She worried about Fasha.
She knew she should not, but there was something unpleasantly Jedi in her.
Well, there was time when she herself almost came to like Jedi, their foolish way of being forgiving and merciful.
There was a time when she fell for a Jedi.
She shook her head.
Shake it off.
You are going to kill him.
Now and for ever.
For the Tribe.
For the galaxy.
Galaxy would be a better place without Skywalkers meddling in everyone’s affairs.
Did Fasha like Ben?
And did Ben genuinely like Fasha?
Or it was all a ruse?
And what happened to Ben? What made him so bitter?
And, most seriously: Why, by the Sith grace, I care?
She rounded the last corner, coming out in a short corridor with door along the walls and another one in its very end.
She followed the radiating sensation of a strong Force-user to one of them.
Then, like if someone blew out the candle, but slower, Ben drew into himself, seemingly vanishing from the Force.
Was this a game or what?
She tapped the controls and white door of the room slid to the side.
Ben was there.
Wait, no – there were two Bens.
Ben was sitting on the bed, playing with hilt of his lightsaber. The same Ben she saw in the hologram – wavy auburn hair, sky-blue eyes, handsome jaw crossed by a scar.
And at his side, a little aback, stood Ben. The same hair, same eyes, same black garments. His lightsaber was hung on his belt.
The sitting one raised his eyes to her. “Hi, Ves,” he said with a little smile.
The standing one gave her a court nod. “Hello, Khai.”
Then they spoke simultaneously. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
She tried not to show it, but, kriff, she was stunned, taken about.
“Hello, Ben,” she said, shifting her eyes from Ben One – the sitting – to Ben Two – standing.
“It’s nice to see you again,” Ben One said.
“But not really, as you certainly understand,” Ben Two added.
They both grinned.
“Yes, I do. It’s not a pleasure to meet you again, too.”
Ben Two shifted to a fighting position. “So,” he said. “Are we going to fight?”
Ben One skillfully caught her eye. “Or talk?”
“What is this?” she asked instead of answering. “Is this some kind of illusion? Or do you have a secret twin?”
“It is a Fallanassi illusion,” they both answered. “The other one is not real.”
“Oh,” her eyes flickered between the two men quicker than Keshiri nuveri – jumper – on the run. “I see.”
“You do,” Ben One nodded, smiling.
Ben two smirked. “But can you trust what you see?”
She staggered mentally. “I can trust the Force,” she retorted.
Ben One spread his hands. “Try it, Ves.”
Ben Two just kept on his smirk. “See if the dark side will serve you.”
She closed her eyes, but just half way, not willing to lose her sight when two Bens were near.
She reached out to the two shapes in front of her.
She felt nothing.
She smacked. “I thought you’re not trickish, Skywalker,” she said reprovingly.
“I said I’m not a backstabber,” Ben Two objected.
“And I don’t intent to stab you in your back, Ves,” Ben One added.
She raised her brows.
Ben Two “I want to fight fair.”
“If it came to it,” Ban One added.
Vestara set her jaw. “Oh, so you are using a Good Ben and Bad Ben trick on me?”
Ben One smiled. “Maybe.”
“Does it work?”
She finally stepped into the room, drawing her lightsaber and igniting it. “Not at all,” she said.
Ben One and Ben Two looked at each other.
“Too bad,” Ben One said, nodding somberly.
Ben Two flashed her a grin. “Too bad for you, of course.”
“I dealt with one Ben,” she said, steeling herself for expected attack, “I will deal with two.”
Ben Two glanced at Ben One, igniting his lightsaber. “I told you that Sith are terribly overconfident.”
Ben One shook his head. “Poor girl.”
She sprang into attack.
She actually still wasn’t sure which Ben was real, but that didn’t matter. She was sure she can kill them both, if it was necessary.
She spun around, bringing her lightsaber in sizzling crimson circle that would, eventually, slash the head of Ben One, but Ben Two was in position in time to catch her blade with his, sapphire one.
Ben One threw himself back on the bed, rolling sideways. He landed on his feet and ignited his lightsaber.
A blue blade, identical to the one that started to push Vestara’s blade dangerously close to her face, crackled to life.
She ducked and lashed out with one hand, sending Ben Two flying into the wall. She quickly straightened and parried Ben One’s angled slash at her legs. She spun around again and struck with a clenched fist, hitting him square into cheekbone.
He staggered, but didn’t yield. He swung his elbow into her stomach and turned to strike at her while she was still recovering from the hit.
But Ben Two was already in motion, swinging his blade down at her back.
She dived to the floor, rolling away.
Somehow she managed to get on her feet in time to prevent Ben Two from cutting her in half.
While she held his blade head-up, Ben One made a quick attempt of doing the same.
She pushed Ben Two’s blade away and sent both attackers tumbling to the floor.
Ben One fell, but Two somehow managed to stay on his feet.
She caught his next blow holding her saber one-handed, a Force-lightning erupting from the other one.
Ben Two started to tremble. He yielded his grip of his weapon and it tumbled to the floor.
Short while of delighting victory blinded Vestara enough to miss out that Ben One was already standing up.
But she didn’t miss the sizzle sounding too close to her head.
She ducked, letting the lightning fade away.
She snatched Ben Two’s lightsaber and spotted with a victorious grin as he sagged down on his knees.
She turned on her back, lashing up on Ben One’s stomach with both weapons.
He jumped back.
That gave her time to stand up. She did it and almost immediately lunged at him, swinging one lightsaber high and one low.
He made another cautious leap backward.
“I need a shoto,” she heard him muttering.
She spun again and made a down-up slash. He caught it low. Vestara started to push his lightsaber up, trying to twist it out of his grasp.
But he was stronger. He kept her both sabers down while he brought his foot up, kicking her wrist from below.
It was a good-aimed kick, and it knocked both sabers out of her grasp.
Then a wave of air hit her from the side, sending her tumbling to the floor. An invisible hand snatched her and threw her on the nearest wall, pinning her there.
“Ves, Ves, Ves,” Ben One said, keeping his hand up as he held her against the wall. He grumbled sorely as he touched his quickly swelling cheek. “Still trusting yourself, don’t you?”
She watched fallen Ben Two as he slowly faded away and she realized that Ben One is panting heavily.
“And do you still have blind faith in everyone, Ben?” she asked.
“No,” she shook his head following her look to the fading Ben Two. “You cured me of this.” He stepped to her warily. “By the way, did you know I was the real one?”
“Sure,” she said, smirking. “You had to be the good one. The second one just wasn’t you.”
She was lying, but, damn, she was a Sith, wasn’t she?
“We were both I,” Ben said mysteriously.
“You’re like your father, Ben Skywalker.”
Ben grinned bitterly. “No, Ves,” he said, letting her slide lower on the wall, nearer to him. “I am much better.”
And then he robbed her of all her possessions.