Aayla Secura: Blue Jedi Grace by Jade Gretz

https://www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai/art/Aayla-Secura-Blue-Jedi-Grace-1276597034#image-1

Aayla Secura: Blue Jedi Grace ANIMATION

The Guise of Ghosts

The derelict freighter Starweaver hung in the void like a skeletal beast, its hull scarred by asteroid impacts and ancient battles. Aayla Secura moved through its silent arteries, her blue skin tinged amber by failing emergency lights. The air was thin, cold, and carried the metallic tang of decay. Her lekku twitched, sensing disturbances in the Force—whispers of agony, echoes of fear, and beneath it all, a hunger that was not her own.

She had come to find a missing Republic scout team. Instead, she found a tomb, and something waiting within.

The first apparition appeared near the engineering bay: Master Quinlan Vos, leaning against a bulkhead with his characteristic smirk. “Aayla,” he called, his voice warm. “Took you long enough.” She approached, heart lifting, but he dissolved into shadows, leaving a chill that seeped into her bones.

Since then, the manifestations grew bolder, each a tailored torture.

“Aayla,” a voice echoed from a crossway ahead. It was melodic, comforting. “Don’t you remember me?”

Bultar Swan stood beneath a flickering light panel, her robes pristine, her expression serene. Aayla had seen her fall on Geonosis, yet here she was, perfect as memory.

“Bultar,” Aayla said, fingers tightening on her lightsaber hilt. “You are not here. You are a memory.”

“Am I?” Bultar stepped forward, hand extended. “The Force binds all moments. Perhaps I am a gift from it—a chance to step away from this war. Come with me. We can find peace, like in the Temple gardens.”

Aayla recalled those gardens: the scent of blooming lilacs, Bultar’s laughter as they practiced Shii-Cho forms. The seduction was potent, a lure to a simpler past. She closed her eyes, seeking the truth in the Force. Behind the warm façade, she felt a void, cold and ravenous. “You are a phantom. Show yourself.”

Bultar’s image wavered, replaced by a swirl of darkness that solidified into Captain Rex, helmetless, his face gaunt. “Commander Secura,” he said, voice cracking. “The boys are gone. All gone. Why did you leave us?”

Aayla’s breath hitched. She remembered the clone troopers who died under her command on Felucia, their names etched in her mind. “Rex? Is it really you?”

“We trusted you,” the figure pressed, stepping closer. “We followed orders. And we died. Do you hear our screams in your dreams? Do you see our faces?”

Terror, sharp and visceral, shot through her. She ignited her lightsaber, blue blade casting frantic shadows. “You are not Rex. You are a parasite.”

The creature laughed, a discordant overlay of voices. “Parasite? We are what you make us. Your regrets, your attachments—we feast on their echoes.” It shifted again, becoming a young Twi’lek girl with wide, innocent eyes. Aayla’s sister, from a life long surrendered. “Aayla, come home. Mother misses you. Why did you leave us?”

The ache of childhood abandonment flared. Aayla nearly reached out. But the void behind those eyes was unmistakable. “Stop this,” she whispered.

“It’s so cold here,” the girl pleaded, tears glistening. “Hold me.”

“No. You are not real.”

The girl’s face twisted, features melting into a snarl. “Real enough to hurt you.” It lunged. Aayla swung, but the form dissolved into smoke, reappearing behind her as Master Tholme, her former teacher. He looked weary, wise, his eyes kind.

“Aayla,” Tholme said, voice steady. “Listen carefully. This creature is a Nihilith, a being from the void between stars. It attaches to Force-sensitives and consumes life force by manifesting emotional bonds. Anger and fear only feed it.”

The form was accurate, the information plausible. But doubt lingered. “Master Tholme? How do I know it’s you?”

“Because I taught you to see beyond illusion,” he replied. “On Kashyyyk, when you feared the shadowbeasts. You learned to feel the living Force, not just the shadows.”

A true memory. Yet the creature could mine her mind. “What is the first thing I said to you when we met?”

Tholme smiled. “You said, ‘I’m not afraid of you.’ But you were. Your heart pounded like a drum. You were brave nonetheless.”

A private moment, never shared. Aayla’s guard lowered a fraction. “How do I defeat it?”

“Sever your attachments,” Tholme said, his form flickering. “Not just emotionally, but in the Force. Let go of these faces. They are echoes. The Nihilith is a mirror. Break the mirror.”

“How?”

...(more at https://www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai).
For more supergirl, chun li, batgirl, tifa, lara croft, wonder woman, rogue and much more, please visit my page at www.deviantart.com/jadegretzai - Thanks for your support :)