Fanfic / The Gray Jedi Series

The Gray Jedi Series is a series of Star Wars fanfiction short stories currently available to read on Archive of Our Own. The series consists of Rise of the Gray Jedi, The Gray Jedi, Legend of the Gray Jedi, The Gray Jedi: Merciless Indifference, and Legacy of the Gray Jedi.

The Gray Jedi Series features no pre-existing characters and, according the Word of God, is set in a deliberately Ambiguous Time Period on the Star Wars timeline.

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These books provide examples of:

Rise of the Gray Jedi

• Actually Pretty Funny: Rhylla finds this exchange amusing after Des gives her some water.
  Rhylla: No poison. Good.
  Des: Didn't have any on hand.
• Agony of the Feet: Rhylla walks down a mountain on an injured ankle. Said ankle gives out during her subsequent fight with Des.
• Attack! Attack! Attack!: After being injured in the crash, Rhylla still attacks Des, but it ends up being a Curb-Stomp Battle in his favor.
• Batman Grabs a Gun: Unable to think of another way to save Rhylla, Des uses the Dark Side of the Force to kill the Trandoshan threatening her.
• Battle Couple: Des and Rhylla are a sexual but non-romantic variant.
• Big Bad: Darth Korrus, Rhylla's former Master.
• Character Development: Both Des and Rhylla go through this.
• Conspicuous in the Crowd: Despite their efforts to blend in, Des and Rhylla both stand out among Twi'leks at the start of the book.
• Contrived Coincidence: The fact that Des and Rhylla ended up on the same transport in the first place is either this or the will of the Force.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Des is unable to effectively use a blaster against a Trandoshan to save Rhylla because, as a Jedi, he was never trained to shoot.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Des and Rhylla’s rematch sees the latter fighting with a broken arm and an injured ankle that could give out at any second. Whereas in their first fight Des needed to use both of his lightsabers to get the upper hand, here he’s able to defeat her with only one. The only reason Rhylla survives is because Des has no wish to kill her.
• The Cynic: Rhylla starts off with shades of this.
• The Dragon: Darth Barron is this to Darth Korrus.
• Deserted Island: IN SPACE! Des and Rhylla are trapped on an unknown planet together.
• Determinator: After crashing, Rhylla walks down the mountain with a broken arm and an injured ankle. Despite these injuries, she tries to finish Des off when she sees he’s still alive.
• Establishing Character Moment: Several.
  • Des boards the ship with the other civilians, even pausing to have a short conversation with Captain Panrak.
  • Rhylla uses the Force to conceal herself and sneaks onboard.
  • Captain Panrak greets his passengers as the board his ship.
• Enemy Mine: Des and Rhylla are forced to work together to survive. This doesn’t stop her from trying to betray him to the Trandoshans, but when they refuse her offer, she helps him.
• Face–Heel Turn: Rhylla turns on Des as soon as she thinks she has found a way off the planet.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Des and Rhylla are of the With Benefits variety.
• Fury-Fueled Foolishness: Rhylla's decision to attack Des despite her injuries.
• Godzilla Threshold: Des uses the Dark Side of the Force to save Rhylla’s life when he's out of better options.
• Healing Hands: Des uses the Force to reduce the swelling around Rhylla’s ankle.
• Heel–Face Turn: Upon realizing the Trandoshans have no intention of sparing her, Rhylla immediately frees Des and helps him defeat them.
• Human Shield: A Trandoshan uses Rhylla as one, forcing Des to harness the power of The Dark Side to save her.
• I Am Not Left-Handed: A variant. Des and Rhylla's first fight goes in her favor until he ignites his second lightsaber.
• If I Wanted You Dead...: When Rhylla attacks Des shortly after their crash, the ensuing fight is a Curb-Stomp Battle in his favor, and she only survives because he has no reason to kill her.
• Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Implied and Justified. As a Jedi, Des was never trained to use a blaster, so when a Trandoshan uses Rhylla as a Human Shield, Des isn't willing to fire because he knows he's a terrible shot.
• Improperly Paranoid: Darth Korrus is convinced Rhylla intended to kill him and make Ooyala her apprentice. Rhylla didn’t even know that Ooyala is Force-sensitive.
• It Gets Easier: While it’s never stated verbatim, Rhylla heavily implies this when comforting Des after he uses the Dark Side to save her life.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Rhylla is relieved to learn that Ooyala has found someone who makes her happy.
  Ooyala (telling Rhylla about Eliana): She’s not like you, but she makes me happy like you did.
• Last-Name Basis: Dessel’s Master, Veera, refers to him by his last name, Valdon.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Rhylla attacking Des after the crash is a Downplayed example of this.
• More Deadly Than the Male: Rhylla is a much more vicious fighter than Des.
• Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Darth Barron, who Dual Wields a pair of double-bladed lightsabers.
• Personal Horror: Des experiences this after using the Dark Side for the first time.
• Posthumous Character: Kurgo was dead before the story began.
• Tear-Apart Tug-of-War: Subverted. When Rhylla uses the Force to try to snatch a med pack from Des, he does the same to keep it. They have a brief tug-of-war that ends as soon as Rhylla realizes she can't win.
• Took a Level in Badass: Before being stranded with Des, Rhylla only survived her Master’s assault because Ooyala interfered. Five years later, she is able to defeat him by Dual Wielding, something he never learned.
• Verbal Backspace: This exchange:
  Des: I'm not after you, and at this point I have no reason to kill you.
  Rhylla: What are you talking about? You're a Jedi.
  Des: I'm not- That doesn't mean I'm going to kill you. I have bigger problems right now.
• Villains Blend in Better: Justified in the opening. Rhylla has the ability to mask her presence from others.
• Villainous Breakdown: Darth Korrus has been going through a very gradual one over the years, to the point where several Sith in the sequels seem to think that Rhylla killing him was an act of mercy.
• When Harry Met Svetlana: Des (a Jedi) and Rhylla (a Sith) are trapped on an unknown planet together and ultimately work together to survive.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Played with. Rhylla turns on Des as soon as she finds a potential way off the planet, but when she realizes the Trandoshans won’t help her, she frees Des and helps him fight them.

The Gray Jedi

• A Minor Kidroduction: The opening sees a young Rhylla comforting Samala after the latter’s Master is murdered.
• An Arm and a Leg:
  • Dorin cuts off Drenom’s right hand, then his left foot.
  • Darth Khyx cuts off Leera Amali’s feet before killing her.
• Batman Gambit: Combined with Let's You and Him Fight. The Gray Jedi lure a group of Jedi and a group of Sith into the same location, knowing they will inevitably end up fighting. The Gray Jedi then intervene.
• Battle Couple: Des and Zari, Torika and Nevari.
• Big "NO!": Dorin’s reaction when Drenom kills Braxton.
• Blatant Lies: Rhylla tells Drenom that they have backup nearby in case he goes back on his word and destroys the Crescent Rose. He believes her.
• Combat Pragmatist: Several.
  • In combat, Zari regularly takes advantage of her lightsaber’s ability to turn its blades off and on.
  • During an unarmed sparring session, Torika gets the upper hand on Nevari by catching her off-guard with a kiss.
  • During another sparring session, Nyca beats Torika in record time by simply kicking the saberstaff out of her hands at the right moment.
• Cruel and Unusual Death: Rayna suffers a slow and painful one courtesy of a poison trap left by the Sith.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Zari comforts a dying Rayna until the end.
• Failed a Spot Check: Rayna and Nyca don’t sense the poison/explosive trap until it’s too late, and Rayna has just enough time to save Nyca from being sprayed with a lethal dose of spider venom at the cost of her own life.
• Fist of Rage: Samala makes fists when Flaura mentions the nerve inhibitor on Rhylla's spine and threatens to make Rhylla suffer.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: In Chapter 4, Rhylla mentioned using her Sith Sorcery to drive a Sith rival insane, leaving whatever was left of her mind begging for death. Later in the chapter, Torika does the same thing to Drenom.
• Imposed Handicap Training: The Gray Jedi learn to fight in darkness, and later they learn to fight completely blind.
• Interspecies Romance: Des (a Human man) and Zari (a Zabrak woman), Torika (a Mikkian woman) and Nevari (an Iktotchi woman).
• Let's You and Him Fight: See Batman Gambit above.
• Mind Rape: Rhylla and Torika are trained in the use of Sith Sorcery, allowing them to invade the minds of others and bring their worst fears to life. If taken far enough, this can be a Fate Worse than Death.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • Zari is caught off-guard when Rhylla snaps and shouts at her, indicating that Rhylla is highly stressed.
  • Later, when Nevari and Rhylla find Torika in the woods, Torika snaps at Nevari for similar reasons.
• The One That Got Away: Samala reveals that Rhylla is this to her.
• Only the Worthy May Pass: Downplayed. The Sith are unable to open a hidden door beneath a Jedi temple on Iridonia and assume it can only be opened by someone strong in the Light side of the Force. Zari, who is strong in both the Light and Dark sides, can open it.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Downplayed and Justified. Zari is 1.65 meters (5’5”) tall, and Hallan is 2 meters (6’7”) tall. When they spar unarmed, Zari is able to defeat Hallan. Zabrak tend to be physically stronger than similar-sized members of other species. This means that Hallan, a Twi’lek, doesn’t have the advantage his size would normally give him.
• Sacrificial Lion: Rayna Grato.
• Sequel Escalation: Rise of the Gray Jedi was a character study about two enemies forced to rely on each other. The Gray Jedi is about those former enemies training other Force users to be the true balance in the Force and become a Third Party Intermediary between the Jedi and Sith.
• Shipper on Deck: Rhylla points out to Des that Zari is attracted to him and later voices her approval upon learning that they hooked up.
• Slap-Slap-Kiss: Combined with Kiss of Distraction when Torika uses a kiss to get the upper hand on Nevari during a sparring session.
• Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Rhylla, Zari, Hallan, and Nyca rescue Anguillus and several other Cathars from slavers and deliver the criminals to the Jedi.
• Starting a New Life: Samala invites Rhylla to come away with her and leave their dangerous life behind. Rhylla accepts.
• Team Title: The Gray Jedi are the protagonists of the story.
• That Man Is Dead: Invoked by Darth Magmus, who claims her true identity - Aliana Zythos - is dead.
• Third Party Stops Attack: Invoked by the Gray Jedi to prove a point and establish themselves as the middle ground between the Jedi and Sith.
• Training Montage: Averted. The Gray Jedi train throughout the book, and while time skips are sometimes used, it’s never portrayed in a montage.
• White and Gray Morality: Downplayed. While not enemies, the Jedi and Gray Jedi don’t see eye to eye on many things, and the Jedi attempt to capture the Gray Jedi multiple times.
• Your Days Are Numbered: After being sprayed with a lethal dose of Bane Back Spider Venom, Rayna’s death is a Foregone Conclusion. Averted with Zari, who has a natural immunity to the venom.

Legend of the Gray Jedi

• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The Gray Jedi temple on Yavin 4 is destroyed, forcing the survivors to evacuate.
• Always Save the Girl: A lesbian variant. Rescuing Rhylla is Samala’s primary motivation in the book.
• An Arm and a Leg:
  • In the final battle, Ausar cuts off Drogo’s hands before decapitating him.
  • Later in the same battle, Samala and Rhylla cut off Flaura’s left arm, right hand, and both legs.
• Avenging the Villain: Mentioned but Averted. Flaura loved her brother Drenom, but avenging his death is not what motivates her.
• Badass in Distress: Rhylla is abducted by Flaura.
• Battle Couple: Des and Zari, Rhylla and Samala, Torika and Nevari, Ausar and Yuko.
  • After Rhylla reaches her Rage Breaking Point, Flaura gets the upper hand in their fight, and when Rhylla can no longer defend herself, Samala steps in to protect her.
• Battlestar: The battlecruisers Bloodshot and Phantasm each carry a compliment of droid fighters, droid bombers, and hybrid shuttles. Most of the other ships in Flaura's Standard Sci-Fi Fleet also qualify.
• Big Badass Battle Sequence: The battle against Flaura’s forces on Dantooine certainly qualifies.
• Big Entrance: Bordo’s ship, the Crescent Rose, joins the final battle by rising up out of the water.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Flaura keeps Rhylla alive as part of her plan.
• Chekhov's Skill: Zari and some of the other Gray Jedi fall from great heights into water as part of training, using the Force to protect them from injury on impact with the water. Later, Zari puts the skill to practical use during the final battle.
• Combat Pragmatist: During the final battle, Rhylla and Yuko load one of the Vindicator's escape pods with explosives and use it to destroy the much larger Phalanx.
• Continuity Nod: Zari mentions Des and Rhylla being trapped on the Unknown Planet.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Despite her ferocity, the weakened Rhylla never stood a chance against Flaura alone.
• David Versus Goliath: The Gray Jedi ships and Bordo's battleship vs Flaura's Standard Sci-Fi Fleet.
• Escape Pod: Weaponized. During the final battle, Rhylla and Yuko load one of the Vindicator's escape pods with explosives and use it to destroy the much larger Phalanx.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Flaura is the sister of Drenom. She loved him, though avenging his death is not what motivates her.
• Fake Arm Disarm: During the final battle on Dantooine, Flaura cuts halfway through Rhylla’s droid arm, failing to sever it completely but causing enough damage that Rhylla ends up replacing the arm between the events of this book and the next one.
• Fantastic Racism: Downplayed. During the final battle, Zari - a Dathomirian Zabrak with white skin (an unusual trait for any Zabrak) - encounters Ravelle Bendar - an Iridonian Zabrak with dark tan skin. During their fight, Ravelle calls Zari some things that Zari’s mother would not have liked. Ravelle then remarks that Zari’s mother must have slept with an albino Reek to have her. When Zari says she’s from Dathomir, not Iridonia (where Reeks are found), Ravelle remarks that she meant an albino Rancor (which is found on Dathomir).
• Genius Bruiser: Flaura.
• Gunship Rescue: The Loth-Wolf performs a Corvette Rescue in the opening scene.
• Headbutt of Love: Rhylla and Samala do this after Samala returns home with fresh fruit.
• Improbable Falling Save: Subverted. When Zari falls out of the Vindicator, then uses the Force to launch herself back up, she falls short, and Des tries to catch her, only to be pulled down with her. Lampshaded by Samala.
  Samala: Did you forget how physics works?
• Interspecies Romance: Des (a Human man) and Zari (a Zabrak woman), Torika (a Mikkian woman) and Nevari (an Iktotchi woman), Ausar (a Nikto man) and Yuko (a Zabrak man).
• It's Personal: Samala wants her girlfriend back, and she’ll kill not only those who took Rhylla, but anyone who gets in her way as well.
• Just Between You and Me: Subverted and Lampshaded. Flaura tells Rhylla a fake plan, then questions why Rhylla thought Flaura would tell her the real plan.
• Karmic Death: Combined with Cruel and Unusual Death. After making Flaura a quadruple amputee, Rhylla and Samala burn her alive.
• Kill It with Fire: Flaura's ultimate fate.
• Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: Missing delivery transport pilot —> Plot to destroy the Gray Jedi.
• Old-School Dogfight: Several of these happen during the climactic Standard Starship Scuffle.
• Organization with Unlimited Funding: Downplayed. Flaura seemingly has no problem hiring Force-sensitive mercenaries.
• The Paralyzer: Flaura has a remote nerve inhibitor attached to Rhylla’s spine while the latter is unconscious. It allows her to paralyze Rhylla below the neck.
• Pardon My Klingon: During the final battle, Zari - a Dathomirian Zabrak with white skin (an unusual trait for any Zabrak) - encounters Ravelle Bendar - an Iridonian Zabrak with dark tan skin. During their fight, Ravelle calls Zari some things that Zari’s mother would not have liked.
  Zari (in Zabraki): “My mother would cut out my tongue if she heard me say that.”
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Rhylla and Samala cut off Flaura's arms and legs, then burn her alive.
• Punch-Clock Villain: The Force-sensitive mercenaries who aren’t killed either flee or surrender after Flaura is killed.
• Rage Breaking Point: After being held hostage and underfed for days if not weeks, Rhylla reaches hers after being reunited with Samala when Flaura taunts her about her inability to escape.
  Flaura: She’s a tough one. It’s a shame she wasn’t strong enough to get back to you on her own.
• Retired Badass: Rhylla and Samala are forced out of retirement when the former is abducted.
• Soft Water: Justified. Zari and some of the other Gray Jedi fall from great heights into water as part of training, using the Force to protect themselves from injury on impact with the water.
• Standard Sci-Fi Fleet: Flaura's includes the battlecruisers Bloodshot and Phantasm; heavy cruisers Revenant, Berserker, Oblivion, and Phalanx; cruisers Ravager, Huntress, Calamity, Dispatcher, Hammer of Glory, and Liberator; frigates Marauder, Harbinger, Predator, Reaver, Aurora, Executioner, Conqueror, and Blade of Fury; and 168 droid fighters, 84 droid bombers, and 84 hybrid shuttles.
• Standard Starship Scuffle: The climax has a fairly epic one.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Catching someone who is falling by grabbing them will result in their momentum pulling you down with them. Lampshaded by Samala.
  Samala: Did you forget how physics works?
• Time Skip: This book is set five years after the second.
• Vehicular Turnabout: Before leaving Flaura’s twin flagships to be sucked into the black hole at Galactic Center, the Gray Jedi steal all of the droid fighters, bombers, and shuttles from them both.
• The Villain Must Be Punished: After cutting off Flaura's arms and legs, Rhylla and Samala burn her alive.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Downplayed. Flaura’s goal is the same as the Gray Jedi - to maintain balance in the Force - but she believes that they’re only making things worse by somehow making the Force “sick”.
• Would Not Shoot a Civilian: Combined with Even Evil Has Standards and Downplayed. On Dantooine, Flaura doesn’t fire on the Gray Jedi when doing so would put civilians at risk, but states that she will if she has to.
• Your Mom: See Fantastic Racism above.

The Gray Jedi: Merciless Indifference

• Action Dad: Des has become this since the events of the previous book.
• Action Mom: Zari is the mother of Des' children and can still hold her own in a fight.
• All Lesbians Want Kids: Zig-Zagged. Rhylla (bisexual) and Samala (lesbian) are having a biological child using a sperm donor, and Ooyala and Eliana have two children. On the other hand, Torika and Nevari, as well as the other lesbian couples, express no interest in having children.
• And I Must Scream: Everyone under the villain’s Mind Control is made to do horrible things.
• Back for the Dead:
  • Darth Khyx and several other Sith from previous books return to be Mind Controlled and killed.
  • The bounty hunter/mercenary Lyana Rend returns to be killed by Edomir.
• Badass Family: Des, Zari, Zak, and Kyra.
• Battle Couple: Des and Zari, Rhylla and Samala, Torika and Nevari, Ausar and Yuko.
• Blinded by Rage: Zari when she thinks Zak and Kyra are dead.
• Cannot Kill Their Loved Ones: Zari admits to Des - her lover and the father of her children - that she can't bring herself to kill him if he falls under the villain's Mind Control.
  Zari: I can't kill you!
  Des: [silence]
  Zari: I can't. I know I'm strong enough to keep going after you die, but I am not mentally or emotionally capable of killing you. The only possible exception is if I had to stop you from killing Zak and Kyra, but even then I don't know if I could do it.
  Des: You once asked me to kill you to save the kids.
  Zari: I know. Then you got possessed and I realized I'm a hypocrite.
• The Dragon: Melena is this to Edomir.
• Disc-One Final Boss: Edomir is the main villain up until dying with two chapters left in the book.
• Disney Villain Death: Rhylla throws a mind-controlled Darth Khyx off a cliff to his death.
• Episode Finishes the Title: A book variant.
• Eye Scream: Downplayed. During her fight with Zari, Melena’s left eye becomes swollen shut.
• Foreshadowing: In Chapter 3, Kyra demonstrates a Chekhov's Skill when she locks Zak in one of the holding cells and changes the code. Later, she changes the code again and locks herself and Zak in a cell as protection from her Mind Controlled father, Des.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Zakarai and Kyra are half-Human, half-Zabrak. They are the result of Des and Zari’s Interspecies Romance.
• Harmful to Minors: Zak and Kyra are put in danger when their Mind Controlled father, Des, tries to kill them.
• Healing Hands: Des heals Zari after a piece of shrapnel pierces one of her hearts. See Took a Level in Badass.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Ausar performs one in order to ensure Yago goes Out the Airlock.
• Imperiled in Pregnancy: Twice.
  • Pregnant Jedi Patra Neer was mind controlled and tried to kill Ordam Terma, the father of her child. She was in turn killed by another Jedi and died not even knowing she was pregnant.
  • Samala is put in danger when Yuko is mind controlled and attacks her, specifically targeting her belly. Thankfully, Samala has Varia to help her defeat him.
• Interspecies Romance: Des (a Human man) and Zari (a Zabrak woman), Torika (a Mikkian woman) and Nevari (an Iktotchi woman), Ausar (a Nikto man) and Yuko (a Zabrak man), Quilla (a Human woman) and Sharaya (a Mirilian woman).
• Lancer vs. Dragon: Zari vs Melena.
• Mama Bear: Do NOT threaten Zak or Kyra. Zari brutally attacks Melena when the latter prevents her from helping them, and she becomes stone cold, vengeful, and downright vicious when she thinks they’re dead.
  Zari: Melena, I showed you mercy when I told the bounty hunters they would only get paid if they brought you in alive but I’ll rip you apart if you don’t move right fucking now.
• The Man Behind the Man: Yago is the one responsible for the Mind Control, and those he Mind Controls are capable of extending that Mind Control to others.
• Manly Tears: Des cries after being released from Edomir’s Mind Control because he almost killed his own children.
• Meaningful Name: Zari’s starfighter, the Night Witch, is named after the real life Russian female night bomber crews from WWII.
• Mind Control: The villain has the ability to take control of other Force users. While under control, some of those Force users can take control of others by extension.
• Nasal Trauma: During their fight, Zari breaks Melena’s nose.
• Nightmare Sequence: Chapter 5 opens with Zari having a nightmare in which she was incapacitated and locked in one of the cells below the Gray Jedi temple after killing Zak, Kyra, Rhylla, and Nevari under Mind Control.
• Nobody Poops: Averted. Zari mentions having to take a piss.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Zari's Mama Bear moment sees her giving Melena a savage beating after losing contact with her children and thinking they are dead. Melena gets a few hits in, even knocking the wind out of Zari, but Melena only survives the encounter because Zak and Kyra are still alive.
• Noodle Incident: Edomir mentions that the Gray Jedi saved hostages on Toydaria a year before the events of the book.
• Pregnant Badass: Samala Gerrast.
• Remember the New Guy?: Melena is introduced as the childhood friend of Zari.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Pregnant Jedi Patra Neer is mind controlled and tries to kill Ordam Terma, the father of her child. Veera Salem erases the pregnancy from Patra’s autopsy report to avoid causing Ordam any more pain.
  Veera Saleem: The love of his life went berserk and tried to kill him, and he couldn’t talk to anyone about it without being expelled. He’s already in pain, and I don’t have the heart to make him suffer any more than he already has.
• Short Title: Long, Elaborate Subtitle: Downplayed.
• Shout-Out: Zari’s starfighter, the Night Witch, is named after the real life Russian female night bomber crews from WWII.
• Surprise Pregnancy: A tragic variant. Pregnant Jedi Patra Neer was mind controlled and tried to kill Ordam Terma, the father of her child. She was in turn killed by another Jedi and died not even knowing she was pregnant.
• Taught by Experience: After being abducted in the previous book, Rhylla installed a distress signal in her and Samala’s home.
• Team Title: The Gray Jedi are the protagonists of the story.
• The Teaser: The Cold Open features new character Maloro Desarte/Darth Sylos being forced to kill his Master in self-defense.
• Thrown Out the Airlock: A wounded Ausar sacrifices himself to ensure Yago is sucked into the vacuum of space.
• Time Skip: This book is set eight years after the third.
• Took a Level in Badass: In Rise of the Gray Jedi, Des’ Force Healing ability was able to reduce the swelling around Rhylla’s twisted ankle, but not repair all the damage. In Merciless Indifference, he is able to completely heal Zari after a piece of shrapnel pierces one of her hearts.
• Unstoppable Rage: Zari when she thinks Zak and Kyra are dead.
• Weapon Jr.: Zak and Kyra use training lightsaber shotos.
• Wham Line: When Zari admits to Des that she can't bring herself to kill him if he falls under the villain's Mind Control.
  Zari: I can't kill you!
  Des: [silence]
  Zari: I can't. I know I'm strong enough to keep going after you die, but I am not mentally or emotionally capable of killing you. The only possible exception is if I had to stop you from killing Zak and Kyra, but even then I don't know if I could do it.
  Des: You once asked me to kill you to save the kids.
  Zari: I know. Then you got possessed and I realized I'm a hypocrite.
• Would Hurt a Child: Downplayed. Edomir has no problem indirectly killing pregnant women or Mind Controlling Des to go after Zak and Kyra, but he's never shown hurting children himself.

Legacy of the Gray Jedi

• Agony of the Feet: Kyra hurts her left ankle twice in a matter of days.
• All for Nothing: Rhylla's efforts to keep Samala and their unborn daughter safe in Merciless Indifference are this now that she died at birth.
• An Arm and a Leg: Rhylla's right leg is cut off during the final battle.
• Ascended Extra: Zak and Kyra, last seen as children in the last book, are now all grown up and among the main characters.
• Blindfolded Vision: A variant. Like all Miraluka, Myria was born with no eyes, yet her inherent Force Sight allows her to see her surroundings with the Force and even see through solid objects like walls.
• Blind Weaponmaster: As a Miraluka, Myria was born without eyes, but she can still hold her own in a fight thanks in part to her species' inherent Force Sight.
• Broken Bird: Rhylla and Samala became this after their daughter died.
• Buried Alive: A variant. In the climax, when Rhylla detonates the explosives, all of the droids in the factory are buried.
• Can't Live Without You: In the climax, Rhylla chooses to stay and die with Samala rather than live without her.
• Casual High Drop: In Chapter 1, Zak, Kyra, and the others fall from their gunships and use the Force to soften their landings.
• Censored Child Death: The death of Rhylla and Samala's daughter is never described in the narrative, only mentioned by other characters.
• Cruel and Unusual Death:
  • Gorian is shot by a disruptor pistol at close range, which disintegrates his body atom by atom.
  • Pelma has her Achilles' tendon severed, falls and hits her head, and is left to die of her wounds.
  • Bori is disemboweled by Rhylla's droid arm.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Bori and his mercenaries never stood a change against two former Sith Lords.
• Darkness Equals Death: Bori Drastus and his mercenaries are lured into a dark mine and picked off one by one.
• Dead Man's Switch: During the climax, Rhylla gets the HK-X droids to cease their attack by using the Force to position her severed leg over the bomb's trigger, ensuring that any attempt to kill her will destroy the droids as well.
• Deadly Distant Finale: The book ends 45 years after the main story, with Des and Zari dying in their sleep at the ages of 107 and 101.
• Death of a Child: The book opens with Rhylla and Samala's daughter dying at birth.
• Demoted to Extra: Des and Zari. Justified, since they retired from going on missions at the end of the last book.
• Disability-Negating Superpower: Like all Miraluka, Myria's inherent Force Sight allows her to see her surroundings with the Force.
• Distant Prologue: The opening scene takes place four months after the events of Merciless Indifference. The story then jumps ahead 16 years.
• Downer Beginning: The book starts with Rhylla and Samala's daughter dying in childbirth.
• Dumb Struck: Rhylla's eventual reaction to the death of her and Samala's daughter.
• Dying Moment of Awesome: Rhylla and Samala destroy the entire HK-X droid factory when they die.
• Establishing Character Moment: When their team has to jump out of a gunship at high altitude, Myria senses Zak's hesitation and offers to jump first.
• Eyeless Face: As a Miraluka, Myria has no eyes but otherwise appears Human.
• Gay Guy Dies First: Averted. Kalahari, the non-binary mercenary in Chapter 2, is the only survivor.
• Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Nope. Kyra's choice to get an abortion does not paint her in a bad light, and it is shown to be a somewhat difficult decision for her.
• Gutted Like a Fish: Bori is disemboweled by Rhylla's droid hand.
• Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: An Inverted variant. Kyra is training to be a Gray Jedi Blademaster, while her brother Zak focuses more on his Force abilities than lightsaber combat.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Zak and Kyra are Human/Zabrak hybrids, and Siris and Isa are Human/Mirialan hybrids.
• Handicapped Badass: Myria Vell has no eyes but can still hold her own in a fight.
• Happy Ending Override: The prologue, which takes place four months after the end of the previous book, sees Rhylla and Samala's daughter dying at birth.
• Healing Hands: Lucia is capable of Force Healing, and she uses it after accidentally making Kyra's injured ankle worse.
• Heartbroken Badass: Rhylla and Samala after the death of their daughter.
• Imperiled in Pregnancy:
  • Kyra didn't know she was pregnant during the mission in Chapter 1.
  • Myria is unaware of her pregnancy until the end of the book.
• Interrupted Intimacy: Narrowly averted. Veera Saleem contacts the Gray Jedi shortly after Zak and Myria finish having sex, and they have to scramble to get dressed and take the call.
• Interspecies Romance: Des (a Human) and Zari (a Zabrak), Torika (a Mikkian) and Nevari (an Iktotchi), Zak (a Human/Zabrak hybrid) and Myria (a Miraluka), Kyra (a Human/Zabrak hybrid) and Lucia (a Mikkian), Siris (a Human/Mirialan hybrid) and Baltar (a Devaronian).
• Let's Split Up, Gang!: Two Justified examples in Chapter 2.
  • When Bori and his mercenaries go into the mine to find Skari, they split into the groups of two because Skari's tracker is in a room with three entrances and they don't want him to escape.
  • Once they realize they've been lured into a trap, they split up into the same groups of two because to avoid all dying together if the mine collapses on then.
• A Lighter Shade of Gray: Lampshaded by Myria after she lands in the middle of a group of Republic soldiers.
  Soldier: Sith!
  Myria: Not quite. Try a lighter shade of gray.
• Logical Weakness: Zak focuses more on his Force abilities than his skills with a lightsaber, putting him at a disadvantage in a lightsaber duel.
• Mêlée à Trois: Invoked during the three-way doubles sparring match between Kyra and Siris, Zak and Isa, and Lucia and Myria.
• Mood Whiplash: Cutting from Kyra and Lucia hooking up to Rhylla and Samala returning to Felucia and discovering their village was attacked, then cutting from that to Zak and Myria finishing having sex.
• Mook Horror Show: Chapter 2 sees Rhylla and Samala luring a team of mercenaries into a mine and picking them off one by one.
• The Mourning After: Rhylla and Samala experience this after the death of their daughter.
• My Secret Pregnancy: Zig-Zagged. Kyra doesn't tell Des and Zari (her parents) about her pregnancy, but she does tell Lucia (her ex).
• Noodle Incident:
  • The details of Kyra and Lucia's break up are left vague. All we know is that they both said things they regret, including Kyra calling Lucia a "Mute bitch".
  • Similarly, all we know about Kyra, Zak, Siris, and Isa's weekend visit on Canto Bight is that Kyra had a one night stand that resulted in her pregnancy.
• One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: Kyra's pregnancy is the result of hooking up with a Togruta man while on Canto Bight with Zak, Siris, and Isa.
• Outliving One's Offspring: Rhylla and Samala's daughter dies at birth.
• Pregnancy Test Plot: Rhylla walks in on Kyra taking a pregnancy test.
• The Reveal: An early example. Chapter 1 starts with Rhylla and Samala's daughter dying at birth, but whether or not Samala survived is left ambiguous. The end of Chapter 2 reveals that Samala is still alive.
• Sacrificial Lion: Hallan Vantu.
• Save the Villain: Downplayed. Lucia isn't a villain, but during the training Mêlée à Trois, Kyra saves her from being eliminated even though they're not on the same team and doing so puts Kyra at a disadvantage against Zak.
• Shout-Out:
  • Two in this exchange:
    Myria: Want me to go first?
    Zak: Would you?
    Myria: Of course. I'm with you to the end of the line.
    Zak: I love you.
    Myria: I know.
  • Siris and Isa are named after the main characters from the third Infinity Blade game.
  • The gunships Lightning Rod and Thunderbolt are named after ships from Young Jedi Knights.
  • The drill Blue Harvest is a reference to Family Guy.
• Surprise Pregnancy: Kyra went on a dangerous mission unaware that she was pregnant.

Tropes applying to the whole series:

• Action Girl: All of the female Gray Jedi.
• All Deaths Final: No characters are resurrected or otherwise brought back to life.
• Ambiguous Time Period: While all four books have continuity with each other, they take place at a deliberately ambiguous point on the Star Wars timeline.
• Artificial Limbs: Rhylla’s left arm is a droid arm below the elbow. It can rotate its wrist in a full circle at high speeds.
• Artificial Limbs Are Stronger: Rhylla’s droid arm is stronger than any natural arm. She doesn’t take full advantage of this very often because she is right-handed.
• Badass Creed: In addition to the Jedi Code and Sith Code (both of which are from the Canon), the Gray Jedi have a Code of their own.
  Flowing through all there is balance.
  There is no Dark Side, nor a Light Side, there is only the Force.
  There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish.
  I will do what I must to keep the balance.
  I embrace the light, yet it does not blind me.
  I embrace the dark, yet it does not consume me.
  The balance is what keeps me together.
  Through passion, I gain focus.
  Through knowledge, I gain power.
  Through serenity, I gain strength.
  Through victory, I gain harmony.
  There is freedom in life.
  There is purpose in death.
  For the Force is all things, and I am the Force.
  I am a guardian of balance.
  I am a Gray Jedi.
• Balance Between Good and Evil: The Jedi and Gray Jedi both consider this their purpose, but the Jedi are just as far from center as the Sith, only on the opposite end.
• Bifurcated Weapon: Des and many of the other Gray Jedi use double-bladed lightsabers that can split into two separate lightsabers.
• Boldly Coming: Every Interspecies Romance features this.
• Both Order and Chaos are Dangerous: One of the main beliefs of the Gray Jedi.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center: Rhylla Karnack.
• Cool Starship: Plenty of examples, but Bordo Namali's battleship Crescent Rose probably fits this trope the best.
• Dark Action Girl: Rhylla Karnack pre-Unknown Planet, Samala Gerrast in book 2, Melena Varris, plus any female Sith.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Downplayed. Those who harness the Dark Side of the Force are not inherently evil, and those who are consumed by it are not necessarily beyond redemption.
• Double Weapon: Many Gray Jedi, Jedi, and Sith wield double-bladed saberstaffs. Many non-Force users carry Vibro Double Blades.
• Dual Wielding: Many Gray Jedi, Jedi, and Sith wield a pair of lightsabers or a lightsaber and shoto. Many non-Force users carry pairs of Vibroweapons or blaster pistols.
• Energy Weapon: Lightsabers and Blasters.
• Enhanced Archaic Weapon: Vibroblades and other Vibroweapons are traditional bladed weapons that use ultrasonic vibrations to increase cutting effectiveness. Some are laced with Cortosis, a material that lightsaber blades can’t cut through.
• Fiery Redhead: Rhylla Karnack. She's a vicious fighter with red hair who will cross lines to protect those she loves.
• Gatling Good: Dane carries a 4-barrel rotary blaster cannon inspired by the Z-6 and Z-7 version used in The Clone Wars.
• The Good, the Bad, and the Evil: Invoked. The Gray Jedi aren’t bad per se, but they exist to serve as a Third Party Intermediary between the Jedi and Sith, among other things.
• Good Is Not Soft: Especially if the good in question is a former Sith.
• Guy in Back: Torika and Nevari use the 2-seat heavy assault starfighter Nether Fox, and Nevari is the rear gunner.
• Light Is Good: Downplayed. The Jedi, who use the Light Side of the Force, are definitely on the side of good, but their methods don’t always match their goals, and their reliance on the Council’s permission often prevents them from helping those in need.
• Literal Disarming: Used almost as often as it was in the Prequel Trilogy.
• Morality Kitchen Sink: The Jedi see themselves as heroes protecting the Galaxy from suffering and the Sith, but they’re often held back by red tape and mistakenly think that destroying the Sith will bring balance to the Force. The Sith are evil but not necessarily irredeemable. Des and Rhylla form the Gray Jedi to prevent the Sith from becoming too powerful while helping where and when the Jedi can’t or won’t.
• One-Man Army: Downplayed. All Force users (Jedi, Sith, Gray Jedi, etc) are able to fight larger groups of non-Force users alone, though not always without injury.
• Pragmatic Hero: The Gray Jedi in general are this.
• Psychometry: Several members of the Gray Jedi have this ability.
• Reverse Grip: When Rhylla splits her saberstaff into two separate weapons, she often holds the left half in a reverse grip.
• Shout-Out:
  • According to Word of God, Rhylla’s cybernetic arm was inspired by Yang Xiao Long from RWBY.
  • Many other aspects of Rhylla's character were inspired by Darth Zannah, including her saberstaff, her tendency to spin it defensively, and her Sith Sorcery.
  • Dessel “Des” Valdon gets his first name from Darth Bane.
  • Ausar's name comes from Infinity Blade.
• Spin to Deflect Stuff: Rhylla's droid arm's ability to spin its wrist makes her very good at this.
• Vibroweapon: Pretty much any standard bladed weapon in Star Wars is a Vibroweapon. In Canon, they’re generally portrayed as being different from Cortosis-woven blades, but Word of God currently sees no reason why a Vibroweapon couldn’t incorporate a Cortosis weave into its design (and freely admits he could be wrong about that).
• Weapon Twirling: Often used by anyone wielding a double-bladed weapon such as a saberstaff or Vibro Double Blade. Rhylla's droid arm allows her to spin her saberstaff so fast it becomes a blur.
• Would Hit a Girl: Pretty much all named characters have no gender bias regarding who they fight.
• Wrench Wench: Zariah “Zari” Matro. She semi-regularly performs maintenance on the Gray Jedi's various ships. When her starfighter's engine is damaged during a mission in Merciless Indifference, she stays behind to fix it with Sharaya's help while the others search the area.

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