Saga Severing the Past (PG, RotS and Inter) - OCs - Jedi Temple escape - Updated 1/13/08

Gina - Thank you so much for the comment!! I'm glad you liked it, and I'm flattered at your comments of the descriptions - that's one thing I'm really working on, so it's nice to see it pointed out .

 

A/N: I hope you enjoy the update! Many thanks to everyone who's reading and especially those who are commenting . Thanks!!

---

Chapter 12
-------------
[i]N'oenar stood in a rough-hewn stone corridor, a single flickering torch illuminating the area. Master Dannew stood in front of him, facing the wall, where the carved words of the Jedi Code appeared once more. The first line had almost completely crumbled, only the faintest indentation remaining where letters once cut sharply into the stone.

"Master Dannew?" N'oenar's voice shook, and though he knew it, he could do nothing to stop it. "I'm wrong, aren't I? You don't want me to do? to do that, do you? The dark side, it's? it's against everything?" He trailed off, uncertain how to continue, particularly since the man in front of him hadn't reacted at all to his words.

Master Dannew didn't reply. Instead, he sighed deeply and turned, walking off down the corridor. N'oenar watched him in disbelief for a few moments, and then hurried after him. The corridors changed around them, rough stone turning to smooth marble, and then to the subtly colored walls of the Jedi Temple. They moved faster and faster, floating five steps for each one taken by their feet, and it was so dizzying that N'oenar stopped paying attention to the surroundings and just stared at his Master's back, occupying his mind with contemplation of the mechanics of dream.

They continued like that for a time until Master Dannew stopped suddenly, and it was then that N'oenar dared to look around. They were in the Jedi Temple's Council chamber, but only three seats remained in the chamber. He frowned, a strange sense of foreboding overtaking him as he stared at the missing chairs. Biting his lip, he glanced at Master Dannew and saw the other man nod.

"Three yet live."

N'oenar's breath caught, but he did not dare to ask which three of the Jedi Council still lived. He didn't think he could handle the answer. Outside the window, the darkness roiled, thick and impenetrable, and N'oenar shivered as one tendril separated from the mass and seemed to reach out towards him.

"Master? Was I right? The dark side-"

"To be saved, it must be broken." Master Dannew turned to the window, leaning heavily against the sill, and N'oenar stared at him. He looked old. Worn. "Remember your teachings, but do not fall into the trap that some have, for denial of something evil or wrong can be just as limiting as full belief in it. Ice will give way before flame; it is what must be, to save that which is most precious."

He shook his head, taking a step back, and then another, until he backed into the side of one of the three remaining chairs. Reaching out a hand, he steadied himself, and tried not to wonder which Master had once sat in that chair. Or which [/i]Knight? [i]

"I? I can't."

"You can."

"I won't."

"You will. You must." Master Dannew turned and stared at him, an unending sadness in those familiar eyes. "Lead the bantha, but take care. Do not blaze; it [/i]can[i] be done, N'oenar. Remember Vaapad. It [/i]must[i] be done."

"Why? how could it help, for me to do this? To use the dark side? How could it help? Everything I've learned-"

But Master Dannew was fading already, his voice but an echo in the darkening chamber. "Follow your final orders, Padawan. [/i]Hide. [b]Live[/b][i]." [/i]

N'oenar opened his eyes and breathed deeply, staring into the darkness, watching the muted flashes of lightning that shone through a slit in the window coverings. It was hard to imagine? Master Dannew [i]did[/i] mean him to use the dark side. He did, or the Force did. But was the Force's will one entity, or did each side ? dark and light - have its own will? And, if the latter was the case, then which side was speaking to him in dreams?

Sighing, he turned over and stared at the wall, counting the lightning flashes until sleep took him again.

The next morning, he woke well after the sun rose. Its rays brightened the opposite wall, and he squinted as he sat up, trying to get his bearings. It wa

 

'were your brothers' does this mean they are dead???

 

What?!? You can't end it there!!

"Guess you looked like easy prey," Kerenne said, grinning at her brother even as she bent down to snatch up the knife that lay on the pavement. He wondered, as she did so, why she had opted for the rock rather than her own knife, but this wasn't the place to ask.

You continue to make Kerenne and her motives more suspicious with every post!

 

I stumbled across this. It's wonderful - full of rich and interesting characters, flowing and convoluted plots, lots of flashbacks (which I love!), some Jedi philosophy and I love how you've intergrated everything together.
The Jedi should remember that Vaadpad channels the darkside through themselves and outward again - so that they can use it without taint.

Wonderfully done so far.

Please send me PMs whenever you update!

 

I don't think that I'm as confused as N'oenar, but I'm going to keep my fingers shut so as to hide the depth of my ignorance. I'm sure he's getting tired of all those dreams. I know I am (I'm referring to my dreams, not his).

As they searched, he and Ayliana kept their senses raw and open

Raw senses? Interesting word choice.

"I know." She must have seen his confusion, because she smirked. "I've heard the stories, too."

That sequence made me curious. Just how much does Kerenne know about the Force and Jedi? She certainly hasn't embraced the light side herself (not that that's a bad thing, I can't hardly blame her).

"We didn't know they were your brothers."

Hmmm. In combination with the "three" dream comment, this makes me want to speculate, but I'd hate to prove myself a liar in the same post.

Magnificent work.

 

Hmmm... Interesting. Looking forward to updates!

 

Peagis -

Gina - LOL! I don't normally go in for cliffhangers, but this one seemed like it was meant to be... the bunny demanded I end it there . And .

Dianethx - Thank you so much for commenting!! I'm very glad you're enjoying it, and your comments on the writing made me blush, I have to admit. Thank you . I will definitely add you to the PM list! I normally update each week, sometimes DRL gets in the way but I haven't been more than a couple of days late so far.

Darth_Scroobius - Thank you so much! I'm very glad you're enjoying it, and I've got to say, I love to see the sequences and bits that different people pick out of each chapter... and .

East_Coast_Ryder - Thanks! I'm glad you're still enjoying it .

 

A/N: Many thanks to everyone who's reading and everyone who's commenting! If anyone would like a PM when I update, please let me know. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 13
-------------
N'oenar would never forget the look on Zehrid's face when he entered their rooms and saw the large man from the oddities shop standing near the entryway. His timing, N'oenar mused, was really quite good.

"What?" Zehrid froze, his arms full of provisions, and blinked a few times. "What-"

"That's what I was going to ask!" Kerenne said, stepping forward, her hand still hovering near her throwing knives.

The large man's eyes flicked down at Kerenne's fingers, obviously noting her readiness to strike. He raised his own hands, and N'oenar couldn't help but think that the appealing gesture seemed very odd when performed by a man with arms as thick as Jabiim tree roots. "No need for that. I've talked to Jerner, your brother, and he told me who you were."

"Jerner? You've seen him?" As Zehrid stepped forward, the door slid shut behind him.

"Talked to him a few days ago," the man said. "I'm Rohnid, I own Rohnid's Rarities, that shop you went into-"

"We know," Kerenne said through clenched teeth. "What did you talk to him about? How do you know we're-"

"I sent him a message. Took me a few days to get an answer back, you see. Sarn, he's my business partner? anyway, I talked to Sarn when you left, and we decided you were bounty hunters-"

"What?" N'oenar blinked. Bounty hunters?

"The accent, the questions about the Jedi weapon ? didn't add up to anything I liked, I'll tell you that. Sarn, either. We didn?t know until I mentioned you to Jerner and he-"

Kerenne glanced at Zehrid, and N'oenar followed her gaze. The tall man's face held a strangely hopeful expression. "You mentioned us?"

"I was warning him. Bounty hunters in the district wouldn't bode him well at all. When I told him your name and the descriptions?." Rohnid shook his head. "It's odd, I know you've not been with them for years, but you should have seen his face. Like I'd given him some sort of naming day gift."

"So he remembered?"

"Yeah. You do resemble him, now that I'm looking for it." Rohnid studied Zehrid and Kerenne. "Both of you do, in different ways. Anyway, he told us to find you-"

"How did you find us?" N'oenar interrupted.

The large man watched him through narrowed eyes for a few heartbeats and then said, "This is where I make some cryptic statement like, 'I've got my ways'."

"Oh."

The man's normally stoic face broke out in a wide grin. "Gullible, aren't you? Sarn found out. That's my business partner. He's been walking the area, asking around, after Jerner came to talk to us. He didn't get too far, but just by chance he saw you all walking into an alleyway, and followed you back to the inn. Good job with that thief, by the way," he said, glancing at Kerenne, who nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

"Why didn't he just talk to us then?" Ayliana asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Too many witnesses," Kerenne said, her eyes not straying from Rohnid. "My brothers, you said you've talked to them. Where are they now?"

"I don't know." Rohnid held up a hand before Kerenne could continue. "It's safer, that way. What I don't know, I can't accidentally let slip, right? Jerner will be back at the shop later, after closing. Come just before the lightning show; Sarn will let you in."

"What about Keruck?" Zehrid adjusted the parcels he still held, and N'oenar moved forward to take them. As he placed them in the nearby cooling unit, he noted the way Zehrid's attention was completely trained on Rohnid, and he wondered if Zehrid even realized he'd taken the packages from him.

"Ah. Well." Hearing the strange tone in the Rohnid's voice, N'oenar looked over his shoulder. For the first time since the man had arrived, he looked decidedly uncomfortable. He shifted from one foot to the other, his tentative stance at odds with his bulky form. "That's a little more difficult. I'll let Je

 

Awesome chappie Keep it up! Thanks for the PM.

 

Hummm, I don't know who to believe and even what to believe at this point. Well, except for N'oenar. It could be that they are being set up by dark Jedi or even Jedi hunters. Letting the more innocent shop keepers draw in the hunted Jedi and then boom, they're gone.

Looking forward to more.

 

This is just getting better and better. You've definitely not lost your affinity for foreshadowing. I also like the way you sort of tangentially delve into philosophical matters. You have a very light touch, and do a good job avoiding preachiness (something the big GL sometimes has difficulty with).

The story has such a deliberate pace. It's building all kinds of tension without giving any clues as to when issues will be resolved. That's both good and bad. It keeps me coming back, but it can be a little frustramicating. I suppose that's intentional...

 

East_Coast_Ryder - Thanks! And you're welcome

Dianethx - Not sure who to believe right now - that's a good observation . I think N'oenar shares your unsurety on that . Thanks for the comment and the PM, I'm glad you're enjoying it!!

Darth_Scroobius - Thank you so much for the comments!! I'm flattered that you pointed out the philosophical issues and the way I'm dealing with them - I'm trying not to go into them with too much preachiness (great word!), so it was great to see you mention that!

It keeps me coming back, but it can be a little frustramicating. I suppose that's intentional... It's a little intentional, I have to admit . It also mirrors N'oenar's frustration with what's happening, I think! This has always been set to be a long story and I'm trying to keep the pace leading up to certain events steady without lagging or "speeding", I hope it's working out. Thanks so much again!

 

"Oh." N'oenar rubbed his chin, thinking. Something didn't fit right, here, but he wasn't sure if it was Jerner's explanations or a sense of unease stemming from the Force itself. "And Keruck is a negotiator. Did you often get sent on assignment together?"

I don't know who to trust anymore.

I especially liked the way N'oenar realized that he and Ayliana were family in all the ways that matter.

"A mistake?" Jerner smirked. "That's what I thought, too, in the beginning. But I learned? both sides can be used. Both sides were meant to be used; otherwise, why do both exist?"

I don't know...this worries me.

As always, you manage to up the suspense and create more questions, suspicions, twists and turns with every chapter!

 

Gina - I don't know who to trust anymore.
. That means I'm doing my job right!

Thanks so much, I appreciate your comments and I'm really glad you're still enjoying it .

 

Wow, I should just read all your stuff-it is all fantastic!

 

wow so even after the fall of the republic the remaining Jedi were figuring it out huh?

 

I finally caught up! This gets better and better. The way you described Sarn made it super-easy for me to picture him, and the way the Force is written about makes the prophecy about Anakin make sense--IF Jerner is to be trusted...

 

Kateydidnt - *blushing*. Thank you!! I'm glad you're enjoying both stories - everything else on my userinfo page is a one-shot/vignette, these two current WIPs are my only long ones.

Peagis - They were figuring some things out...

MasterDareBabe - Thank you!! I've got a soft spot for old Sarn, so I'm glad you mentioned him . I'm glad you're still enjoying it!

 

A/N: Thanks to everyone for the comments and for reading! I'm sorry this chapter is a little late - there's a lot happening here (and in Darth RL) so I took a bit more time with it. And, as always, if anyone would like to be added to my PM list, please let me know. Hope you enjoy the chapter!


Chapter 14
-----------
Three chairs remained in the Jedi Council chamber, just as in N'oenar's last dream of this place. However, this time, two of the chairs stood close together, their arms touching, while the other sat several handspans away. N'oenar frowned at the solo chair, and moved closer to it, running his fingertip along its top edge.

"Whose chair was this?" he asked, not turning. N'oenar sensed Master Dannew when he appeared, their bond easily crossing the boundary of dream.

"You know the answer to that." Master Dannew walked forward, but didn't enter N'oenar's line of sight. "He exists in both."

"What?"

"Look. And learn."

N'oenar lifted his head and stared as the roiling darkness outside the Temple walls suddenly burst through the windows? but only on one side of the room. It flooded in, faster than he could react, until it covered half of the Council chamber. There was a stark line of demarcation, centered on the chair that he faced. Centered on him. One half in darkness, the other in light. He lifted his left hand, staring at it through the dark cloud as he reached his other hand in to his pocket to touch the braid coiled within.

"He exists in both light and dark, though his feet are rooted in the dark for now."

Anakin. Anakin Skywalker. This was his chair.

"Exists in light and dark?. Is that what I must do?" It sounded disturbingly like what Jerner had told him.

"No - it is difficult, draining, to exist for long in both. That balance is hard to maintain and, like a street acrobat, you must eventually jump from that high rope to safety or risk falling into endless darkness. You must shift, from light to both and then back to light again."

N'oenar shook his head, remembering the feel of power, delicious power? and he hadn't even truly used it yet. Could he give that power up, if he became accustomed to drawing on it? Maybe that was the true danger. "I can't, Master. It's? it's too much to ask."

"It is what must be done, to protect that which is most precious."

Without warning, a thread of anger pushed its way past his control. "Why are you always so cryptic? Why not just say straight out what's needed, what I'm supposed to do? What's supposed to be protected? What birds? Is the shroud the same as what Jerner was talking about? You speak a lot, but you don't say anything!"

Master Dannew was silent, and N'oenar turned, the anger leaving him as suddenly as it had appeared when his eyes fell on the line between light and shadow that cut through the center of the room. That had cut through the center of the room; now, it was a few feet to the right, covering the chair completely in darkness. Covering?.

Jerking, he fell back a step, and stared at the line, cold running through him at the symbolic truth. He was now on the other side of the line, while Master Dannew still stood in the light.

Then, somehow, he was once again on the other side of the line. He shook his head, dizzy from the shifting, and turned away from his master, bringing one hand to his forehead. It was too much. Too?.

"You know what you must do. The Force shall guide you, my padawan. Fear has its place, but do not let it consume you." Master Dannew's hands fell on his shoulders and the darkness dissipated, the line growing indistinct until it vanished altogether. "My padawan, you remain."

A bright light shone outside the Temple windows, now, and it grew brighter and brighter until N'oenar was forced to raise an arm to shield his eyes. Then the floor shifted under him, and he was floating, flying, speeding past things best left unseen. Through it all, Master Dannew's hands remained on his shoulders, grounding him.

When the spinning and shifting finally

 

Well, that's not good. So they are going to Vader??? And Jerner seems to be part of this. I knew that plan was too good to be true. Poor kids. Now what are they going to do?

 

OOooooOOOooo. Vader! I love Vader. I am curious to see what happens!

 

Dianethx - Definitely not good . Thanks for commenting - I'm going to try to get the next chapter up in a few days so the cliffie isn't hanging for long.

MasterSareBabe - Thanks!

 

hope u post the next chapter soon Wendy!!!!!!

 

Peagis - Sorry about the wait! Darth RL gets to me sometimes, and work has been insanity lately.

A/N - Thanks to everyone reading, lurking, and commenting . If anyone would like a PM when I update this, please let me know. This chapter is, as I told Peagis, a little late, but I hope you find it worth the extra days. Darth RL kicked my butt this past week!

---

Chapter 15
-------------
A hunched figure sat in front of a fire, poking it with a long stick. A shallow pan of water sat beside the figure and, as N'oenar watched, it lifted into the air and floated over the flames at a gesture from one skeletal hand.

"The Force."

The hunched figure straightened at the sound of his voice and, when the cloak fell back from its face, he gasped. The old woman from the street, those weeks ago on Coruscant? where was he? What was this place? How-

The answer to his unspoken questions came sooner than he expected.

"Your body is trapped in sleep against its will, but your mind remains awake. As does the Force." White eyes stared up at him.

"What's happening?"

"You sleep."

He suddenly remembered the Utapaun, and a bitter tasting rag. "They're taking us to Vader, aren't they?"

"They wish to."

"I have to wake up!" Panic grabbed at him, tearing at his skin with bony fingers.

"Your mind is already awake. Your body just does not listen." The old woman cackled. "You're stuck here with me until your body can listen to your will once again. Relax, now, boy. There's nothing you can do but wait here."

Somehow, at her words, the bony fingers of panic ceased their tearing, and he wondered at it for a moment. But there were more urgent questions in his mind.

"Where is [i]here[/i]?"

"We're in the Force. We're in your mind. We're all around you." She laughed wildly, tilting the pan and peering at the splashing water. "We are everywhere and nowhere."

[i]She is insane.[/i]

"I am, I am." It took him a moment to realize she was answering his thoughts once again. "Even in dream, even in waking dream, the madness is there, waiting with claws to sink in?"

"Mistress?"

"Shroud the light ? you haven't yet, but you must. You must. [i]He[/i] is coming ? you've been warned. Your Master warned you. Truth floats on the Force, drawn to the ears of those who will listen. Beware."

"I can't. I can't shroud the light ? it's the dark side, isn't it? I can't!" [i]Or could he?[/i]

"You must. You must live, to free the birds."

He stepped forward, and her blind eyes turned towards him. That milky gaze was unnerving, but less so here than it had been in real life. "What are the birds? Are they us? Ayliana and me?"

"No."

That, at least, was direct, and he blinked in surprise. "Who are they, then?"

"You will know. They are near, but they haven't been caged yet."

"Can I keep them from being caged?"

"Some things are beyond your skills."

"But freeing them isn't?"

"Some things are possible." She shook her head, pale wisps of hair floating around her face at the movement. "Easy? No. The greatest pain must be endured, to yield the greatest result."

He frowned, rubbing his forehead. Every time he got one question answered, dozens more came into being. Would he ever be allowed rest?

"When your tasks are done."

"When will that be?"

"Only you can decide." She laughed once again, a cracked chuckle, and at a wave of her hand the pan of water tilted again over the fire. It was beginning to steam.

He moved closer, following her gaze to the pan of water. The steam was strangely mesmerizing. "How is it that you're here? Wherever here is."

"You sleep. I sleep. Worlds away, I am, but distance means nothing to the Force. Remember your teachings." The old woman moved the pan of water from the fire, setting it down in front of him with a flick of her fingers. "Look."

Hesitating a moment, he stared at her before kneeling down and looking at the water. He could see his reflection in it, the light of the stars behind his head, and he lifted his gaze to the old woman. "I