Beyond - Legends Star Wars: Balance of Power (AU, Action, Drama, Romance, OC's and CC's)--9/27/12

Chapter 15



The Vulture Run was on its way to Dathomir. Theoretically, this was to be a relatively diminutive and uneventful journey, but Gideon’s unanticipated presence altered that in every way imaginable. From the moment they had departed the Constantine, she had hoped for a quiet trip, but she should’ve known better; Gideon never left anything unspoken. “Look at that! I can’t say I’ve ever seen a planet so... red?”



Jada declined the opportunity to get pulled into another pointless discussion, hoping he would get the hint. She was still furious at him for sneaking into this mission when he should have been on his way to Coruscant. Now she was stuck having to make sure he didn’t get himself in trouble. If he was going to be such a nuisance, he could—at least—be courteous enough not to infuriate her. He was like a child, and could not remain quiet around her.



Gideon stole a quick glance towards her, noticing how silent she was being. He wasn’t stupid; he could sense the tension between them. He could tell that she wanted a quiet ride, but he just didn’t care. “Say, you’re not still seething that I ditched the ride to Coruscant, are you?”



“I’m not angry. Jedi don’t get angry.”



“No, of course not,” Gideon said wryly. “You merely hold grudges. Don’t you try and deny it, either. I know when someone doesn’t take a shinning to me.”



Was he trying to rouse an emotional response? If he knew who her mother was, he would think twice about pushing her buttons any further. She had her mother’s irritability; fortunately, she had a little of her father’s meekness in her so she was better at holding it at bay. Deciding not to dignify his accusation with her own retort, she went back to pretended as if she was meditating.



Again, he refused to recognize her silence. “Listen, I’m willing to lighten up a bit on my devious personality, but only if you’re willing to cut me some slack. I’m not truly the conniving scoundrel you think I am?”



There was no shutting him up! He had gone from pointless chatter to seeking her approval, while all she desired was to contemplate on the assignment at hand. Did he not comprehend the danger that they were walking into? They were about to be outnumbered three-to-one, at least, and there was no telling if the Nightsisters would be in the mood to talk. Could he really not understand that she had no interest in engaging in pointless conversation right now?



She stood up from her seat. “I need to meditate and prepare for the mission.” She dismissed herself from the cockpit, without saying another word. Inside the passenger cabin, both Anakin and Jacen were sitting in their seats, deep in meditation. Well, they were meditating until she entered the cabin. The door slid shut behind her as she took one of the seats.



“Getting on your nerves, is he?” Jacen smirked. He could sense the anxiety she was in even when she was still in the cockpit. “I think he likes you.”



“Yeah, yeah, I know; he only annoys me because he likes me. Jacen, this is not the academy; I’m not a little girl, anymore.”



“No, I mean, I think he REALLY likes you.”



She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The thought that someone like Gideon Mars could be attracted to her was a very disconcerting thought to her. It was almost repulsive. For him to even make such a suggestion aggravated her to no end. “Bite your tongue! I’ve never heard of anything more ridiculous in my life.”



“And it would seem that you like him as well,” Anakin commented, trying his best to hide a smile.



She was almost offended by those words. She had no interest in romance; she was married to her role as Jedi Knight. That’s all she wanted; that’s all that made her happy. Anakin knew that better than anyone. “I was wrong. THAT is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I don’t have time for love. Besides, the code forbids it in our circumstances; he’s not, what you would call, ‘pure-of-heart’ or ‘one-who-serves-wisdom’. He’s a swindler... a scoundrel... a trouble maker, even.”



Jacen laughed, not able to help but notice the irony of the situation. She was very much like her mother, in facial features and personality. For whatever her true reasons were, Jada had gone out of her way to avoid romantic entanglements. Neither he nor Anakin could ever get her to tell them why she was so opposed to marriage. Perhaps it had something to do with the way things were in the old Jedi order. She had always looked up to past Jedi Masters like Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. Of any Jedi Knight alive today, she knew the most about the legendary Jedi Masters of old; she was like a breathing archive holocron.



Things have changed since the pre-Empire days. The Jedi order strictly lived by the code. With so many rules in the old code, it was no wonder why the Jedi were so afraid of the dark side of the Force. Today, the rules were somewhat more relaxed. They allowed fully trained Jedi Knights to marry upon the approval of the Jedi council. According to the new code, their mate had to be either another Jedi knight, or someone who was selfless in their desires, and lived a life of honor and wisdom. Jada was right about one thing; the Jedi council would not approve her pairing with Gideon. Yet, Jacen found it very amusing that her hard, protective shell had finally cracked.



Through the Force, he could here Anakin’s warning; he suggested backing off on any further teasing on this matter. The two of them were thinking the same exact thing. As funny as the situation was, it was just as much of a dilemma. She was going to have a hard enough time trying to keep the relationship from developing into anything serious; there’s no point adding onto her stress.



With the matter dropped, Jacen stood to his feet. Gideon was going to need someone to copilot this ship and point out where on the planet they needed to land. He might as well be the one to do it. After all, he had been told that he was just like his father; perhaps they would get along a little better.



* * * *



The presence of the dark side was even stronger on the planet’s surface than it was nearing its atmosphere. Organisms, vegetations, everything on this planet radiated evil. The sky was red, giving everything that eerie glow of the color of blood. There was no planet in all the galaxies like this one. Jada could almost sense that Gideon was starting to regret his decision to come along on this mission.



“Should we leave someone to guard the ship?” Anakin asked, wondering if it was a better idea to leave the smuggler behind in the ship while they sought out the clan of Sith witches.



“What would be the point?” Jacen responded. “If we left Gideon here, one of us would have to stay here with him. All three of us are needed on this mission.”



Gideon was not happy about being talked about while he was present among them. “If you think I’m staying behind, you’ve got another thing coming. I’ve got my two blasters and my wits; I’m ready for anything these ‘Nightsisters’ can dish out.”



The Jedi looked at each other with a raised eye brow. That was all the confirmation they needed; the smuggler, genuinely, did not comprehend the situation. At this point, telling him would only be a waste of valuable time. “I suppose it’d be rude to keep our hosts waiting. If the care really here, they probably already know that we’ve arrived.”



The four of them started their trek, not knowing exactly where they were going. As the Jedi figured, it really didn’t matter; the witches would come to them, if they weren’t watching them already. All three of them could sense their presence in the giant weed-like trees. A meeting with the clan of witches was going to happen sooner rather than later. They were obviously waiting for them to walk far enough away from the shuttle so there was no way for them to escape.



All-in-all, Jada was not very impressed with their effectiveness. If these people that she was sensing were the witches, then they were a shell of their former glory. She imagined that if they tried, they could decimate the witch clan without much effort; however, that would defeat the purpose of coming here in the first place. They were there for answers, not to start a fight.



They were barely out of sight of the Vulture Run when a white mist moved in around them. It was a nice touch; it definitely brought an eerie feeling to the situation. She made no sudden moves for her light saber. She had no desire to alert the witches that their positions had been compromised. Jacen and Anakin were on the same page, but Gideon was starting to get spooked, despite his best attempts to hide it. She could feel the tension coursing through his body. From the corner of her eye, she noticed his right hand twitching at his blaster.



An explosion jolted in her brain like violent flash of light. Her nerves tingled with neural electricity, flowing to every limb of her body. Instincts went onto auto-pilot as her weapon found its way into her hand, and her violate blade activated seemingly on its own. It was almost like an out-of-body experience, and she watched herself position her blade directly in front of Gideon, in the precise location to intercept an electric-head arrow from find its mark in his chest.



Anakin and Jacen had their lightsabers in hand as fast as Gideon had his two blasters in his. Athletically shaped women, dressed in red and wearing red scares around their nose and mouths, rained down all around them from the trees. Jada had only sensed a handful of, at most, of witches; the number, which had leaped out of the trees, far surpassed that number. Somehow, they had deceived their Jedi senses, and masked their true numbers. Now, she was impressed.



They were coming at them with all sorts of hand held weapons. One witch came at Jada with a sword-like weapon. Instead of an electric blade like a Jedi’s lightsaber, this blade appeared to be made of green mist. She almost underestimated what the witch’s blade could do against hers, but to her surprise, their blades clashed as if the misty blade was solid. These witches were full of surprised.



Gideon fired his blasters at any target that came into his line of sight, but these ladies were too quick, and by the time his brain told his hands to pull the trigger, his target had already moved to a better attacking position. It was as if they knew what he was going to do before he did. He was not in danger of hitting anything, but Jada felt it necessary to warn him anyway. “No killing! We want them to listen to us!”



“You tell them, that!” he protested with a scowl.



She had her hands full defending herself from the witch with the misty sword and shielding Gideon from all electric head arrows. This was exactly why she had been opposed to him coming along on this mission. He brought no clear advantage to the situation and she had to split her attention two ways, which was very dangerous. It would have been better if he had just stayed on that shuttle to Coruscant and allow her to concentrate on what needed to be done.



“Enough!” a voice echoed all around them. Upon the command, all the Nightsisters complied by stepping away from the Jedi; none of them dared lowered their weapons yet.



The witches cleared a path for a much taller woman, wearing flowing red dress which acted as if it was alive. Her face was not covered, like the other Nightsisters. The flesh on her face was albino-white, except for her eye sockets, which was as black as death. Her eyes had a strange green glow to them. She was everything Jada expected a witch to look like.



Her voice had a not-so-human undertone, as if some kind of hideous beast was speaking at the same time as her. “I am Mother Tjek, head of the Nightsisters. You’ve traveled far out of your way to come here, Jedi.”



“We’re not here to fight you. We’ve no ill intentions towards you and your sisters,” Jada spoke out on behalf of the Jedi.



The witch leader appeared to be annoyed as she rolled her eyes. “I know why you’ve come, young Jedi girl. You seek answers as to the identity of this new Sith Master.” She looked out to all her girls who waited for her word to either stand down or rid the planet of their miserable existence. “Put away your weapon, ladies. There’ll be no violence here, tonight.”



The Nightsisters obeyed without hesitation. Immediately, their characteristics changed from being lethal assassins to humble servants. Jada was amazed how quick they were able to flip off their aggressive natures. It was almost as if Mother Tjek controlled them like mindless zombies with her magic. If these women were the living dead, there was no telling; their masked faces made it impossible to tell. One thing was for certain: despite their new-found hospitality, there was still a clear presence of evil all around them.



To return the kind gesture that the Nighsisters were showing, the Jedi deactivated their weapons and retreated them onto their belts. Gideon was not so quick in dismissing his blasters, but after a threatening glare for Jada, he reluctantly put them away. When all weapons were put away, Mother Tjek nodded in respect of the Jedi’s response. “Let us go to the temple to talk; I shall give you what answers I am capable of giving.”

 

Jada can deny it all she wants, but we all know the truth.

 

Riveting post! Love the sibling banter. Oooh, Nightsisters. Creepy bunch

 

Chapter 16



The ‘temple’ in which Mother Zsa Tjek brought them to could hardly be defined as such. It was more like a giant boulder which had been gutted out and barely furnished. It was, by no means, intended for comfort. The Nightsisters were not into luxurious dwellings; rather, they believed that over indulging in physical comfort was an abomination. They were more than happy to sleep under the starry sky and live on food that they’ve hunted by their own hands. The Jedi have some similar beliefs, but the Nightsisters took it to an uncompromising new level.



As they entered, what little furnishing they had was just as primitive as the temple, itself. The long table was made of black stone, and there was nothing smooth about the table top. The chairs were just as bad, and looked extremely uncomfortable to sit in. They would soon find out, that it was even worse than it looked. However, out of respect of the hospitality being shown, none of the Jedi were willing to complain about it. Gideon, on the other hand would have been an entirely different story, if it wasn’t for a threatening glare from Jada.



“Please...sit!” Mother Tjek said as she waved her hand to point towards the chair.



The Jedi and Gideon obliged, taking seats on both sides of the table, two per side. Jada sat closest to the end of head of table, as Gideon took the seat next to her. Jacen took the seat closest to the head on the opposite side of the table, with the younger Solo sibling, Anakin, sitting next to him. Mother Tjek took her position at the head of the table, in front of a giant, cracked, crystal ball. Her fellow Nightsister stood by the black, jagged, stone walls on both side of the table. They were standing guard in case the Jedi got out of line. They would never allow a private meeting with their sacred clan leader. Their trust of the Jedi was minimal at best.



“Mother Tjek, we’re not here to start a fight, but we need to know if you’re trying to provoke a civil war in the New Republic.” Jacen took the lead in asking the questions. Jada was reluctant in letting him ask the questions. He could be quite over assertive and provocative, turning a simple question and answer time into a fully fledged interrogation. The last thing the Jedi needed was to start a war with the Nightsisters.



“I know why you’ve come, Jedi. A cloud of darkness shrouds over the galaxy, and you have reason to suspect our involvement. I can assure you, that we have little care over what’s happens in the galaxy. We are content in keeping to ourselves.”



“Just recently, I came across one of your men, a Dathomirian Zabrak, to be precise. He also had two Bull Rancors, a species native to this planet and long thought to be extinct.” Jada added.



“Ah, yes, I saw that what you speak of,” Mother Tjek grinned. Waving a hand over her crystal ball, a garbled image appeared inside, showing Jada and Gideon confronting the two Bull Rancors on Ando. Seeing that image brought back a ghost pain in her arm. She had never been so terrified in her life; Bull Rancors were no laughing matter. “The man you fought was Darth Kahn; and yes, he was one of our men. Quite often, especially during the Clone Wars, Sith lords would come to us to recruit one of our men to be trained in the dark art of the Force. Our men are not Sith by nature; a spell has to be placed upon them to allow them to access the Force. That was the case with Darth Kahn as well.”



“So, you know who the menace is?” Anakin asked, hoping that it did not come down to forcing her to rat out one of her ‘customers’.



“Yes,” Mother Tjek replied. “He’s an ancient evil that has come to exact his revenge. As for the two Bull Rancors, they were two of his products, created through a dark magic known as Sith Alchemy.”



“Sith Alchemy? I thought we’ve seen the last of that dark practice,” Jacen muttered, clearly unnerved by this sudden revelation.



Gideon looked around the table to see the awkward looks on the face of all the Jedi. Just by the name ‘Sith Alchemy’ he knew they were talking about more Jedi stuff. At first, he debated whether or not is appropriate to ask what it was. He hated being so ignorant when it came to this religion. He wished he had not gone out of his way to avoid anything to do with Jedi and Sith. His life was becoming too dependent on these two religions, and having the knowledge about them would have helped it a lot at this very moment. “Did I miss something? What’s Sith Alchemy?



“It’s a dark magic practiced by some of the most dangerous Sith Lords of the past. With it, they were able to create deadly monsters or weapons, usually for the purpose of mass destruction.” Jada replied.



“Rumors have it that it played a major role in the construction of such weapons like both Death Stars, and the Sun Crusher,” Jacen added solemnly. “The Jedi have been under the impression that it died along with Emperor Palpatine.”



“It did, for all intent and purposes,” Mother Tjek answered, proudly. She was getting a kick at how much they had not known until now. “But as I said, this new darkness is ancient. His name is Darth Sithious; he is the creator of this dark ‘science’ as you call it.”



“That’s impossible,” Anakin replied. “Sith Alchemy had been around for millenniums before the fall of the Emperor! There’re no known species that have such a long life span.”



The clan leader of the Nightsisters was almost mocking in her town. “And there lies the reason why this new threat is so dangerous. Sithious is the only known Sith Lord to have found the path to immortality. He has appeared in the galaxy several times under several different names. The last time he appeared, he was known as Darth Plagueis. He was the one who trained Darth Sidious, or Emperor Palpatine as you know him. Not even he knew his dark secret.”



“Where did he come from?” Jada asked. “How is it that we’ve not known about him earlier?”



“The secret to his immortality is hidden, even from me. I can tell you that he was trained by the original Sith species, back before both the original Sith and the Jedians, or the prophets as you refer to them as, began to training outside their species. After learning what he can from the Sith, he created Sith Alchemy, and then turned around and destroyed the Sith. He seeks to recreate a new race of Sith in his own image. So far, you Jedi have proven to be too resilient to have his goal accomplished by any of his apprentices. That’s why he has come now, to do the job himself.”



“Maybe this is the smuggler in me, but you’re being awfully generous with the information you’re giving,” Gideon commented. “Aren’t you afraid that this ‘Sithious’ character will come after you for speaking with us?”



“Everything I’m telling you is by his design. There is nothing that happens in this galaxy that he is unaware of. You’re arrival here has been predetermined by this master manipulator. He knows what you are going to do before you do. Everything you are learning now, he wants you to know at this time.”



Jada had to wonder if Sithious was using the witch priestess to pass on misinformation. Gideon had a really good point; Mother Tjek was being way to obliging with this information. She was almost convinced that the dark lord was trying to intimidate the Jedi. He’s got another thing coming if he thought the Jedi Order would cower so easily. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”



“All I can give you, now, is a prophecy of the things that I’ve seen that will be. Try as you may, this is as certain as night and day. By his hand: planets will crumbled, governments will fall,...” Mother Tjek’s head turned until her beady red eyes bore uncomfortably into Jada’s soul. “...and heroes will be lost.”



* * * *



The moment the Vulture Run was off the surface of the planet, the Jedi reported back to Jedi Grand Master, Luke Skywalker, with all the information that they learned. As they told him everything, he said nothing except for an occasional “I see”. After giving him the full details of the conversation, he finally revealed the thoughts that were flashing through his mind during this whole debriefing. “I had a hunch that Sith Alchemy was involved with those two monsters on Ando. We now know the name of this unknown menace, which is a step in the right direction.”



“Should we really pay any heedance to anything she told us?” Jacen asked. “She seemed more intent in trying to scare us, in my opinion.”



“On any other day, I may have agreed with you. As it is, everything you’re telling me is confirming everything I’ve already sensed through the Force. We can’t afford to underestimate Sithious; there’s too much at stake here.”



“What about the prophecy?” Jada asked, almost refusing to believe that they were to take that seriously. She almost didn’t tell her master about it. Something told her that the prophesy was aimed directly at her and not just the entire Jedi Order.



“The Nightsisters may be neutral, but they still serve the Dark Side. Dark Prophecies are based on emotions, and can change on a whim. Emotions blind us from seeing the truth; it’s like looking into a cracked mirror; it twists and distorts the image until it’s unrecognizable. ”



Anakin was not so much concerned about the prophecy as he was the nagging feeling that they had entered into a mystery so tangled, that this discovery paled in comparison. He could almost hear the mocking laugh of their enemy in the back of his mind. There was no mistaking the confident the radiated from Sithious’ presence. “So, we know who we’re up against, now what?” he asked.



“I’ve talked to Jaina, and she’s working on a way to allow Admiral Barkley to come to Coruscant. Return to the Constantine, and make your way back. We’ve got much to discuss.”



* * * *

The thought of working for a Sith Lord made his stomach turn. Tojar was a Jedi Hunter; in his eyes, all Force users were evil. Unfortunately, his clan had been all but decimated. He was forced into freelance bounty work for Rotta the Hutt. He was in desperate need of credit, so he could one day resurrect the Jedi Hunters to their former glory.



Mandalore has all but forsaken him and his cause. He had become an outcast by his own people when they turned against him and aligned themselves with the Jedi. If it wasn’t for their treachery, the Jedi would have fallen, and a new Sith Lord would not have risen. Why couldn’t the world see that peace would never be long lasting as long as the Jedi were allowed to live?



Now, coming before the Sith lord, he knew that he could not have turned down this offer, even if he wanted to. The credits that was promised to him was too great to ignore. With it, he could begin his quest to resurrect his clan. In the end, this dark lord would regret the day that he hired his service.



Sitting on his thrown, Sithious was nothing like what Tojar had expected. He had much more of an appearance of an incompetent, but physically strong, minion. He was very muscular, with a robotic right arm. Sith Masters tend to have intimidating apprentices to instill fear, but most of the times, there was nothing scary at all about the Master’s appearance. The demeanor of this giant brute seemed very out of place; there was a clear confidence emanating from him.



Sithious glared down at him with an expressionless look. “Welcome, Tojar of the Jedi Hunters clan.”



Tojar knew that this would be the extent of their small talk. He never cared about it, and he was fairly certain that the Sith lord was the same. “You needed my service?”



Sithious grinned, amused by his directness. “Yes, I am in need of someone with your particular skill set.” With a press of a button on the arm of his chair, a life-size, color, holographic image of a very young and attractive woman appeared between them. Tojar recognized the face and her black hair; he had dealings with her awhile back, while she was just a teenage girl. He had no idea of who she was, nor had he really cared to know. Jedi were all evil in his eyes. “I want you to stealthily go to Coruscant and find out all you can about this girl. I want to know who she is and who her master is.”



“I’m not a spy,” Tojar interjected. “I’m a bounty hunter. If you want her capture or killed, that’s another story.”



“You will have your chance at a later time. However, if you need a target to appease your pride, then you can go ahead and try to assassinate the smuggler, Gideon Mars, who has been placed under the Jedi’s protection.”



“Hmmm,” Tojar hummed from behind his battle helmet. “I know Gideon Mars, quite well. I’d be doing a great service to Rotta and most of the galaxy by disposing of that scum. Very well, you’ve just hired my service.”

 

Great scene with the nightsisters.
Sithious just keeps getting creepier and creepier.

 

Ooh, seriously creepy, the sithly specialty.

 

Chapter 17



After they returned back to the Constantine, Admiral Barkley ordered his ship towards Coruscant. Now on their way home, Jacen had the time to get something to eat; his stomach was heavily protesting the recent neglect he’d been showing it lately. Now that time allotted itself, he made his way to the mess hall. As he walked down the corridor, he marveled at how highly efficient the construction of the Star Destroyer’s innards; he never had the privilege to ride on an imperial warship.Everything was clean and orderly almost to the point of compulsiveness.



As he continued to marvel at his surroundings,a golden-blonde haired woman had walked past him. He almost didn’t see her, but what he did see made him stop in his tracks. Instead of looking for himself, he replayed his memories in the Force like a security holovid. What he found could not be true; his memory had to be playing tricks on him. He was seeing a ghost from the past.



"You’re a Jedi too?”



The voice startled him out of his mental focus, only to find that very ghost looking into his eyes. His eyes confirmed what his memories declared, but her voice was not the same. This young woman was not Tahiri, his brother’s wife of old. "I am."



Her eyes were glittering with youthful exuberance. She was thrilled, to say the least, to have Jedi onboard the ship, a sentiment that were not shared by many crew members of the Constantine. “I met another Jedi, several days ago, before your journey to Dathomir. I can’t imagine going to that planet; I’ve heard some very creepy stories of things that happen there. I hope I never get sent to that planet after I become a Jedi.”



She was speaking faster than he could keep up with. What was that about becoming a Jedi? Her excitement was causing her to switch topics abruptly, before he even had a chance to respond. She had a way of tying his mind in knots, and not knowing what to respond to first.



Sensing that she had already lost him, she corrected course. She obviously had this problem a countless number of times. “Oh, please forgive me; I haven’t introduced myself to you yet. Here I am, blabbing away, and you must wonder who this strange woman is! My name is Titinya, but my friends call me Ti.”



“I’m pleased to meet you, Ti. The other Jedi you met would probably be my younger brother, Anakin.” He could only imagine what his brother went through when they first met. This woman looked so much like Anakin’s wife, it was scary. He could only imagine the conversation they would have had if Anakin had inadvertently called her ‘Tahiri’.



“I suspected as much. You two look almost the same,” She said wryly. “Iwas so lucky I ran into your brother. He promised he will mention me to the Jedi council and will ask them if he could take me to be his apprentice.”



“So, you’re a Force user, then?”



“Yes. I’ve had to keep it a secret for so long; it’s not easy being one in the former Imperial government. We may be the Galactic Alliance now, but there’s still that Imperial mentality that blames the Jedi for all that is wrong in the galaxy.”



Jacen could feel that ‘mentality’ through Force even in this ship. The Galactic Alliance was still in its infant stages, and it’d probably be another generation before they would respect the Jedi. "Well, I am sure that my brother will train you well in the ways of the Force, as Master Skywalker had trained us," Jacen said pleasantly. "I was making a stop at the mess hall. Care to join me for a bite to eat?"



Flattered by the offer, Ti displayed a giant grin on her face. "I can’t say no to an offer like that from a Jedi master."



* * * *



The Constantine and her sister ships were approaching Coruscant. Gideon was on his way to meet Jada at her quarters, after they were summoned to the bridge by Admiral Barkley. Plagued with confusion, he had become unnerved. His past has come back to haunt him, and now he was finding himself contemplating whether or not to tell her the full truth. Never before had he questioned his decision; it was a choice that would alter the course of his life forever, but something about Jada had changed all that. He had promised himself that no woman would cause him to question himself, but she was no ordinary woman.



He was about to reach the door to her quarters when the door slid open and she came out so quickly, he nearly collided with her. The two of them awkwardly took two steps back, away from each other. “Oh, sorry abou...”



As his eyes focused towards Jada after their disorienting mishap, he felt his breath leave his lungs. She was not wearing her typical Jedi wardrobe as he had come accustomed to seeing. Wearing a formal green dress, with golden outlines, she was more beautiful than he had ever seen her. Her hair, which was normally tightly braded in a single ponytail, was now flowing loosely around her shoulders blades. She looked like a whole new woman... almost angel-like.



Gideon could not regain his smug composure; he was too awestruck and mesmerized by her radiance. “Wow, you...you...you look stunning!”



She was not comfortable with the comment as she looked away. “My Jedi garments are pretty much in shambles; I’m not going to appear before the Jedi council or the politicians looking like that. I’m lucky that the admiral had a female crew officer, who just happened to be my size and willing to lend me her dress.”



He was still at a loss for words. He could not get his eyes to look away from her. Time felt like it had frozen in place, and his feet felt like durasteel. It was as if she had some kind of spell over him. All social inhibitions were inadvertently lost, and it was starting to wear on Jada. “Stop looking at me like that, and let’s get to the bridge.”



The threatening tone in her voice was the jump start that his brain needed. “Oh...yeah...sure. Uh, this way!”



Walking, together, towards the bridge, Gideon intentionally looked away from her, trying his best to hide his blushing face. Embarrassed beyond words, he could not explain the mental shut-down. No woman had ever caused him to stumble like that. As they entered the bridge, they saw the Admiral talking to a life-size holographic image standing on the holopad. It was a communication from the New Republic. Jada recognized the holographic image to be that of Nylia Fey’lya, current Minister of State of the New Republic.



Minister of State Fey’lya was the daughter of the late Borsk Fey’lya, who was a senator and former Chief of State of the new Republic. Many who have known Borsk Fey’lya say that his daughter, though still a full-blooded Bothan, was nothing like his father. She was much more pleasant to speak to, especially if she thought of you as an alley. Stand against her, though, and she could politically destroy you. She lived for politics, a typical Bothan trait, and very much like her father. She had learned much from his flaws, and she vowed to be a better than him in every aspect. It was that promise that allowed her to serve for her constituents and not for herself.



Jada and Gideon joined the admiral where Minister Fey’lya instantly took noticed of her arrival. The admiral greeted them with a courteous nod. "Coruscant has sent a transmission demanding to know why we are infringing upon New Republic Space."



Strange, it seemed as if she was uninformed about their arrival. Did Jaina miss a step? She was supposed to pull strings so they could come to Coruscant. There had to be a miscommunication somewhere. Jada looked into the Bothan’s eyes with the authority that the title of a Jedi Knight gave her. "Minister Fey'lya, I am Lady Jada, of the Jedi order."



“Do you realize what trouble you are about to bring down on us by coming here in an imperial warship?” she scolded, her fur rippling wildly.



“I apologize, but I was under the impression that...”



The Minister of State cut her off abruptly, far unusual for her personality. She had the utmost respect for everyone, and she always listened to every word in a conversation. "It is hard enough to justify keeping our relations with the Galactic Alliance while trying to keep our own government from falling apart! The presence of an Imperial Star Destroyer, here on Coruscant, will make things even worse.”



There was more being said here than what words were expressing. This was an act. The Minister of State had to believe that someone was listening in to her conversations. She was pretending, perhaps, for the entertainment for whoever’s ears were listening in. Minister Fey’lya was proving to be a very talented performer; she almost had Jada convinced. She now knew that she had no choice but to play along. “I understand the situation, Minister Fay'lya. The Jedi order is working hard to find a peaceful resolution to this predicament. I am here with Master Anakin Solo and Master Jacen Solo. We will attest to the Admiral’s peaceful intentions.”



“And may I ask what business does the Admiral have here on Coruscant?”



That was something she was wasn’t prepared for. How was she supposed to answer that without breaking the act? What was she supposed to say, and even more importantly, what wasn’t she supposed to say?



As her mind raced for something to say, a familiar feminine voice echoed in the back of her mind. Jaina was stretching out in the Force and communicating with her. Say that the Admiral is here to discuss terms to open information trade negotiations.



She did as told, hoping that this was some kind of secret password that she and the Minister of State had set up to grant permission to the Constantine to dock. “Besides being kind enough to offer us a ride back, he is here to open discussions about starting an information trade alliance with the New Republic.”



The Minister of State nodded, as if to say she was contemplating the validity of her answer, but Jada sensed that it was a secret response that said that her password was correct."Well, we thank you very much for bringing the Jedi back to us safely. I will grant permission to allow you to dock the Constantine, but your other two ships will not be allowed to remain in Coruscant space. A security escort will be assigned to you for the duration of your stay here. I hope you find these conditions acceptable, and understand why they are necessary, Admiral.”



"I understand, and I thank you, on behalf of the Galactic Alliance, for your hospitality," the Admiral replied with a nod of respect towards Fey’lya.



* * * *



As they walked onto the landing pad, they were greeted by Senator Jaina Solo and her handmaidens. Her first stop was to her brothers, as she embraced both of them with hug. She followed that with a similar greeting for Jada. “I knew you’d figure out that Minister Fey’lay was role playing.”



It took her a few seconds, but when the Minster of State started acting out of character, she put two-and-two together. “I figured that she had no choice in the matter. Have things really gotten that bad?”



Jada could see the stress in Jaina’s eyes. Her black hair seemed to be losing its battle with the gray at an alarmingly faster rate. She was aging faster than Emperor Palatine. She was Jacen’s twin sister, but now she looked almost five years older, and all because of the stress she was enduring as of late. The poor woman was tired and weary, but she still remained resolute in her cause to save the New Republic. “It’s chaos, Jada. We have senators spying on each other and our leaders, and our leaders are spying on us with the same intensity. Trust is nowhere to be found on Coruscant, and moral is at an all time low. The people have all but given up on the government to the point of riots throughout the lower levels of the planet. Anarchy is like a plague, and it’s slowly creeping up to the upper levels. We have class warfare like never before, and we have senators, like Senator Balrosa, only adding fuel to the fire.”



A horrifying thought occurred to her, but at the same time, it made perfect sense. It was the only explanation for the rapid decay of the New Republic. “We have a saboteur! Someone in the government is working for SIthious!”



“You’ve come to the same conclusion as I have,” a familiar voice answered back. Joining them on the landing platform was the Jedi Grand Master, himself, Luke Skywalker. He walked with his cain and with a slight limp due to the many injuries he had suffered in battle during his long life span. No longer did he have his boyish look which he had kept for most of his life. The years had caught up to him, coming at him out of revenge, and made him look even older. With him were fellow Jedi Master Kyp Durron and the familiar face of Senator Wedge Antilles. “I was unable to say anything over the communication, but I suspect that Sithious has spies and saboteurs in both governments. That’s the real reason why I thought it necessary to allow Admiral Barkley to come to Coruscant. I suspect that our saboteur will have some sort of ties to the saboteur in the Galactic Alliance.”



“Talking about which,” Jaina interrupted, as she walked towards the admiral. When she first laid eyes on him, she had to fight to keep her composure. The admiral was a strikingly handsome man, with strategically place strands of gray hair amongst a sea of black which gave him a very elegant and sophisticated look. She knew just by looking that he was the gentleman of all gentlemen. “Welcome to Coruscant, Admiral Barkley. My name is Jaina Solo, New Republic senator of Coruscant.”



“The honor is all mine,” he replied smoothly, taking her hand and kissing the back of it as if she was royalty. She was so taken back by the gesture, she had no idea how to respond.



While she was busy greeting the GA Admiral, Master Skywalker went over to greet Gideon Mars who, once again, felt like he was being ignored. He had no idea why he felt ignored, or why he even cared to have attention; he had spent most of his life trying to be ignored by the Jedi Order. Somewhere down the line, that had change. “Gideon Mars, I presume.”



“Yes, sir,” Gideon replied, shaking the hand of the elderly Jedi Grand Master.



“You pulled a very nasty trick on Master Durron, here,” He said with a surprising humorous grin on his face.



Master Durron did not share his amusement. He had been embarrassed by his trickery. It wasn’t easy to pull a fast one on him, yet this swindling smuggler had done just that. He was almost halfway back to Coruscant when he realized that Gideon was not on the ship. He felt like an incompetent young Jedi knight when he addressed the council on what happened. “Yes, you made me look quite bad. How did you get off the yacht without me knowing it? It’s not easy to fool a Jedi Master.”



Gideon smiled, trying his best not to break out in laughter. He had no intentions in embarrassing the Jedi Master, but he could not help but find the slight injury of the pride of Jedi Master to be just a little funny. “A good smuggler never reveals his secret.”



Master Skywalker positioned himself in the center of the large group, that had gathered on the landing pad, to address everyone. Everyone ceased their conversations with one another to give the elder Jedi Master their attention. “I’m afraid any further pleasantries will have to wait, for time is very short. One thing we will have to do, quickly and quietly, is to search through any communications that’ve been made from Coruscant and see if any can be traced to Bastion. However, we have to aquire the help of a slicer to break through any encryption that our saboteur may have put in place.”



“Uh, If I may say something,” Ti raised her hand, almost afraid to interrupt the Jedi Master. She would have never done so unless if it wasn’t so important that she did. “I just want to point out that I do have SOME slicing experience that might help.”



“Please forgive me, Master Skywalker,” Admiral Barkley nodded in respect. “This is my niece, Titinya Barkely.”



To their surprise, Luke took no offense to the interruption in the least. For a legendary hero of the Republic, he was overflowing with humility, compassion, and humbleness. There were traits not often found in legendary warriors. “Ah yes, you’re the one that Master Anakin Skywalker seeks to train. We’ve been expecting you. For now, I think it would be wise that we take things to a more private setting.”



“Admiral Barkley, my handmaidens will take you to your quarters and get you and your people settled in while the Jedi have their meeting at the Jedi Temple. I’m afraid I’ve got pressing matters that I have to attend to.”



“Much obliged,” the admiral replied kindly.



“The rest of us... we must make our way to the Jedi Temple as discretely as possible,” Master Skywalker said.



Taking his cue, Master Kyp Durron led the way towards another landing pad, where a shuttle awaited to take the Jedi to the Jedi temple. Titinya went along all the Jedi, while Anakin took up the rear. He felt the soft grip on his shoulder, hold him back. He turned to see that it was Admiral Barkley who had held him back. “Master Solo, I just wanted to personally thank you for what you’re doing for my niece. You’ve no idea how much I’ve wanted something like this for her. Since her parents died, I’ve had to hide her abilities from my people for so long, I was beginning to fear that she would never have a life of her own.”



“I don’t believe in coincidences, Admiral Barkley.” Anakin replied. “I believe it’s her destiny to become a Jedi knight, whether it’s me who trains her or someone else.”



“I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you helping her get her foot in the door. I suspect her life will fill much more fulfilled here in the New Republic.”



“With all due respect, Admiral, I’m still hoping that one day, the Jedi will be a relevant part of the Galactic Alliance as well as the New Republic.”



The Admiral grinned. “You and I share the same dream, my friend.”

 

I'm glad Fey'lya's daughter did not take after her father.

The world of politics is always hard on the honest politicians.

 

Nice to know the presence of a saboteur is confirmed and now they can work at a trap.

This Ti will be a cool character for the Solo guys to get to know better

An honest Bothan? Is that possible?

 

Chapter 18



As the Jedi council convened, Jada was surprised that Chief of State Kronos Valnor was there, in holographic form, to listen in to all the reports that she, Anakin, and Jacen had to give. She would have assumed that the New Republic would have been kept completely in the dark over their mission to aid the Freedom Alliance in their investigation. Supposedly, that did not apply to the Chief of State.



Kronos Valnor was a virtual unknown in the world of politics. He was a human, born and raised here on Coruscant. Born a year after the battle of Endor, and the Republic retaking Coruscant from the Empire, his family had humble beginnings as farmers from New Alderaan. How Kronos got the genes for a politician was anyone’s guess. All his records said that he was an honest rags-to-riches type of man, and he vowed never to forget where he had started. Master Skywalker, however, had always felt uneasy around him, even more so than other politicians.



All three Jedi gave a very detailed report of everything that had happened. It didn’t take her long to realize what was happening; the Jedi council was trying to show that the Freedom Alliance is not a threat to the New Republic. More importantly, they wanted to convince the Kronos that there may be a spy in the New Republic that had to be found. Between the three of their stories, there was more than enough evidence to at least consider launching an investigation in the matter. However, it appeared that the Chief of State didn’t agree. “This is all very interesting, Master Skywalker, and very compelling, but everything I’ve just heard has been nothing more than speculation based on events, not on any form of hard evidence. You can’t expect me to believe that we have a traitor here in the New Republic working with a traitor in the Freedom Alliance, do you? “



“Anything’s possible,” Master Skywalker replied, carefully studying the Chief of State’s reaction. “This would not be the first time the Sith have infiltrated the republic. Let’s not forget about the lessons we’ve learned from Emperor Palpatine.”



“And that we have,” Kronos replied. “We’ve set up a strict constitution that will prevent such an occurrence from happening again. That’s why I find it very unlikely that a spy could have infiltrated so deep into the New Republic.”



That was where the two men differed drastically in their beliefs. “With all due respect, Chief of State, enforcing more laws is hardly measure enough to prevent another Palpatine from taking power. Actually, more regulations make it all-the-more easier.”



The Chief of State sighed. “Master Skywalker, I have a lot of respect for you and what you’ve done for the New Republic, but I’m not really interested in getting into another political debate, not when we’re on the verge of war.”



“I agree. All we’re suggesting is that we look into the possibility of a saboteur. We can’t afford to have someone working against our attempts to maintain order and stability,” Luke replied calmly and logically.



Kronos appeared to be sincerely thinking about the request. “I can’t pull away any resources right now; it’s taking everything I have to keep us from falling apart. If you are so certain about this, then you do your investigation, but under the constraints of New Republic law.”



The holographic image disappeared, and the Jedi were alone to conduct the rest of their session behind closed doors. Master Durron grunted at the abrupt departure. “Well, that sure doesn’t grant us much favor, now does it? You’d think he’d give us some leeway so we can conduct a proper investigation. Under all these new regulations, our hands are basically tied.”



“It is possible that he’s hiding something?” another Jedi Master asked.



Master Skywalker was slow to reply. Jada knew him well enough to know that he had his doubts towards the Chief of State, but none of it was concrete enough to make mention of it to the rest of the council. If he couldn’t get a feel from the Force, one way or another, then he was not about to sew a seed of discord among the council. “Impossible to say, for certain. I do believe he’s sincere in the fact, he’s stretched out too thin to be able to conduct a thorough investigation. His concern SHOULD be in trying to keep the New Republic together. His refusal to relax any laws for us comes to no surprise to me; actually, I respect him more for standing up for his beliefs, as misguided as I think they are.”



“So, what possibly type of investigation can we possibly hold with so many restrictions over our heads?”



The Jedi Grand Master displayed a face that Jada had never seen. She knew he was about to suggest something that was going to ruffle feathers amongst the Jedi councils. She, as well as Anakin and Jacen, remained quiet as the council discussed the situation, and she sensed that her master was about to do something to only intensify it further. “Under current regulations, we can’t do a thorough investigation legally, but I’m going to suggest something which no council have dared to even consider in the history of the Jedi Order.”



“Oh, great,” Master Durron mumbled underneath his breath. He was already starting to see what was coming, and he knew this was going to cause a heated debate.



“We’ll have to be extremely cautious, but we may have to ignore the new regulations and do our investigation, anyway.”



The reaction, of all the Jedi Masters, was identical; they could not believe what the Grand Master was suggesting. Kyp was the most illogical one to protest such a rebellious suggestion, but there he was—the only one to speak out what everybody was thinking. “You want us to defy New Republic law? Forgive me, but you’ve never been the rebellious type.”



Master Skywalker was getting a kick out of the reaction of the council. “I admit this is complete out of character for me, but I think it’s time to start thinking outside the box. I believe our spy is banking on the law to keep him out of our reach. Sithious is expecting us to play by our normal Jedi code. I think it’s time we try to surprise him and hope we can catch him off guard.”



“The Jedi council is already under scrutiny by Senator Bal Barosa. He’s desperate to tie the Jedi to some sort of conspiracy, and if we’re not careful, this could give him the ammo he needs to turn the Republic against us,” another Jedi Master pointed out.



“It’s a risk that I feel we have no choice but to take. I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve been playing right into Sithious hand. I truly feel that he’s using our own Jedi code against us; therefore, I think we need to ‘bend the rules’ a bit. Perhaps it will be enough to trip him up into making a mistake. Fortunately, we have an opportunity to do a thorough investigation.”



That riled up the Jedi council. Jada had never seen her Master cause such a disturbance before. Even she had to question his intentions. This was not the same Luke Skywalker that had saved the Republic on countless occasions. This was the Luke Skywalker that had briefly flirted with the Dark Side. The reactions from the other Jedi Masters suggested that she was not the only one feeling like that.



“Master Skywalker, she may have passed the test, but we’ve yet to discuss whether Titinya Barkley SHOULD be trained. Are you suggesting we accept her merely so we can have her talents at our disposal?” Master Kurr asked, stunned by this request. Kurr was a close personal friend of Master Skywalker. He was there by Master Skywalker’s side when his wife was killed. Of the Cathar species, Kurr was a great warrior in battle, and one of the most loyal Jedi Master Skywalker had ever known. Jada had grown quite fond of him, as well. She considered him her godfather. Being the one most grounded in the Jedi code and the least likely to ever turn to the dark side, if Master Kurr was disturbed by what was transpiring, then it was a clear-cut testimony of the gravity of the suggestion.



Luke raised an eyebrow. “Is there a reason why she shouldn’t be trained?”



“She’s too old, for one,” one of the masters answered quickly. “The Jedi Order is no longer short on Jedi; we no longer need to train fully grown adults.”



Another Jedi Master had a different object. “Having a talent of splicing is hardly a noble ability for a Jedi Knight.”



“Not to mention admitting the daughter of the Freedom Alliance’s Supreme Military General into the Jedi Order will only escalate tensions in the New Republic—perhaps to the point of war.” Master Kurr added.



All of those reasons were very good reasons, Jada had to admit. She could not help but feel sorry for Ti; her circumstance could very well prevent her from becoming a Jedi knight. Somehow, though, she sensed that her Master was not going to let this matter end like that. “All very reasonable concerns. I urge the members of this council to seek guidance of the Force. If you sense anything that gives you pause on the matter, then I will respect the decision of this council, and she will not be trained as a Jedi.”



The Jedi council looked at each other, almost as if each member were checking up on the others to see if any of them were considering this. Jada found herself reaching out in the Force as well, and found no darkness surrounding this young woman. It was as if the Force, itself, was giving its seal of approval of this woman from the Galactic Freedom Alliance.



Master Kurr had done the same and the looks on all the faces showed that the rest of the council had done it as well. “I can sense no dark cloud in her future. Very well, Master Skywalker, I will motion that we allow Master Anakin Solo to take her as his apprentice. I also motion that we approve Master Skywalker’s audacious plan and accept all risks associated with it.”



The heads of every master on the Jedi Council nodded in agreement. This whole situation may be questionable, at best, but Master Skywalker had proven himself time-and-time again. If this was the direction he believed they needed to take, then they were with him. The Force had always seemed to work things out for him.



The votes were in, and the decision was final. “Then it’s decided. Master Solo, Titinya Barkley will be your apprentice. You two will also conduct a thorough investigation in search for the spy in the New Republic. I think you know where you two need to start. May the Force be with us all in this time of crises; I think we’re gonna need it.”

 

Excellent update with the decision to go to whatever measures to root out the saboteur I like your decisive Luke

Thanks for keeping the Jedi sensible and not fractured and chaotic like they could be -- firmly, stubbornly stuck on two sides

 

Go Luke!

Great update.

 

Chapter 19



Anakin, and Titinya had made their way to the communication center in the Republic Executive Building, along with Artoo. It wasn’t hard to gain admission; as Jedi, most security personnel automatically assumed they had permission from the Chief of State. It was probably for the best that they didn’t know that they didn’t have permission.



With Artoo’s help, Ti was as confident as ever that she should find something of value to their investigation. Their primary suspect as the spy, at this point, was President Balrosa. He was one of the biggest advocates for his cause, and that also meant he was the least willing to compromise. Something told them that was where they needed to start their investigation.



Part of Chief of State Valnor’s new security protocols for Coruscant dictated that all government officials’ communications were to be recorded and archived; that included the members of the Jedi council. It was a proposal not well accepted by the Jedi Order. It was a sacrifice for democracy in the name of security. In the wrong hands, such security could be turned against the people of Corsucant.



Despite how reprehensible this policy was, it was now the Jedi’s best shot at saving the New Republic. They plugged Artoo to a terminal and then sat down at a station themselves to begin their search. Artoo helped get them get pass several levels of security checks and passwords, and afterwards, help locate all holofiles that had anything to do with Senator Ba Balrosa.



“The senator is a busy man,” Ti commented when she saw a list of hundred of hundreds of files being delivered to their stations by Artoo.



“I’m not surprised. He’s head of the revolution movement; he’s working hard to gain the upper hand,” Anakin replied.



Indeed, the senator had been busy as of late. He had spent countless hours on the holovids with many different senators who supported his cause. There was so much to look at, they had split up the files further amongst themselves. Anakin watched holograms of President Bolros’ addresses in the senate, Titinya looked through all the recent transmissions, and Artoo looked through footage from all the security holocams in the executive building. Footage after footage, they found nothing suspicious about his behavior. His actions often flirted with becoming unethical, but there was nothing to prove that he was a spy.



“I don’t see how someone like this is even allowed into politics,” Titinya commented, after finishing another holofile.



“People like him sure keep things interesting, that’s for sure,” Anakin replied. “How about you, Artoo? Find anything?”



The droid warbled a negative series of bleep and blurbs. He was not seeing any secret meetings or any strange movements from the arrogant senator. Anakin knew he shouldn’t be surprised; the senator had to know the extent that he was being watched.



“Wait a minute, Artoo!” Ti said, rushing over to Artoo. “Replay that security footage you were just playing!”



“Notice something?” Anakin asked, standing up from his station to join her behind the droid.



Artoo replayed the security footage on the holopad. It was a hologram taken from the security camera in Senator Ba Balrosa’s office. He was standing in front of his holoprojector speaking to the holographic image of Chief of State Valnor.



“Pause it right there!” Ti ordered.



Artoo did as instructed, and the image of the senator talking to the holographic image of the Chief of State. Anakin studied the image carefully, but he could not see anything out of the ordinary. “I don’t see anything.”



“Notice the senator’s line of sight,” she replied back quickly.



Anakin squinted his eyes to focus his visions. It took him a few seconds before he picked up what she was looking at. “You’re right, he’s looking at the bridge of his nose instead of his eyes.It’s almost as if he doesn’t want to look at the Chief of State directly in the eyes.”



“And from all the holograms of him I’ve seen, he’s not that type of person,” Ti responded. All the holograms of him that she has seen, he wasn’t afraid, in the least, to get into people’s faces and stare them right in the eyes. In fact, it appeared that he had an ability to use his eyes as weapons. “Artoo, can you transfer that file over to my station.”



Artoo chirped and did as instructed. Anakin and Ti returned to her station as she worked on pulling up the file onto her holopad. “So, it’s obvious that the footage’s been spliced. What can be done about it?”



Ti didn’t even look up; she was busy typing away, already busy at work on the file. “I should be able to unsplice this hologram to its original format.”



“Is that even possible?”



“Only by a top notch splicer, like myself.”Her fingers continued to race all over the keyboard in blurr. Slowly,the image of the Chief of State began to transform before their eyes. “I think I have it.”



The image finished its morphing and the Chief of State had been replaced by a bounty-hunter looking thug with a robotic skeletal arm. The senator’s line of site pointed directly into his eyes, telling them that this was the real person he was speaking to. “He, definitely, doesn’t look like a politician.”



“You think that’s Sithious?”



Anakin studied the man’s profile, but nothing was striking him as peculiar. The eyes of this new figure did not have a lot of authority behind them. “There’s no telling for certain. I think we need to find out, and quick.”



* * * *



Before leaving, Ti told Artoo what to look for, and asked him to look for any more holofiles that might have been spliced. There was a handful, but all of them in similar circumstances. So, whoever this man was, he was only communicating with Senator Ba Balrosa. So, there were no other senators who might know who he was. Going to Ba Balrosa was out of the question, or they risked exposing what they’ve been up to. There was only one person on Coruscant that might be able to give them some answers without raising suspicion, though the trip to get to him would be anything but pleasant.



After dropping Artoo off with Jada, they began their long journey. It proved to be long as they took a shuttle down to the underworld of Coruscant. These were the lower levels of the city; the part that attracted the filth and scum of the universe. These parts of Coruscant were not for the weak and light hearted. Anyone who had the credits, always tried to avoid the underworld. Only those who had no choice and no credits dared roam through these levels. Another downside to the underworld was that that it was the perfect place for bounty hunters, or other criminals to hide, if they didn’t want to be found.



This was where they would find Flinch. He was a particularly shady Patrolian, but his slimy-little noggin was full of names of almost every pirate, bounty hunter, and crime lord in this part of the galaxy. This would not be the first time the Jedi had come to Flinch to get a name to a face. Much to his disliking, the Patrolian had become their snitch.



As they arrived to Flinch’s favorite nightclub, Anakin stopped outside of the doorway. “Stay close, this place can get pretty rough in a hurry, and it doesn’t take much to get the locals riled up.”



“Agreed,” Titinya responded obediently. She was certain that she could handle any situation that might arise in a degenerate place like this, but she was now an apprentice. She was determined to be the best apprentice she could be. She had a feeling that there was going to plenty of times to butt heads further down the road. She had no desire to spend her first day as Master Anakin’s apprentice debating her ability to protect herself.



They entered the crowded nightclub where the music was bordering on deafening. Like always, the joint was overflowing with countless numbers of species. They had to slither through the crowd, and Anakin would have to keep his right hand over his lightsaber to keep it from being stolen. In one corner of the room, there was a loud, riled up group of people gathered around a holoscreen, cheering as they watched their football game. In the opposite side of the joint, some males from various species enjoyed the erotic Twi’lek cage dancers. At the far end of the joint, was the bar, which was just as crowded as the other activities in the nightclub.



Anakin led the way towards the bar, allowing the Force to direct his path. Ti figured that Flinch had to have a favorite spot at the bar, because Anakin knew exactly where to go and where to find him. The small, yellow-skinned aquatic fellow was there at the bar, his neck fins twitching as they approached. “I’m not a Jedi, but I can sense you coming a parsec away,” Flinch grumbled in his fishy, growl-like voice.



“And you didn’t run away,” Anakin commented. “I suppose that means you’ve got nothing to fear.”



“I supposed you’re here to have me ID another known felon. Why won’t you Jedi just leave me alone? I have a reputation to maintain!”



“Your reputation doesn’t concern me, at this moment. Stopping the fall of the Republic is,” Anakin said, pulling out a portable holopad. With the press of the button, the image of the mysterious figure talking to Senator Ba Balrosa appeared on top of the pad. “I need to know who this is.”



Flinch barely gave the image a good look before he sighed. “I have no idea, now let me drink in peace!”

Anakin nodded as he got comfortable on the stool next to him. “Come, now Flinch. You know you’ve never been able to lie to a Jedi.”



“I said, leave me alone, Jedi!” Flinch said angrily. With his fish-like voice, it took everything Ti had not to laugh at loud. It was impossible to take this Patrolian’s anger seriously. His voice just did him no justice when it came to emphasizing anger. His height and appearance didn’t help matters either.



“Please, Master Jedi, don’t mess up my bar,” the bar’s proprietor pleaded from behind the bar. “I just got her fixed up!”



“You hear that, Flinch. We don’t want to damages this poor fellow’s bar, now do we?”



“Ugg!” The Patrolian said in disgust. “I can’t keep doing this for you Jedi, or I’ll never be able to show my face anywhere in the galaxy ever again!”



“Then stay here on Coruscant, and you’ll be safe,” Anakin replied simply. “Either way, you are going to tell me who this is.”



Flinch grumbled as he spun his stool around to get in a more comfortable position to study the holographic image. After a few seconds of studying, he spun back around to the bar. “His name is Kartel. He’s nothing more than a drifter. He’s physically strong, but there’s not much in here,” he said, tapping the side of his scaly, slimy, egg-shapped skull.



“You don’t say,” Anakin said, calmly.



“It’s the truth,” Flinch said defensively. “His lack of intelligence has gotten him kicked out of many crime rings, and pirate clans. He’s too dumb to make a good bounty hunter. He’s a follower... not a leader. He’s always searching for a cause to follow.”



“Interesting. Have you ever heard of a man by the name of Sithious?”



“No, why? Should I have?” Flinch rolled his neck, his species’ way of physically expressing exasperation. His response might have been suspiciously quick, but Anakin could sense no deceit.



“Thank you for your assistance, my little, yellow friend!” Anakin said, standing from his stool and bowing his head in benediction.



Flinch merely grunted. “Friend? I don’t think so, Jedi.”



Anakin and Ti made their way out of night club. As soon as he was certain they were long gone, he pressed the communication receiver in his odd-shaped ear. “You were right about everything, the Jedi did come asking about him. I’ll have the sliced holofeed from the security cameras ready within the hour; all I need to know is what to do with the data disk when I’m done.”

 

watching Anakin and Ti uncover clues. though - hope they don't fall into a trap.

Liking Ti more with each post

 

I foresee trouble ahead.

 

Chapter 20



It felt like electricity coursing through her nerves in her chest. It was a feeling that she had not had for a long time. Standing in front of the visitor’s quarters, she couldn’t explain why this sudden uneasiness had come upon her now. She wasn’t the type of person to lose her confidence talking to anyone. She was a politician; she was used to having conversations with some of the most powerful leaders in the galaxy. She was great in debates and raising funds whenever the need arise.



Being the daughter of Leia Organa Solo, Jaina had acquired her mother’s knack for politics. Half way through her Jedi training, back when she was a young girl, she had started getting and inkling that the path of a Jedi was really not for her. She was more fascinated by the politics behind the New Republic. What really sold her on quitting the Jedi order was a conversation she overheard her parents were having. Her mother knew that her time in the New Republic government would not last forever. She expressed grave concern about who would represent the moral light in a career that can so easily corrupt the weak willed. When Jaina thought about it, she knew she had to represent the next generation of a rare breed of uncompromising politicians with a high standard of morals. That conversation her parents had was what set her down the path that brought her to where she was today.



She stood there thinking about all the days under her mother’s tutelage, when the door slid open. General Baron Barkley answered the door, himself. “Senator Solo, this is a pleasant surprise. Please... come in.”



Jaina nodded with a gentle smile on her face, and entered the visitor’s quarters. Inside, she found a few of his guards who were only now relaxing after realizing the admiral was safe. “I hope you’re finding your accommodations decent enough. I wish we were able to offer you the typical royal suite we usually offer to our high-ranking visitors.”



The smile on Admiral Barkley’s face was smooth; it almost reminded her of her father’s grin. “Under the current circumstance, I can expect no more. You’re hospitality has been nothing short of outstanding.”



“I’m glad to hear it,” she replied.



“Please, feel free to take a seat,” Baron said, escorting her to the couch. “I’ve put in a request for a bottle of membrosia, and it just arrived. Care to share a drink with me?”



“I’ve got the session with the senate shortly, but... why not.”



The two of them sat on the couch as the admiral grabbed two of the six drinking glasses on the end table. He handed one of them to Jaina and then grabbed the bottle filled to the rim with the golden, sparkling beverage. He gently filled her glass half way, and then matched that with his. After putting the bottle back onto the table, he raised his glass to make a toast. “Here’s to finding a solution to solidify peace in not just the New Republic but between our two governments, as well.”



“I’ll drink to that,” Jaina said, tapping his drinking glass with hers. The two of them sipped on their beverage until their glasses were empty.



“So, you address the senate today? “ Baron asked as he placed his empty glass on the end table.



Jaina took a deep breath. “That’s the plan. I don’t think I’ve ever made as important of a speech as this one. I’ve been practicing it for hours.”



“If you were only half the politician your mother was, you’ll have them eating out of your hand. Seeing that you’re more so... I think they have no chance.”



Jaina smiled at the complement, but couldn’t get herself to fully make eye contact with him. He flummoxed her like no one she had ever met. He was a very savvy man... nonchalant and graceful in character. He seemed like anything but a military admiral. Not even Thrawn, himself, could match his composure. He had an aura about him that was simply intoxicating. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable..., but at the same time, she found it very appealing. She didn’t have to come here on the way to the Senate Dome, but she found herself drawn here to do so, anyway. There was something about him that made her want to talk to him more.



“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”



She had no idea that her face was blushing. Her guard was down... she had no intention of exposing her personal self. That was another characteristic about him. He had an uncanny way in making her feel comfortable enough to open herself up, personally. That bothered her even more. “No, you didn’t embarrass me. I appreciate the vote of confidence. Still, I would be ready to leave Coruscant in a moment’s notice, just in case things take a turn for the worse.”



“Is the Force warning you of something?”



“I sense a disturbance, but it’s more like an intuition than it is something concrete.” Jaina didn’t know how much he knew about the Force. Yes, his niece was Force sensitive and currently in training to become a Jedi knight, but how much did they truly know about the Force?



“Well you can’t argue with a Jedi’s instincts. I’ll contact my ship and have them ready to depart the moment I give the word.”



* * * *



Jada waited in her quarters for the rest of her companions who were going to meet up wither her to join Jaina as she addressed the senate. Jacen had gone with Gideon when he suggested they all grab a bite to eat before the session with the Senate. She lied, saying that she wasn’t hungry. Jacen went with him, knowing that even though they were on Coruscant, that didn’t mean that an assassination attempt wouldn’t be made. She was grateful for this time of peace and quiet; it was the first time she had been able to really meditate in the Force for quite some time.



As she meditated, time had no relevance; she had no concept of time. Depending on how deep into her meditation she went, she could easily loose a day, barring any distractions. That was how it was for any Jedi. That was why before any Jedi went into a meditation, they would left a portion of their minds open, to detect the need to come out of their meditation in an instant.



That sense that she had left open was now alerting her that she should come out of her meditation. It was not an alarm to alert her of danger, so she slowly drifted back into the real world. As her eyes fluttered open, she heard the door to her quarters slid open and a warm, welcoming voice greeted her. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your meditation, but we’ve haven’t had any time to talk personally since you’ve been back. We might as well take these few minutes that we have now to talk.”



“Yes, Master,” Jada said as she unfolded her legs and stood up to more properly greet her Jedi master.



Master Skywalker entered her quarters to allow the door to slide shut and give them some privacy. He slowly walked towards the couch to sit down. “Since you’ve returned, I can’t help but sense something laying heavily on your mind, and I think I know what it is.”



“Master?” Jada gave him a confused look.



“You don’t have to be a Jedi to see what’s going on. You’ve developed feelings for Gideon Mars. Your feelings are clearly displayed in your actions and mannerisms.”



She sighed, knowing it was futile to deny those feelings any longer. You can’t hide something like that froma Jedi, especially from your Jedi Master. Her reply was soft, to concede the matter."Yes Master."



Luke nodded as he looked to the ground. "This is, indeed, surprising. You’ve been one of my best apprentices. May I remind you what the Jedi code says?"



"I’m aware of what the Code says, and I will abide by it," she replied. "I may have feelings for him, but I know the Jedi council will never allow me to have a relationship with someone of his background.”



“You are not forbidden, but if you chose to do so, you must leave the Jedi order. You’ll have to go through Force inhibitory training.



The training that her master was talking about was something he had invented shortly after forming the new Jedi Council. He actually created a form of training where a Jedi could diminish their abilities to use the Force. Everyone believed he created it to avoid the mistakes his father made back during the clone wars. His hope was to eliminate any chance of the Sith reemerging. It seemed to have worked... up to now.



“I’m not going to give up the way of the Jedi, Master. I’ve made a commitment to the Jedi Order and to the Republic. There’ll be no relationship between Gideon Mars and myself.”



Luke smiled, switching from a Jedi Master mode to a warmer, friendlier mode. “You’re a stronger Jedi than I, if you can flip off these feelings like a light pad. Love is never an easy emotion to control. If this is your desire, then may the Force be with you.”



Her doors slid open and her quarters started to come to life with activity. Anakin and Titinya arrivedalone, looking as if they had awkwardly interrupted a private matter.“Ah, you’re here... good. Have you found anything?”



“We found out that Senator Ba Balrosa has been speaking with someone by the name of Kartel. Our source says that his low intelligence keeps him from finding steady employment as a pirate or bounty hunter. However, he has an unquenchable desire to be part of a cause; he has an uncontrollable desire to follow someone with great power.”



“It certainly sounds like someone a Sith master would want working for them: someone with minimal intelligence, unquestionable loyal, and easily disposable,” Jada commented.



Luke stroked his prickly white beard. “This is a good start, but far from enough to implicate the senator. I sense this is just half of the puzzle; the other half, I suspect, will be found on Bastion.”



“Of course,” Ti said excitedly. “Last time, we didn’t know what we were looking for. Now we do!”



“Exactly! Besides, we know that the Freedom Alliance also has a spy amongst their ranks. This Kartel may be the link between our spy and theirs. If we can confirm this, then we may acquire enough evidence against Senator Balrosa, as well.”



The door slid open once again, and the last remaining of the stragglers had finally arrived. “We should be making our way to the Senate Dome, right about now,” Jacen said, almost as if he and Gideon had been waiting outside all this time, and had become too impatient to wait any longer. It was very possible that they had walking around and waiting, using the Force to sense when the private conversation between Master Skywalker and herself was over.



“He’s right,” Luke said, grunting as he struggled to get back up onto his feet. “We should head on over and meet with Jaina.”



“We’ve gone ahead and hailed a hover-cab. He should be waiting for us at the top of the tower,” Gideon said.



Their little group filed on out of Jada’s quarters. They began their short journey down the corridor towards the turbolifts. The corridor was pretty much empty except for an occasional Jedi or two walking to their own destinations. It was a straight path to the turbolifts, and they didn’t have far to walk.



They were half way there when Jada’s felt an alarm go off in her head. Without thinking, her instincts took control of her body, and she ripped out her lightsaber and waved it behind Gideon just in time to intercept a poisonous dart. All the Jedi had their lightsabers activated as they turned around to confront the would-be assassin.



Standing there in the middle of the corridor was a heavily armored Mandalorian, holding a blaster in each hand. He was more than just a Mandalorian; the hand-painted insignia on his helmet was a symbol none of them had seen for quite some time. It brought back sour memories for most of the Jedi there. It was the symbol of the Jedi Hunters.



The Jedi Hunter immediately jumped into firing both his blasters rapidly as he sidestepped towards the wall-sized transparisteel with a large view of the upper levels of the city and the bustling traffic patterns between the towers. With all the active lightsabers present, deflecting the shots proved to be no challenge at all. It was never meant to be, either.



Anakin was there in the front, when the attack began. He recognized the Jedi Hunter instantly, and was determined not to let him get away this time. This Mandalorian needed to be brought to justice for his crimes and the Jedi he killed. He deflected a shot in his direction, before he charged after him, screaming his name. “Tojar!”



The Jedi Hunter was quick to holster his right blaster, and pull out a metal disk with a red, glowing button in the center. He pressed the button and tossed it. The disk landed a few meters in front of the charging Jedi, and the moment it touched the ground, bolts of electricity shot up towards Anakin, sending him flying back several meters. It was similar to the sensation of being gripped by Force lightning; the bolts of electricity stung him with great force, all over his body. Before anyone was able to use the Force to free Anakin from the sting of the electricity, the device died on its own.



The distraction was all Tojar had needed. During the commotion, Tojar used his other blaster to shoot the transparisteel. It shattered into millions of sharp, jagged pieces, with some of the shards falling down the side of the Jedi temple. Activating his rocket pack on his back, the Jedi Hunter leaped out of the tower to make his escape.
Anakin was back on his feet in an instant and he and Jada had already taken steps towards the turbolift to persue the Jedi Hunter when Luke called them off. “Let him go! We have more important matters at hand.”



“Master, we can’t let him get away again!” Anakin protested, clearly emotional over the issue.



“I understand how you both feel, but we can’t allow ourselves to be distracted now. Obviously, Sithious has decided to make things personal, and tried to distract us from our task at hand. There will be another time... I promise,” Luke replied, clearly pained by this decision he was making as well.



Ti noticed it all. He noticed the emotions that this Mandalorian had managed to stir up among Master Skywalker, Master Anakin, and Jada. She stealthily side stepped her way over to Jacen’s side and whispered into his ears. “What’s with everyone? What happen with everyone and that Mandalorian?”



Jacen had a grave look on his face when he answered her question. “That was not just any Mandalorian; his name is Tojar. He is the founder of the Jedi Hunters. This particular Jedi Hunter has single handedly killed many Jedi close to us including Master Skywalker’s wife, Jada’s mother, and Anikan’s wife, Tahiri.”

 

Enjoyed the scene with Jaina Glad she feels impelled to carry on a legacy of integrity and accountability. Force inhibitory training - love versus a Jedi code :shock: -- That leads to impossible choices or secrets and double lives

Tojar! Definitely a personal thing! He's taken too much away from the Sky/Solos.

 

Bad Tojar, bad!!!

 

Chapter 21



There was a stirring in the Force. Events were starting to boil over... the time for war was at hand. Soon, the New Republic would cross the point of no return. Years of strategizing was about to pay off; the galaxy was about to burn and he would rule over what remained. Under his rule, the Sith would flourish in every corner of the galaxy. It was such a beautiful dream, and it was near becoming a reality.



And what could the Jedi do? They would be wiped out of existence; all memories of them would forever fade. Not one piece of historical evidence would be left to find. It would be as if they had never existed at all. All history would be destroyed. The only history anyone would ever get to learn was what he told them to believe. If you destroy the past, there would be no rebellion in the future. All hope would die with all the archives of the world. Under his rule... there would only be despair.



As Sithous pondered on the glorious future that awaited, a communication came in. The holoprojectors activated automatically, and standing before the dark lord, in holographic form, was the Jedi Hunter: Tojar. “I’ve been awaiting your update. What do you have for me?”



“The smuggler was too well protected. The assassination attempt failed.”



“Never mind the bumbling smuggler; I want to know about that Jedi girl!” Sithous growled. The smuggler was no longer a problem. Things had worked out just the same without his death. There was nothing he could do or say now to stop what was coming. He was now insignificant in the grand scheme of things. It was that Jedi girl that concerned him. The way she fights... there was something very familiar about it. Everything in the Force told him that she was vital in some way.



“Ah, yes. I do have some information about her that you should find very useful,” Tojar replied. She is close with all three of the Solos. On top of that, her master is none other than Luke Skywalker.”



The truth suddenly dawned on his as if the Force had revealed a long, lost secret. Of course, it made perfect sense. She was way more important than he could have ever imagined. How could he not have known about her? The Jedi Hunter may not know it, but there was even more to the girl than he had realize while studying her. It was clear that he wasn’t smart enough to put the whole puzzle together, but Sithious was and had solved the mystery that was rattling in his head.



This new revelation had changed everything; he had a new way to exact his revenge on Skywalker. Now, he could do more than just kill him... he could make him suffer. It was so perfect; he could not believe how much the Force had just blessed him.



Getting no response from him, Tojar folded his arms in front of him. “Do you want me to make another attempt on Mars’ life?”



An idea formulated in his mind. He had to draw her to him, and he knew just how to do it. “No, return to me.”



“I’ve done what you asked me,” Tojar snapped. “You don’t own me, Sith; my allegiance is to Rotta the Hutt. I expect to be paid, and then I’ll be on my way.”



Sithious remained nonchalant. The deluded Mandalorian failed to realize who he was. He was beyond a mere Sith. It would be easy for the dark lord to kill him from where he was hiding. No, he was not going to kill him; he still had use for him. “Of course, I’ll be glad to pay you and send you on way, but then you’d never get your chance at killing a Jedi.”



“What do you mean?” Tojar replied, sounding almost like he was threatening the Sith lord.



“I still have use for you, and what I have planned, next, involves you doing what you love to do: kill Jedi.”



Tojar’s body became more at-ease as he nodded his huge helmet in approval. “Okay, you have my attention.”



* * * *



The senate met at the Grand Convocation Chamber just like they’vebeen doing for thousands of years; and as usual the senate was full of power hungry, squabbling bureaucrats. There was just something about politics that was able to corrupt any principled being. It was so easy to forget about one’s constituents in this line of work. Currency talked louder than words more often than not.



Chief of State Kronons Valnor was on his platform in the heart of the dome shaped room. With him was the Minister of State Fal'lya, and the First Ambassador. Scatter all over the round room were over a thousand repulsorpods. They carried the delegates of every planet in the New Republic. Of course, not all of them were in use, as they once were. Not every member of the Old Republic returned at the end of the war with the Empire.



The Chief of State brought the session to order as this session of the Senate had officially begun. "We are here to discuss the evidence, that all of you should have read about before arriving here. We are here, yet again, to bring reason to insanity. We are on a brink of collapse. We assembled here today, because new evidence is ready to be brought forward. We are also here to discuss recent events that have taken place. With this in mind, I present Senator Jaina Solo, representative of Coruscant."



Her pod floated upward and away from her port, to identify herself to all the delegates of the senate. "Delegates of the New Republic, there is not much more news that may be shed on the tragic death of Supreme Chancellor Leia Organa Solo and Ambassador Solo, my parents. I hope that we all can now agree, that their deaths were not a tragic accident; but they were, in fact, assassinated."



The Senators murmured among themselves. There was no dispute over this fact. Senator Ba Bolrosaand the other delegates behind the call for revolution were proud that they had been proven right. Jada sat on the bench along with Master Skywalker, and Gideon Mars on the pod. They were there mostly for show. Jaina wanted everyone to know that her evidence were coming from the Jedi’s discoveries that past several weeks. Only Jada would briefly discuss about these events.



"This was proven when the Jedi Order sent out one of their own. She had been attacked on her mission to find this information for us. She will be representing the Jedi Order this evening. May I present to the New Republic Council, Lady Jada of the Jedi Order."



Looking out of place, the young Jedi stoodup and approached the podium. "Delegates of the Senate, I have come to share with you the findings of my quest. There’s been an endless debate among the New Republic, about the loyalty and integrity of the Freedom Alliance. I‘ve come to tell you, that they’re trustworthy, and not responsible for any of the attacks on me, during my mission. It is the belief of the Jedi Order that they had nothing to do with the assassinations. They’ve no intention of rebuilding the Empire like it was during the days of Emperor Palpatine. All they seek is a better relationship with the New Republic.



“Instead, I was attacked by an outside force trying to provoke the civil war among us. Evidence has risen that it may be the doing of a dark lord of the Sith. We’ve learned that his name is Sithious. I was attacked by his apprentice on Coreilla. The three so-called ‘Imperial ships’ were his, and if it wasn’t for the Freedom Alliance, my friends and I would have been destroyed.”



"I object!" Senator Balrosa said, as his pose rose to equal level of the Jedi platform.



"On what grounds, senator?" The Chief of State demanded.



"That the Jedi's evidence is all speculation, and in part, deceitful. I request to question the Jedi about the events, to pull out the real truth at hand."



"The Delegates of Malastare concur with Senator Balrosa. If the senator feels as if this report is inaccurate and if the senator has proof of it, he has the right to question the Jedi of the validity of her story."



"I will allow this in hopes that this will put all your minds at ease; but I warn you, this is not a trial. I will end the line of questioning if your questions get out of hand." The Chief of State conceded, not entirely convinced that he was making the right decision to allow the senator to question the Jedi.”



"Thank you, Chief of State." Bolrosa nodded. He turned his attention towards Jada, who was not expecting to answer any questions. Master Skywalker, squirmed in his seat. Jada was unaccustomed to Senate procedure; she was anything but tactful when it came to politics. Why could he not shake the feeling that the Jedi had, yet again, walked into another trap? "Lady Jada, you claimed Imperial government has peaceful endeavors towards us. What evidence do you have to support your claim, other than their word for it? Couldn’t it be possible that those three ships WERE his, and couldn’t his conveniently-timed rescuebe a ploy to trick you?



"I sensed no deception among them," Jada responded.



"I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t call your feelings evidence. I know you’re unfamiliar with politics, but in our world, that’s called speculation."



"My friends and I were rescued by Admiral Barkley. According to him, ssomeone has stolen plans for several classes of Imperial warships years ago, but haven’t been able to discover who the traitor is, yet."



"What a coincidence! What proof do you have of this claim, other than pure speculation. Other than your Jedi senses, how do you know he wasn’t lying to you?"



Bolros allowed those questions to simmer into the heads of the senators. Jada was quickly becoming flustered. The senator knew full well that she was inexperienced when it came to politics, and he was taking full advantage of it. He was not beyond twisting the truth to bend it to his point of view. “You’ve also said that you were attacked by a Sith on Coreilla, right?”



"Yes, he was a dark lord of the Sith, wielding their trademark red-blade lightsaber, on Coreilla: a system who’s delegate, may I add, who believes in revolution like you. Where there’s one dark lord, there is another. Will you deny the testimony of one of your own delegates?" Jada asked, pointing up to Wedge's platform. In the corner of her eye, he could see him grimaced as to say that she had made a terrible misstep. Through the Force, she felt her master pretty much matched that sentiment. Was throwing the question back into his face the wrong move?



"I deny nothing,” The senator returned. “I did hear about your run in with a dark lord and I have heard you Jedi use that verse before, but I find it to be nothing more than a myth.”



"There has to be two, a master and an apprentice,." Jada continued to push back, ignoring the feeling from her master, warning her to retreat.



"We’ve heard this before, but after Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine were destroyed, that should have been the end of the so called Sith, right? How come there’s been other Sith since then? Please explain where these dark lords are coming from, if there can only be two.”



Jadasuddenly realized her mistake. She had opened the door for the senator to villainize the Jedi. She played right into the senator’s hand, and now the Jedi’s credibility was about to take a huge hit. She refused to answer his question. If the damage was going to be done, it was not going to come out of her mouth; she was going to make him say it.



Seeing that she refused to answer, he answered it for her. "The Sith are nothing more than fallen Jedi, am I right? For Sith to seemingly come out of nowhere, it is more than likely that one of you Jedi have turned.



"Senator Bolros, what evidence are you trying to attain from the Jedi Knight?" Chief of State Valnor asked, getting impatient with the line of questioning.



The senator held up a datacard "This is what I am presenting,” He pressed a button on the podium, and the room dimmed slightly. A gigantic holoimage appeared over the Chief of State’s platform. It was holorecording of Anakin and Titinya viewing the communication archives. The Chief of State had blood in his eyes as he gazed angrily towards Master Skywalker, sitting in back of Jaina’s pod. He knew his orders were defied.



Luke did not show any emotions, but inside... he was cringing. He took a gamble by allowing the Jedi to do their own investigation, hoping that it would catch Sithious and his spy by surprise. Instead, the Sith Lord had foreseen this move, and acted accordingly. Now, things were worse... much worse.



The holorecording played and the senator started narrating. “One of our security cameras caught these two Jedi in the middle of an investigation. They are viewing a conversation I had with the Chief of State. Now, notice what happens here. Notice how the image of the Chief of State is being distorted, to form another man. That Jedi is splicing the recording, to frame me as being a traitor.”







There were gasps from half of the delegates, and confused moans from the other. Jada was at a loss for words. She had no idea how to rebut that kind of accusation. She and the Jedi had been played, and used as pawns in a unfathomable underhanded scheme, which might have just started the war.



She could not imagine how things could get any worse... until the senator continued talking. “The Jedi are busy trying to frame me, but it doesn’t end there. What Senator Solo and the Jedi have failed to mention is Senator Solo’s two brothers have been on a secret mission, working with Admiral Barkley of the Imperial government. This mission is approved by you, Chief of State Valnor.”



Kronos Valnor anger over the accusation was apparent. “I resent that accusation, senator!”



“With all due respect, that is fact, not an accusation. It is factual just as everything that is on the datapads that I had distributed to every delegate here, before this session started. On the datapads, there are more holorecordings and holodocuments of your and the Jedi’s involvement with the Imperial government. On these pads, there’s more than enough information to prove that this administration, and the Jedi are conspiring with the Imperial government to establish a new galactic empire.”



"None of this is true!" Jaina screamed, jumping to her feet, but her voice was drowned by the uproar that the accusation had brought. Delegates were throwing insults and threatening each other; all chaos had broken out. President Bolros folded his arms in front of him and grin, satisfied of his accomplishment.



"Silence!" The Chief of State screamed at the top of his lungs, but it was’t enough. The session was out of control.


Luke heard Jaina through the Force, with fear and sadness painted on her face. "Uncle Skywalker, you and the Jedi must leave Coruscant immediately, before harm comes to you.”

 

Wow! :shock: Things are definitely disintegrating, fast.

 

Not good!