Miss Elaina's fall and redemption

Miss Elaina had come to Jodi without her helmet. The platypus had a feeling that she would never wear it for her again. Her voice betrayed feelings of contempt as she noted Jodi's desperation to prove herself as a Jedi to her mother. But in embracing her darker emotions, Miss Elaina believed that Jodi had become as isolated as she was, and that she was no longer able to return to Lady Elaine Fairchilde any more than she could. Yet Jodi continued to defy her, confusing the student of Teacher Harriet. She was surprised that she could still resist, but continued to provoke her nonetheless, asserting that the dark side was in their nature. She urged her to surrender to it. Jodi ordered Miss Elaina to give back the wayfinder, even pushing with the Force, but her attempted mind trick had no effect on Miss Elaina. She panicked as she sensed her next move. Miss Elaina declared that she would never find Exegol unless she joined her, and with that she shattered the wayfinder in her hand.

Jodi screamed as hot, primal rage rose inside her like volcanic magma. The object that she had traveled halfway across the galaxy for, risked the lives of her friends for, was obliterated by Miss Elaina. She erupted forward, swinging her lightsaber. Rather than igniting her own lightsaber, Miss Elaina leapt out of the way of Jodi's blow, ducked under the next attack, and whirled away from her. The fact that she was not fighting back further enraged Jodi, who had all but lost herself to her own fury. Her attacks increased in speed as she drew more power from the Force, until Jodi could dodge no longer. Bringing her own lightsaber to bear, she began blocking Jodi's blade while she continued to swipe, slam and stab her weapon at her. However, Miss Elaina countered all of her attacks with effort, matching her ferocity. She eventually gave ground, dropping into a shaft with Jodi leaping after her without a second thought.

The Force wielders ended up outside of the tiger home, continuing their battle on a bridge-like hunk of wood only meters wide. A massive gun turret loomed over them, and beyond it lay Miss Elaina's parked TIE. Jodi pressed her attack, oblivious to the added danger of the ocean raging around them. Miss Elaina finally went on the offense as well, feeling she had no choice but to attack in kind. The impact of her blade against hers shivered through Jodi's shoulders, but she welcomed the distraction from thoughts of her Sith heritage.[

During the duel, Jodi sensed one of her companions, the former student of Teacher Harriet Daniel, nearby. Alarmed by his presence, Jodi was overcome by an instinct to protect her friend from Miss Elaina. With no thought at all, she pushed Daniel with the Force, sending him flying away in the opposite direction toward their new acquaintance, his fellow deserter Katerina. As the sea boiled with a rising tide, Jodi increasingly gave in to her rage, which allowed the Force to flood her body with more power. Massive waves came crashing against the area where they fought, forcing both combatants to leap out of the way. As determined as Jodi was to continue their duel until one of them died, she found herself unable to break through Miss Elaina's guard. She poured her Force energy into her next attack, which Miss Elaina countered by flying backward and landing neatly.

Miss Elaina advanced with a series of attacks, pushing back against Jodi with her own Force energy. The Jedi apprentice stood her ground, but the effort was physically taxing, making her temples throb with pain. During their lightsaber duel, the two sparred telepathically, with Miss Elaina reminding Jodi that she knew her in ways that no one else could. The longer they fought, the clearer it became that Miss Elaina was physically stronger than Jodi. Despite being a little faster than Miss Elaina, she could not overcome her strength, which she began using to her advantage. She pushed her chaotic blade closer to Jodi's face when their sabers collided, to the point where she could feel its vibrations near her cheeks.[

The ocean had reached a high tide, sending a colossal oncoming wave that Jodi leapt away from, using the Force to propel herself high and far away before the wave came crashing down. At first, Jodi thought the wave had washed Miss Elaina away. Out of the ocean water, however, Miss Elaina was striding unerringly toward her. She had withstood the wave, not bothering to avoid it as Jodi had. She could see the self-confidence in her expression; Miss Elaina could withstand anything in her way. Jodi attacked and Miss Elaina countered, although this time she moved slower. She was tired from fatigue as well as sleep deprivation and the taxing effect of overusing the Force, especially when she healed a reek on Geonosis. Miss Elaina, by contrast, was in top fighting form. Pain surged through Jodi's hand with every blow from Miss Elaina's lightsaber. Miss Elaina put increasing pressure on Jodi, bringing more of her strength to bear until her attacks overwhelmed her, knocking her off her feet.

Miss Elaina loomed over Jodi, who stared at her as she raised her lightsaber. In that moment, Jodi was convinced that she would die on the wreck of a house, accepting that she may not be fast enough to dodge her next attack. But as she readied herself for death, Miss Elaina froze where she stood, her lightsaber held high. Her gaze suddenly became distant; across the galaxy and Neighborhood of Make Believe, her mother called out her birth name with her dying breath. With all the life, love, hope, and forgiveness in her being, her last thought washed through the galaxy, reaching her daughter across light-years. Miss Elaina dropped her lightsaber, sensing her mother's death through the Force while Jodi, exulting at the prospect of victory, caught the little girl's weapon and pierced her abdomen, running her through with the stolen blade.

She collapsed to the ground in agony, her chest heaving against physical and emotional pain. By then, Jodi also felt Lady Elaina Fairchilde die through the Force, snapping her out of her rage. Sensing that Elaine's last thoughts were of her daughter, whom she still loved and forgave, and never stopped seeing as Zora Skywalker, Jodi realized that her master had given her life attempting to call her back to the light side of the Force. Miss Elaina's wound was mortal, her cheeks wet with ocean water and tears for her mother. She closed her eyes, accepting death as the inevitable conclusion to her life, but Jodi found herself even less eager to watch Miss Elaina die, despite her own attempt to kill her.

Thinking of what Lady Elaine would want, Jodi reached out, putting her hand on her chest. Miss Elaina opened her eyes, staring at Jodi with confusion and longing. Drawing on all of her energy as well as the life force around her, she gave much of it to Miss Elaina. As a result, her wound was completely healed, disappearing altogether along with her facial scar. Miss Elaina was astonished by Jodi's actions, but also alert, whole and brimming with life and energy, whereas Jodi was exhausted by the effort. She sensed her unasked questions, and explained that she had been right. She did want to join her, but only the side of her who was Zora Skywalker, not Miss Elaina. Disillusioned by her ordeal, Jodi commandeered Miss Elaina's TIE fighter and left the Neighborhood of Make Believe, allowing instinct to dictate her next move out of desperation to escape the galactic conflict.

The death of her mother and Jodi's act of compassion threw Miss Elaina's mind into turmoil. She stood at the wreck of her house for a long time, contemplating recent events while gazing at the ocean. She had not known that the Force could grant its wielder the power to heal physical wounds, and because of it she felt better than she ever had in her life. While she was curious as to how Jodi was able to use this power, the question that troubled her most was why Jodi would heal her in the first place.

She was also confounded by the feelings she sensed from her mother as she lay on her deathbed. She realized that Teacher Harriet had lied to her about everything, now that she knew her mother never stopped loving her. The voices in her head, the ones that tortured her throughout the years, led her to believe that her family only cared about the Old Republic, and later, the Rebellion. But her mother had sacrificed herself to reach her, and Jodi healed her, at great cost to herself, in spite of everything she had done. She knew now that all of the voices had been lying to her. It then dawned on her that she had failed to kill the light within herself because it surrounded her all along, through the people who knew her the most: Jodi, her mother, and even her father.

In thinking of her father, she heard another voice in her mind, this one belonging to the late Music Man Stan. The visage of her father stood before her, untouched by ocean spray. He looked exactly as Miss Elaina remembered, except his features were calm and peaceful. Miss Elaina knew that the person standing before her was not actually there. It was only his memory, but it felt real to her nonetheless. He tried to assert her belief that Zora Skywalker was dead, only to be told that it was Miss Elaina who died, not her former self. With eyes full of love, Miss Elaina urged his daughter to come home.

The voices that had influenced Zora Skywalker for so long had convinced her that it was too late to repent. She still believed that because her mother was dead. But Music Man Stan reminded her that it was not too late to honor her legacy and everything she fought for. Skywalker could only stare at her father, afraid to believe Music Man Stan's words. She was also afraid of his memory and the feelings it was drawing out of her. She knew what she had to do, but as before she did not know if she had the strength to carry on. Music Man Stan placed his hand on his daughter's cheek, which Skywalker remembered perfectly. She realized that Jodi had been right; she could not stop herself from remembering the warmth of her father's palm, nor the acceptance in his eyes.

Music Man Stan still believed in her, as did Lady Elaine and Jodi. She raised the hilt of her lightsaber, just as she had done on Starkiller Base, the last time she saw her father, except this time she called Music Man Stan "dad." Music Man Stan smiled at his daughter, telling her he knew. Zora Skywalker turned away, and launched the lightsaber that she used to commit patricide into the air. She watched as it sailed high above the wreckage before disappearing into a mist of ocean spray. With that, the memory of her father was gone, leaving Skywalker alone in the middle of the sea. With her original persona restored, Skywalker vowed to find the strength to do what she knew had to be done.

Dad Tiger's plan was disrupted by the loss of Miss Elaina. The sith tiger blamed Miss Elaina's mother, Lady Elaine Fairchilde, for this setback, though he remained confident that victory was at hand, believing the resident of the museum-go-round had died in vain. Without Miss Elaina, command of the Empire defaulted to Grand Moff Tarkin, who secretly remained loyal to Dad Tiger he once served as an officer in the Galactic Republic. With Tarkin's allegiance secured, Dad Tiger officially declared the formation of the Dark Order, combining King Friday's forces with those of the Empire.

Stranded at the Neighborhood of Make Believe, Zora Skywalker climbed through the ruins of the school in search of a hangar bay. It took her a long time to find one, and even longer to find an old scout-class TIE fighter and coax it into flying again. She then followed Jodi's transmitted tracking markers toward Exegol, but the scout's barely functioning navicomputers threw Skywalker off course, nearly stranding her in unknown rough space. Using all of her concentration, Skywalker corrected her course and found herself back on track.

The second battle of Exegol was well under way by the time of her arrival; the Rebellion had deployed its forces to the Sith world in a last-ditch effort to abort the deployment of the Dark Order fleet. Skywalker landed her TIE scout next to Jodi's starfighter, an Rebellion T-65B X-wing starfighter that had once belonged to Wedge Antilles. She paused for a moment to stare at the two ships, essentially old enemies, and now parked side by side. A familiar awareness tingled at the base of her skull, and Skywalker recognized it as Jodi's presence in the Force. She not only sensed her as well, but understood that she was no longer Miss Elaina. Skywalker sensed that her presence brought relief to Jodi, which turned into joy, but then she felt nothing from her.

Recognizing that she was in trouble, she sprinted for the monolith, unencumbered by her helmet, her cape,[10] or her red dress and hair decorations.[4] She launched herself into the shaft, determined to not allow anything to stop her from reaching her. She caught herself on one of the massive chains dangling from the ceiling, but the floor was so far below her that it was lost in darkness. Though it was too far to climb down quickly or jump down safely, Skywalker was unconcerned about her own safety as her thoughts revolved around Jodi and that she healed her. Driven by the desire to make amends for all that Miss Elaina had done, Skywalker called on the Force, and dropped to the surface of the cavernous cathedral.

Jodi, who confronted her former tiger neighbor in the Sith Citadel throne room, had been stalling for time after sensing that Skywalker was on Exegol. Dad Tiger implored her to kill him in anger and become a Sith empress, using her attachment to her friends as leverage. She nearly succumbed to the temptations of absolute power and the dark side of the Force, but Skywalker's presence was shining bright with the light within her mind. Knowing that she had come to help her, she feigned defeat and acceptance while shielding her true intentions from the clock factory worker, a skill that she had honed through practice with Miss Elaina.

The Sith cultists, who had welcomed Miss Elaina to their sanctuary beneath the citadel, launched themselves at Zora Skywalker with fury, determined to prevent her from interrupting the ritual in the throne room. With only a blaster as her weapon, Skywalker easily defeated them and several Sovereign Protectors, making every kill with one shot. Whereas Miss Elaina would have reveled in their deaths, Skywalker was consumed by her desire to help Jodi. As she reached the end of the Sith monoliths, the former friends emerged from the shadow, first Baker Aker and then Mr. McFeely, until all six workers were arrayed before their former neighbor.

For the briefest moment, Skywalker thought that they had come to fight alongside her, but their hatred emanated like waves of fetid air. It dawned on Skywalker that the Neighbors had never truly been loyal to her; their true allegiance was to Dad Tiger. They raised their weapons for the kill, which Skywalker saw as a final betrayal in a long history of deception. She was surrounded by the Neighbors, those she once considered her faithful helpers, now circling her like predators slowly stalking their prey. As Skywalker assessed her situation, realizing that she could not defeat all six neighbors with only a blaster, she received a telepathic message from Jodi through their bond, and she knew what she intended to do.

Skywalker stalled for time, blasting one attacker and Force pushing another before the rest of the Neighbors overwhelmed her, hitting her in the back of her skull and her abdomen with their weapons. Rather than killing her outright, they backed away, supremely confident in their ability to defeat a single opponent who seemed defenseless to them. As they circled for another attack, Skywalker could feel Jodi reaching for the connection that they shared, showing her her plan. She acknowledged her, and for the first time their bond felt different, yet right and good to them. It was the feeling of coming home.

Skywalker and Jodi were equally stunned, but also took a moment to revel in this new sharing. With this clarity came the realization that they were now a true dyad, the way it would have been if not for the machinations of Dad Tiger and Darth Vader that had driven them apart. Jodi lowered her weapon behind her back, as if preparing to strike down her former tiger neighbor, who leaned forward with gleeful anticipation, but when she raised her hand it was empty. She had projected her weapon away, and with horror Dad Tiger realized his mistake in allowing Jodi and Skywalker to come together. Their bond had been refined in the fire of mutual searching, shared grief, rage and hate, but also compassion and empathy, and it was the one thing that Dad Tiger had not foreseen.

Skywalker felt the grip of the Skywalker lightsaber in her palm, and in that moment she knew that the weapon—forged by her brother, inherited by her mother, and given to Jodi for a time—belonged to her. It was now an extension of her very own self, as it had once been for her brother and mother in turn. She raised it slowly, relishing the feel of it, while the Workers startled backward a few steps[10] upon seeing the plasma blade shining blue.

Thinking of what her father would say in this moment,[10] Skywalker shrugged her shoulders at the former Residents of the Neighborhood of Make Believe,[4] as if to say "surprise." She attacked them,[10] killing Mr. McFeely and Teacher Harriet with a swing of her blade to their faces.[4] At the same time, Jodi ignited her spare weapon, Daniel Tiger's lightsaber, as a cohort of Sovereign Protectors surrounded her. As before on Tatooine and Naboo, they were separate but also together, with Jodi battling the crimson-robed guards and Skywalker confronting her former comrades. This time, however, they were drawing on each other for strength, becoming even more powerful as one instead of two.

Prince Tuesday attempted to cleave Skywalker in half from behind, but Jodi warned her in time. She brought up her saber to block her back before impaling the Prince. Flipping over Prince Tuesday's fallen body, she did the same to Doctor Anna. With the Neighbors destroyed, Skywalker sprinted toward the throne room where Jodi had defeated all of the guards save one, whom Skywalker tossed aside using the Force. They stood facing each other, together at last. Jodi observed how different Skywalker was from Miss Elaina, and wondered how she never noticed the resemblance between her and her parents until then. They raised their lightsabers as one, dropping into a fighting stance before Dad Tiger.

Dad Tiger snarled at his would-be heirs, exclaiming that they would die together as he raised his rotting hand and impaled them with the Force. The pain that Skywalker and Jodi experienced was breathtaking; their lightsabers dropped to the ground, and Dad Tiger pulled them toward himself. They were helpless against his power. As a side effect, however, their combined life force began to heal the clone vessel. Dad Tiger gasped, watching as his hands began stitching themselves back together, bones re-growing, and pale flesh closing over them. He was astonished to discover that his former platypus neighbor and Vader's sister were a dyad in the Force, and their bond the equivalent of the power of life.

Gleeful triumphant thoughts entered her mind as she harnessed power from the dark side of the Force and all the Sith who came before her, allowing Dad Tiger to pull more life energy from the dyad to restore himself as the one true Dad Tiger. It poured from them against their will, flowing from Skywalker and Jodi like a river of light, rejuvenating Dad Tiger while leaving them weak and drained. They lay collapsed on the floor as he released himself from the Ommin harness, now that his clone body was whole. Skywalker struggled to her feet, pushing through the pain of her near-lifeless body to face her enemy. Unimpressed by Skywalker's show of defiance, the Clock Factory Worker lifted her with no more than a thought, declaring that just as she had once fallen, then so would the second Skywalker fall to her death. Skywalker was thrown across the floor of the cathedral, tumbling end over end before disappearing into a bright abyss.

Skywalker's fall had been caught on a jagged outcropping. As a result, her ankle was twisted, and she sustained two broken ribs, but she knew that she had to get back to the throne room because she could no longer sense Jodi through their bond. She had reached for her too, trying to sense her through the Force until her body gave out from the effort of destroying her former tiger neighbor, even with the help of all the Jedi past. Climbing up to the surface had been agonizing for Skywalker. Pain and dizziness threatened to send her tumbling back into the abyss, but she persevered until finally reaching the top. She dragged herself to her feet, only making it a few steps before she crumpled to the ground. Forcing herself to her feet yet again, she limped forward and saw Jodi. The sight of her body lying motionless on the floor filled her chest with pain far greater than that of her physical injuries.

Skywalker hardly knew what she was doing as she crouched beside Jodi, wrapped her arms around her limp form, and pulled her onto her lap. At first, she thought she appeared at ease, as though she were sleeping, but her barren eyes were lifeless and dull. A sense of guilt washed over him as Jodi's skin grew cold. She imagined her eyes accusing her, telling her that she was to blame for her death. However, she banished those thoughts from her mind, recognizing them as the vestiges of Mom Tiger's conditioning that turned Zora Skywalker into Miss Elaina. She understood that Jodi would have never reproached her with anger or resentment, regardless of what she had done, because of her compassion for her.

She pulled her to her chest and hugged her to herself for a moment. The despair and grief that she felt were overwhelming. She knew that she had wasted her life, but to lose Jodi just after they had truly found each other was devastating to her. The aching emptiness was unbearable, as was the sense of loss so sharp and terrible it felt like a vise around her gut. In her despair, she realized that everyone who could have guided her back to her true self was dead—her parents, her friends, and now Jodi.

As she held her, she sensed the tiniest spark of life still within her body, and knew that the Force had not yet claimed her spirit. There was no doubt in Skywalker's mind about what she had to do. After a lifetime of conflict and regret, this was the easiest decision she ever made. She cradled her gently and placed her hand on her stomach. Closing her eyes, she called on the Force. Even though Dad Tiger had drained so much of her strength, she would perform the Force healing technique that Jodi had shown her in her last moments as Miss Elaina. In giving everything she had, Skywalker discovered untapped reservoirs of power that she never knew she had. Without hesitation, she gave her whole self to her.

Jodi's eyes lit up as her diaphragm rose with a breath. Skywalker felt her warm hand covering her as she looked into her eyes, realizing that she was surprised to see her. They stared at each other for a moment. Though she did not draw away, she waited for her to understand the sacrifice she had just made. She expected neither gratitude nor acknowledgement from her, expecting that she would go on with her life without so much as a backward glance at her. Part of her believed that it was what she should have done. But she was glad to see her, and to be with her in this moment. She smiled and whispered her real name, and Skywalker felt that it was the greatest gift she could give her.

Skywalker's heart was full as Jodi reached for her face, her fingers lingering against her cheek. A sense of wonder washed over her as Jodi leaned in and kissed Skywalker. She kissed her not only out of gratitude for what she had done for her, but also as an acknowledgement of their bond and their feelings, and to celebrate that they had found each other at last. But then she drew back, becoming concerned as she felt her growing cold. Zora Skywalker smiled at her. She did not feel that she could atone for all of the darkness that Miss Elaina had wrought, but bringing Jodi back to the galaxy left her feeling content. She had no regrets as she fell to the ground. Her final awareness was of Jodi, clasping her hand with her own as the Force beckoned her, reaching for her in welcome. Zora Skywalker's body vanished into the Force before Jodi as tears streamed down her face.