Star Wars
Tales of the Jedi
Blade of Destiny
Chapter I: Knighthood
Salia swallowed hard - no matter what the occasion a meeting with the Jedi Council warranted anxiety. Even on a day such as this, one that should be filled with pride, relief, and joy, she was still nervous to step into the room. Thankfully, they were not yet assembled, and thus she and her master, Artur Reis, were left waiting just outside, watching the early morning traffic of Coruscant. Artur seemed so at peace, but he had done this two times before.
I would be, if I were turning a Jedi Master today…she thought as quietly to her self as she could. Outside, separating itself from the rest of the Coruscant traffic, a single capital ship arced by, its front blazing with the insignia of the Supreme Chancellor. Salia's brown eyes followed it, just another Supreme Chancellor, more promises, even less answers. How could the man be elected Chancellor when his own home planet was being invaded by the Trade Federation? Now that queen…Salia felt a pang of respect for her, wading back into the fray, her and the Jedi single-handedly defeating both the Federation and a Sith lord…
"They are ready for you…" says a guardsman, opening the ornate doors of the Council Chamber and bidding them entrance.
Salia was up and ready to go in a heartbeat, her nerves making her jittery. She could practically feel the Force bristling on her neck this morning. The anxiety and the nervousness, the excitement. She would be getting her first true mission today. Behind her, Artur was not nearly so fast. He calmly unfolded his legs from his meditation and ambled on into the chamber, looking very peaceful. Next to him, Salia may as well have been floating on repulsorlifts.
If anything could kill excitement, it was Council meetings. All around them the members sat, not talking, just…staring. It had always been disconcerting to Salia. Her eyes scanned from one member to another as she entered and stood facing Mace Windu.
"Salia Ara Matea, you have successfully passed the Trials." The Council always knew beforehand, as well did the student, but hearing it from a Jedi Master was always an uplifting experience. Salia allowed a small smile, her eyes dancing with pride and fulfillment. Twenty-four years…she had been training since birth for this moment, and now it was upon her.
"Bestow on you rank of Jedi Knight, the council does." said Yoda, coming off his seat and hobbling over to her. Salia knelt down, still finding herself taller. "Ready for the burden are you…to uphold peace and justice in the galaxy." Then Yoda's expression changed.
"This you cannot carry!" Salia looked down at her newly completed lightsaber.
"But Master Yoda…my other lightsaber was given to…"
"Matter does it not!"
"I had to build my own. And besides…it never hurts to have a backup."
"Salia, a Jedi Knight may you be, but much have you still to learn. A Jedi carries only one lightsaber…until that one is lost or destroyed, another one does not replace it."
"But I don't see what th…"
"If wield this one you do," said Yoda, hitting her new lightsaber with his cane, "kill a loved one you will, and be tempted by the Dark Side."
"Why have I never heard of that before?"
"Because never seen it have you. Never the horror once a Jedi realizes what he has done. Throw it away Salia. Or leave it…come back to it when the time is right."
"Master Yoda, you have my word that it will not be used until this lightsaber," she said, holding up the one that her master gave her when she was twelve, "is destroyed."
Yoda managed his way back to his seat while Mace took over. Salia ground her teeth. All those eyes, staring at her. The Council could feel her reaction - they always could. There was no fear or anger…just an irritation. They had not liked it, but it was one of those blurred lines in the Jedi Code. So her training had been allowed.
"Are you prepared for your first assignment, Salia?" he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"Yes, Master."
"You are to travel to the Malorus system. There you will be protection for one King Numitor."
"And what makes this king so special?"
"He is under the threat of invasion by a neighboring system, and having a Jedi out there may just turn them away from their attack. You must go to the Malorus system quickly, Salia. Protect the king, and if possible end this war of words between Numitor and Ortorex."
"Yes master."
"Thank you, young Jedi Knight, that will be all." he said, effectively dismissing her. She bowed in thanks and turned on her heels, grateful to be leaving. As she felt the cooler air of the antechamber brush against her face and neck, she could feel thirteen pairs of eyes on her.
Chapter II: Numitor
That day Salia sat alone in the gardens, looking up at the statue of her hero, the legendary Nomi Sunrider. As she looked up, she was cradling both of her lightsabers, one in each hand. Yoda's words kept trailing through her mind. She had always seen the one that Artur had given her as more of a loan. She'd built hers for her - she'd even readjusted the grip on it - most lightsabers were designed for a man's hands. Salia had narrowed the grip a bit so it fit her hand perfectly. She'd built her blade hotter than the others' - thought it was blue-white it was still predominantly white. It was hers. She didn't want to give it up. Nomi wouldn't have, but her time was long ago, before everyone was bound by such stupid rules. As she looked up, a smile and an idea formed. She would just take hers along as well, maybe she'd get a chance to use Artur's Padawan lightsaber and lose it. She could keep hers on her, have it ready in an instant, and keep fighting.
One night of fretful sleep and bad dreams, four days in hyperspace, and an hour of holding flight later, Salia finally put her ship down on a beautiful docking bay. The planet at least, was beautiful. It was a cool temperature, the kind that encouraged one to be outdoors. The skies were a mix of blue skies and thunderclouds, with a vibrantly green countryside all around. The buildings themselves were old - they looked to Salia much like some of the ruins on Alderaan, although these were fully functional. Much of their design was far out of date, but the beauty of the castles remained the same.
As a speeder came up, a sudden gust of wind whipped across the spaceport, blowing hair into Salia's face. Her blond hair was only down a little past her ears, but that was long than she'd been allowed to wear it in years. She figured if she'd used a few Jedi tricks to make it grow out faster, there'd be no Council out here to chide her.
"Salia Ara Matea?" asked the man in the passenger seat.
"That's me." she answered.
"I'm Linder Drosek, King's aide." He extended a hand. He smiled a lot. Salia regarded him carefully - nobody smiled like that upon meeting a stranger.
"Get your luggage?"
"Just a few extra robes…"
"They didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what exactly?" asked Salia. She could have just invaded his mind and found the answer, but the Code forbade such actions, so a bit of back and forth was necessary.
"Well, you see, Mistress Salia, we'd prefer it if we didn't…umm…announce to the rest of Malorus the fact that we have a Jedi Knight protecting his highness."
"Jedi only wear Jedi robes…its is our way." she protested. She'd actually grown quite used to her Jedi robes - they were comfortable, simple, they were all she needed. Linder didn't seem to think so.
"Believe me, we wish to maintain Jedi traditions as much as possible, but for this assignment his highness has commanded that you present yourself as just another Malorian. Besides, if you're that beautiful under those Jedi robes, you'd be downright gorgeous in a Malorian silk dress." His smile changed, something flickered in her mind. She smiled back at him, waving her hand across the air ever so slightly.
"You don't stand a chance with me, so you won't even try." she said, hint of amusement on her face.
"I don't stand a chance with you, so I won't even try." Linder responded, like an obedient pet. "Will you honor the king's command and dress in a manner befitting to a lady of the court?"
"Yes, Linder, if it will help."
An hour later she found herself in a maroon dress, very sleek and simple. After some of the images of royalty she'd seen on other worlds, she'd feared the worst, but hers was simple and light. Her lightsaber she carried in a small handbag. Linder took her through some of the passages of the great castle, including a room with its own fifteen-foot waterfall. The walked under the waterfall and through a door that began to smell like…a stable. Walking through the door, daylight burst in and revealed several horses, with a middle-aged man brushing down stunning, black horse.
"King Numitor, Mistress Salia Ara Matea has arrived." The king looked up, looking anything but regal. He smile seemed as familiar as a grandfather's. Salia allowed herself a smile at how well this place seemed to be breaking down her preconceptions about backwater planets and monarchical government.
"Mistress Salia, it is an honor to have you in my home."
"The honor is all mine, your highness." she replied. "I have not been filled in on…"
"I am to understand that this is your first assignment?"
"As a Jedi Knight, yes. But I have served and fought as a Padawan learner."
"I see." He said, looking a bit dazed. As his eyes met Salia's again, he waved his hand as if batting the feeling away. "Nothing, my dear. I've just never seen a beautiful woman Jedi before…that's all. You weren't what we were expecting, exactly. Tell me, how well can you fight?"
"I would say well enough."
"Could you give us an indication?"
"Once I had mastered the lightsaber - only two people have beaten me."
"Who?"
"I doubt you would recognize…"
"Salia…my son is a Jedi…or at least a Padawan. I know many of the Jedi. Who has defeated you?"
"Master Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Kenobi…that Trade Federation thing about a month ago…right?"
"The same."
"Impressive, young Jedi. You were indeed what we needed." he said, his tone suddenly getting serious. Salia's mind perked up; this was no simple bodyguard assignment.
"What, exactly, is going on?" she asked.
"Good men are dying…and it is not Ortorex. We think that he may have a Rogue Jedi in his employ."
"What gives you this idea? Maybe he's hired a bounty hunter or something."
"I've lost three ambassadors, my war advisor, and my state advisor…all have had cauterized stab wounds to the chest. Only lightsabers deal out such damage."
"Any idea…"
"No, unfortunately the wounds are all we have to go on. Someone with a lightsaber is assassinating my men. It is not a Jedi Knight; it is against the Code. Which leaves a Rogue Jedi…or a Sith."
"I don't think Ortorex is that powerful, to be allied with the Sith the way the Trade Federation was…"
"What? The Sith have been dead for a millennium?"
"Well…look I'll tell you later, all right?" replied Salia, delaying more questioning about the classified information she'd just given up. "Right now let's get back to this Jedi."
"What do you know about Rogue Jedi, Salia?"
"Well, there are few…who leave the Academy for whatever reason, who never complete their training. As a Jedi they are incomplete, but as a warrior they are still formidable."
"Very good…now you know what we are up against." said Numitor, pushing through the two of them and heading back into the castle. "Now, let us eat."
Chapter III: A Cold Night
It was late…in the sky alien stars dotted the blackness. Salia walked just off to the right of the King as he proceeded to his bedchamber. She was tired, but the rumor of a Rogue Jedi had brought her to her senses. As she talked with Numitor she was extended with the Force, trying to feel for another presence.
"…Salia."
"Huh? Oh…I'm sorry, I was concentrating."
Numitor smiled. "Hey, don't worry about finding him…or her I suppose…anytime tonight. Just go get some sleep. I've got two guards out front here…and these blasterproof doors. Go get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."
"Your highness you are vulner…"
"I won't hear of it. Go enjoy the guesthouse."
Salia tried to argue for the next few minutes, but Numitor's laid back attitude finally won out, and she finally retired to the guesthouse - which was without a doubt its own palace. As Salia walked through it, she noticed outside that it had its own private pond. After being on Coruscant for most of her twenty-four years, a pond to swim in sounded just too wonderful. Kicking off her shoes, she dipped a toe in. The water was warm. Judging by the climate, the pond, all of it, was undoubtedly heated.
Well, I'd might as well enjoy the guesthouse. Not like anyone is still awake she thought as she unzipped her dress. In a matter of seconds it was off and she was splashing happily in the pond. Despite its warmth, it still felt very crisp. Diving underwater, she shook her head, soaking her hair, before she came back up. She found a side of the pond that was designed for sitting against - with a solid granite bench and jets that pointed right into the back. She leaned back and let the nozzles work on her upper back and shoulders as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She reached out with the Force, trying to see what it would tell her. All of the sudden her eyes flashed open and she was leaping out of the water.
"Numitor." she said breathlessly as she ran past her dress that lay on the grass and instead threw on her Jedi robes…they took less time to put on. In a minute she was out the door towards the castle. Her legs were pumping as fast as they could…she could hear the racket of noises within the Force but her legs wouldn't carry her there.
Two guardsmen stood outside Numitor's bedchamber, fully armored and with heavy blaster rifles in their hands. Quickly something darted past one of the windows.
"Did you see that?"
"See what?
"I don't think we're alone."
From out of nowhere a yellow beam of light flashed out, swung around and one of the guards collapsed with no sound. The beam thrust as the next one fell. Silence was necessary to the man, who held the two guards, their blasters, and whatever else was falling the ground in midair with the Force. He put them down as he regarded the door to Numitor's chamber. Then, suddenly, he plunged his saber in, cutting clockwise into the door, slicing cleanly through it. An instant later he was inside.
Salia hit the castle running, spin kicking the outer door open and running past before the guards could even notice. An instant later her lightsaber was out and ignited as she dashed for Numitor's bedchamber. Rounding a corner, she found that the Jedi had used his lightsaber to melt the opening mechanism on the door. She was stuck. The bedchamber was so close…straight and then just around a corner. She could see it from the window.
The idea hit. With speed and grace that only Jedi possess Salia had cut away the window and hopped onto the balcony. In the bedchamber's window she could see the glow of something yellow. She quickly shut off her lightsaber so she couldn't be seen. Besides, she'd need her hands. There was no extending balcony…no way directly across, and she was two windows down from the ramparts up top. She grimaced as she looked up - about thirty feet above her was a flag pole…one every fifteen feet, connected off of the rear wall of the ramparts. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, looked back up, and then she jumped. With the power she put into her jump she almost overshot, but instead came up right above the bar, her feet landing on it as it sagged with her weight momentarily before rebounding her back into the air.
Salia was ready, flipping and twisting in the air, landing silently on her feet and running the moment that she felt stone beneath her. Her wet hair clung to her forehead and seeped in along the edges of her robes as she sprinted across the roof with all the noise of a light breeze. In instants she was directly above Numitor's bedchamber. She wished she had some rope, maybe swing in. Looking down, she had about twelve feet between her and the ledge for the window. She could only see one way down…so she sat down with her back facing over the edge and prepared to fall back. If this was more than a split second off…
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" she murmured quietly to herself before she fell back over the edge of the rampart wall. As she fell she flipped over…extending to vertical just as her head passed the ledge for the right window. She sucked in some air, caught the ledge with her hands, and then bounced back…her feet landing silently on the ledge as the lightsaber was already ignited and cutting into the window. It all happened so fast…and the assassin was gone. She burst out the door into the hallway…saw a blade swirl and another figure fall. The Rogue Jedi. She gave chase…but as she rounded a corner the assassin had just vanished. She stretched out with the Force…and nothing.
Angry with herself, Salia turned and walked back to Numitor's bedchamber, swearing to herself silently the whole time. Back in the room, she looked at Numitor…stabbed through the chest…same as the others.
"Salia? We heard the alar…by the dragons of Malorus!" Linder ran to the king…and sank.
"The Rogue Jedi…he…I chased him and…" Salia said as Linder's eyes locked on her lightsaber.
"Salia you are the only one here with a lightsaber."
"Surely you have sensors…something?"
"We do…they only showed you."
"But I…why would I kill him? I'm a Jedi!"
"Indeed. Guards!" Linder's eyes glared accusingly at her as his blaster came up.
Salia's heart sank as she realized that her mission suddenly got far more complicated.
A few locks of hair brushed across the cool moisture on her forehead. Perhaps she hadn't noticed before, but the beads of water had turned to a nervous sweat.
"Linder!" Salia hissed, "You heard Numitor yourself - he suspected a Rogue Jedi of the other attacks."
"And the sensors only showed one person enter this room. And you are the only one here with a lightsaber."
Think Salia, how could he possibly have tricked the sensors like that? She pulled in her emotions and quieted her mind, taking in the room. Her brown eyes looked through Linder and focused on the door.
"Proximity or Interior?"
"Proximity." replied the king's aide.
"That's how he did it!"
"Did what?" his blaster still had not moved.
Salia nodded towards the door. "It never opened - he cut through."
"How do I know that wasn't you? None of the guards seem to have seen this intruder."
"He's an assassin! What do you expect? The men who saw him are the ones lying dead in the hallway."
"Then why aren't you even injured?"
"I was too far…look you know I did not do..." Salia's Jedi-enhanced hearing told her Linder's comlink was about to go off. Sure enough, a second later came the familiar beeping.
"Linder here."
"Uh, sir - the hinges on the door have been fused," came the voice of a distressed guard, "It'll take a few minutes to cut through."
"Understood." With a chirp the comlink was off. Salia watched closely, looking for the break she'd need. Then, for just a moment, Linder's eyes flicked down so that he could snap the comlink back onto his belt. To Salia it was an infinity of time.
The young woman Jedi moved so fast that before Linder could blink he was lying on the floor, looking up at her. His blaster was now in her hand…his back hurting from flying into the wall.
"Huhh…" was about all that he could get out.
Salia stood over him, seeming to tower over his few inches off the floor. She knelt down beside him. "Linder…I did not want to. The Jedi are defensive…but I cannot allow myself to be so wrongfully accused. I will not surrender. I will find the man who murdered your King Numitor, and I will bring him to justice." Then she was gone. In the distance, Linder could hear footsteps running towards him.
If one thing had gone right for Salia, it was that Linder's call had distracted the guards and brought them all to one spot. Once she had flipped and jumped her way back up to the ramparts, the guards on duty had all gone below to help unfuse the door. With a half-shrug she was off running…there were some woods past the castle, if she could make it to them. As she was nearing the end of the castle, two guards emerged from the far staircase. Salia promptly jumped over the side...and easy drop for a Jedi…but they had already spotted her.
By the time Salia's feet touched the cool grass, the guards were already swinging the spotlight around at her. As she ran she stretched out with the Force. Behind her she could feel the guards' weapons tracking.
With a flick of her ankle she had spun, ignited the lightsaber and caught a blaster bolt. It bounced harmlessly into the ground. The other one noticed, and begin fired as well. She deflected the shots with ease, but she still did not like the idea of staying much longer. As a shot fell to her lower right, she swung the lightsaber at it, batting it back. As she had intended, the spotlight exploded in a shower of sparks and she was off again. Behind her were voices and coming footsteps…and it wouldn't be too long before the palace guards had an new spotlight on her. Salia looked around, trying to find anything to aid in her escape.
And around the corner game a contingent of about thirty guards, Linder at their head. With blasters drawn and ready, they rounded the wall to find nothing. The Jedi Knight was gone.
"Find her! Tower Four?"
"Yessir."
"Where'd she go?"
"We don't know sir…she took out the light."
Linder walked over to the moat. Beyond it lay a vast forest. Plenty of places for a Jedi to hide. "She's in the forest!"
As Linder and his men rushed off into the forest, Salia's head emerged from the water very slowly. She turned to look, and in the distance, she could see several guards moving off towards the forest. She smiled to herself. It had worked. Looking around, she noticed that she was close to a thicket at the base of a rather small mountain. Jumping out of the water, the night air was a bit unexpected, but manageable. As she started walking, the wind picked up a bit, making the cold water on her skin quite uncomfortable. With a bit of an effort she tried a trick that her friend Kestrel had picked up - the vaunted Jedi drying trick. As she stood there, the water seemed to explode off of her…leaving her clothes and her hair dry. That having been done, she started off into the thicket.
What went wrong? she asked herself as she walked. How can I fix it? The king had died…she had been blamed. All she knew was that there was someone running around out there with a yellow lightsaber. And there was a noise coming from her left.
Salia spun around, her Jedi Cloak whipping around and her old lightsaber emerging in her hand.
"Good…I had to make sure it was you, I apologize." came a voice from the tree.
"Who are you?" she asked into the darkness. A figure stepped out…an aging man, probably in his fifties.
"I, am a friend, Mistress Salia Ara Matea. I am here to help."
"I don't need…"
"My Lord knows what has transpired. He knows of Linder's accusations. And he knows that you were not the assailant."
"And your lord is?"
"Achrias Tydis."
"And his function?"
"Publicly - my Lord runs several shipping and mining operations, as well as weapons manufacture - making him one of the wealthiest men on the planet. As a hobby, he gathers…information." The man added a sly smile as he finished.
"And why are you here?"
"My young Jedi Knight…I was sent to offer my lord's assistance." In the distance the search was turning their way. "And shelter."
"Very well, but let us hurry. We haven't much time."
"I have a speeder this way…come."
Chapter IV: Revelation and Redemption
If King Numitor's castle had been ostentatious, Lord Tydis' was an exercise in discretion. Still a gigantic home, it was built tucked away inside a mountain, only a small part protruding, looking as though it were simply a modest house.
Salia did not know what to make of Lord Tydis at first. The man had an air about him that she understood to mean that he knew what he was doing. By the looks of his home, he probably didn't need the air of success as well. Conversation went on for nearly an hour as Tydis talked of one or two contacts he had within the Jedi Order, his business ventures, even the wild game on the planet's second moon. Salia was dying to learn why Tydis had brought her here, but she wanted him to bring it up. She could outlast him in idle conversation all night, the Jedi mind was hardened into patience.
"Wait a second…Qui-Gon helped you escape from a pirate raid?"
"Well to understand the situation - we were in a YT-1000 - and were jumped by an Incom Gunboat. They had knocked out our weapons and shields - they had us. There they were, so close we could see the pilots laughing at us. I've never seen anything like it, but Qui-Gon jettisoned his lightsaber out the airlock, then used the Force to wield it and cut apart their ship while its crew were concentrating on us. All of the sudden THEY were the ones without systems. The look on those faces…"
"Qui-Gon was a good man."
"You have been framed, Salia." Tydis' rapid change of subject caught her a bit by surprise.
"Yes, I know that much." she said, her eyes staring into the fire. "It WAS the Rogue Jedi that Numitor had talked of, wasn't it?"
"In a sense, yes." Salia's eyes left the fire.
"In a sense?"
"Rogue Jedi are not so skilled, so precise. Tell me, Salia, have you ever encountered one?"
"Other than tonight, no."
"They are skilled, yes, but against a Jedi they stand no chance. They do not have the proper control of the Force. This man does. He has finished his training."
"Are you saying that this is a Jedi Knight we're dealing with?"
"You're dealing with. And no, I'm not. This man is a mercenary now. King Numitor is dead because someone wanted him dead - no witnesses, no trails. Whatever he once was, he is now a mercenary."
"So I'm now dealing with an ex-Jedi Knight?"
"Or perhaps Master. He IS powerful, Salia."
"Well, at least he's not Sith."
"Paah. From what I have heard, Qui-Gon's killer had all the professionalism and subtlety of a drunken borntoor. This man will not fight to the death. He will not fight a battle he cannot win. He is a mercenary, he is intelligent, and unlike a Sith he knows when escape is better than an honorable death."
Salia stood up and walked over by the fire…pushing it apart with her mind…making little images in the flames. "How do I find this…person?"
"Now in that, Mistress Salia, I believe I can be of some assistance…"