Tuskers is sitting in the cargo hold of the Whitestar. Crossed legged, and holding two lightsaber crystals in his hand, he's trying to find his connection to the Force again. Nearby, his protocol droid stands, watching for if his blinded master needs anything.

Suddenly, Tuskers grasps his head, pain shoots over his face! He collapses onto the floor.
Red rushes over to check on his fallen master, but before the droid can turn to call Leena, Tuskers jolts, and tells Red to stop.

"What was that, Master Tuskers?"

Tuskers can barely breathe. "I'm not sure, but I think an old friend just died. I hope I'm wrong, but... Yes, I think that was the death scream of an old friend." After a moment, a tear running down his cheek, Tuskers whispers, "Goodbye Athena."

----------------------------- *** -----------------------------
(Then, A couple of days later)

Pulling the crystals out of the pouch that hangs around his neck, he thinks back to all that has happened. There is the slightest feeling of the Force when he holds the crystals, but he cannot even lift anything. At this rate, he'll be years in trying to regain the power of the Force, and be no closer.

There is a desperate thing he could try to do, but he's afraid that Leena will not approve. Tuskers walks to the control room of the Whitestar, and sets a new course.

Leena walks up behind him, wrapping her arms around him. "Where are we going?"

Tuskers turns and hugs her, "Darling, I've lost something that I have to get back. I am more than I have become, and I think there is only one thing to do."

"Is the Force so important? I live without the Force. You did once also."

"I can't now. I've done too much. How many times does the galaxy need a real hero? I was that man once, and I cannot turn my back on them now. Like the great Grey Jedi of the past, I will rise to take my place again."

"Leor Danal himself, first Kage of the Grey..."

Leena interrupts, "Darling, just engage the hyperdrive. I know I cannot stop you from this madness. Or should I take the controls for you?"

Tuskers smiles, a warm feeling washing over him. "Yes, would you please engage the hyperdrive, and we'll arrive at Zonama Sekot soon."

Walking into the lounge area, Tuskers begins looking at maps, but his eyesight still being poor, it quickly gives him a headache. "Red, get over here, and have one of the astromechs plug into the navigation computer. I want to find a cave, and land as close as possible. I can't go wandering around like this."

Tuskers protocol droid walks over, and starts looking at the charts. "Sir, I'm familiar with the legends of the Grey Jedi Dragon Cave, but you cannot find it through maps. You must use the Force to guide you to it."

"Red, if I had a good connection to the Force, I'd not need to find the Dragon Cave. I wonder if my niece could help me get there?"

Red stand there for a moment, "Perhaps, if you attempt to contact her? You have become a bit of a recluse since you lost your vision and powers. Your niece would probably be thrilled to hear from you."

"I cannot. It's not the same anymore. I walked away, left them in their time of need. The Yuuzhan Vong," His sentence is left unfinished.

Leena enters the room, "And how could a blind man, with no connection to the Force defeat the Yuuzhan Vong? You cannot take the weight of the Galaxy on your shoulders."

Tuskers glares at Leena, "The Yuuzhan Vong want to subjugate other civilizations in a crusade to rid their galaxy of technology. No one can afford to sit back and do nothing about such a threat."

"Tuskers..." Leena threw a teaspoon at him, and hit him right in the forehead. "You can't see. The only reason I don't make you stay in one place is because you are not going to kill yourself walking around your own ship."

"I must learn to walk again, or die trying."

The discussion continues, but Tuskers has made up his mind....

----- * -----

Sometime later, the Whitestar exits hyperspace, and Tuskers is sitting at the controls. He carefully punches in a security code, hoping that no one removed his clearance to approach the planet. The Whitestar moves forward cautiously, until it passes the first defenses, then the engines roar to life, taking the ship down in the direction of the Grey Temple.

After entering the atmosphere, Tuskers calls the frequency of his niece, Crystal Moonstar, to see if she's here. There are other Grey available, but he knows that it would be best if he didn't bother anyone else.

Luck, or the Force, was at his side this day. Crystal answered her comm right away. Shock did not begin to describe her initial reaction to his call. Shortly there-after followed by anger. "You could have left a note, or something!"

"Crystal, darling, I wasn't gone that long. I just needed to take a little time."

"A little time?" The anger in her voice was very plain. "Do you even know what's been going on since you left?"

Sighing, Tuskers replies, "Darling niece, I've very little eyesight, my connection to the force is gone, and... No, I'm really not sure what is going on." He pauses, then asks, "Can you meet me? Five Kilometers due South of the temple... Bring along camping gear, I need your help. Please Crystal?"

A short time later, a speeder bike pulls up outside the Whitestar. "Red, if anything else approaches, let Leena or I know immediately. Keep a close eye on the instruments." Tuskers leaves the control room, and heads for the boarding ramp, lowering it for the first time in a week.

Crystal is standing there, it's hard to tell with his limited eyesight if he should expect a hug, or a slap across the face. He holds out his hands, giving her a moment to decide, "Well?"

If his eyesight was better, he?d probably be able to see the tears, the red eyes, but he can't see. He does here the slight sob from her, before she grabs him in a giant bear hug.

After a minute, Tuskers pries her off, a bit, "Breath? I must breathe. Darling, I'm relieved to see you too. How are you? Have you? No, I won't pry. Tell me whatever you want, but I'm not going to be like your father."

"Oh, Uncle. You are nothing like my father. Now, what is this about your vision still being poor? Why did you not find Jade, and have her heal you? You cannot just disappear like that."

"Oh, darling niece, it's not like that at all. My vision is only half the problem, and I've been trying to heal the other half. But I thought of a quicker, but more dangerous idea. And that is why I need your help. Have you been to the Dragon Cave yet?"

"I'm not ready for the Dragon Cave yet. I'm still being trained by... Um?"

"Crystal, it's okay. I know who is training you. I'm saddened that I was so bad to Aeron. She'll never forgive me. But I also don't deserve to be forgiven."

"You never know unless you ask for forgiveness." She sounds hopeful.

"No, I know. When you've been around this galaxy as long as I have, you know." He frowns deeply, "I am wishing I had handled things differently. Crystal, could you please lead me to the Dragon Cave. I want to speak to Sekot, and that seems like the best place to do so."

Gasping, Crystal's eyes open wide, "You want to? What? The planet? How, why?"

Tuskers smiles, "I think that she can heal me, if she can, or will, hear me. It's my best chance. Of course, the attempt may not work."

"May not work? Sekot may kill you, if you do this wrong."

"You have been studying, haven't you? Come on, lead the way."

Leena comes down the ramp, carrying a blaster in her hand, with a rifle over her shoulder, and a backpack slung on her back. Tuskers and Crystal stare at her.

"What??? A girl has to be ready for anything, right?"

"What makes you think you are coming along?" Crystal's voice sounds almost angry again.

Leena looks at the younger woman, and takes Tuskers into her grasp. "For one thing, I'm going to help him, and not let him out of my site again."

Tuskers looks back and forth between the two women, not seeing either very clearly, but seeing enough. "Crystal, I need your help to even find the cave. But I'm not turning my back on Leena. Not again? Never again."

Giving a little pout, Crystal turns and grabs her bag from the speeder bike, and they climb aboard the Whitestar, to get much closer to the Dragon Cave before starting the dangerous walk.

----- * -----

Walking from the Whitestar to the Dragon Cave, through the mountains, Tuskers is listening to Crystal describe the attack that caused Sekot to jump to hyperspace. As she describes the death and destruction, Tuskers grows more and more withdrawn.

Leena notices, "There was nothing you could have done, had you been here. Don't forget, you were injured."

"Meli could have done something, she could have been my eyes. Oh, Fierfek, no? I can't speak to her. Hurry, we must do something soon."

"What is it uncle?" Crystal looks very concerned.

"I didn't want to say, but I think I'm dying. Something inside me. The equipment on the Whitestar isn't good enough, but the readings say that something more is going on. Even Ikrit's healing didn't take care of something. If I'm right, then this is a race against the clock. Either Sekot heals me, or I'll be gone soon."

Leena grabs him by the collar, "WHAT? After all of this, you may die? And you were hiding it from me?"

"There is nothing to be done. The healing powers of a Jedi cannot help. I need to reconnect to the Force. Something deep inside me is dying."

Crystal walks over, and places a hand on his head. Reaching out through the Force, she feels something like she's never felt before. No, she realizes that she has felt it. Where Athena had died, there was a hole in the Force. That hole was inside Tuskers, and it seemed to be killing him. But she isn't a healer, and she doesn't know what to do.

Tuskers stands suddenly, "Rest time is over. Let's go."
--- * ---

They quickly make their way up the mountain, and Crystal leads them to the correct cave. "What now?"

Leena looks at them both, as if they are crazy. "We are going in there?" Looking at them both, she realizes that she already knows the answer. "Okay, let's go." She unclips her blaster from her belt.

"Your weapon will do us no good. We need to speak to the planet, and that will just," Tuskers collapses before he can finish his sentence.

Together, Leena and Crystal pull Tuskers back to his feet, and start walking into the cavern. A long journey through the chambers, with Crystal reaching out through the Force. Finally, they reach the room full of lightsaber crystals that Corey and Tuskers had encountered before. Where they had learned the strength of working together to save the Grey.

Tuskers sits, taking in the large chamber full of crystals. "SEKOT! Hear me! I need you! Your humble servant needs your help!"

Tuskers can feel the Force, for the first time in many days, the Force is at his side. But he knows that it?s just the number of crystals in this cave. At least he won't die here, unless Sekot decides. But he has no reason to believe that Sekot would hurt him.

He sits, and waits, but nothing... No answer to his calls. He tries to call her again, and again. Leena approaches, and he can feel her walking towards him, even though his back is turned. "Leena, I'm not leaving this spot, unless I speak to the planet."

Leena stops and sits down beside him, "I know, my love. I just want to be here with you."

Tuskers turns, and looks at her, squeezing her hand for a moment. He then calls out to Crystal, through the Force. 'Crystal, if things go really badly, please try to save her when you run.'

Our loud, Crystal says, "Don't worry Uncle. Sekot has no reason to turn her back on you. Former Kage, and overall scoundrel."

"Thanks, no respect from the younger generation."

A small stone hits him in the shoulder, thrown there by the Force.

Tuskers goes back to his concentration. Trying to find Sekot. She must be exhausted from the recent battle, and activating the hyperdrive. But he can feel a small window to peer into. He can feel the wholeness of the planet. It is taking a lot of time, but he can feel the Force connection to the planet.

Sekot isn't answering, not exactly. Instead, Tuskers can tell that the planet doesn't mind his gentle probing. It recognizes him from their previous contacts. It understands his request, and says that it can help.

Tuskers body, to the observing Crystal and Leena, his body just starts to float into the air. The chamber of lightsaber crystals starts to glow stronger, it's almost as if the power of the Force is being projected through the crystals and into Tuskers own body.

After a couple of minutes, the chamber goes dark, and Tuskers body drops to the ground with a thud.

Leena is right there at his side, "Tuskers? Are you okay?" She cradles his head in her lap, trying to wake him.

Crystal, standing further away, has been following the happenings via her connection to the Force. "He's better. Much better. Sekot granted his wish, and restored him. Probably fixed his eyesight also. Let's take him out of here."

Together, Leena and Crystal pick up an unconscious Tuskers, and carry him out of the Dragon Cave.

Hours later, Tuskers awakens, "What have I done?"

Crystal looks at him, and shakes her head, "Uncle, you did what you needed to. I hope you can live with yourself, and the consequences."

Leena looks back and forth between the two, "I hope you are going to tell me what that means?"

Tuskers stares into space for a moment, "Not now, but someday. I'll explain it in detail."