Book 2:

Makashi "Way of the Ysalamir"

by

Sir Mac

After a few years of training on Dagobah under the tutelage of Master Bashtar, residing within the Rylothian star ship, and the intense work to become a strong user of the Force, young Ren grew both physically and spiritually. His blond hair grew to longer than shoulder length, straight as a bone and very thick. His green-gray eyes were much sharper and more observant now than at any point of his training under the Twi'lek master. His senses were more attuned, the constant usage of the Force became second-nature to Ren Shard, so much so, he learned Force Push and could move objects with little effort.

The Twi'lek, Bashtar was pleased with his apprentice's skills with the vibroblade, the closest weapon he would have to a lightsaber until he could build his own and make the weapon unique. The vibroblade, designed to vibrate at a high-speed, increasing the cutting power exponentially, was lightweight, slightly curved tip around thirty-inches long could be wielded in one or two hands. Ren, Bashtar took note, had been using it one-handed and this freed up his other hand to manipulate the Force freely. The blue-skinned Jedi Master constantly reported to the Council about their progress, and it was then Council issued an assignment.

"You are to go to Manaan in the Pyrshak system," Master Bram Pasha said via the holoprojector. The Nautolan was the Grand Master on the Jedi council. His tentacles hung down along the back of his broad shoulders in the blue-green floating image. "There is trouble brewing there, I can feel it in the Force."

"Yes Master," Bashtar responded, his arms folded across his chest. "We shall leave immediately for Manaan. What are our orders?"

"Stability, Bashtar. May the Force be with you."

Chapter 1

The Other Master and Padawan

Ula Von paced her Mistresses' quarters impatiently, occasionally glancing out the window as the heavy raindrops drummed against the thick glass on the outside. The young Mirialan did not like being indoors, and felt cabin fever settling in. It had rained steadily for the last four weeks, and she presumed there was no end in sight. Her yellow-green skin was marked by a pair of tattoos under her lower lip in a vertical stripe ending at the cleft of her chin. The markings were a sign of her age within Mirialan society, like humans used birthdays to try to understand maturity. Her eyes were as deep blue as the water that surrounded the surface station used to accommodate off-worlders who wished to engage in business with the native Selkath on Manaan. She wore her long brown robes a black belt, the hood to her robes pulled up over her head concealing her straight black hair which was cut short. She stopped at the window and gave a loud huff, the likes of which her Mistress responded to.

"Ula, settle yourself," she said. The elder Mirialan sat on a set of pillows against the wall. A long set of robes, black and brown in color, flared out around her seated form. Her hands rested in her lap as she knelt on her knees, perfect posture. Her back straight, her head down, eyes closed. The mistresses' light green skin was dotted and marked with regular geometric tattoos under her eyes, down her cheeks, and along her forehead. She opened her eyes slowly to look over her mobile Padawan with her dark green eyes. "Remember your training, Master Garok would scold you for your restlessness."

"Mistress," Ula came back softly, eyes lowering, "I am sorry. I have been cooped up in your room all this time, and I need some exercise, Mistress Naioma."

"Patience, Ula. You must have patience as a Jedi. Being hasty will cloud your judgment, remember that."

"Yes Mistress, I will try," Ula said and joined her Mistress on the cushions along the wall, kneeling upright, head low.

"I fear unrest is upon the normally peaceful Selkath people. We must be ready."

The Rylothian lowered into the atmosphere of Manaan and was escorted by security toward the port in Ahto City, a surface center established by the Selkath sociocracy to engage the off-worlders in trade. The elongated and tapered cruiser gleamed in the bright sun that shined down on the watery planet until it broke through the thick gray clouds that hovered over the vast ocean. The ship easily drifted into the hanger, out of the rain that dripped to the floor as the ship came to rest upon a tripod stand. The side ramp opened and extended out. Bashtar and Ren exited the ship slowly, the two were met by a concierge to the port, a Selkath named Kona.

During the Jedi Civil War Manaan was the only exporter of kolto, a powerful healing solution found in the waters of Manaan, primarily mined near the Hrakert Rift to the galaxy. With the war in full swing, all sides needed kolto to heal their wounded. The Jedi combating the Sith. The Galactic Republic sided with the Jedi, combating the powerful Sith Jedi from the planet Korriban and taking considerable losses. This made Manaan a very important planet to the war effort, and each side courted the Selkath to sway them to support their cause over another. The Selkath, seeing their mineral's importance, used that as leverage and supplied each side with a wing on the Ahto City port and sold their kolto evenly across the board. With demand for their a substance native only to their world so high, the Selkath made a fortune, but all good things quickly came to an end.

Production began to suffer during both the Jedi Civil War and the Galactic Civil War four millenia later, and with the demand high as well as the price of kolto, all sides began to search for something cheaper and bacta replaced kolto, and the economy of Manaan collapsed. Then, Emperor Palpatine enslaved the Selkath, but with aid from Darth Vader, in disguise, the Selkath drove the Empire off Manaan. In short, the Selkath held little trust for the Galactic Republic, or any galactic entity for that matter, but the Jedi were different.

To many Selkath the Jedi were their inspiration there could be good in the galaxy. Jedi Master Qual, alive during the Jedi Civil War, maintained his presence on Ahto City and with his Selkath people looking out for them, and to those sensitive enough to notice his presence, permitted the Jedi order to send emissaries.

Bashtar spoke to Kona and was filled in on the situation. The Ahto High Court Justices were under intense guard as assassinations had become the norm in Ahto City and below the surface. Kona explained there were already a pair of Jedi present in the city, two female Mirialans, in the port. Bashtar knew the Mirialans, Naioma and Ula, her Padawan, were here. He reached out with the Force and announced his presence to her and his lips curled slightly in a smile. This did not go unnoticed by Ren as they walked the halls.

Master and student were led through vast arching blue-gray halls, large windows looked over the expansive ocean that covered all of the planet. Today's feature was the gloomy sky and the driving rain that fell over the station. Ren stopped and folded his hands into his sleeves and gazed out over the roiling ocean surface. The normally blue waters were deep dark gray, frothy and rough as the wind sloshed and blew against the side of the station. Ren's development in the Force had begun to extend to the nature around him, and he felt the turmoil in the planet, the storm was as if it were abnormal to any storm he'd experienced on the jungle planet of Dagobah. He turned and saw his master and the concierge slipping around a pillar into the center of the Ahto City ring.

"Down this way is the Ahto City Court room. The evidence has already been gathered by the female Jedi," Kona said in the Selkath language Selkatha. Ren listened carefully as Master Bashtar translated, then the Selkath pointed toward the corridor to the left. "There are the suites. A suite has been set aside for you and your Padawan, Jedi Master Bashtar. The two female Jedi will be interviewing the remaining justices this evening. If you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. Feel free to look around."

Kona left quietly for the corridor they came through when Ren and Bashtar arrived to meet with any other dignitaries that may arrive.

"Ren," Bashtar said to his apprentice without looking back, "experience the city, I am going to meet with Naioma. You'll have company, Ula will be down to join you. Find a way to exercise, but be mindful of the Force." His tone serious, always educational. He now looked down at Ren. "Ula is about the same level as you are, you two could learn from one another."

"Yes Master," Ren bowed to his Master and Bashtar bowed back, then the two parted ways. Ren went back to the large window, his green-gray eyes once more softened as he looked over the troubled oceans. He felt the pain of the planet, the city above the water shook as he leaned fully against the glass, his mind reaching out with the Force.