Beyond - Legends [DDC 2017] The Journal of Talon Tantiss: [Part 5] Secrets Revealed-Vol 2 (updated 12/11/17)

He sure has some difficult decisions to make
I hope all works out

 

Oooh, what a difficult conversation, particularly personally! Especially since Talon can't disclose the entire truth about Marcus' true identity.

 

Thanks. I hope to have all the secrets revealed soon.

Yeah, secrets are never good.

Thanks everybody for reading. I didn't get much time to write this week. I have my first 40 hour work week. It is because of the holidays. People want time off and are asking me to cover their shifts.



Entry 42

Kriff! I wasn’t back on the Vazy Princess for more than ten minutes before my aunt showed up. She stormed up the loading ramp, her expression a cross between irritation and concern. “Talon Tantiss, you are not leaving here without telling me the real reason for your departure from the Jedi Order. I don’t believe for a second that you are homesick for your parents. So out with it.”

She leaned against the bulkhead, crossed her arms across her chest, and glowered at me while awaiting my answer. I tried to settle the fluttering in my stomach but my guilty conscious made that impossible. “It’s the truth, Aunt Mara. You are a Jedi Master, you must sense I’m being honest when I say I want to go to Indupar to be with my family.”

She glared at me for a prolonged pause before she shook her head. “It is part of the truth, but not all.” She stared at me gravely. “You are hiding something…and what really hurts is you have my own son lying for you.”

I averted my eyes. “I didn’t ask him to lie to you.”

“Did you tell him to not tell me the whole truth?”

Ack! I was stuck. If I said ‘No’ she would sense I was lying. If I said ‘Yes’ she wouldn’t let up until I disclosed the real reason. At this point I was almost ready to throw aside caution and admit all, but I stalled. If it was safe to tell people, I am sure Marcus would have given me the all clear. I instead did something I have never dared do before. I was rude to my aunt. “Aunt Mara, please leave. This is my business, not yours.”

Her eyes went wide, shocked at my insolence. “It’s my business when a Jedi Knight is keeping secrets from his Master,” she replied hotly.

“Former Master,” I bit out. “And you have no moral high ground to stand on. Not when you have my entire family lying to the galaxy to protect Jacen. We are protecting a Sith.”

Anger narrowed her eyes and stiffened her jaw. “He’s not a Sith.”

“Not anymore,” I said sarcastically. “Not after rubbing out his memories…but did you ever consider that his memories didn't make him a Sith. He decided to go down that path. He could turn again and then how will you feel about all the lies?”

I could feel fury building up in my aunt, but it suddenly dissipated and was replaced by uneasiness. “You are starting an argument purposely.” The tone of her voice was one of pure astonishment. “You are willing to start a fight with me just to change the subject. I can tell you don’t hold any bitterness toward Jacen or what we did to protect him. You are initiating an argument to avoid answering my question.”

‘Ah crap’, I thought. I always knew she was smarter than me.

She pushed away from the bulkhead and moved toward me. “Talon you can tell me. Keeping secrets almost destroyed Jacen. Don’t be the next Jedi to fall.”

I almost laughed at her preposterous line of thinking. Why would she think I was hiding something bad from them? I was furiously trying to come up with an answer when I heard a deep growl coming from down the corridor. I turned and saw Princess’ blood red eyes as she stalked towards us. I was relieved when Zylie came up behind her and yanked on the chain attached to her collar.

“Opps, sorry. I didn’t know we had company. Hello Mara. What brings you here?”

Mara forced a smile on her face. “I’m here to find out what secrets your husband has been keeping from the Jedi.” She kept that sham smile on her face, but she couldn’t hide the irritation in her voice. “His secret must be damning if he is willing to walk away from the Jedi.”

Princess must have perceived my aunt’s anger as a threat because she started howling and gnashing her teeth. Zylie pulled on her leash, but the animal almost knocked her off balance. I then realized that, for the first time EVER, Princess was being protective of ME.

Zylie jerked on the animal’s leash and calmly spoke to the vornskr until she settled down. “Mara, is this about us leaving to live on Indupar, because, if it is, I’m to blame. I want to have a baby and rumor has it gravity compensators hamper the levels of pregnancy hormones. We could move back to the temple, but if we go to Indupar we’ll not only have stability but Talon’s parents can help us raise the child.”

“What?” My aunt’s face became less pinched as she turned to me. “Why wouldn’t you tell us that?”

“Because he doesn’t want everybody blaming me for his departure.” Zylie interjected followed by a deep sigh. “Also, we didn’t want to get everybody’s hopes up…just in case we have trouble conceiving.”

My jaw went slack. I never realized my wife was such an accomplished liar. I couldn’t sense any duplicity on her part though the Force. I suppose knowing how to lie convincingly goes with the territory when you are the daughter of a smuggler.

My aunt turned to me. “Talon, you should have told Luke. His mind goes to the worst case scenarios when he doesn’t have all the facts.”

“Sorry,” was all I dared say.

“You do know there is no need to leave the Jedi Order. Take a leave of absence.”

I nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask.” Mara glanced down at Princess who was still baring her teeth. “I’ll guess I’ll go.” She took a step down the ramp before she turned and addressed me. “Talon, I need to tell Luke.”


I nodded. “Fine.”

Once Aunt Mara was gone I turned to Zylie. “Wow, everything you said felt one-hundred percent truthful in the Force. You are good.”

She smirked. “That’s because I wasn’t lying.”

My jaw dropped. “What? You want a baby?”

I guess I didn’t sound thrilled at the prospect because she looked disappointed with my response. “I thought you wanted a baby. Now that we are moving to Indupar I assumed we would start trying to conceive.” She gazed at me sadly. “You didn’t change your mind, did you?”

I smiled broadly. “No, I’m just surprised you changed your mind.” I stepped forward to embrace my wife, but a growl from Princess stopped me. I looked down at the animal and frowned. “When she growled at my Aunt Mara I thought it was because she was warming up to me. I suppose she saw Mara as a potential threat to me, and warded her off because Princess wants to kill me herself.”

Zylie laughed. “That must be it. Why don’t I put her in the cargo area and you and me can work on expanding our family.”

I grinned in anticipation. “I would love to.”

 

Mara does not miss much And she's persistent. LOL Zylie is very convincing but that's because she wants to expand the family SQUEE on the final T/Z exchange there.

(Princess is incorrigibly anti-Talon, isn't she.)

 

My thinking is Princess is Jealous. We know that Zylie had a crush on Talon since she was a young teenager. Princess perhaps sees Talon as competition for Zylie's affection. That is probably why she doesn't have any problems with other people. Of course, that one time Valla was furious at Ben we found out she is protective of both sisters. Princess belongs to Valla and Zylie and I bet she'll end up staying with Valla because Dak is now living at the palace with Marcus. That will make Talon VERY happy! Talon doesn't appear anti-vornskr...but he is definitely anti-Princess.

 

Zylie saves the day. And Princess is priceless

 

Sorry for missing all these updates! But then I got a big fat read tonight so from my perspective it's totally worth it

So. Hanna's bodycam recording. Who is that guy, who is that guy... I think I know who he is, but why, why, why is he doing all this?

Zylie truly saved the day with Mara! Because Talon wasn't going to talk himself out of it on his own, and Mara was soooo Mara in all this! Oh, and loud squee for the upcoming Tantiss brat. I can completely imagine Marcus in the role of the protective big brother.

There was something Mark said in an earlier entry that caught my attention – about how the seers meddled with things for the best. I'm genuinely curious if he knows a possible future that was averted or

Spoiler

that he's trying to avert in his role as the guy in the cape.

I'll be waiting for the next entry with much much impatience.

 

Mara is still confused over Mark leaving the Jedi Order. The Skywalkers don't know that Jacen is the person who released the virus that killed so many royals. And unless Jacen's memories all returned...he probably doesn't know. Tenel Ka, Deke and Mark are the only ones who know the truth. Talon also knows what happened, but he figured it out on his own and his father confirmed the belief in so many words. Because Mara doesn't understand that Mark left to protect the Jedi she just sees a man she considered her brother up and leaving with no reason given. Luke believes Mark left because he was asked to do the memory rub. So Mara is upset that the Tantiss men are leaving with bogus excuses. She knows Talon has been keeping a secret and she is frustrated that she can't figure it out.

Zylie wants a baby! Of course, she may feel a little threatened by being on Indupar with her husband's former lover and mother to his only son. Maybe Zylie wants to have a baby to further cement their relationship. That is just a theory on my part. I would think there would be some insecurity on Zylie's part that would be human nature, no matter how much Talon loves her.

I'll give you a hint. There is more than one guy in a cape. I really want to finish this story, but I don't want to rush it. I have been writing this story for years...I shouldn't rush the ending.

Thanks everybody for reading.
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Entry 43


This week we helped Jaden move a majority of his medical supplies and the contents of Jysella and his office to Ossus. Our droid pilot, ID10T, landed the ship in the middle of the night during a horrendous storm. Jaden and I were on the flight deck as the rest of the crew slept and I have to admit, I am glad ID10T was piloting. The high winds had me white-knuckling the landing. As the ship powered down my brother and I moved to the exit and lowered the loading ramp. He took a couple steps down the ramp before he stopped and shielded his eyes from the blowing sand churned up by thirty meters-per-second winds. He frowned as the night sky lit up by an impressive display of chain lightning that literally made our hair stand on end. “Is it like this all the time?”

“No, not all the time,” I said with a caustic chuckle. “I know right now it appears inhospitable, but when the storm passes you’ll see it’s not so bad.”

Unfortunately ‘Not so bad,’ is the best I can say about this world. I read that the planet was once beautiful, covered with oceans and continents abundant with lush flora. About four thousand years ago a nearby star went supernova, permanently altering the landscape and making it a desert wasteland. Over the millennia the planet slowly recovered. The location of the new Jedi temple was within a forested region with ample wildlife, but the electrical storms persisted as frequent reminders of the planet’s devastating past. It wasn’t great, but compared to Tatooine or Mustafar…it’s not so bad.

I ushered my brother back into the ship. “We’ll stay on the Vazy Princess until this passes. They happen a few times a month and last about an hour or two. I was told you’ll eventually get used to it.”

He looked like he didn’t believe me. “I don’t know if I want Jessa to grow up here.”

I sighed deeply. “It is safer here than Coruscant.”

“It is safer on Indupar than here,” he said softly.

“Jaden,” I whispered. “You aren’t thinking of leaving the Jedi Order also, are you? Uncle Luke will be devastated if the entire Tantiss family abandons him.”

He scoffed. “If you were worried about Uncle Luke’s feelings you would stay in the Order. Don’t try to guilt me into doing something you wouldn’t do.”

I put my hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, if you want to come to Indupar, that is fine with me. The more the merrier. What would Jysella say about that?”

My brother shrugged. “I don’t know.” He sighed as he pushed the button to raise the ramp, then turned and walked down the corridor to the ship’s galley. “I’m not serious about leaving. I just think Jessa might be more comfortable staying with her grandparents until we are settled in.”

I nodded. “I can arrange that. I can bring her back with me after we unload. I’ll go straight to Indupar and drop her off with Mom and Dad.”

He looked down at the floor. “I’ll have to talk to Jysella about that.”

“Ossus is only temporary,” I reassured my brother. “Uncle Luke is looking for a new place to headquarter the Jedi Order.”

My brother made a face. “The problem with that is any new location will have to be isolated and rural, otherwise we will face the same situation we had on Coruscant. We can’t have marginal Force users showing up uninvited and then staying in the local area when denied entry to the Academy. Most planets can't absorb all of the Jedi wannabes turned homeless refugees.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “I bet we will end up on Yavin IV or Dagobah.” He ran a hand through his hair before looking at me. “We grew up on a city world. I don’t know if I can handle living in some festering armpit of the galaxy.”

I nodded in understanding. “I will support any decision you make. I know Marcus would love to have you on Indupar.”

His shoulders slumped. “Maybe when I perfect a vaccine for the virus we can return to Coruscant. I know Uncle Luke doesn’t intend on abandoning the Temple. He’s asked Tenel Ka to provide a security while the Jedi are gone.”

My brow rose in surprise. This is the first time I heard of this. “Did she say ‘Yes’?”

“Yeah, she’s sending a company of men…surreptitiously. They have been showing up a half dozen at a time over the last couple weeks. They are disguised at common private security personnel, but since they are all look like male underwear models…I can tell they are Hapan.”

I chuckled at that comment. “Just let me know what you decide, and I will do what I can to help.”

Entry 44

Once the storm cleared Jaden was not so gloomy about Ossus. We off loaded all of his equipment and he and his family decided to stay until a permanent facility for the Jedi could be found.

Entry 45

We arrived back to Coruscant. We finished our cargo runs, but I needed to officially turn in my resignation. The morning of our arrival Ben, the ladies and I had breakfast in the ship galley. Everybody was quiet and gloomy. Ben was pushing his eggs around his plate while looking despondent. I don’t think he’s eaten more than a mouthful of food the entire time. Eventually he looked up to me. “Are you really going through with it?”

I nodded. “Yes, but you guys don’t have to act like I’m going to die or something. We’ll see each other.”

“Yeah,” Ben whispered. “Talon, you are closer to me than my own brothers. It’s just hard. We grew up together.” He motioned to our wives. “They grew up together. Hell, we’ve all lived together for the last two years on this ship.” He looked down to his plate. “It’s going to be weird having you gone and replaced with a teenage apprentice.”

I chuckled. “Well, I wouldn’t say replaced.”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “You know what I mean. After you resign and we get to Indupar, you two will pack up and leave the ship. As a Jedi Master, I’ll be gone with Apprentice Tri’falto on missions. Valla will probably be alone on the ship most of the time. This is going to be a big change.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Ben shook his head. “No, if you are going to spend time with your son, you need to leave.”

“Yeah,” I muttered as we ate the remainder of our meal in silence.

Entry 46

The deed is done. I officially turned in my Jedi Robes, but I did keep my lightsaber. My uncle and aunt reiterated that I didn’t need to resign, that taking a leave of absence was an option. I decided it was best to cut ties. I knew I would become an Indupar Knight and defend my son and his Kingdom. There was no reason to give the Grand Master any false hope.

We are now on our way to Indupar.

Entry 47

When we exited hyperspace we noticed a transceiver message had been sent from my brother. When we played the transmission on screen my brother appeared nervous. “Is Marcus alright? I heard about the impending attack. Get back to me when you know something.”

I looked over to Ben. “What attack?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “ID10T, get us to the palace docking bay.” I punched in my parent’s transceiver number and was greatly relieved when I saw my mother's smiling face answering my call.

“Mom, is Indupar coming under attack? Who’s threatening the kingdom?”

She shook her head. “It is just the Nagi posturing again. They threatened to avenge the death of their General and their fleet. It happens on a weekly basis since their failed invasion. The only difference now is the crystals being mined are the property of the Galactic Alliance and Mokk Streke is taking their threats very seriously. He wants to send a fleet to the area and establish a garrison on Ec Pand to protect his property. Marcus and your father thought that idea sounds more like an invading army than protection. The King is meeting with Mokk Streke on Coruscant to discuss what to do. Your dad went with him. They are trying to work out a compromise.”

“Mom, do the seers believe the Nagi are going to attack?”

She shook her head. “They don’t seem concerned about the Nagi. And even if they did attack, I’m sure our military would crush them. We think Streke is taking advantage of the ramblings of an enemy leader and using it as an excuse to occupy Ec Pand.”

“It figures. He’s always doing something sleazy, but I’m glad we’re not facing another enemy attack.” My shoulders relaxed as a relieved smile crossed my face. “We’re here. Zylie and I will be clearing our stuff out of the ship. Did Marcus assign us quarters?”

My mother grinned. I can tell she is thrilled that I’m going to be here. “Yes, they are in the same wing as your father and my quarters. I will send some of the palace personnel to meet you. They have a small speeder that can carry cargo down the palace corridors.”

I signed off and turned to Ben. “I see Streke wants to cause more trouble.”

He shrugged. “Who can blame him? He bought all the crystals currently mined and signed a deal making the GA the only government that can purchase crystals excavated in the future. It is a big investment. If the Nagi are publicly threatening Ec Pand he will have to respond in some way…even if he doesn’t believe the threat is real. The public is going to demand that he protect their investment.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

It may make sense, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Entry 48

Ben and Valla left today. It was sad to see them go, but there is a bright side…Princess went with them! HA! I have been taking care of little Dak while my father and Marcus are on Coruscant. I think having the little vornskr cheers up Zylie who really misses her pet. Dak is getting his winter coat in since we are in the middle of a cold snap. He has beautiful reddish stripes. The veterinarian told me his type of markings are rare and are only seen in vornskrs that live in the grasslands of Myrkr. I miss Ben and Valla, but life without a snarling vornskr that hates my guts is really sweet.

 

Wow, not surprised in the slightest that Streke is taking advantage of the Indupar strife. I can sympathize with Ben's feelings -- he and Valla have been teamed up with Talon and Zylie and growing up together now turns into occasional reunions. But I knew Talon would glomp onto the bright side of Princess is no longer underfoot! Definitely a new stage for everyone and another bright side of being separated -- tackling the mystery from more than one angle.

 

A big storm, just reading this after a big storm passed the Netherlands. Now that he has resigned he has a new life and without Princess that's nice for him

 

Thanks. I have been writing all day. Ack! It is hard revealing so many secrets. I didn't realize how many questions I needed to answer.

Yeah, he hated that vornskr. I think he will be much happier around Dak...despite the fact that Dak bit off his nipple and stabbed his hand.



Entry 49

I was able to talk to my father over the holonet transceiver the next day.

“Dad, you know the Jedi are concerned about being on Coruscant because of the midichlorians killing virus. Is it safe for the King to be there?”

My father shrugged a muscular shoulder. “It’ll be fine. The King and the Chief-of-State are meeting on neutral territory.”

My brow rose. “Neutral territory? Where is there neutral territory on Coruscant?”

“Not on Coruscant.” He pointed a finger up. “But above it aboard the Errant Venture.”

I gave a short laugh. “Booster Terrik’s Imperial-Class Star Destroyer? Okay, I have to admit, that is as close as you are going to get to neutral territory in the Galactic Alliance.”

Booster was Corran Horn’s father-in-law. He was also the grandfather of my brother’s wife, Jysella. The man was a smuggler and friend to men like Han Solo and Talon Karrde. He also helped the Jedi on more than one occasion. He was an independent businessman that had a lot of friends throughout the galaxy. There was no way the Chief-of-State would try anything underhanded aboard Booster’s ship.

“How are the talks going?” I asked my father.

My father rolled his eyes. “As well as can be expected. Streke is trying to act confident in the presence of a teenage world leader, but I can tell he’s scared. I don’t know why? Does he think King Marcus is going to do a lightsaber lobotomy on him?”

“You have to admit, Dad, what happened on Ec Pand was impressive. It struck me with awe.”

Dad gave a curt nod of his head. “Maybe, but he is still posturing for a GA garrison on Ec Pand. He is very insistent, but Marcus said he thinks it’s possible to come to a compromise with Streke. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Good luck with that. I look forward to seeing you and the King soon.”

I signed off and began to wonder what a compromise would look like. Was Marcus considering allowing a GA army to occupy Ec Pand? I hope not. I don’t trust the Chief-of-State at all.

Entry 50

Zylie and I are settling in on Indupar. The quarters assigned to us are massive with three bedrooms, three baths, an office, Great room and a chef’s kitchen. The master bathroom is impressive with a large spa tub surrounded by windows looking out to the mountain range in the distance. It is a beautiful view, but I never understood why somebody would want to take a bath in front of transparsteel windows. Zylie assured me they were one-way windows where we could look out but others can’t see in. I believe her…but I am still self-conscious about standing butt naked in front of them.

Entry 51

Zylie got word from Valla that she and Ben are on their way back to Indupar. It was just a short text message, which is odd. I tried to get a hold of them, but they must be in hyperspace. I should see about getting the Vazy Princess’ communications system upgraded to an expensive hyperwave transceiver. Right now we have a subspace transceiver. The subspace communications can use hyperspace relays, but the ship cannot send or receive communications unless it is in real space. In other words, they send the message while in real space and that communication can travel through hyperspace and reach its destination almost immediately, but the Vazy Princess won’t receive my reply unless they are in real space. So, I guess I will find out what is going on when they get here.

Entry 52

All right, things are getting strange. Ben contacted me and requested a face-to-face meeting. He is in orbit around Ec Pand. All he said was the Chief-of-State wanted the Grand Master to send Jedi to reconnoiter the situation concerning the impending Nagi attack. I borrowed my father’s personal shuttle and, along with Zylie, traveled out to meet Ben.

Entry 53


I have never been to Ec Pand. All I have ever seen of it was the video of the Nagi army’s defeat on the planet. Its beauty surprised me. There are blue oceans surrounded by green continents with impressive mountain ranges cutting through the landscape. There were a few major cities, but the world is far more rural than Indupar itself. Ben sent me the coordinates where he had landed which were near the site of the Nagi attack.

I set down my shuttle next to the Vazy Princess and was met on the tarmac by Ben and Valla. I gave my cousin and his wife a quick hug before Zylie and Valla went inside the freighter leaving Ben and me alone to talk. “What is going on? Are you part of the negotiations? Is Streke still trying to send a garrison here?”

Ben grimaced slightly. “There is going to be a garrison here, but not the military. I don’t know how you are going to take this…but Marcus and the Chief-of-State worked out a compromise…the Jedi Order will set up operations here. They will perform their regular duties as Jedi Knights, but Streke believes our presence on Ec Pand will dissuade anybody from attacking the area. After all, if one Force-user…meaning the King…could take out the Nagi leadership, imagine what a hundred Jedi could do.”

My jaw dropped. “What? Marcus came up with this plan?”

Ben made a ‘who knows’ palms up gesture. “I assume so.”

I ran a hand through my hair nervously. “What about the Temple on Coruscant?”

Ben shrugged. “That is still being worked out, but it looks like it will remain part of the Jedi Order. There is talk about making it an administration building and part museum.”

“When are the Jedi arriving?”

“As soon as possible. I was told Marcus had already constructed a facility he intended on using for his Indupar Knights. Supposedly he would keep his knights at his palace for now and give up the Ec Pand compound to the Jedi. I am here to check it out. I was told I would be met by the facility manager.” He looked at his wrist chrono. “He should be here any minute.”

Within five minutes a luxury speeder pulled up and a reddish-brown female Devaronian jumped out of the drivers seat and opened the rear door for us. “I am Orja Saor, your chauffeur.” She said in Basic but with a thick Devaronian accent. I have seen male Devaronians before, but never a female in person. Devaronians lived in a matriarch society similar to the Hapans…and just like the Hapans, the men developed wanderlust while the women stay home to rule. Unlike the usually bald and horned males, the females of this species often have a full head of hair and only small vestigial bumps on their foreheads. Orja had dark green hair pulled back in two braids, red eyes and a wide smile revealing white blunted teeth. She was wearing a blue uniform reminiscent of the ones the palace guards wore. She gestured to the interior of the speeder. “Please jump in. I will bring you to the place for the Jedi.”

Ben and I climbed inside and shut the door. Immediately, the speeder raced off in a direction opposite of the mining town.

“I thought the Jedi would be stationed near the mines,” I said to the chauffeur.

She shook her head. “The town is not for living. The workers commute there. There are increased levels of particle matter in the air surrounding the mines. Workers wear breathing masks in that area. They live twenty kilometers away where the air is clean.”

We drove about fifteen minutes around a forested area and a small hill before coming to a small town with shops, entertainment centers, hospital, college, townhouses and apartments and what looked like a huge conference center. The driver pointed to the impressively massive building. “There is the Jedi center.”

I looked over to Ben. “It looks like King Marcus was planning on training an Army of Indupar Knights.”

He nodded. “He was planning something big.”

“That is phase one, completed last month,” the driver stated. “A second building is due to be built next year.”

We pulled up to the building we were met by a familiar face. It was Suojus Dentii, Commander of the Queen’s guard and her royal consort. He was also ‘officially’ known as Marcus’ stepfather.

Ben and I got out of the speeder and shook the man’s hand. “Talon, Ben, it is good to have you here.” He looked to the driver. “Stay with the vehicle.” He put a hand on my shoulder and guided me toward the building’s entrance. Once he was out of earshot of the driver he leaned in and whispered to me. “I am so happy that you decided to stay on Indupar. I have never seen Marcus so happy.” He grinned. “I’m happy also. Ever since I was told of his paternity I have been an advocate of you being a part of his life.”

“I know,” I said with a smile. “Ema told me. I’m glad my son had a man like you in his life.”

He gave me a brotherly pat on the shoulder as we arrived to the front entrance. He unlocked and pushed open the ornate double doors. “Welcome to the new home of the Jedi. I only hope it doesn’t disappoint.”

Ben and I stepped into the lobby and gasped at the building’s grandeur. We were in an enormous circular entrance area with obsidian flooring and marble walls. Light flooded in through a domed transparasteel ceiling that was about three or four stories above us. Along the walls were statue busts of people I can only assume were previous leaders of Indupar. One of the statues caught my eye. “Is that Grand Master Skywalker?”

Commander Dentii looked over where I was pointing. “Ah yes, this is the Hall of Heroes. Most are warriors from Indupar’s past, but one cannot forget the man who destroyed the first Death Star and restored the Jedi Order to its former glory.”

I looked around. “Is there a statue of Marcus?”

“No, he didn’t want to have one commissioned at the start of his reign. He said ‘statues are for old men and women with decades of service.”

I laughed out loud while turning to Ben. “Don’t let your dad hear he called him old.”

For the next hour Commander Dentii gave us the grand tour. I can’t lie…I was impressed. I think Dad must have had a hand in designing the place because it had everything that could be found in the Jedi Temple to include training facilities, an infirmary, cafeteria, dorm rooms, family quarters, library, classrooms, conference areas, meditation chapel, gym, surface vehicle garages and ship docking areas. The only difference was this place had much nicer and roomier dorm rooms and family quarters. You could tell money was no object when it came to its construction. I smiled as I realized Marcus probably built this place with my father and me in mind.

“Wow,” Ben whispered. “If we have to leave Coruscant I couldn’t think of a better place to land.”

“Beats Dagobah,” I chuckled.

“Yeah.” He looked over to me. “If this ends up as a permanent location for the Jedi, that means the whole family will be back together…at least the Skywalker and Tantiss family. When I’m not on a mission or on the ship, that is.”

“That would be nice.” I smiled broadly. “This couldn’t have worked out better if I planned it myself.”

 

Nice to see him settling in and Ec Pand will be a nice new home for the Jedi

 

Totally agree. Nice compromise they came up with.

 

Either Marcus is a genius negotiator and he found a solution that suits everyone involved, from Streke to the Jedi to Talon... or Streke has further motives and he managed to get Marcus to agree to or even suggest this plan. Or maybe a third person has been pulling the strings? I expect that a big reveal is coming closer in this story, and I wonder if it couldn't be one or another or a combo of my ideas above that will lead to it.

 

I think the Jedi will be very happy there.

Thanks! I think so too.

Yeah, the big reveal is coming. Although I am trying to make the answers drip in, I think it will be more of a landslide of answers for poor Talon.

Thanks everybody for reading!!

Entry 54

Our mini-reunion with Ben and Valla was short-lived. Valla was assigned a shipping run to complete and Ben had to go back to pick up his apprentice and report to his father. I was told the Jedi would arrive within days. My mother was excited about the news. I was expecting my father and Marcus to return since a compromise had been found, but I guess there are other details to iron out.

Entry 55

Damn, it is cold this week. To make matters worse, I realized that all of my heavy coats were either military or Jedi related. I didn’t have a civilian parka, so I went over to my mother’s quarters to see if I could borrow one of my father’s coats until I could go shopping and get one for myself.

My mother greeted me at the door and hugged me enthusiastically. “I heard you and Zylie are trying to have a baby.”

My brow rose in surprise. “Did Zylie tell you that?”

She shook her head. “No, Mara did. She called a week ago to see how your father and I were doing. She said Zylie told her.” She looked at me expectantly. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t hide my smile. “Yes,” I gave my mom a cautionary expression as she gave out a shriek of happiness. “But don’t go buying nursery furniture just yet. We just started trying. It may be weeks or months before we are successful.”

“I’m sure I will be spoiling a new grandchild by the end of the year.” She gestured for me to come inside as she closed the door behind me. My stomach rumbled at the mouthwatering aroma of my mother’s cooking.

“What are you making?” I asked as I followed her to the kitchen.

“Stew, you can have some if you like.” She turned away from me to stir a pot on the stove. It was then that I noticed a small tattoo peaking out from under her sleeveless tunic. Marcus had told me my mother got a tattoo with the initials of all of her kids and grandchildren on it, but I have never seen it myself. “Mom, can I see your tattoo.”

“You haven’t seen it?” She reached back and pulled the fabric to the side exposing the body art on her shoulder blade. “I don’t know what possessed me to get it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

I stared at the tattoo slack jawed. It was a drawing of a rising sun with a winding road leading to the horizon. It was the same symbol seen on the emblem holding the cape onto the lightsaber carrying Void Jumper. “Mom, what’s that symbol?”

She let go of her tunic and turned to face me. “It is the symbol of the National Religion, The Church of the Bright Path. I thought it would be good luck.”

I shook my head in confusion. “No, I’ve seen the symbol of the church. It is a starburst pattern.” I pointed to the tattoo. “Not this.”

She continued to stir the stew while talking to me. “The starburst pattern is for leaders of the church and clergy. It is forbidden for anybody outside the church leadership to wear the starburst. Even Marcus couldn’t wear the starburst symbol until he turned thirteen and officially became the leader of the church. Followers wear the rising sun and lighted path symbol. It’s a bit metaphoric. The church is represented by the light, hence the starburst pattern. The light exposes the path to rightness. So followers wear the symbol of the enlightened path.”

I guess she could see tell I was in shock. “What is going on? Why that face?”

“I’ve seen that symbol before. It was worn by a group of Void Jumpers attacking various slaving operations.” I took in a deep breath and blew it out as my brain tried to decipher this mystery. I wish Ben was with me…he is much better at figuring out stuff.

My mother gave me a confused shrug of her shoulder. “I don’t know anything about that. Somebody is attacking slavers? Do you think believers…people who serve the Bright Path are acting as vigilantes?”

My mother’s words brought back a memory…something one of the slavers dumped on Dathomir commented about his attackers. He said one of the ship pilots was heard saying they ‘will swerve to the right path’. The pilots had heavy rimworld accents…so now I am wondering if they actually said they ‘will serve the Bright Path’. My father had worried about the zealotry of the Bright Path followers…maybe they have taken to right the wrongs of the galaxy by force. But…would a simple sub-cult of the state religion have the credits and resources to acquire Void Jumper armor or military jump ships? That is really doubtful.

“Mom, does Indupar have Void Jumpers? Dad once told me they were forming a unit but they weren’t trained yet. Does Indupar have an active Void Jumper company?”

My mother thought about it. “I know Indupar has trained Void Jumpers, but I believe your father said it was a battalion.”

“A battalion! Mom that’s around three hundred men.”

She nodded. “He did make a large purchase of Void Jumper Suits for the king.”

I was shocked by the news. I pulled out a seat from the dining area and sat down heavily.

“What’s wrong Talon?”

I looked up to her. “Mom, for months the Jedi have been running around the galaxy looking for the leader of a Void Jumper unit attacking various slaving operations. The leader carried a lightsaber and wore a cape held together at the shoulder by a emblem with the Bright Path image on it.” I paused as I tried to wrap my head around the situation. “The media has been accusing the Jedi of snatching slaves from their masters and keeping them for themselves. We’ve been trying to figure out who has been attacking the slavers so we could clear our name.” I shook my head in confusion. “Is the Indupar government involved? Is Marcus or Dad involved in this mess?”

“Talon, I don’t know what you are talking about, but I do know your father wouldn’t participate in anything unsavory.”

I could tell my mother believed what she was saying, but that might just mean she wasn’t privy to any damning information. “Mom, does dad own an amber lightsaber.”

Her expression filled with worry. “Why do you ask?”

“Because the leader of the anti-slavery operation carried an amber lightsaber, along with wearing an emblem of the Bright Path. Also an assassination attempt occurred against the Chief-of-State and that person had an amber lightsaber.” I paused before asking her again. “Mom, does dad have an amber lightsaber?”

She looked exceedingly uncomfortable as she answered. “He does, all of the Indupar Knights have amber lightsabers. Senior Military Officers in the King’s Armed Forces also wear them as a symbol of rank…even if they’re non-Force-users. The Amber color represents the rising sun lighting up the Bright Path.

I felt like I was going to vomit. What was my father involved in? “Mom, something is going on involving Void Jumpers attacking slavers, people with lightsabers attacking the Hapan Royals, two attempts on the Chief-of-State’s life by lightsaber wielding attackers and then there is the mystery of the mimetic suited man.”

When I said that last sentence I felt a spike of panic from my mother.

I looked up to her wide-eyed. “Mom, does dad have a Mimetic suit?”

“Ummmm,” she said softly. “Is that the suit that can make you invisible?”

“Yes,” I said as I slowly stood.

My mom didn’t answer but glanced toward her bedroom.

“Shavit!” I swore under my breath as I moved to my mother’s bedroom.

She followed on my heels. “Talon, I don’t think your father would like you digging around in our closet.”

I turned to her, anger seeping into my voice as I stood in her doorway. “I bet he wouldn’t. He’s been lying to me for months! I’ve talked to him about the Vong Void Jumpers and the man in the mimetic suit and he pretended to know nothing or he gets mad at me for asking questions…accusing me for spying for Uncle Luke. He knew I wasn’t spying for the Grand Master; he was getting angry to shut me up, to get me to stop asking questions. Now I wonder what else he knows and why is he doing the things he’s doing?” I pulled in a deep breath as I tried to control my breathing. “The Jedi believe the man in the mimetic suit is a Sith. That he is controlling the Chief-of-State.” I lost my voice for a moment as I tried to regain control of my emotions. “Mom, what is dad up to…is he working for…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence before my mom answered. “A Sith? You want to know if your father is working for a Sith or is a Sith?” She shook her head. “Talon, you know your father better than that.”

“No, that's not what I was going to ask. I want to know if he is working for Marcus or the Seers?”

My mother looked down at the floor. “Your father is a good man. He would never do anything to hurt anybody.”

I let out a caustic laugh, “Mom, if I remember correctly, when he contacted you all yellow-Sithy-eyed on his way to Myrkr you were crying and all worried about what he was going to do. You were afraid he was going to kill Jacen.”

“That’s only because Jacen tried to kill Mara. Jacen was dangerous.” She crossed her arms and glowered at me. “Do you also remember when he was attacked by that Sith sphere thing in Imperial Space and was confused and waving a lightsaber? It was me who went inside his hospital room to calm him down. I don’t fear your father, and neither should you.”

“I don’t fear my father, but Dad is up to something…something that he has been hiding from his family.”

Her eyes narrowed either in disappointment or anger. “I am sure whatever you think is going on is not what it seems.”

I walked over to my parent’s closet. “There is one way to find out. I just have to use my psychometric powers and I will know the truth.”

I gave a yelp when my mother grabbed my earlobe and dragged me away from her closet. “You are not going to invade our privacy, Talon. If you have questions for your father, you ask him yourself.”

“Owww,” I allowed my mother to pull me away from the closet so she didn’t rip my ear off. I was absolutely shocked at her response. During all the time I was growing up she never once laid a hand on me. She was always so mellow and loving. There is obviously something in the closet she doesn’t want me to see. “Okay, just let go of my ear.” When she released me I scowled as my hand went up to massage my throbbing earlobe. “Why are you protecting him? What has he done?”

My mother let out a scathing laugh. “I know nothing about slaves or the mimetic man you referred to.” She pointed to the closet. “I am safeguarding my privacy.” She turned a nice shade of red as she paused in thought. “Did you know mimetic suits are water resistant?”

My brow rose in confusion. “Yes, I am aware. What does that have to do with anything?”

My mother folded her arms across her chest as she stared at the floor. “Your father thought it would be funny to put the suit on and scare me while I was in the shower.”

I closed my eyes trying not to picture my what my mother was describing.

“See,” she said while pointing an accusing finger at me. “You don’t even want to think about that and I know you definitely don’t want to use your postcog powers to actually see it!”

“Ugh, mom, that’s disturbing.” I motioned to her closet. “Is there anything in there that I can touch without having to endure therapy for the rest of my life?”

She tried to suppress a smile. “Doubtful.”

I shuddered as I leaned against the wall. “So you can confirm he does have a mimetic suit and an amber lightsaber. This can’t be a coincidence. He has to be involved in the anti-slaving operations and/or wanting the Jedi off of Coruscant.”

She leaned against the wall next to me and looked away. “I do know your dad needs to do something on Coruscant and he doesn’t want the Jedi involved.”

“What is he going to do?” I asked my mother pointedly.

“I don’t know Talon. I only know as much as I do because I overheard your dad talking to Tobar the High Seer.” She turned and put a hand on my shoulder. “Talon, your dad’s a good man. He wouldn’t do anything bad.”

I nodded slowly, hoping she was right. “I’m going to take Dad’s shuttle to Coruscant. I need to find out what’s going on.”

I wasn’t sure what my dad was up to, but I am determined to find out.

 

Oh my! Talon and his mom are right in the middle of a conflict of interest. Marcus is embroiled in something with good motives or not, something that he does not want his family or anyone official to know about. I wonder if this gibes with what @Chyntuck was surmising?

 

Dad in trouble or not? Talon sure is

 

If I know @Chyntuck she probably figured it out. It's not like I'm a mystery novelist. I am fairly sure nobody is going to be surprised.

Nah, Kira just didn't want her son poking around her bedroom with his postcog powers. Kira and Mark have a little kinky streak. lol!

Sorry, I have been busy studying for the last few weeks. I wrote some stuff, but it was too much information. I tried to cut things down, but I am sure it is going to look like an information overload once Talon does start figuring things out.

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Entry 56


I stewed all the way from Indupar to Coruscant. I was mad with my father for keeping secrets from me and I was irritated with my mother for helping my dad do so. But I am really, really pissed at the seers because I know they are probably responsible for any scheming going on. I just hope they haven’t manipulated my son into doing anything criminal or immoral. He’s only a boy. It’s not hard to fool an innocent child. They probably got him conned into doing their bidding. I don’t trust those soothsaying, manipulative, camelid-face jerks.

As I dropped out of hyperspace I observed a Lancer-Class Frigate with the symbol of the Indupar crown worlds painted on its hull. I was expecting to see the King’s flagship, a newly renovated Vengeance-class dreadnought, but my scanners didn’t pick up any ship of that size in orbit above Coruscant. I guess Marcus thought arriving in a two-hundred-and-fifty meter ship would be less frightening to the Chief-of-State than showing up in a nineteen-kilometer warship.

I flew toward the ship while hailing with my transceiver. “Indupar Lancer-Class Frigate this is Talon Tantiss, son of Master Mark Tantiss—Commander of the King’s security, requesting permission to land my shuttle in your ventral docking bay.”

There was a long pause before I got an answer. “Uhh…no. Permission denied.”

I found their response unusual. Not necessarily the docking denial, but the lack of questions. There was no, “State your business” or “Is Master Tantiss expecting you?”

“Is my father there? Is Master Tantiss aboard? I need to talk to him.” I reached out with the Force but couldn’t find my father. I did notice there were areas of the ship that appeared to be Force voids. There were ysalamiri onboard, of that I was sure. “Can I speak to your King?”

“King Marcus is currently meeting with the Chief-of-State onboard the Star Destroyer Errant Venture. He is unavailable at this time.”

“Then let me land and I will wait to talk to him or my father.”

“Permission to land is denied,” came the voice over my radio.

“Well I am going to dock, no matter what you say.” I positioned my shuttle so I could easily swoop into the bay.

“Jedi Tantiss, our shields are up. The impact will damage your ship…possibly disable your life support.”

“Then put the shields down,” I told the unknown individual.

“I’m not authorized to do so.”

“Well get authorization because I am coming in.”

I lit up my sub-light engines and headed toward the shielded docking bay. I knew my dad wouldn’t let me smack against the shielding. As I quickly approached the bay I could still see the shimmer of the shield. When I was about two hundred meters away I started to wonder if my father was on board. He should have dropped the shields by now. I powered down to docking speed, but the shields remained. It wasn’t until I was less than ten meters from the ship that the shields dropped and I entered the ship’s docking area.

Over the radio a different, but vaguely familiar disembodied voice said, “You are one dumb kriffnut.”

I ignored the insult, powered down the ship, lowered the boarding ramp and rushed out only to be greeted by a platoon of Void Jumpers, fully armored, and pointing blasters in my direction.

“Whoa,” I said while raising my hands. “No need to shoot.” I couldn’t feel the Force, so I knew there were ysalamiri nearby…making my lightsaber nearly useless against these men. Not that I wanted to fight Indupar soldiers. I noticed two of the jumpers carried lightsabers. I turned to address them. “I assume you two are in charge here. Where’s Master Tantiss?”

The lightsaber carrying soldiers looked toward each other and then shook their heads. The one on the left opened up his face shield and spoke to the other. “I always knew you kriff’n spooks were crazy.”

The other jumper raised his face shield revealing my father’s face. “Talon, why are you here?”

I had to laugh at the absurdity of the question. “Why am I here? Why are you here?”

My father attempted a shrug in his armor, but he couldn’t quite pull it off. “I’m here with the King to do negotiations regarding the protection of Ec Pand.”

I waved a hand dismissively. “No, no…no more half-truths. I know about the mimetic suit in your room and the amber lightsabers. I want to know why you are really here. How are you involved in the anti-slavers and the Vong Void Jumpers?” I paused for a breath. “And are you the mimetic man seen with the Chief-of-State on Corellia?”

My father blew out a breath as he lowered his head. “Talon, you shouldn’t be here.”

“I want to know what’s going on?” I insisted.

“I can’t believe your kid hasn’t figured it out yet,” the other man said with a caustic chuckle.

After a moment I recognized him. “Deke? Deke Tavik?”

“Finally the kriffnut recognizes me.” Deke turned to the platoon of blaster carrying Void Jumpers and dismissed them with a flick of his gauntlet.

My dad then motioned for me to follow him. “Walk with me.” He gave me a sideways glance. “Talon, we don’t want Jedi involved in case things go sideways.”

“I’m not a Jedi. I quit, remember.” I said pointedly as I fell into step next to him. “Mom says she heard you talking to the head Seer about wanting the Jedi off Coruscant. Why? What do you plan on doing?”

As I followed my father into a cargo area, I slowed when I smelled a familiar musty scent. As we turned a corner I saw six cages containing snarling vornskrs. When they saw me and my father they practically went mad in rage.”

I pointed to my father. “You’re responsible for the attacks on the slavers, aren’t you?”

“Not me,” Dad said as he threw a thumb in the direction of the vornskrs. “These monsters hate me just as much as Princess hates you.”

“I have to take credit for that,” Deke commented as he walked behind my father and me. “Hanna should have told you the man she attacked wasn’t a Force user. So how could it be your dad?” I bristled slightly at his sarcastic tone. “Gods, your kid has the intellect of a box of rocks.”

“Knock it off Deke. If I remember correctly you didn’t know the whole story until recently.”

“Yeah,” he grudgingly admitted.

As we put distance between the docking bay and us I felt the Force slowly return. Obviously the ysalamiri were housed in one of the bay storage units.

“I keep telling your cousin Hanna to stop following me, but she is a tenacious, albeit beautiful, little stalker,” Deke said as he put his hand to his armored chest plate and gave me a wink. “I can’t blame her, though. I’m drop-dead gorgeous.”

My dad made a grunting sound before he smacked Deke’s helmet with the backhand of his gauntlet. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

I was becoming infuriated with this conversation. “Will somebody tell me what exactly you two are doing and why? And how does Marcus and the Chief-of-State fit into this?”

“I guess there is no reason not to tell you at this point,” my father said as we entered the flight deck. “There are Sith on Coruscant…a lot of them. There is also an abundance of Force-adept criminals. They need to go. We are going to Force sterilize them with the virus, but I can’t start the mission until Luke and his Jedi are gone.”

“Sith?” I looked at my father in disbelief. “The Sith are no more. Lumiya was the last of their kind.”

“No, I wish that were true, but it’s not.”

I grabbed my father’s armored shoulder and pulled him around to face me. “Dad, if there were Sith on Coruscant why not just tell the Jedi and let them handle it?”

My father heaved a sigh. “Luke thinks all Sith are redeemable. If he tries to capture them without the virus there will be a lot of blood shed. We are going to neutralize them first, take away their Force abilities, and then the Coruscanti police will arrest them. I doubt they can wield a saber with any accuracy without the Force.”

“If it is that easy then why the lightsaber resistant armor? Why the vornskrs? And why not just let Uncle Luke know? It sounds like you plan on capturing them anyway, Luke wouldn’t have a problem with that, even if you used the virus.”

My dad reached up and removed his helmet. “Because we don’t know how well the virus will work on these people. They have lived for over five thousand years in isolation. They may be immune…and if they are…well then we have the reason why I don’t want to involve the Jedi. I will send my Vong warriors with vornskrs planetside where they will track down every Sith and kill them.” He gave a caustic chuckle. “I am fairly sure Luke would not go along with that plan. He made it quite clear that he doesn’t like genocide.”

I put up a hand in a halting motion. “Wait, how many Sith are on Coruscant?”

“About fifty.”

I scoffed. “Dad, that is far from genocide.”

He nodded solemnly. “True, but once we are done here we are going to their home world of Kesh. There are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Sith on that planet. They recently escaped the confines of their world and have been pirating ships in the outer rim. We are going to bombard their planet with the virus, destroy their ships and strand them on their planet for another 5000 years.”

My head was beginning to hurt from thinking too much. “Kesh? I’ve never heard of it. How do you know about this planet and the Sith?”

“The Seers knew the Sith were here, but they didn’t know where they were coming from, but I do.” My father said with a tight smile. “You remember when I killed that Sith Meditation Sphere?”

“Yeah,” I said slowly. “The one where you claimed you didn’t get any knowledge from despite the fact you suddenly gained the ability to freeze blaster bolts.”

“Yes, that one,” dad said a little sheepishly. “Okay, I admit, I lied.” He tapped the side of his head with the index finger of his metal gauntlet. “I gained a lot of information from the sphere along with the location of the Sith planet.” My dad made dismissive wave of his hand. “But, forget about Kesh for a minute. Our major concern is Coruscant. The Sith were coming to the planet and using their Force skills to move into political positions, the media, and other key governmental offices. They wanted to take over the government, but they knew they couldn’t hide forever as long as the Jedi were on Coruscant. Therefore they have been using their sources in the media to make false and damning accusations against the Jedi. At the same time, some of the Sith have recruited and organized weak Force adepts and encouraged them to commit crimes using their Force abilities. They hoped to get the public to turn on the Jedi Order. They were somewhat successful.”

I put up a hand to make my dad pause for a moment while I tried to process the information. “How does Mokk Streke fit into this? Are you the mimetic suited man?”

"I am the man you saw in the Corsec video. As for the Chief-of-State, we need him for various reasons to include using Galactic Alliance funds to create the virus and to authorize the use of the weathernet to disperse the virus on Coruscant.”

“So, he knows he’s working with you?”

My dad shook his head. “No, I always wore the mimetic suit and disguised my voice when I dealt with him. He thinks he is dealing with members of the Order of the Canted Circle,” he said with a chuckle.

“The Canted Circle? Coruscanti’s oldest and most influential secret society?” I muttered. “Why would he believe that?”

“Because that’s what he’s been told since he was a low level, rimworld, planetary governor.” My dad grinned, “Who else could have helped him rise to the level of power he’s achieved. It had to be a secret society because he doesn’t know about the H’Drachi seers.”

“Damn it, I knew the seers were involved.”

“Of course they are involved. They saw the danger and they want it resolved, but it is hard to prevent a coup if you don’t have the cooperation from the Chief-of-State.”

“Does Streke know why he is doing what he’s doing?”

“He does now. It is hard to hide the truth when a Sith tried to kill him in his own quarters.” My dad snickered under his breath. “Lucky for him I was there to save his rear.”

“You’re the one who blanked out the cameras and snuck into his apartment?” I shook my head in disbelief. “He knows what you look like. If you saved him he would have recognized you.”

My dad shrugged. “As I said earlier, I always wear a mimetic suit when around him. I blanked out the cameras as an added precaution. The seers knew the general time frame but not the exact time and date of the attack. That’s why I kept going back day after day. I brought a ysalamiri. This gave me the advantage. I could use the Force, but the assassin couldn’t.”

My father walked over to a crew member wearing the uniform of an Indupar Naval Officer. “Has Chief-of-State contacted the Grand Master yet?”

“Yes Sir. All remaining Jedi on Coruscant were ordered to Ec Pand to stop a second Nagi invasion.”

“What?” I looked to my father. “I thought there wasn’t going to be an invasion. Mom said the seers weren’t concerned.”

“There isn’t going to be an invasion, but we want to get the Jedi off planet as soon as possible and have them gone for a long while. Once the Jedi are gone the Chief-of-State will officially and very publicly sign a treaty with the Indupar Crown Worlds to base the Jedi out of Ec Pand to defend the crystals just in case a problem arises. It will make sense to the Galaxy. Indupar refuses to have an occupying army on the planet or a GA Fleet in their space to protect the crystals…but it is well known that the ruler of Indupar trusts the Jedi. The Jedi protected his mother while she was pregnant with him and he has a former Jedi as an advisor. Stationing the Jedi Temple there will appear as a reasonable compromise. This way Streke can’t be criticized for running the Jedi off Coruscant because they are desperately needed on Ec Pand. The crystals must be protected because any military force in possession of the crystals would become almost invincible.”

He turned to his communications officer. “Any word on the status of the Jedi?”

The man put a hand up to his earphones. “The message was delivered and acknowledged.”

“As soon as they are gone the operation will begin,” my dad said matter-of-factly. “If I sense any Jedi remaining…then I may have to call Luke and tell him something that will encourage the remaining Jedi to leave.”

“Tell him something…you mean lie to him.”

My dad blew out a frustrated breath. “I’ve lied for Luke,” he whispered. “Why is only okay to lie when Luke wants me to?”

“Sir,” the ship’s captain called out. “We have StealthXs scrambling from the Temple. It appears to be thirty…that is the amount of Jedi believed to remain on Coruscant.”

My dad slapped a gauntlet-clad hand on my shoulder. “Help me reach out and try to sense if any remaining Jedi are on planet.”

“Sure.” I closed my eyes and concentrated. I extended my Force senses and felt weak Force adepts, but no Jedi. “People who are minimal Force users are probably are not going to be happy about this.”

My dad nodded. “Probably not, but it’s for the best.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed my father, but I also knew I was in no position to stop him. “Does Marcus know about you and the seer’s plan?”

My father made a face of incredulity. “King Marcus is a Seer and a postcog. He can perceive the past, present and future. Of course he knows.”

 

Wooh, intricate plans and schemes have been going on for quite the time. Talon's dad kept his participation a big secret.

 

Great plans to get rid of the Sith. Now Talon knows what his dad has been planning

 

It has been going on for a very, very long time.

It follows the legends books, in case you didn't read them. This story already dealt with the Abeloth problem, Darth Jacen, the Vong and now the Sith. I really don't want to end the story. As long as I keep writing my OCs are alive and well. Maybe I will do a 6 month Journal starting in June for the DDC. Perhaps it will be in Marcus' point of view.
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Entry 57

My father sent a text message to Mokk Streke stating it was clear to release the virus on Coruscant. Of course he wasn’t using his own name but his ‘secret society’ alias: Muninar Cerar. I had to roll my eyes. “That’s Mando’a for Big Mountain, isn’t it? You really went with that for an undercover name? Why would you use an covert name that hints to your identity?”

My dad blushed slightly. “That is one of your mother’s nicknames for me.”

I shuddered as I remember the Mandalorian armor I had seen in his closet. “Ugh, enough said. At least it is better moniker than Cuddle Buddy.” I walked across the flight deck and gazed out the viewport to the city-world below. “How long will it take?”

My father joined me. “Midichlorians die minutes after exposure. The scientists involved believe it would take an hour for the viral spores to saturate the upper levels of Coruscant. It may take longer for it to seep down to the lower areas…but I doubt Sith are down there sitting in squalor.”

“How long will the virus be active?”

“A week or two. Jaden is working on a vaccine. When the Jedi want to return they should get immunized.”

I turned to my father. “How will the Coruscanti police identify the Sith?”

"The seers knew the identity of some, but not all." He looked slightly uncomfortable. “Marcus funded a search that’s been ongoing for the last two years. We hired slicers to weed out any possible Sith. They investigated every Jedi hating reporter, politician and media spokesperson. When a Sith was suspected someone would try to get near the person with a ysalamiri. If the person is a Force user you will always get a startled response. We think we identified most of the Sith. That information was recently passed on to the Chief-of-State.”

“Okay,” I said with a weary nod. “And once you have them…what charges are you going to hold them on? Unless they have done something wrong I don’t think there is a law against following a Sith philosophy.”

My father smirked. “They are on Coruscant illegally. If they can’t provide proof of citizenship or a proper visa they can be deported…right back to their home planet.”

“Mark,” Deke called to my father as he held an earphone up to his ear. “Streke is sending two Coruscanti law enforcement officers to arrests the first Sith. They are accompanied by a couple of our Vong Void Jumpers,” He put his hands up and made a ‘quotation’ gesture. “Who Streke believes are Private security personnel paid by the Order of the Canted Circle.” He chuckled as he muttered under his breath, “Streke’s such an idiot.”

He walked over to a holovid transceiver and pushed a few buttons. “I’m going to try to patch into the helmet cam of Shik’etii-git…Hitsk’etii-got…oh kriff it, those Vong names are tongue twisters. I am patching in the feed from one of our Vong.”

There was static for a short moment before the shaky image of people rushing into an office came into focus. “Coruscanti Police,” I heard one of the humans yell out. “Stay where you are and keep your hands where we can see them.”

All the office workers nervously raised their hands with the exception of one man. He scowled at the police as he ignited a red bladed lightsaber and ran toward the door. Both the Vong and security personnel started to fire stun bolts at the Sith. He turned and attempted to deflect the blaster fire, but only managed to rebound two before a third hit him in the leg. A surprised expression crossed his face as he crashed to the ground.

“Ha!” Deke guffawed. “Did you see the look on that dark-spook’s face.” He turned and started pantomiming a person with a lightsaber, “Hey, who turned off the Force?” He broke out in loud bouts of laughter.

My dad chuckled. “You love this, don’t you Deke.”

“You know I do.” The man grinned widely. “I should be down there, seeing that I have more confirmed Sith kills than anybody else in the galaxy.”

I looked to Deke and then to my father. “What?”

My dad threw a thumb in Deke’s direction. “We found out the people who attacked the Hapan Royals were a group of Sith. They appear to put the same value on beauty as the Hapans. That’s why they were all attractive.”

Deke pointed to me. “The last time we talked you theorized the people who attacked the Hapans might be doing a dry run for an attack on Coruscant…and you were right.”

I shouldn’t be surprised at that revelation; after all, Ben thought the attackers were Force users. I turned to my father. “Are you sure?”

“We compared the DNA from the Hapan attackers and the man I killed in Streke’s office and they have similar DNA markers suggesting they are from the same planet.”

“Oh,” was the only response I could come up with. My brain was a bit overwhelmed at this point.

We continued watching to bodycam vids from various arrests. They appeared to follow the same pattern. The Sith is accosted, he resists and attempts to escape, only to be stunned, cuffed and hauled off to Mokk Streke’s new Force-cage wing of the local penitentiary.

I frowned as I thought about all the innocent Force-users that suddenly lost their powers. “You know, you could have just went in with ysalamiri. You didn’t have to use the virus to capture these guys.”

My dad nodded. “True, but this is a trial run for attacking their planet. If it works on them, it should work on the Sith on Kesh. If not,” he hesitated for a moment. “Well, if the virus didn’t work then other measures would have to be found to deal with Kesh.” He turned to Deke. “Keep close observation, they may need more Vong reinforcements. Those Darksiders might not have the Force, but those sabers can do damage to an unarmored security officer.”

“You got it.”

“Then off to Kesh?” I asked.

My father shook his head. “No need. The King’s flagship, Absolution, is on the way to the planet with about a thousand aerial dispersion canisters of the virus.

“Won’t the Sith try to escape the planet when a Vengeance-class dreadnought shows up in their orbit?”

A lopsided grin graced my dad's face. “They would, if they could see it.”

My brow rose. “You put a cloaking device on a dreadnought?”

“Not me personally,” my father said with a snicker. “But yes, it is outfitted with a cloaking device.” My dad moved from the holoprojector to the bridge viewing port. “Hopefully the information I gained from the Sith Meditation sphere is correct and we have the exact location of the Sith homeworld.”

 

Aww, the strategy/plan seems to be coming along smoothly in the details falling into place. Deke certainly is enjoying being part of the action. The Sith apparently were everywhere

But "cuddle Buddy" & "Big Mountain"

 

Great plans and nice to see the Sith arrested. And tongue-twisting names I have heard a lot of those on Hawaii

 

Kira has a lot of little nicknames for her 'Big Red Stud'. lol!

Thanks. In the profics the Jedi gave the Sith a chance to surrender, but I was such a klusterkriff. I wasn't impressed with the tactics of the Jedi in the profic novels.

I am having trouble editing my story. When I paste it here it is in italics and nothing I do changes that. I thought I would post this and then try again. Right now I am running out of ideas other than posting it in italics.

 

Entry 58

The rest of the day I watched video feed from the various Vong Void Jumpers. I was astonished by the identity of those arrested. Two popular reporters, five mayors, twenty police officers, nine financial analysts, two members of the military and an assortment of others. The arrests did not escape public notice. Mokk Streke held a press conference stating the apprehensions were part of a worldwide sting operation. The people arrested were members of a terrorist organization whose goal was to overthrow the government. He also took the time to announce the agreement between Indupar and the Galactic Alliance to station Jedi Knights on Ec Pand to ensure the safety the cloaking device crystals. The Coruscant temple would be repurposed as a Jedi Museum and administration building, but no training would be conducted at that location (meaning Jedi wannabes need not travel to Coruscant). There was no mention of the release of the virus and I doubt there ever will. I am sure the public would be outraged to know a biological agent was dispersed through the WeatherNet.

After the excitement of the arrests died down I had time to think about what had transpired. Despite my best efforts to understand all that has happened, I still remain in a daze of confusion. I would ask my father questions in an effort to understand. He would answer to the best of his ability while Deke made fun of my inability to figure out this extremely complex plot much earlier.

The three of us were sitting in a private conference room off of the flight deck. They had taken off their armor in exchange for loose tunics and trousers and were now sipping on caf.

“In that mimetic suit vid you told Streke that your Master spent a lot of time and money getting him to the position of Chief-of-State,” I said to my father. “Streke’s climb up the political ladder took at least a decade. You were a Jedi a decade ago.”

“True,” my father said evenly. “I am not the only person to interact with the Chief-of-State. The Seers had a number of Indupar undercover officers that would act as intermediaries with Streke over the past decade. They manipulated situations so Streke was promoted to high office. It wasn’t that difficult. Every politician has a secret they don’t want revealed and the Seers knew those secrets. They expose various scandals to get Streke’s competition out of the way.”

“Why him? Streke isn’t the brightest politician. They could have gotten a better leader.”

My father chuckled. “That is exactly why they wanted him. He knows he’s a rimworld yokel. He is a fish out of water on the City-World. His lack of self-esteem makes him easily manipulated. But the Seers want to be his sole manipulator. That is why I was tasked in the last few years to keep him on track. The secret meeting he had on Corellia went the way we wanted, but in other time streams he is persuaded to help the dishonored politician begging for assistance and it would come back to bite him in the ass. I was there to make sure it didn’t happen. If he wanted to remain in office his benefactors demanded that he remain beyond reproach.” My father paused to sip his drink. “Overall, he is surprisingly moral for a politician. We haven’t had to yank on his leash much."

I looked over to Deke. “How did you get involved in this?"

It was my dad that answered. “I brought in Deke because he knew the location of the Vong Shamed Ones. If the virus didn’t work, and in some times streams it didn't, they would be the idea fighters to go against Force-users.”

I continued to gaze at my father’s friend. “So they needed you to get the location of the Vong…but what are you getting out of this?”

“I’ll give you a hint,” Deke said with a roll of his eyes. “Who do you think I get my very accurate intelligence information from?”

“The Seers.” I blew out a frustrated breath. “So they help you keep Tenel Ka and Jacen safe and in return you gave up the location of the Vong and I assume you are the amber lightsaber Void Jumper who trained them, right?”

“Yes.”

My eyes narrowed not quite believing his story. “I am sure the seers, along with the King of Indupar, could have given you anything you wanted in exchange for your help…why ask for something that benefits Tenel Ka and Jacen? Why not ask for a million credits and retire?”

He gave a sarcastic snort. “I thought the Jedi believed in loyalty.” He turned in his seat so he could face me fully. “I have been protecting the Queen and your dumbass cousin for well over a decade. I have watched their children grow. I have sworn to protect them…and in exchange the Queen has taken good care of my family and me. She has paid for my children to get the best education at the finest universities in the galaxy. I guess you can say…I like my employers…they’re okay for spooks.” He grinned mischievously. “Also, I like pissing off the Queen. I bet she was mad that I smuggled her off Hapes in an animal shipping container.”

I sighed deeply. “She was talking about reopening the dungeon just for you.”

He laughed out loud. “Ouch. Maybe I pushed her a little too far that time.”

“Jacen said he can’t fire you…you know too much,” I said hoping to get a response out of the man.

He chuckled as he turned to my father. “I thought you did a memory rub on Jacen. He shouldn’t remember what exactly I know too much of.”

My dad shrugged. “He could get his memories back. Especially if Tenel Ka helps him remember.”

Deke turned back to me. “I do know too much. Tenel Ka can’t risk firing me. She would have to kill me to keep Jacen’s nasty little secret safe.” His smile slipped off his face for a moment. “That’s why when you suggested that Tenel Ka staged the attack on the Hapan palace that I briefly wondered if you were right. Did she have the palace attacked to kill the royals and hopefully get me mortally wounded? But then I remembered something.” He pointed to my father. “She would have to kill your dad also.” He leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the conference table. “Not that I would betray her trust even if she did give me walking papers. If I take down Jacen I also hurt the Jedi order…and that would piss off your dad and he would tell your mom not to send me anymore homemade chocolates during Winter Fete…and I can’t have that.”

“Of course not,” I said cynically. “Lets get back to the Vong. You give up the location of the aliens and what then, you go out there to recruit them?”

He nodded. “They were slaves who, during their entire lives, were told they would never be warriors. I offered them the opportunity. They were more than happy to leave their internment in the Maw and a life of farming for a chance for adventure.”

“So, you leaked a video of you training the Vong to yourself and then made a big deal about giving it to my father in front of Ben and me. My dad pretends he didn’t know about it. He hands the vid over to Ben to gives it to Uncle Luke so the Jedi would get nervous about staying on Coruscant.”

“Obviously,” Deke muttered mockingly.

I blew out a frustrated breath. “What about the sniper rifle assassination attempt on Streke?”

Deke raised his hand. “Entirely choreographed by me. Streke was really reluctant to order the Jedi off planet. He thought the public would balk and his chances for reelection would fade. He needed to demonstrate that the Jedi were attracting dangerous Force-users to the area. We thought a fake assassination attempt would help bring the issue to a head. Also, it would help justify to his scientists the making and distributing of the Force-killing virus. I had one of my snipers do the deed because I knew you had those spooky post-cognitive powers that may recognize my Force signature if the Chief-of-State wasn't successful in keeping Jedi out of the crime scene.”

I nodded slowly, my head hurt from thinking so much. “How about the short Void Jumper that dumped the Slavers off on Dathomir?”

Deke and my dad looked to each other nervously. “Umm… that was somebody else.”

It took me a while to figure out why my father would be exuding nervousness thought the Force. “My…the King?” I was about to say, ‘My son’, but I wasn’t sure how much Deke knew about the situation.

“That was supposed to be me,” Deke said. “But King Marcus is financing this venture…so I was overruled and the King took the men out in their first combat mission. I was there though.”

I looked to my Dad angrily. “He’s just a boy.”

“Talon, I didn’t know about it until later.”

I blew out a breath as I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. “Why did he strip the men naked?”

“I can explain that,” Deke said. “The King and I tackled and captured a handful of men personally. Afterwards King Marcus remembered you could probably sense us through any inanimate object we handled. Since we didn’t enter the ship we just needed to get rid of the slaver’s clothing that we touched. We figured it would be odd to only strip a handful of men…so we stripped them all.”

“And the permanent stylus markings written on their bodies saying, ‘We enslave women’?”

Deke grinned broadly. “That was my idea. I also thought it would be funny to drop them off on Dathomir. Let them get a taste of their own medicine."

“And why are you doing the slaving operations at all?”

“The Vong needed combat experience before they deployed to Coruscant or Kesh,” Deke explained. “They were once slaves so we thought what better way to let them get Void Jumper and fighting experience than by attacking slavers.”

“What are you doing with the slaves? They were never returned to their families.”

“They’re fine,” my father assured me. “Most were taken as children and don’t remember their families. A lot of them were sold into slavery by their relatives. Others were so mentally and emotionally damaged that they are going to be in therapy for years. The ones that were mutilated are undergoing operations to return them back to their old selves…if possible. Marcus is paying for their rehabilitation. Some of the slaves are working in the palace, some on the ship and others are in classes to learn a trade. You already met one…the lady chauffer on Ec Pand is a recently liberated slave.”

I massaged the temples of my head where a raging headache was beginning to form. “How long have the seers been planning all of this?”

My father reached forward and grabbed a cup of caf off the conference table. “After Palpatine they swore they would never standby and let evil take over the galaxy again. They have been planning and scheming to alter the future since before I was created.”

“So they weren’t just trying to influence things for Indupar.”

“No, for the galaxy as a whole.”