**Chapter 384: The Return of Darth Nox**
**Scene 1 – Planet Shili, Ehosia Sector, Expansion Region**
**Darth Nox's Flashback**
Red grass.
Endless fields of thick, vibrant red grass stretched as far as the eye could see under Shili's twin suns. My speeder's engine screamed in protest as I pushed it far beyond its rated limits. Only my iron grip on the Force kept the straining machine from tearing itself apart. The vehicle was hurtling at nearly four hundred kilometers per hour, but it still wasn't enough.
I could feel it in my bones.
Barring a miracle, I was going to be too late.
Even from two hundred clicks away, I could sense Ashara fighting for her life. Her presence burned bright in the Force — fierce, determined, and slowly dimming. From time to time one of her attackers' signatures winked out as she cut them down, but it was a drop in the bucket. There was at least a full platoon of Republic commandos and a strike team of Jedi Knights. To make matters worse, the kriffing sons of banthas had come for *me*, but instead they were slaughtering my wife and her young apprentice, Selit Roak.
Half an hour. That was all it took me to reach the ancestral home.
It felt like an eternity.
Through our bond, I experienced every bruise, every small cut Ashara received. I felt her fury when Selit — the bright-eyed Padawan she had taken under her wing — was cut down in cold blood. I felt the impact of blaster bolts splashing against her shields and the ones that scarred her armor.
She was weakening.
Lightsabers and cortosis-forged blades kept her trapped in the center of a lethal whirlwind. She fought brilliantly, keeping the weapons away from her vital areas, but every now and then an attack slipped through. One nicked her left shoulder. Another sliced across her right thigh.
I was only five minutes away when my heart was torn from my chest.
Ashara made one mistake — just one — and three lightsaber blades pierced her chest at once.
I felt the Force tremble as all the energy she had been using to keep up with her murderers dissipated in a single, heartbreaking instant.
For one final moment, the deep bond we had shared for years flared to life. I heard her voice, soft and fading, whisper through my mind:
"Goodbye… alim…"
I felt her soft hands touching my face one last time. A feathery kiss brushed my dry lips. A ghostly outline of her angelic face smiled at me sadly… and then she dissolved into a thousand moths of bluish light, vanishing into the Force.
My scream of unrelenting rage sent wildlife fleeing in panic for dozens of kilometers around me.
When I finally reached the small house that had once been my wife's family ancestral home, it was burning fiercely. Republic troopers were tending to their wounded while a female Jedi — a white-haired Echani — knelt beside a prone form I instantly recognized as Ashara's body.
With a furious bellow, I leapt from my speeder. My lightsaber flew into my outstretched hand and roared to life. With a savage wave of the Force, I sent the speeder hurtling toward a group of surprised commandos. The energy field I had been maintaining to keep the vehicle intact evaporated, and the machine detonated in a massive fireball, taking the shocked troops with it.
I landed between a pair of commandos who were struggling to raise their weapons. The one on the right flew backward, bisected by my blade. The other clutched his throat as I used the Force to pulverize his trachea. He gurgled and fell to his knees, drowning in his own blood.
The female Jedi stood up, shock and fear etched across her horrified face. A torrent of violet lightning blew her away from Ashara's body, which she had been desecrating with her presence.
My head snapped to the right as another commando pointed a carbine at my head. He opened fire just as I raised my sword to deflect the attack. An azure bolt of energy raced straight at me—
"Nox. Wake up. We are here."
**Present Day – Aboard the Scimitar**
Nox jolted awake in the co-pilot seat, blinking rapidly. "Ah… right. I fell asleep." He looked down at the simple black Jedi-style robes he was wearing and grimaced. "Man, these robes are weird. Has fashion gotten this strange?"
Dagon, sitting across from him, gave a tired chuckle. "Remember the story, Nox. I received a Force vision that drew me to Malachor. Through the promise I made with you, I restored both you and Ashara so you two could live out the peace you died for against the Eternal Empire. Understand? No Space Marines. No multiverse talk. No past lives. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Nox replied, rubbing his face. "Man… was I always this boring?"
"I asked for a legendary Sith Lord," Dagon said dryly, "not a moody teenager."
"Yeah, boss," Ethan's sarcastic voice came from the cockpit, "you might want to figure that part out when you resurrect Ashara. You don't want kid Ashara."
Nox shot the droid pilot a glare. "Watch it, buckethead."
Dagon leaned forward. "Speaking of Ashara — any idea where your wife's holocron might be?"
"Nope."
"Dang. Her corpse… I'm really pushing this, but it may have trace elements of her soul."
"Nope."
"Alright," Dagon sighed. "I'll talk with Master Yoda. Perhaps as a former Jedi High Council member, she must have left some trace."
"Probably," Nox muttered. "Dang… I don't want to live without Ashara."
A soft beep sounded from the console.
"Sir, we are being hailed," Ethan reported. "Looks like a welcoming party."
Dagon stood up, rolling his shoulders. "Yep. Angry harem plus a few others. Follow my lead."
**Scene 2 – Arrival on Lantilles**
The *Scimitar* settled onto the private landing platform reserved for Dagon's inner circle. As the ramp lowered, Dagon stepped out first, looking healthy despite the two swords strapped across his back. Behind him came Nox — white-haired, purple-eyed, 19 years old, with a mullet that made him look like a younger, sharper version of Anakin Skywalker. He wore simple Jedi robes with partial Mandalorian armor pieces Dagon had given him.
Waiting for them were Ahsoka, Kayla, Stella, Flare, and — surprisingly — Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti.
Ahsoka looked angry. Kayla's Zeltron features showed clear suspicion. Stella and Flare stood with arms crossed. Aayla's lekku twitched with unease, while Shaak Ti's expression was carefully neutral, though her eyes were sharp.
Before anyone could speak, Nox stepped forward, eyes locking onto Shaak Ti with sudden intensity.
"Ashara…? Is that you?"
Shaak Ti blinked. "Ashara? No, I am—"
"Ashara!" Nox's voice cracked with raw emotion. "Dagon, you already found her!"
"What, honey?" Dagon said quickly, grabbing Nox by the shoulder and pulling him back. "Nox, chill. One moment."
Shaak Ti force-jumped backward several meters, lightsaber half-ignited in surprise.
**Scene 3**
"Nox, what the hell?" Dagon hissed, keeping a firm grip on the younger man. "Not every Togruta is Ashara."
"Okay, sorry… just…" Nox rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed. "The horns, the skin tone… for a second I thought…"
Ahsoka stepped forward, hands on her hips, clearly furious. "You need to explain yourself. Right now."
Dagon raised both hands in a placating gesture. "Alright. Everyone, calm down. Let's go inside. I'll explain everything."
They moved to a private briefing room attached to the landing platform. Once the doors were sealed, Dagon activated a privacy field and began the carefully prepared story.
"I received a powerful Force vision that drew me to Malachor V. There, I found an ancient Sith holocron belonging to Darth Nox. Through a promise I made long ago — to restore both him and his wife Ashara — I was able to bring Nox back so they could live out the peace they died for during the war against the Eternal Empire."
He looked around the room, meeting each set of eyes. "No Space Marines. No multiverse talk. No past lives. That's the story. Got it?"
The girls exchanged glances. Ahsoka still looked skeptical, but the explanation seemed to ease some tension — especially the part about risking his life for a romance that "never happened" in this timeline. It earned him a few reluctant points.
Shaak Ti studied Nox carefully. "A Sith Lord from thousands of years ago… brought back through a holocron. This is… highly irregular."
Aayla Secura remained silent, but her eyes flicked between Dagon and Nox with clear suspicion. She was starting to piece together the unusual dynamics of Dagon's "inner circle."
Nox, for his part, played his role well. He gave a small bow to the group. "I understand this is strange. I was trapped in that holocron for a very long time. Dagon gave me a second chance at life. I intend to use it wisely."
Kayla tilted her head, a faint smile on her lips. "You look a little like Anakin, but… prettier."
Nox smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Stella crossed her arms. "So you're just… staying with us now?"
"For the time being," Dagon answered. "He's under my protection. And he might prove useful."
Flare eyed Nox curiously. "Can you fight?"
Nox's purple eyes gleamed. "Better than most."
Ahsoka still looked unhappy, but she didn't press further for now.
Shaak Ti finally spoke. "I will need to inform the Council about this. Aayla, you're with me."
Aayla nodded, giving Dagon one last searching look before following Shaak Ti out.
Once they were gone, Dagon turned to the others. "Give us a moment."
The girls reluctantly left the room, though Ahsoka shot him a pointed glare on her way out.
**Scene 4 – Private Conversation with Ahsoka**
Dagon found Ahsoka waiting for him in his private quarters aboard the *Sovereign*. The moment the door closed behind him, she rounded on him, orange skin flushed with emotion.
"You promised to be equal," she said, voice tight. "But lately, Zule has gotten everything. She got the big rescue mission. She got your constant attention. And now, after you adopted her younger sisters, I'm stuck on the sidelines again. I'm in heat, Dagon. I need you. I need us to be *us*."
Her words hung in the air, raw and vulnerable.
Dagon stepped closer, gently cupping her face. "Ahsoka… I'm sorry. You're right. I've been so focused on everything else — Zygerria, Zule's pain, the war — that I let you feel neglected. That was never my intention."
He pulled her into a deep kiss. Ahsoka melted against him instantly, her hands fisting in his tunic as months of built-up frustration and longing poured out. The kiss quickly grew heated, tongues sliding together as she pressed her body firmly against his.
Dagon lifted her effortlessly, carrying her to the large bed. He laid her down gently, then followed, covering her body with his own. Ahsoka's legs wrapped around his waist as she pulled him closer, her breathing already ragged.
"I missed you," she whispered against his lips. "I missed *this*."
"I'm here now," he murmured, hands sliding under her top to caress her smooth orange skin. "And I'm not going anywhere."
Their clothes came off in a hurried tangle. Dagon took his time worshipping her body — kissing down her neck, across her collarbone, and lower, until Ahsoka was arching and moaning beneath him. When he finally entered her, it was slow and deep, their bodies moving together in perfect rhythm.
Ahsoka's moans grew louder as pleasure built. Her nails dug into his back, her montrals twitching with every thrust. Dagon kept one hand on her hip, the other tangled in her lekku, whispering soft words of love and apology between kisses.
When they reached their peak together, it was intense — waves of shared pleasure crashing through their bond. They clung to each other afterward, breathing hard, bodies slick with sweat.
Ahsoka rested her head on his chest, fingers tracing old scars.
"Don't shut me out again," she whispered.
"I won't," Dagon promised, kissing the top of her head. "You're my first padawan. My first everything in this galaxy. That hasn't changed."
They lay together in comfortable silence, the weight of the war momentarily forgotten in the warmth of each other's arms.
Outside, the fleet prepared for whatever came next.
But for now, in this quiet moment, there was only them.