Over the next few days, I led the Rylothians to victory after victory, our forces swelling, until over half the planet was freed.

 

The rest I left to a very grateful Syndulla along with the suits, an armada of modified vulture droids, and starfighters to protect their planet from further invasion.

 

As we made to leave, word spread, and thousands gathered to bid us farewell.

 

"I can't begin to thank you for what you have done for our people. You have given us the strength to stand on our own feet for the first time in a thousand generations.

 

Made us more than slavery bait and charity cases.

 

I and the people of Ryloth are forever in your debt, Commander Walker, Lady Offee. If you should ever need us, we shall be at your beck and call."

 

"You don't need to thank us, Syndulla. We did only what was right. I hope you can do the same for someone else you see that needs help. Pass the baton of goodwill. Who knows it could return to you one day with profitable tidings.

 

Now you remember the plans I gave you for the star gates general Hunt left behind right?"

 

"Yes. We will contact Kamino to offer them a contract for the drainage of their oceans. That should help us jumpstart our economy again. Another thing to thank you for." He laughed.

 

"As I said...."

 

"Yes, yes....pass the baton of goodwill. I will do that. See you around, Walker. Farewell."

 

We climbed into the ship to chants of 'Blessed Lady' and 'Burning Wings' nicknames we had earned, Offee for freely healing the sick and wounded and me for well the wings.

 

Offee smiled looking down at the planet and the crowds as we flew away, satisfied.

 

"Happy?" I asked.

 

Offee leaned against my shoulder and purred.

 

"Very."

 

"Well, then I have a proposal to make while you're still in the mood," I said, and she looked up at me curiously.

 

"Say, how about adopting a child? As a practice, before we have one of our own. See if we're up to the task. You don't have to make a decision now." I said, pulling up the image of a slightly pregnant Mallie and a very dead Kento Marek on my contacts.

 

I had a few months till Starkiller was born, so I didn't need Offee to make a hasty decision.

 

But a decision would need to be made, nonetheless.

 

Of course, even if she didn't agree, I was going to steal Starkiller away from Mallie and raise him in a virtual reality case to meet my standards.

 

And once I can confirm if the force can be used outside the Star Wars world, I can make further plans.

 

"I need some time to think about it. And what's wrong with making one of our own?" Offee asked.

 

"With how we've gone about it, I'm surprised I am not already with a child." She giggled cutely.

 

I reached down kissing her forehead.

 

"I sure hope not. I want my child to be born in a galaxy without war. Where we can raise them in peace and happiness. Just the two of us and our happy little family."

 

And once I get powerful enough, my....our children will rule the multiverse by my side. Or go on their adventures if they want. I will give them that freedom at least.

 

Of course that I left unspoken. It wasn't the time yet to reveal it all to Offee.

 

"Oh!" Offee suddenly exclaimed, as of remembering something.

 

"I had wanted to talk to you about this but with our....." She blushed, wistfully gazing at me, "Long nights. And mornings. And evenings."

 

"I forgot." She added.

 

"What about?" I asked.

 

"Ahsoka. The way she looks at you. You know she loves you, don't you?" She dropped the bombshell.

 

"What?!" I cried.

 

"I don't mind sharing," Offee said, grabbing my hand and twining our fingers.

 

"No, Offee. Ahsoka is 15!"

 

"16 already." Offee interjected, "And her species live shorter lives than you or me. She is already her species' equivalent of an adult."

 

"Look, Offee, I am not going to cheat on you. You're the only one I want." I said, assuring her.

 

"I'm not jealous." Offee clarified, "Ahsoka is my best friend. I don't want to see her hurt. I don't want her to feel left out. And I know you won't love me any less. So....the option is on the table if you want."

 

"No." I firmly rejected it, "She's too young and like a sister to me. Besides, I can barely handle you, Offee. I don't think my hips will last me to my forties if I have to take on two Jedi at once." I joked.

 

"Fine. If that's what you want." Offee said, snuggling up to me, as I input the coordinates to Tatooine.

 

Anakin's wedding is close now. And I know just how to convince mama bear Padme to allow Anakin to go to Mortis with me.

 

The gift of a lifetime. Literally.

 

And there is no better way to enslave someone than with gratitude.

 

Not only is it non-violent, they even enslave themselves without any need for input from you.

 

This is how I will enslave Anakin. At least until I am done with Mortis.

 

We landed on the desert planet hours later and Offee awoke from her nap on my chest.

 

"Mhm?" She yawned, "This doesn't look like Naboo."

 

"That is because it's not. It's Tatooine." I said, stepping out with her, grabbing a healing blood syringe and a shovel.

 

"Come on." I said, "We have a grave to rob."

 

She followed me curiously into a nearby bar and we took a seat at the counter

 

"A coffee." I ordered, "For the both of us."

 

The barman nodded and brought out two cups of dirty coffee shortly, as I handed him a hundred credits.

 

"It's only forty credits. You overpaid. Not my problem if you want to part with your money but you don't seem like the type."

 

"Wise observation." I said, "I require some directions."

 

"Where?"

 

"Lars Moisture Farms," I replied, and the barkeep's gaze suddenly went sideways at a gentleman sitting a couple of tables from us in the near-empty bar.

 

He turned to look at us and stood up, walking over, giving us a once-over with his eyes.

 

"What do you fine folks want with me?" He asked.

 

"A matter to be discussed privately. One we will make worth your time." I smiled cordially at him, getting to the door, "Shall we?"

 

He led us to his homestead and got us seated in the living room before we began again.

 

"We are friends of Anakin Skywalker," I said.

 

"Yeah figured as much," Lars replied.

 

"Then you know he is getting married in a couple of days," I said.

 

"Nah. But even if I knew, there was no way I'd be getting there. Ain't exactly rolling in credits out here."

 

"Yes. That's why I have an offer for you." I said, pointing at a picture of him and Shmi Skywalker on the wall.

 

"You miss her?" I asked.

 

"Every day. Not even a year since she's passed. And ....." He hung his head low, shaking it.

 

"What do you want anyway?" He asked, annoyed.

 

I pulled out the syringe from my pocket and placed it on the table.

 

"This, Lars, is a new miracle cure I have developed," I said.

 

"Cure for what?!" He asked.

 

"Death," I said, watching the shade in his eyes shift as the light slowly returned to them.

 

"This is a jape, isn't it?" He said, unbelieving.

 

"Oh trust me, Lars, it's no joke. I have tried it. On myself. It works, like magic." I said.

 

"Like that force thing Anakin talks about?" He asked.

 

"Oh no, no. Nothing that esoteric. Just plain old science." I explained.

 

"Now I believe you still have her body, preserved in the cold chambers underneath the farm?"

 

"Yes. I...I will bring her up." He said, eyeing the shovel.

 

"I will come with you," I said, picking up the shovel as he led us down a set of stairs to a basement below the basement.

 

Using the suit's iron muscles I dug up the body in no time, and inspected the freeze-dried corpse, with hints of mildew on it.

 

"This will do," I said, standing up and taking the syringe from Offee's hands, injecting its contents straight into Shmi's heart.

 

Then we waited. Ten minutes passed, then another ten, before slowly color began to return to Shmi's aged cheeks, the mild decay is undone, and her body patched itself up, scars from her torture at the hands of the Tusken raiders vanishing into thin air.

 

Her eyes shot open like in a horror flick, and she seized, violently, before coughing out sand and maggots.

 

Oven one whole scorpion, to my surprise.

 

Looking around shocked, she shivered in the cold undercellar, as Lars stood shellshocked.

 

I grabbed her by the arms and lifted her back onto her feet, while she just looked around like a lost toddler, sucking her thumb.

 

Okay. This doesn't look quite right.

 

"Sh-she is....is she alive again? Am I dreaming?" Lars teared up, holding his mouth in his hands.

 

"Alive, yes. Herself, not yet. She has severe brain damage and likely memory loss." I said, "Let's take her up to the living room first and get her warmed up before she dies again."

 

I picked her up in my arms and we brought her up, feeding and clothing her in clean robes.

 

I went out and deposited the shovel back into the van before bringing out the memory helmet that I used to operate as Count Dooku for the past few months, using his memories, and stealing his assets.

 

"What is that?" Offee asked as I fit the helmet over Shmi's head.

 

"A memory extractor. I will extract a copy of her memories and set them in order so she can remember who she is and such." I said.

 

"And you have had this all along?" She asked.

 

"Yes, why?" I said, the bulbs lighting up, signaling a copy had been made.

 

I sat down and connected it to my console and began to rearrange the memories when Offee replied.

 

"Couldn't you have used this on me to see what I saw in my vision?" She asked.

 

I looked up at her as if she was an idiot.

 

"Offee, I love you. I won't ever use this on someone I love. It cheapens the value of our love, if just there is just another copy of you out there, lying around." I said, even though I knew it was a lie.

 

Nothing is unique. Everything has a million different versions in the multiverse.

 

But it's exactly that sort of shit that broke Rick's mind and will to live.

 

So I am going to do the smart thing and stick to my beliefs even if they make me sound goddamn stupid.

 

Love my ass. I snorted.

 

"I don't mind. I think it's endearing." She said, smiling.

 

"Is it? Because it feels like I am destroying the uniqueness of what we have." I stood firm.

 

"But what if I died? Like Shmi here? Won't you want a copy of me to preserve our memories together?" She asked.

 

I narrowed my eyes at her and flicked her on the forehead.

 

"Owch!" She cried.

 

"Don't be an idiot. As if I would ever let you die. Idiot." I said, shaking my head.

 

"And don't you dare make a copy of me while I'm sleeping!"

 

"Alright. I promise. I won't make a copy of you." She said, in a tone as if leaving something out, a tone I missed the first time we spoke but became so clear in hindsight.

 

"But you have to teach me how to do this. I want to know how to use it too!"

 

I shrugged absentmindedly, busy with Shmi's memories, and pointed at the user manual I had written for it, on the side display of the helmet.

 

Offee knelt beside me and began to scroll through it, as we worked it out in peace.

 

The relative peace of course, because of a certain someone crying like a bitch for a whole hour in the adjacent room.

 

I sighed.

 

Cut him some slack, a small part of me said, he's had a rough year.

 

And finally, when he stopped crying, I agreed, not piling onto him.

 

Hours later, deep into the night, I finally finished with the resetting of her memories and uploaded it to her.

 

As if waking up from a long slumber, she slowly regained her consciousness and truly awoke.

 

"Wh-where am I? I-i thought I was..."

 

"Dead. Yes." I replied.

 

"Is this the afterlife?" She asked, wiping her spit-riddled thumb on her dress, and looking around.

 

"Looks a lot like my home."

 

"That's because it is, Shmi. Have a seat, we need to talk."