives for the happiness of others," she continued. "I won't lie and say many members of my family haven't done the same for the greater good. We've both seen enough of the galaxy to know that pure light and pure darkness are rare. You carry both, Dagon. And we still choose to stand with you."
Erictia smiled shyly. "Yeah… and a harem does sound kind of nice. We won't say anything to the others. You should talk to them though. When you're ready."
I let out a long, shaky breath and sat down heavily on the edge of the bunk.
"You're probably right," I admitted. "Perhaps the dark side took control of me too much. I pushed them away thinking it was necessary."
Shin shook her head gently. "Uh, Dagon… that wasn't the dark side. Remember — the dark side is passion, emotion, love. What you described… pushing them away out of fear for their safety, trying to shoulder everything alone… that sounds more like the light side in you. The part that seeks wisdom through sacrifice. The part that believes it must protect others by isolating itself."
I stared at the floor for a long moment, processing her words.
"Oh… man," I muttered. "These bonds just keep getting more complicated every day."
Shin and Erictia exchanged a soft glance before moving to sit on either side of me. Their presence through the Force bond felt warm, steady, and strangely right.
The *Gray Wolf* shuddered slightly as it entered hyperspace, the stars outside the viewport stretching into brilliant blue-white lines.
I leaned back, feeling the warmth of both women beside me. For the first time in what felt like ages, the weight on my shoulders felt just a little lighter.
Whatever came next — the war, the girls, the greater threats looming beyond this conflict — I wouldn't face it entirely alone.
Not anymore.