The Powers that Be

Nyrhon crouched warily in the undergrowth; he'd heard a ship approach and he wavered between elation that someone had come to rescue him and fear that the woman who slaughtered the team had returned. Since she left, Nyrhon had only dared approach the camp once; he found that the holonet relay had been irreparably damaged by the detonator's blast, no way to call for help. He'd scraped together every usable bit of food he could find in An-Mari's cook tent, trying hard to ignore the look of shock on her face as she lay sprawled in the entrance. Then he'd fled back into the forest with his supplies. It wasn't much, just enough to feed him and Keylo until help arrived. Until Alia came. Watching for her was the only thing that kept his mind off the attack. Dad wanted him to get the copy to her, and he would. Nyrhon vowed it again silently.

He crept a little closer to the camp at the sound of footsteps and voices, women's voices. Keylo chirped inquisitively and Nyrhon hushed her. He pulled a frond of vegetation out of his way and saw three figures in the wreckage, two humans and an alien whose species he couldn't immediately put a name to. One of the women knelt by Lhasla's body, her head bowed, and her dark hair obscuring her face. The other, a red-head, said something to her companion softly and laid a hand on her shoulder. Suddenly the red haired woman frowned, and turned into the wind like a hound catching a scent. The first woman looked up and then all three turned to where Nyrhon was hiding. He tensed, getting ready to run, until he saw the brunette's face.

It had been eight years since he had last seen Alia Ba'khar. She looked a little older, but not much; somehow she still seemed as young as she had when she was a student on Obroa Skai. The look of timid uncertainty she always used to wear was gone, though. Alia seemed distraught, but still self-possessed. With a sigh of relief, Nyrhon stood up. "Alia!" he shouted. She blinked and stared for a moment, either not recognizing him or just surprised that anyone had survived. Then Alia's face lit up. "Nyrhon!" she called back. She ran towards him as he stepped out of the undergrowth and caught him in a rough embrace. "Thank the Force you're alive! This is Professor Jesno's son," she told her companions. A hopeful look flashed across Alia's face. "Your father, is he...." Her voice trailed off as if she was afraid she might influence his answer by finishing the question.

Nyrhon found he couldn't answer directly, either. Instead, he pressed the flimsy into her hands. "Dad wanted me to give this to you," he said. "It's a copy of the stone tablet we found with the Jedi. You know how Dad was always making those rubbings. Drove the other professors crazy."
He managed a half hearted smile, swallowing hard to push back the tears that threatened to start again. Keylo, sensing his distress, chirruped and rubbed her head against his cheek.

Tears brimmed in Alia's eyes. "Oh," her voice caught and she bowed her head, clutching the folded flimsy to her heart. "I'm so sorry, Nyrhon."

"We will find the ones responsible for this. They will be brought to justice." It was the red-head. She put an arm around Alia's shoulder, and extended the other hand to Nyrhon. "I'm Jedi Knight Jade Skywalker, and this is my friend, Jedi Knight Khimrhikha clan Khimbar of Wayland." The gray-skinned alien bowed.

Skywalker? As in Luke, and one of the famous Jedi? Nyrhon wanted to ask her, but he suddenly felt terribly self-conscious. Instead he took the Jedi's hand, and shook it automatically. "Nice to meet you," he said.

A roguish smile curved her lips. "Likewise. And yes, I'm his granddaughter."

"Wha ... how?" Nyrhon stammered.

"I'm a Jedi; I know these things," Jade answered with another mischievous grin. "And besides, your jaw dropped so fast when I introduced myself, it didn't take the Force to know what you were thinking. I'm getting rather used to that reaction."

He blushed uncomfortably, and cursed himself mentally. Mom always used to tell him

 

You may all gasp in shock, I have written my part! Here it is!
*****************************************
Jedi Master Akram Starchaser walked down the crowded streets of Coruscant, heading towards the Jedi Temple. The sun was shinining brightly and a certain weekend excitement emanated from the crowds of people and aliens roaming the streets.
Akram smiled to himself, he loved walking through the streets of Imperial City in the late morning. He loved the feeling of the warm sun on his back and the buzz of voices everywhere around him.
Ever since he had begun his Jedi training he had started takink long walks just to enjoy the small things in life and clear himself of the heavy burdens set on his shoulders being a padawan then, and a master now.
He really loved and was amazed by crowds of people. Which may seem odd for a Jedi Master. But he had come from a sparesly populated town just six hundred miles west of Mos Espa. A group of ten people was considered a crowd where he came from. That was not true ofr Coruscant where there were thousands of people on the streets and speeders in every hour of the day. Akram practically marveled at that inwardly, even though he'd been away from Tattoine for nearly two decades. His face and posture remained impassive, revealing none of his amazment. A Jedi Master was emotionless, or at least seemed to be.
Akram ran his fingers through his short blonde hair as he approached the Jedi Temple that stood tall and alone in the mess of buildings. A silver protocol droid approached him when he entered the building. "Master Akram, how good to see you this morning. Mistress Callista and her apprentice Kain will be arriving here shortly, you wished to be there to greet them, right?"
"Right, thank you." Akram replied sending the droid on it's way. Callista had been negotiating with the Lithiens for three weeks now, he hoped they had gone well. He crossed the white marble floor to the Temple's docking bay.
Akram waited patiently for Callista's ship to land. The wind from it's entrance ruffled his black robe as he watched it land gracefully on it's pad. Akram folded his hands in front of him as the boarding ramp lowered and Callista and Kain exited the ship.
Callista nodded to him when she reached the bottom of the ramp. She stepped to meet him. "Greetings, Akram Starchaser."
"And greetings to you, Callista and Kain. I trust the negotiaions went well?"
"Yes very, both sides declared a cease fire. The threat of civil war has been abated."
Akram nodded. "That's very good." He smiled, "Welcome back to Coruscant."
Callista returned his smile. "Thank you."

 

A trickle of sweat made its way down from the brow to the cheek of Kain Aarin. Inches away a patrol of Republic Guards looked feverishly for him, but could not see him at all. The search had gone on for more than an hour. Twice the patrol came within feet of the young Jedi, but had yet to discover him.

"Very impressive," a wrinkled man in a hover chair spoke flatly from behind a dura-steel observation window.

"Yes he is." Callista replied from the figure's right side. "He has great potential."

"And with that comes the potential for great danger."

Callista nodded silently, not really capable to disagree with the man. For no one knew that fact and all its arguments better than Luke Skywalker.

Luke flicked a switch and spoke into the intercom in front of him. "That's enough Kain. You've passed the first test."

Inside the enclosed holographic arena Kain's figure materialized from seeming nothingness directly behind the patrol.

"Boo." Kain spoke evenly sending the nearest soldier leaping a foot in the air with surprise. Kain couldn't suppress a smile as the red faced soldier turned to face him.

The first of the three phases of the grueling endurance test that were the Jedi Trials was over and Kain had performed admirably. He had concealed his presence for a solid thirteen minutes longer than most Jedi candidates had been able to do in their long history.

The arena's environment changed to a rocky hillside as the stage was set for the second phase of the trials. Kain inhaled deeply and prepared himself as his soon to be opponent entered the arena.

The figure drew back it's hood to reveal the face of K'nan Balard. A zabrak Jedi Master who most of the order considered to be the best living Jedi in the field of combat.

Kain's emotion never fluctuated. Luke stretched out and felt the young man's mind begin to contemplate strategies. And the only stray emotion that Luke could sense was confidence.

Kain charged at his opponent drawing his glowing green blade back to strike as Balard ignited his own saber and brought it up to parry. Kain continued forward, he began to swing the blade in what was meant to be a decisive early blow. Balard's blade was already in place to deflect the blow, but Kain's blade never met it. In a flash, Kain closed down his saber and slid at his opponent's feet. K'Nan barely reacted in time jumping to try to avoid the blow to his shins. His leap was late however and he crashed to the ground in a head. Kain was quickly on his feet, saber ignited again. K'Nan rolled backwards to avoid a slash by Kain and he too found his feet and assumed an en guard stance. Kain launched into his second offensive swinging his blade from the right which was skillfully deflected by K"Nan. K'Nan attempted to muster a counter attack of his own, but Kain allowed no openings and quickly resumed his attack.

The two men battled on, each fighting for the higher ground of the hillside, looking for flaws in an attack, a chink in the defense of the other. Finally, Kain saw what he was waiting for, K'Nan's movements began to slow. His mind worked quickly, calculating just how much of a window he would have for his attack. Kain hastened his moves, gambling and unleashing the last of his energy.

It paid off as Kain managed to exploit K'Nan's fatigue and slipped his blade past the defenses of the Jedi Master. K'Nan's reaction told the story as Kain's green blade closed down and the hilt was pressed firmly to the chest of the Zabrak.

Slowly the two combatants parted and bowed to each other. Both respectful and impressed with the abilities of the other.

"Very impressive," Luke repeated from his perch. Beside him, Callista could not help but smile at her apprentice's success.

 

The level of tension in the Gem's crew quarters on the way to Coruscant was palpable. Khimrhikha was ostensibly meditating, but she still seemed ready to spring into action at the least sign of trouble. The way luminous, dark eyes kept straying towards Sorcha revealed the direction she expected the trouble to come from. Not that Sorchahad done anything since take off expcept sulk in the corner and scowl whenever anyone looked her way, Jade reflected. However, her little sister was probably the least of their worries. Alia sat next to Nyrhon on the jump couch talking softly with him about their days at the University on Obroa-Skai. On the surface, it was a nice picture: two old friends trading reminiscences, but Jade could sense that Nyrhon was slipping farther and farther away, overwhelmed by days of hunger, sleeplessness and stress. Alia was trying to keep him focused, but Nyrhon just stroked the animal he called Keylo distractedly and stared off past her, offering vague responses at irregular intervals. As even these few murmurs grew less frequent, Alia's worries mounted and so did Jade's.

She considered suggesting they put Nyrhon in a healing trance until they reached Coruscant. They couldn't afford to have Nyrhon be hysterical when they presented their evidence to the Senate. There were some hidebound Senators who wouldn't believe Alia and Jade, dismissing them as too young and irresponsible, even if they were full Jedi Knights. Only a firsthand account was likely to be of any consequence to them, and only Nyrhon could say what had happened during the attack. However, no mere trance would heal the worst of Nyrhon's injuries. The emotional scars of seeing his friends slaughtered did far more damage than any physical effects of his ordeal. And no one, Jedi or not, could make those wounds heal any faster. Jade sighed to herself as she considered their options; go to the Senate at once and have push Nyrhon to a breakdown, but gain time or wait until he was ready to speak and risk losing the Dark Jedi's trail. Perhaps there was a third way, though. They could go to the Jedi Council first, and get their support. Jade had an inexhaustible network of connections among the Jedi, from her grandfather on down to a small army of cousins. Having Luke Skywalker's backing in their search for the culprits would certainly put them in a better position with the Senate, and Jade was positive Grandpa Luke would help once he heard their story. Grandpa might also be able to put Nyrhon at ease, too. He was tremendously comforting to talk to: patient, inderstanding, and sympathetic. Jade relayed her thoughts to Alia, who agreed readily, and seemed to relax a little just knowing they had a plan.

With that problem taken care, at least as much as it could be for now, Jade turned her attention to her next obstacle: Sorcha. Well, that was easily solved, too. Once they were on Coruscant, she'd contact Mom and Dad on Yavin, and arrange a one-way trip back home for her impulsive little sister. There was always someone making the circuit from the Council Chambers to the Academy. Hopefully it would a shuttle full of masters; even Sorcha wouldn't dare act up in front of them. If not, she'd have to send Khimrhikha with Sorcha as a bodyguard. Jade grinned to herself; she knew Khimrhikha would do it as part of her duty to guard the Skywalker family, and then Sorcha would definitely behave herself. The Noghri guards in general, and Khimrhikha in particular, were among the few beings who could still intimidate the girl.

Jade glanced over at her sister, to make sure she was still there. It unnerved her that Sorcha had managed to hide her presence from three Jedi, including her sister, for the entire trip to Cantiva. She wasn't even an apprentice yet, so no master had taught her that skill. For an untrained twelve-year-old to be that proficient with mind shields was unheard of, even for a Skywalker. Sorcha sat cross-legged on the floor, looking completely innocent as she twined together something that looked like the cords used to sec

 

Calm. Relaxed. At peace. Kain scarcely noticed the touch of his sweat drenched garments on his skin. But he did sense the presence of the Jedi surrounding him. Including that of Jade Skywalker in the observation room above.

Well hello there, he spoke to himself, passing his words along to her through the force.

Just then the Jedi around him attacked, not viciously, but with precisely timed maneuvers designed to challenge the young Jedi's awareness and timing. To stretch his mind and body to the breaking point, but pull up just short.

In the observation booth above Jade watched somewhat stricken by awe. Kain's moves were like that of a dancer. Every motion, fluid, instantaneous, planned. Incredible.

The consecutive attacks continued for five arduous minutes. Each Jedi swinging the blades of their sabers or firing a blaster bold at the blur of motion that had become Kain Aarin. There were occasions when Jade thought that Kain wouldn't be able to respond in time, but in all cases he proved her wrong. Parrying, dodging, spinning, blocking, crouching, leaping, and never a waiver of doubt in his judgement. Incredible.

Then, all at once, they stopped. The Jedi put away their weapons and watched as Kain did the same. Kain raised himself erect and took a deep breath. The Jedi filed out of the chamber leaving Kain alone.

"Please move to the antechamber Kain." A mettalic voice cooed from the walls of the chamber.

Kain did as he was instructed, removing the blindfold and stepping through the now opened recess and into a plushly furbished room.

He desperately wanted to sit down, but his instinct told him to remain standing. His vague suspicions were confirmed seconds later another door hissed open and Master Luke Skywalker entered.

Kain bowed his head deeply out of respect. Luke looked at him evenly. Waiting a time before he finally spoke.

"Today you have surpassed the expectations of many of the Jedi Order. And thus, you have proven yourself worthy of the rank of Jedi Knight."

Kain could not contain his smile and beamed brightly as he heard those words. There had been doubts in the past. Many within the order thought Kain was too reckless to be a Jedi, others viewed him as a potential threat the same way they did Luke's father all those many years before. But Kain had now proved their worries unfounded, and had achieved his goal. He was a Jedi.

"You know as well as I do that many still have doubts about your abilities. Not your talents themselves, but rather to what purpose you will put them towards. I have faith in you Kain. Callista has faith in you. Jade has faith in you," Kain noticed something in Luke's eyes as he mentioned his granddaughter. "But there are dangers out there Kain. The dark side often lurks in the strangest places. You must be wary. A seductive power it is. I have felt it myself. It can posses you as it did my father. You must guard against it. If you give into temptation, hate, aggression, you will destroy all who you love as well as yourself."

Kain listened readily. Absorbing all that the wise Jedi Master had to say. It was something about the words, the mention of the Dark Side, that triggered the cold sensation he had felt earlier on Lithiene. And so he spoke.

"Master Skywalker, how does the dark side feel?"

The question caught Luke momentarily off guard. Then he stretched out with the force and touched Kain's mind to see exactly what drove such a pointed question. What he saw disturbed him greatly.

"Cold, it feels, hollow, empty." Luke responded already knowing what the newly dubbed Jedi would say next.

"Master Skywalker. I have felt the Dark Side."

 

Master Skywalker fixed his gaze on Kain, searching his face and his soul. Even though the Jedi Master's face was lined with age and his snow white hair was sparse, his blue eyes remained clear and sharp. "Tell me of your experience, Jedi Aarin. "

"When I was on Lithiene, Master," Kain replied, the gravity of the situation almost but not quite drowning out the thrill of being addressed as "Jedi Aarin" for the first time. He dismissed the thought quickly-- a Jedi did not seek recognition - and instead cast his thoughts back to the convention hall on Lithienne, and he described the scene to Master Skywalker. "I was drawn to the spot, but I found nothing there," Kain concluded. "Nothing but the feeling of coldness, and even that was so fleeting that I was afraid I was imagining things. But I wasn't. It was the touch of the Dark side." He was sure now and grew surer with every word.

"No, you weren't imagining things, unfortunately. Your instincts served you well; you must learn to trust them as easily away from the battlefield as you can in combat." Master Skywalker sighed deeply and bowed his head, shutting his eyes. "Now we know why a people who have been peaceful for a millennium suddenly exploded into civil war. The minions of the Dark Side are tireless. Even now, the Jedi must be continually vigilant of them."

"Master, let me go back to Lithiene," Kain said. "Let me find the source of the evil I sensed."

There was a long pause; the silence dragged on as the elderly Jedi considered Kain's request, his eyes still closed. The wait seemed to Kain to last longer than all three of his trials put together. Finally, Master Skywalker exhaled slowly and shook his head. "I'm sorry Kain, but no. Your path does not lead back to Lithiene.."

Kain made his face a still mask of acceptance. The first thing every soldier learned was how to obey, even when you disagreed with your commander. "As you wish, Master Skywalker."

"No, not as I wish, but as the Force leads," Master Skywalker admonished gently. "Don't be so eager to battle the Dark Side, young Jedi. You will face the Dark Side yet, but Lithiene is not your fight." He opened his eyes and smiled at Kain. "This is a moment when you should be glad. You have every right to celebrate your achievement, and there are many who wait to rejoice with you. Including my granddaughter." His blue eyes sparkled merrily. "I wouldn't keep her waiting, if I were you."

Kain frowned a bit. Of course Callista was waiting for him; she was his master and passing the trials reflected on her as a teacher as well as him as a Jedi. But to suggest that she would be impatient with him was absurd. Even among Jedi, Callista's patience and forbearance were legendary. It was the reason she excelled as a negotiator, and the reason she had become his master. Who better to train a hot-headed young warrior with dreams of glory than the epitome of the Jedi's creed? Kain bowed to Master Skywalker. "Then I should go extend my thanks to an excellent teacher."

Much to his surprise, the old man burst out laughing. "I suppose Callista is still waiting for you, too," he chuckled. "It seems you may still have a few lessons left to learn." He broke off, stifling another laugh, and waved a hand at Kain. "Go, go. Best not to keep either of them waiting."
*********************
Jade tapped one foot in a restless rhythm. She detested waiting; she wanted to see Kain, needed to speak with her grandfather, but their conversation seemed to drag on and on. Logically, she knew they'd only been speaking a short time, a few minutes at most. Jade confirmed the fact by checking her chronometer for the third time.

Her cousin Callista sat calmly, hands folded in her lap, and watched Jade fidget. A hint of amusement hovered around Callista's smile. "Patience is a virtue, young Jedi," she teased Jade in her best serene Jedi Master voice. Her smile widened when Jade stuck her tongue out at Callista. "I don't know how you do it," Jade said. "How can you always be so peaceful? Just once I would like t

 

The meeting lasted for an hour. Jade and Callista spoke of their experiences to their Grandfather who in turn listened attentively, passively, contemplating every word that graced his ears.

Jade was a young Jedi, but she was a far toss from an amateur. And even if her force-heightened sense of awareness couldn't inform her adequately, she was no stranger to the sight of Luke Skywalker, brow furrowed with concern.

When all had been told he spoke.

"While this incident may seem small in the large scheme of things, I suspect there is a great deal driving this dark force. As of now we are working with very little information indeed," He looked both women in the eyes as he continued. "This is a very precarious situation indeed. It has been my experience that the greatest danger is that which is unseen. And much is unseen here. From all you have told me I cannot deduce any motive for the actions of this agent on Lithiene or on Cantiva. We must investigate this further." The female Jedi nodded in agreement.

"Tomorrow," Luke continued. "Jade will go before the Senate with her companions to tell them of the attack on Cantiva. I will send Kain later to give the report of the events on Lithiene. Hopefully the Senate will see the importance of this situation and aid us in our quest for information. When you return the Council will decide what course of action the Jedi will take. But, there is nothing more to do tonight. And while there is much to ponder, there is also much to celebrate. Good evening."

Their grand-father nodded cordially and made his exit. Callista began to follow, but Jade grabbed her by her arm.

"Did Grandpa Luke just tell us to enjoy ourselves?" Jade asked a little perplexed by Luke's words.

"I believe he did, and I suggest you follow his advice. I do not know where this matter will take us, but I sense that the path will be long arduous. Good night Jade," Callista's warm smile touched Jade, but her eyes conveyed something else entirely.

"Good night," Jade replied, wondering just exactly what it was that caused the look of worry in her cousin.

 

Yeah Yeah, I know. We're trying to get Cast and Crew section as soon as we can. We're having problems getting the CGI script done.

Azeem
TFN FanFilms

 

I'm in Calgary, but I'm happy to help out with some CG stuff.

 

Hey, it was me, Darth Venom that responded to your earlier post. My brother and I are both in NY and are both willing to help out in any way we can. I'm 29 and my brother is 30. Feel free to email when you get a chance.

Cutter001@aol.com

Darth Venom
MTFBWY

 

Coruscant
New Republic Senate

He stared at the Senator for a second trying to gauge her reaction. He was good at reading the minds and true intentions of others, but for whatever reason, Ithorians had always been somewhat problematic for him. Fortunately for Flayil, he did not have to rely solely on his powers of observation, and with the power of the force the thoughts he was searching for came quickly from her unknowing head. A smile crossed his face before she even gave her answer.

"Your proposition sounds most lucrative. What must I do to compensate you for such an extraordinary gift," Senator Chaya Rohin replied in her flute-like native language of Ithorian. Her eyes remained fixed on the revolving hologram of the jeweled tiara.

"There will be two delegations of Jedi who will speak before the Senate tomorrow. They will push for a full investigation of the civil war of Lithiene and an apparent mass murder of an archeological team on the planet Cantiva. I want you to push for such an investigation from the Republic. Emphasize that you feel there is a great deal of importance to these attacks."

"That is all?" Rohin did not bother to mention that she probably would have done so without any coercion whatsoever.

"That is all." Flayil spoke flatly and again smiled as he sensed her acceptance.

"Forgive me for the inquiry, but it seems to me that your associates had some involvement in those entanglements. Why would you want an investigation?"

"Suffice it to say that my motives will prove beneficial to your bid for the Presidency. That is all that you need to know." A tone of finality present in his voice. Rohin probed on nonetheless.

"Then may I at least inquire as to what the motivation is behind these recent acts?"

Flayil thought about it for a second. There really was no harm in letting her know that part of his plan. With the flick of a button the image of the tiara dissapeared and a three dimensional image of a triangular stone appeared.

"A stone?"

Flayil nearly spat at her. How typical of her mind. She only saw the most apparent facts, was dazzled by the outer beauty of objects. That is why he had chosen her as his pawn. And a pawn she would always be, even if she was the future President of the New Republic.

"This stone, as you call it, dates back to the times before the Empire, before the Old Republic. It was an artifact from an ancient race of force sensitive beings known as the Mas-Fforzo. The ?stone' is priceless."

"So all this death is for another artifact," Rohin's voice raised in a mocking tone.

"Do not think of lecturing me about ethical behavior, Senator," Flayil sneered. "And never think of crossing me either."

For some reason, Rohin's mind suddenly became flooded with the scenes of a very dark and deceitful past. With some level of shock still present in her eyes, Flayil rose and left the office.

 

Back to the top...I'll post the next to parts tomorrow.

 

The door annunciator chimed and Kain gingerly rose from his dinner to answer it. Inspite of sensing her presence before opening his chamber door he was still surprised at Jade Skywalker's presence outside of his residence.

"To what do I owe this honor?" Kain offered tentatively.

"To our friendship and your success at the trials. And that calls for a celebration," Jade held up a bottle of Deronian wine as she stepped inside.

"Well, you'll have to forgive me," Kain stammered, taken aback by the sudden development and his mind caught off guard by...what? What was causing this awkward sensation?

"Forgive you for what?" Jade offered helpfully sensing his sudden aprehension.

"I'm not exactly prepared to entertain company this evening."

Jade walked around the sparsely furnished living quarters. She spotted a "chess" board and stepped over to it and looked up. "You play?"

"Yes. It's an old hobby of mine."

"Well then this, combined with your stimulating conversation should prove just fine."

"Suit yourself," Kain smiled as he sat down across from her and accepted the freshly poured glass of spirits.


******

"You're security is quite lax master."

Her voice stunned him. Flayil had entered into one of his many abodes quite casually indeed. He never noticed the dark forboding presence of his young apprentice sitting in his living area. His guard had been down and she had surprised him. He chided himself and tried to salvage his pride as best he could.

"It is not polite to startle your master and guardian like that Tay'lyn," Flayil reproached the teen aged human female. "I trust you have what I asked you to retrieve?" He asked as he deposited his outer garments with his house-droids.

"I do my master," Tay'lyn rose and produced an object from within her dark robes. "The most powerful tool of the fallen lord Sobreviven."

Flayil's smile vanished as his gaze fell on the handle of a lightsaber which his apprentice held out to him. "This is what you retrieved?" She nodded.

"This along with the record of his final days, just as you asked," she answered. She could see and sense that something was wrong.

Flayil cursed silently to himself. It was his own fault. When he relayed his wishes to her he mentioned only the power of the item meaning the sacred stone. Tay'lyn's young mind could not quite grasp that there were greater powers than mere immediate force. And so she had brought back the lightsaber, and not the stone. And his mission was still incomplete.

"It is my fault young one," He took the saber from her and patted her on the head. "But you must go back to retrieve the true object of my desires." He displayed the hologram for her and made sure that she knew what he was looking for.

"Rest tonight," Flayil told her thinking things over in his head. It would take the republic at least a week of beauracracy to organize and investigation into the events on Cantiva. "You may leave tomorrow evening."

Tay'lyn nodded and left his chambers for her own. Flayil looked down at the lightsaber and ignited it. The blade illuminated the room in its light. Well, he thought, it would command a hefty price indeed from some collector. Closing down the blade he prepared himself for bed. It was a set back to be sure, but a minor one. And he had overcome greater obstacles than this in his long tenure at the helm of his slightly crooked enterprises.

*****

"Has it been hard?" Kain asked as he moved a piece on the board.

"Has what been hard?" Jade asked as she studied the move, planning her response.

"Living up to the Skywalker legacy."

"At times. There's a lot of pressure. But then again there's a lot of pressure just being a Jedi. I don't know I never really thought about it all that much. What made you think of that?"

Kain sat back in his chair and looked at her as he took another sip of his drink. "One of the hardest things I've had to do in becoming a Jedi is to dispell this notion that I'm some kind of warlord." Jade's eyes met his, sympathy more than apparent within them. "The looks and d

 

The door annunciator chimed and Kain gingerly rose from his dinner to answer it. Inspite of sensing her presence before opening his chamber door he was still surprised at Jade Skywalker's presence outside of his residence.

"To what do I owe this honor?" Kain offered tentatively.

"To our friendship and your success at the trials. And that calls for a celebration," Jade held up a bottle of Deronian wine as she stepped inside.

"Well, you'll have to forgive me," Kain stammered, taken aback by the sudden development and his mind caught off guard by...what? What was causing this awkward sensation?

"Forgive you for what?" Jade offered helpfully sensing his sudden aprehension.

"I'm not exactly prepared to entertain company this evening."

Jade walked around the sparsely furnished living quarters. She spotted a "chess" board and stepped over to it and looked up. "You play?"

"Yes. It's an old hobby of mine."

"Well then this, combined with your stimulating conversation should prove just fine."

"Suit yourself," Kain smiled as he sat down across from her and accepted the freshly poured glass of spirits.


******

"You're security is quite lax master."

Her voice stunned him. Flayil had entered into one of his many abodes quite casually indeed. He never noticed the dark forboding presence of his young apprentice sitting in his living area. His guard had been down and she had surprised him. He chided himself and tried to salvage his pride as best he could.

"It is not polite to startle your master and guardian like that Tay'lyn," Flayil reproached the teen aged human female. "I trust you have what I asked you to retrieve?" He asked as he deposited his outer garments with his house-droids.

"I do my master," Tay'lyn rose and produced an object from within her dark robes. "The most powerful tool of the fallen lord Sobreviven."

Flayil's smile vanished as his gaze fell on the handle of a lightsaber which his apprentice held out to him. "This is what you retrieved?" She nodded.

"This along with the record of his final days, just as you asked," she answered. She could see and sense that something was wrong.

Flayil cursed silently to himself. It was his own fault. When he relayed his wishes to her he mentioned only the power of the item meaning the sacred stone. Tay'lyn's young mind could not quite grasp that there were greater powers than mere immediate force. And so she had brought back the lightsaber, and not the stone. And his mission was still incomplete.

"It is my fault young one," He took the saber from her and patted her on the head. "But you must go back to retrieve the true object of my desires." He displayed the hologram for her and made sure that she knew what he was looking for.

"Rest tonight," Flayil told her thinking things over in his head. It would take the republic at least a week of beauracracy to organize and investigation into the events on Cantiva. "You may leave tomorrow evening."

Tay'lyn nodded and left his chambers for her own. Flayil looked down at the lightsaber and ignited it. The blade illuminated the room in its light. Well, he thought, it would command a hefty price indeed from some collector. Closing down the blade he prepared himself for bed. It was a set back to be sure, but a minor one. And he had overcome greater obstacles than this in his long tenure at the helm of his slightly crooked enterprises.

*****

"Has it been hard?" Kain asked as he moved a piece on the board.

"Has what been hard?" Jade asked as she studied the move, planning her response.

"Living up to the Skywalker legacy."

"At times. There's a lot of pressure. But then again there's a lot of pressure just being a Jedi. I don't know I never really thought about it all that much. What made you think of that?"

Kain sat back in his chair and looked at her as he took another sip of his drink. "One of the hardest things I've had to do in becoming a Jedi is to dispell this notion that I'm some kind of warlord." Jade's eyes met his, sympathy more than apparent within them. "The looks and d

 

Sorcha slumped into the curve of the semi-circular couch, disinterestedly watching some lame holo-adventure. Nyrhon Jesno sat at the other end of the Skywalker's conversation circle, looking only slightly more interested in the program than Sorcha. More of his attention seemed to be focused on the strange little animal he'd brought with him from Cantiva-- Keylo, he called it. It didn't want to stay draped around his shoulders when there was so much in the apartment to explore, so Nyrhon had spent most of an hour corralling it. When he finally caught the thing, he managed to keep it on his lap by feeding it bits of fruit. Sorcha frowned to herself as Keylo slurped another piece of blum fruit from Nyrhon's fingers; she'd never been allowed to have pets in their Coruscant apartment, but Jade hadn't worried about that when she offered to let Nyrhon stay with them. No, her sister had been more concerned with tattling on Sorcha before she'd run off on some mysterious errand.

Mom and Dad had been predictably irate when Jade got a hold of them on the holonet relay. Sorcha smashed the pillow she was holding into a shapeless lump, trying not to think too hard about the lecture they'd given her. It had taken most of an hour, and the words "irresponsible," "reckless," and "foolish" seemed to come up with disturbing regularity. They hadn't listened to her explanation at all. "When we tell you no, we expect you to obey," her father had said, looking uncharacteristically angry-- Owen Skywalker wasn't an easy man to upset-- "no matter how much you think you can help." Finally, they'd sent her from the room to continue their conversation with Jade, discussing Sorcha's punishment, no doubt. But whatever her parents had decided, Jade had been close-mouthed about it. Sorcha fidgeted with the pillow, which refused to fit comfortably under her head. She pummeled it a bit and tried again before giving up, tossing the pillow aside in annoyance.

The cheery tone of the doorbell sounded, causing Nyrhon to freeze in the midst of offering another tidbit to Keylo, his eyes darting anxiously around the room. Alia looked up from the desk in the corner of the room, where she was poring over a crumpled flimsy. She frowned a bit and started to rise from her chair, but Khinrhikha was at the door instantly, like a gray ghost appearing out of the shadows. Sorcha shuddered; she'd been around the Noghri for her whole life but the way they could emerge from nowhere still gave her the creeps. The Noghri Jedi bowed deeply when the door slid open; Sorcha's cousin Callista Shmi stood on the other side. Khimrhikha held her in particular reverence since she was both a Jedi Master and a Skywalker. "Greetings, Master Skywalker," she said in her gravelly mew. "Please come in. I'm afraid Mistress Jade is not here at the moment, though."

Callista smiled at the gray-skinned alien, returning her bow. "Thank you, Khimrhikha, but actually, I'm here to see Sorcha."

Sorcha hid her surprise-- Callista here to see her? What in space for?-- and then hid her irritation when Khimrhikha shot a disbelieving look at the Jedi master. Okay, so maybe masters didn't just drop in on students everyday, but Callista was her cousin, they were allowed to talk. It occurred to Sorcha dimly that maybe this had something to do with her punishment. She sucked in a deep breath and composed herself as Khimrhikha bowed again with a murmured, "As you wish, Master." She put on her most charming smile, she practiced it a lot for just such occasions, when Callista sat down next to her on the sofa. Maybe Callista would be more receptive to her story than Mom and Dad had; she wasn't quite as old, for one thing, so maybe she still remembered what it was like to be a kid in the Skywalker clan. "Hello, Callista Shmi," Sorcha greeted her sweetly. "What a nice surprise to see you."

Callista returned her smile. "Thank you. I have a question I would like to ask you," she said. Sorcha raised both eyebrows in an expression of polite curiosity, trying not to chew her bottom lip l

 

Jade scanned the reception area of Senator Chaya Rohin's office again, for lack of anything better to do. It was tastefully decorated in shades of green and brown, with patterns that suggested a deep forest, appropriate for an Ithorian, a species who venerated their jungle world so completely they no longer set foot on it. And yet as simple as the décor seemed, Jade could tell that it had been carefully designed to impress visitors. The upholstery fabric was costly tarelle sel-weave, the artlessly displayed knick-knacks were made of jipoor ivory from Tatooine, of Leefari crystal from Calias saj Leeloo, even Alderaanian oro wood. She drummed her fingers against the armrest of a chair carved with a pattern of vines, not so much because the Senator was taking her own sweet time in summoning them, but because they had to be there in the first place. Jade despised waiting, but not nearly as much as she despised having to play political games. Unfortunately, sometimes it was necessary to do both in the course of duty. That's very philosophical, she told herself irritably.

Grandpa Luke had given her his blessing for them to start an investigation; in theory that should have been enough. The reality of politics in Coruscant was that some of the Senators still didn't like or trust the Jedi, including a few of the key players. They'd see the mention of a Dark Jedi as proof that the Jedi hadn't been policing their order strongly enough, and a good reason for denying Jade and her associates involvement in any inquiry. So it was necessary for them to have not only the support of the Jedi Council but of at least one Senator, and luckily they had connections with the Ithorians, or at least Alia did.

Eight years earlier, when she was only sixteen, Alia had been a student at the Obroa-Skai University. During the course of her studies, she'd discovered a message hidden in the illuminated border of an Ithorian poem. It turned out to be from a Jedi Master named Parvena Simin, who had hidden a holocron on the surface of Ithor. The Jedi and then Senator Sathra Nasim of Ithor had invited Alia to join their expedition in honor of her findings. She had been the one to find the holocron, and the first to activate it, stunning everyone, but mostly herself. With the discovery of the holocron, Alia had achieved a certain fame among the Ithorians for restoring a lost piece of their history. Though Senator Nasim had since retired from politics, his replacement, Chaya Rohin, had been eager to speak with Alia.

Finally, the door to the Senator's chamber slid open and a silvery protocol droid stepped out, "Senator Rohin will see you now. Please follow me," it said in mechanically genteel tones. Jade rose and followed her guide. The inside office was more exquisitely detailed then the reception area; behind Rohin's richly carved desk was a beautiful mural of the Ithorian jungle, every tree and leaf rendered precisely. Rohin herself was dressed in flowing green robes gathered at the based of her curved neck with a sparkling pendant. She bowed to the Jedi as they entered speaking in her native tongue. Alia returned the bow and replied in kind, though her words weren't quite as melodious; she spoke the stereophonic Ithorian language as well as anyone with only one mouth could. Alia switched to Basic when she straightened. "Sentor Rohin, thank you for agreeing to meet with us. May I present to you Jedi Knights Jade Skywalker and Khimrhikha clan Khimbar, Nyrhon Jesno of the Oboa-Skai University archaeological department, and Sorcha Skywalker, umm, of Yavin IV.

They each bowed to the Senator in turn and took a seat in the ring of velvet covered chairs arrayed in a semi-circle around Rohin's desk, though Sorcha's was delivered with a peevish expression that bordered on impolite. She was clearly unhappy about the lack of pomp with which Alia introduced her, on top of being irked about being made to come with them at all. Jade shot her sister a warning glance; she'd all but dragged Sorcha out of bed that morning, explaining to the li

 

Upping for the move