The Fading Light

There will be more either in a few minutes or later tomorrow, but for those interested:

Nadja Moranna: Favors

 

Okay, folks, the next three chapters or so are very, very long but only because there's tons going on. I was hoping to put this off for another day, but I realized that these could be dragged along because of the length of everything. So, really, no one falls behind too much.

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And so, the breaking of promises begin.....

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CHAPTER 56.0

Shortly after his arrival at the Supreme Chancellor?s palace, Enothchild was escorted past a figurative encampment of just about every type of politician he could think of from special interest runners to Republic Senators. Even at the late hour it seemed Finnis Valorum had business it much of it had to center around the Vhinech. As he walked through he could feel both recognition and awe and he didn?t have enough time to determine if it was because he was a very big Jedi Master or if it was the first time any of them seen a Vhinphyc before.

Nearing the Chancellor?s office he could hear shouting and didn?t need the Force to know who it was. Lott Dod?s flustering identified him all too well. In Enothchild?s opinion it looked like the receptionist had her fill of listening to him; her Jacshian tentacles were beginning to turn purple. She saw Enothchild and spoke to him, interrupting Dod?s ranting. ?Master Jedi Sarch, the Supreme Chancellor is expecting you. You may enter.?

Enothchild gave her a small, polite bow but came up to see the honorable representative of the Trade Federation now standing in his way. Dod?s eyes regarded him his contempt well hidden due to the fact that he feared Enothchild would spike him into the duracrete floor like a housing stud. He said, ?I do suppose you have a minute for a member of the Senate, Master Jedi Sarch.?

?Actually I don?t if you pardon me.? Enothchild stepped to his right but felt Dod?s hand on his chest. He stopped and regarded the Senator eye-to-eye; easy since unlike other creatures he was tall enough to stare into the red orbs of the Neimoidian.

?Being that I am one of the highest civilian authority I do have your ear,? he said coolly. ?I call that being a Senator.?

Enothchild just smirked and went to a Nadja-ism for guidance. Looking down at the offending hand he said quickly before Dod took it away, ?Actually you?re a Senator feeling out my chest and I would call that a public official sexually harassing me.? Dod pulled his hand away quickly as the receptionist tried in vain not to laugh.

?Then again,? he blinked his eyes repeatedly with great affection, letting his voice get a bit high; well, as close as feminine as possible. ?I may be wrong about you. You?re not a blowhard; you?re a touchy-feely kind of politician. I like touchy-feely.?

Dod took steps back with a wide-open mouth and Enothchild shook his head and walked on by. The Senator watched the receptionist and the other clerks laugh and realized he was duped. Enothchild could only smile when Dod said, ?You wait, Jedi. I will make you talk. I have the votes to get you to talk.?

Enothchild opened the door and said over his shoulder, ?Oh Senator, I would have settled for flowers, chocolates, and a present to make me talk.? He entered with the sounds of laughter and Dod?s shocked stare behind him and closed the door.

Inside he was greeted by the Supreme Chancellor Valorum and his the newly appointed majordomo of the Senate Mas Amedda as well as another familiar face from the past Hankoro Lockheart; the Twi?lek female was a slave Nue liberated from Tatooine who returned the favor by joining the ranks of the poorly funded and way under used Republic Intelligence Bureau, making the organization credible and needed again with her deep and long term covert operations inside the Hutt cartels; being a Twi?lek is was too easy. She was now Intelligence Chief, having accepted the position when the Senate originally passed the Sanctuary resolution, and someone Enothchild knew well but at times was at odds with. Still they had a professional understanding and that mattered.

 

Hoh hoh hoh, the sh!t continues! Can't wait to see how you are going to continue this intrigue...

[and look at the post count!]

 

Nice Thrawnish touch there with the 'mapping expedition'. So, the time-buying didn't really help, did it? Or do we underestimate Enothchild here? Ah, yes, I liked the economics here Just finished microeconomics, and it is quite interesting to read too!

 

Delight: Oh the intrigue! Oh the D-R-A-M-A.

If I learned anything about intrigue is this: there is the facts, and then there are red herrings..........

Djuva: I knew you would catch that Thrawn reference.

Well Juna's interventions bought some time. All hope isn't lost..........yet.

But could Yoda be right? Is this a case where coincedence is just that; an coincedence.

FORWARD! I'll probably post the next part just a little later.

 

FORWARD UP!

ALL LURKERS, REPORT IN!

 

Not a lurker, but reporting in nonetheless.

Yeah LOL on the Thrawn referrence, I guess that's an easy way of making someone unavailable. Kinda like a Star Wars Goulag.

And here we come down to it. Will Enothchild reveal Sanctuary or will he start looking up real estate options in the Unknown Regions?

 

Well, lets see shall we...................AND NADJA IS ALL DONE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT!

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Enothchild turned to look at Master Yoda, and the Grand Master said, ?It is the position of the Jedi Order to honor any request the Senate or the Supreme Chancellor makes of us. A order it is, then obey it we shall.?

?It?s not an order. I just need you to understand my position.?

?I do, Chancellor,? said Enothchild sympathetically. ?However in good conscious I cannot and will not reveal the location of Sanctuary.?

?Even with trillions of innocent lives at stake?? asked Hankoro within reason. ?What would Nadja say??

?She would say the only difference between the innocent lives involved is the numbers, Hank,? he said somberly. ?Even then that doesn?t justify the need to satisfy wanting killers like the Trade Federation. Those Vhinech on Sanctuary will be dead days after I reveal the location.?

Finis smiled just a little and nodded in understanding. Sitting down again he said, ?Then give us the location. We?ll move the military secretly in to pull them off. Hell, there is still a small fleet there and??

?And you will be thrown out of that chair as Republic ships are ordered back, possibly by the new Supreme Chancellor Lott Dod himself,? said Enothchild. ?The military is still under Senate control; the Sanctuary resolution provides that military presence be separate from the chain of command. Unless you are given emergency powers, or they revoke their powers, you can?t move the combined armada anywhere without the Senate knowing about it.?

Enothchild put up a hand and said, ?I made a promise, we all made a promise, to the Sanctuary Vhinech. If we betray them, and they are not slaughtered, they will most certainly join Prophet again and it will escalate the war. Further if we reveal the location it still does not change a thing; Prophet will still have the Legacy Virus.?

?Then I assume when the measure is passed you will stand resolute on your morals.?

Enothchild craned his head to the right a little and caught the look of regret from Valorum again. He looked to Yoda and noted the expression there as his green eyes tracked away. The Vhinphyc stood up to full height and said without sounding accusatory, ?If you must side with the Trade Federation, Chancellor, for the sake of Republic unity then you do not need my input. After all you are doing what?s best for the Republic. That?s your job. In the mean time, until the Senate forces the issue, I have an investigation to run to save lives. And that?s my job.? He worked his way around the chair without bowing and headed for the door clearly not happy.

?Enothchild, please wait,? Valorum said and Enothchild came to a stop. He turned to see Valorum coming around the desk, but he also saw Yoda?s face. The Jedi Master didn?t look too happy, showing his slight displeasure even after activating his hover chair to get him moving to join him by his side. The Chancellor stopped halfway between the desk and the first archway and said, ?I didn?t mean to put you on the spot. But you do understand my position here.?

?I do,? said Enothchild. ?The Republic if faltering because of ill concepts and now it will be saved by even more ill? Undoubtedly this is one of those times when a man?s word must be broken and allow injustice to win.? He opened the door and left it open so Yoda could get out in his hover chair. He couldn?t believe that Valorum was now willing to give up the lives of all those Vhinech that he swore to protect. He knew it wasn?t out of the need to remain in power, it was for the Republic?s unifying fabric, but integrity was built on leadership and leadership sometimes meaning that the leader had to stand by his principals even if it meant his own life.

As he reached the lobby Master Yoda finally caught up with him after piloting through the crowd. ?Wait, I say. Too fast you move. Stride greater than your influence it is.?

Enothchild stopped and looked at his good friend with admiration and some regret. ?I?m

 

FORWARD!

 

forward?

 

I am a bit confused by what Yoda says here ?It is the position of the Jedi Order to honor any request the Senate or the Supreme Chancellor makes of us. A order it is, then obey it we shall.? and later Yoda gave the younger alien a look of disbelief. ?As if we answer their beck and call, make it sound you do.?

To me it seems he said just that in the first quotation. But maybe I am wrong here. Still, he is willing to comply with Valorum, isn't he?

 

Very nice Casper. But I think no one will put off Yoda for long.



Great posts!

 

Yup Yoda is.

And don't worry about the confusion; that was done on purpose. I did that to illustrate a point; a point Naressa made in TDH about the Jedi being 'contradictions of themselves' and Sidious more or less saying, 'The Republic are slaves to the Jedi Idea, while the Jedi are the slaves of the Republic'; again a point of contradiction that is more fact than fiction.

Yoda does say in there that long ago the Jedi Order swore their service and loyalty to the Supreme Chancellor and to the Republic. The Jedi live in peace and, quoting Mace Windu from AOTC "We're keepers of the peace, not soldiers.". However they come to aide the Republic and come to the Supreme Chancellor's request. Why? More or less it is to help, but the Jedi Order are also a organization of the Judicial Branch of the Republic; a lot of resource books outlined that. In some sense there is that compliantcy.

With 'beck and call', Yoda is more eluding to what it means versus the Jedi's commitment to service. It is strange, it's suppose to be; it's suppose to be that fine line of debate cloudied in contradiction. And really Star Wars, the Jedi and the Repbulic specifically, is touching a non-real life issue; I can't find any good example in the world except maybe the Inquistions and that's a poor example.

It's actually a reverse form on the historical principal of religion dictating government; government using the services of religion, the religion compling without hesitation.

THINK ABOUT THIS TOO - (Joker from 'Batman') "Where does he get all those wonderful toys?"

For a religion, the Jedi Order is a very well equiped religious organization; I doubt very, very much Yoda is a televenglist. .

BUT- That large temple was not built overnight. The Archive wasn't thrown together the way it looked in AOTC. They just don't have those neat ships like Obi-Wan flew in AOTC created in a Jedi garage. All this requires money, that means some level of supplied funding, that means revenues from tax dollars and that means the Republic. I think we can all agree the Republic was not all that trusting of the Jedi; there would have to be some form of oversight because, let's face it, not everyone trust even a Girl Scout selling cookiees in real life. Some of that oversight has to be in a form of government control through regulation, or beaurcracy, or transactional agreement, or funded and unfunded mandates (you want a clear example of such mandates study the Clinton Administration), or all of the above. So in order to have these monies paid, one may/could/would draw the conclusion that the Jedi, being a part of the government, had to make agreements and arrangements with the government in regards to service. I think in the SW universe most of it is on a good faith basis, but I can't believe all of it is. Otherwise the Jedi Order gets a blank check every year; not that they would do anything bad with it, but with anti-Jedi opinions a long standing staple in the Senate the concept wouldn't be so forth coming.

In short in order for the Jedi to be keepers of peace and justice they have to get the mullah and that means, also, they have to be deputized executive officers of the Republic to make arrests or even, as Yoda did in AOTC, lead armies. To have that ability, to have that power and have it be of the Jedi Code, there has to be a form of obeying to the powers they have sworn to serve.

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On a much deeper, deeper level however folks may miss something: The Messenger of the Force's message was once again passed along:

The infrastructure of a society begins to fold when its leadership starts to compromises its integrity, for integrity is there only spiritual strength.

Once again Nadja makes a point post humus thanks to someone living.

Thanks for pointing the stuff out, Djuva.

Whoops, you snuck in there, Sara. Thanks.

 

cool posts.... Yoda's behavior is curious... eh heck, that's what you get for being 700 years old!

 

Thanks, Jaxx.

And thanks for everyone's patients. Moving right along..........

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CHAPTER 56.1

When Enothchild got back to Alouha?s apartment he didn?t expect a party, or something that resembled one; the place was a little more crowded than he had anticipated with the additions of Ros, Casper, and Nue. They were all around a dinner table with food prepared by Alouha?s house staff and when Enothchild saw Juna his mood lighten up considerably. She got up and greeted him by grabbing his hand and squeezing it. She said, ?I missed you.?

?I was going to say the same thing,? said Enothchild with a small smile. She lead him to an empty chair next to hers. ?You look a little tired.?

?It wasn?t a good day,? Juna said when she sat down. She looked at him with a crane in her neck, no longer worried about herself. ?What?s wrong??

Enothchild just shook his head and said, ?Matters. Matters, in which, you shouldn?t be getting involved in.?

Juna kind of blushed, her bad day seemingly disappearing with his finger wag at her. She whispered, ?I just made one call.? A server droid set Enothchild?s place. ?Now come on and eat you big doof.?

It didn?t take them too long to fill their plates as some of the small talk continued among them. Dizzy and Muriel more or less clung to each other like any flirtatious married couple would do without worrying about anyone?s opinion. Casper looked uncomfortable but no one was sure if that was due to the fact the Arnes? were being so lovey dovey or because he wasn?t fiddling with a data pad looking over evidence. Nue quietly ate but every once in a while he stole a glance Juna?s way, observing her moves and her actions, committing them to memory so he could log them in when he got the chance.

Ros, on the other hand, had more problematic matters with Lou fixing his plate. The Twi?lek Jedi?s modesty didn?t even come into play. ?I can do that you know.?

?And I think you don?t eat enough,? Alouha said with a shake of the ladle. ?It wouldn?t hurt to get more muscle on those muscles.?

?And you never skipped a meal as a dancer.?

She wagged a finger at him. ?Never; only a fool starves themselves for a better performance. I won the audience with my grace, grace come from strength, strength comes from working out the moves, and the energy from that comes from food.?

?You know I?ve been a grown man for a while.?

She cocked her good hip a bit more upward. ?But you are still my baby boy. Do you have any idea??

?Why me,? he said grumbling, putting his face in hands. Ros knew what was coming from his mother, and like any mother Alouha Bitter was going to make him feel sorry he was ever born.

Enothchild and Nue began to say along with Alouha, having heard the speech before. They couldn?t help to rub it in on their fellow Headbanger. ?How many hours I was in labor? Plenty and plenty means I can still tell you what to do whatever and whenever I want. I feed you, I clothed you for six months, and I even wiped your bottom. So be a good Jedi and take my hospitality since you don?t bother to call or write me and yes you should feel guilty because I am your mother.?

There were a few chuckles as Ros smiled and his entire head and lekku turned a shade of red. Juna looked at the two and could see a bit of a resemblance between the two in the eyes that she didn?t take note of before. Since there was no common last name between the two no one would bother to link the two together. Juna knew from reading ?A Knight is Born? that many Jedi are given a new names upon induction for security purposes and also to begin the process of emotional separation; often times a Jedi is named after a Jedi from the Old Basic language, the Abelion, that existed during the time of the creation of the Jedi Order. Obviously Ros didn?t want that separation to be permanent regardless with all the joyful pain that came with it.

Turning her attention back to her plate Juna filled it and began to chow down. Enothchild was all ready cramming in what he had, obviousl

 

I... have patients?

I'm not a doctor or a dentist...

who are my patients?

WHERE are my patients???!!!!!

OH MY GOD, THEY'RE GOING TO DIE!!!!

*ahem*

The post itself... it's amazing how male Juna is sometimes, and that, in itself, makes me think that Enothchild will be getting himself in an incest/homoerotic situation should he get into a relationship with Juna



It's good to see our heroes have a bit of a light point every now and then. Not everything can be completely covered in darkness, I say.

 

A room full of people and all that tooting going on, I hope they do crack more than afew windows.


That was a great post. Very lighthearted.

 

LOL Jaxx, yeah I don't know how to spell!

But yes I will take good care of your patients.

As for Juna being a bit manly: well she is a bit of a tom boy at heart. She gets in those discussions with the other fighter pilots in Bravo Squardon, as illustrated in 'The Krayt Dragon' and she's just as bad as they are. It's just a part of her innocent nature.

But Enothchild?!?

You're letting Nikita's thread get to you, man. Let go.

Sara: Well........it ain't the Gheruits.....

Overall you got to have that break. It gives people a moment to take a deep breath (not the characters because of the gas in the room) and collect themselves.

If there is a pattern to my mindness, and please don't be shy I am insane <wink>, is that my story telling is a roller coaster ride; as every intense story should be. If you have learned anything, then you all know that this........is the ascent up the starting hill.

<Looks at their growing faces of glee> Oh yes, you can see the crest of the hill; from there it's a thrill ride straight down.

FORWARD!

 

Interesting. Most interesting indeed.

 

Yikes, I don't want to ramble.......okay.

Thanks Delight. Yeah, I think you have to have all this. I think you got to have that moment of breath. I think SW has those moments when, suddenly, the war isn't there, the personal conflicts within are put aside, the weight and the enormity of it all just vanishes until, of course, when they serve desert.

 

Hehe, very cute post, and Jaxx, I am reminded of this exchange:

Lord Vetinari: You are a doctor?

Doctor: Yes.

Patrician: Do you have many patients?

Doctor: Oh yes, a lot.

Parician: Good, 'cause I have very little.

 

Hehehehehehe.

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CHAPTER 56.2

As everyone else retired to the living room for quiet conversation, Juna was preparing to go to bed. She took a long shower first, and then clothed herself in her regular sleeping attire consisting of an Enothchild-size shirt, sweat bottoms and bantha slippers. She sat down in front of the little chest hutch to brush her hair in the mirror, all the while she thought about what she went through today.

The examinations did drain her a lot emotionally today. With more of the same tomorrow and probably different topics of discussion to cover she wanted to have a good natural rest so she could be sharp and prepared; no sense in cheating with the Force since undoubtedly the Council may frown upon it; abuse of the Force was a big no-no, especially when it didn?t require it. Frankly there seemed to be no end to the examinations that Juna could clearly see.

If she impressed them Juna didn?t see it or feel it before today, and she did get hints of their displeasure when talking about the feelings around her loses. That bothered her a little as she paused in brushing her long, thick mane to consider it. The Jedi Council?s emotions were so controlled and yet they were so relaxed with them. She kept her poise on the outside but deep inside she was all nerves; shaky and uncertain while those 12 beings nodded their heads and squinted their eyes at her. She wondered how they could do it, and if so will she ever learn how to do it, especially if she was not to seek revenge against Prophet.

Did she want that?

No, she wanted Enothchild. When he came home there was this great relief that swept through her, a weight that lifted where Dizzy?s humor, Muriel?s assurances, and Lou?s zingy cider juice didn?t. And when he gave her that little hug?

Juna felt Enothchild suddenly in her mind and she knew he was coming to the door. She said, ?Come in.? Then he went ahead and knocked. Blushing a bit she said, ?Come in.?

Enothchild entered the room and gave her a friendly smile. ?I had hoped you weren?t sleeping quite yet. But need I remind you to keep yourself in control.?

?I know, I didn?t mean to sense you,? she said, setting the brush down and standing up. She couldn?t help to feel, though, that something was on his mind and regardless how much effort she put in it she couldn?t help it. Smirking, she chimed, ?Next time I won?t think about you so much.?

His face fell a little and Juna began to blush again; that was a bit of a slip. She fluttered and sputtered out, ?I mean?I won?t think so much of your teachings.? The excuse really sucked, worse it sounded as if his teachings were not right. However by the looks of his face he didn?t pay mind to it. She got a little concerned and sat down on her bed, inviting him to sit down beside her by patting the mattress. ?What?s wrong??

?Tell me about your day first.? Enothchild walked over and sat down and Juna practically fell towards him as his weight pushed it down. She smirked and moved away a little, but she couldn?t help to feel suddenly tickled by his presence, with him on her bed. She kept any growing smile off her face as she realized that it was serious and it did have to do with her.

?No, you better go first,? she said insistently. ?Actually, I don?t want to talk about my day if you don?t mind.?

?Very well. Juna, we?re at a quandary in the investigation and worse the situation over the Sanctuary resolution has gotten even grimmer.? Indeed his words brought down both her adolescent feelings and own feelings of doubt, replaced by her professionalism. ?The Supreme Chancellor may side with the Trade Federation tomorrow and move for a vote.?

?If he does that, Sanctuary will be destroyed for sure,? she said with concern. ?I?ve stole a glance at the bill; it calls for an immediate withdraw of the guarding fleet there.?

?I know. Tonight he asked me for the sake of Republic unity to tell the Senate where Sanctuary was without voting.?

Juna pursed her lips in a tight line. She thought it

 

NOT a good idea, Juna-girl!

 

JUNA! [face_shocked] What are you doing? Don't you trust your friends? I bet you are breaking some unfathomable rule of the Jedi Order to go around sneaking into things that are expressively none of your.. concern.

*ta-tumm.... ta-tumm..... ta-tumm....*

 

Curiousity killed the cat, Juna. Although satisfaction brought it back, there is no Jesus to pull a Lazarus for you in Star Wars...

I'd suggest reconsidering.