Star Wars: The Old Republic: Jedi Trials
Chapter One
The morning of the Sacking of Coruscant
Jedi Master Kelik Desto stood in front of a group of younglings that had gathered in the north courtyard of the Jedi Temple. He grinned as his eyes scanned the group. Through the Force, he could feel the raw potential in all of them. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands behind his back. "You have all been here for several months," he said. "And it's time you were assigned your Jedi Masters, and therefore begin your training as Jedi Padawans." A murmur of general excitement fell over the crowd. 'This means you'll be assigned missions, which you'll undertake at the discretion of the Jedi Council, or in some, rarer cases, the Senate."
In the front row of younglings stood a young human with a shock of messy brown hair and bright blue eyes, staring up at the Master with a smile on his face. Kayne Karagi had been brought to the Jedi Temple here on Coruscant a few weeks ago, having been discovered by Master Desto himself on a mission to Alderaan. The Jedi had sent him there to settle a dispute between two warring noblemen. The mission had turned sour, and one of the noblemen captured Desto, holding him for ransom.
It had been Kayne that had rescued him from the containment cell he'd been placed in. The son of one of the noble's advisors. Kayne managed to get into the prison block without much trouble. Having heard of the Jedi, Kayne had initially not exactly planned to free him, as he didn't want to get a beating. He'd simply wanted to meet a Jedi Knight.
~~Three Weeks Ago~~
Kelik sat in his cell, eyes closed in meditation. Having been disarmed, and stripped of all of his supplies, he fell into the Force, searching for a way out of this predicament. He had been in worse scrapes, though in many of those he'd had the aid of his old Padawan-now-Knight Rayth Wynn. Rayth was on Corellia teaching younglings at the Green Jedi Enclave, so there was no use trying to connect with him through the Force. It would take at least a day to get here from the Enclave anyway, and he doubted he had that long to live. He sighed. Opening his eyes, he took another look around the cellblock.
"Won't do you any good, Jedi." The voice, low and gravelly, belonged to a larger than usual Trandoshan in the cell across from him. "You'd think you'd have noticed this, but the Thul guards here have been trained to resist Force persuasion."
"I hadn't planned on using the Force, friend." Desto said evenly.
"Giving up?" the creature scoffed. "Not too Jedi of you, Jedi."
Desto smiled. "I haven't given up. I simply haven't made my move yet."
Suddenly the door to the cell block slid open with a loud whoosh, and a young boy walked in, key card in hand. Scanning the room, the child locked eyes with the crouched Jedi and approached him, eyes wide and grinning ear to ear. "Are you the captive Jedi Knight?" he asked.
Kelik smiled at the boy. "Jedi Master." Suddenly, he got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't a feeling of dread brought on by his impending execution. No, this was something he'd felt many times before. This was the same feeling he got around beings that could manipulate the Force. 'What's your name, young one?"
"Kayne Karagi. My father's a servant of House Thul." He paused, looking down. "I guess that makes me a servant too." The boy made eye contact again. "So, what's your name?"
"Kelik Desto." He kept his gaze on Kayne, feeling the annoyance in the boy's Force presence. "What brings you down here, Kayne?"
"Don't tell me they're using children to bring us to the executions…" the Trandoshan growled. 'I didn't think even the Thul's were that sick."
"N-no." Kayne stuttered, looking at the Trandoshan. "I just wanted to meet the Jedi before they had him killed." He looked back to Desto, whose face was no longer soft. His graying beard made it appear that he was scowling, and the wrinkles by his eyes seemed to give him a quiet strength. Somehow Kayne could feel the seriousness in the air, as if it were an electric buzz in his head.
'You've got to release me." Desto said flatly. 'I'm your only chance to escape a life of servitude. If you let me die, so dies your freedom.
"Freedom?" Kayne looked confused. "Why would you help free me?"
"Kayne," Desto sighed. "You have the potential to be a Jedi. The Force is with you."
"Me?" Kayne looked shocked. "A Jedi?"
"This keeps getting better…" the Trandoshan growled, watching the scene with an amused look on his green scaled face.
Without waiting for a response, Kayne slid the keycard into the lock by the Jedi's cell and the ray shield dissipated. Kelik stood and brushed off his trousers. He strode out of his cell and across the hall to stand before the Trandoshan. "It's dangerous out there." he said, nodding to the doorway. "I'll bet there are a bunch of armed men."
"Yeah?" the Trandoshan said. "And I take it you could use the muscle?" The creature laughed a raspy, reptilian laugh that made Kayne a little uncomfortable. "I'll need my blasters."
"Yes, and I have to retrieve my lightsaber and comlink before we leave as well." Desto looked at Kayne. 'Might you happen to know where they've put our belongings?"
Kayne nodded, a smile coming to his face. He pointed at a large strongbox in the corner of the room. "Your things are probably in there. Problem is, the keycard I used on the cell doors isn't compatible with the strongbox It uses an old metal key so that it can't be hacked."
The Trandoshan smiled, and ripped the door from its hinges.
Master Desto had brought Kayne to Coruscant upon their escape, having stolen a Thul ship from a personal hanger with the help of the Trandoshan, who hadn't revealed his name until they were off-world and headed for the Capitol. Quim'ro had been a bounty hunter, and had given Kelik his com code, should he ever need a job done. They had parted ways at the space port, the two humans headed for the Jedi Temple and the Trandoshan toward the nearest bar.
'Becoming a Jedi Padawan is an important step in your growth in the Force. Upon achieving this rank you'll build your own lightsaber, as well as being provided off-temple housing. Your lives will change drastically, that much is true." Desto paused. "Jedi are selfless, willing to lay down their lives in defense of the innocent. Some of you will face hardships. Pain and loss are a part of everything, and you must understand this, so as to avoid the Dark Side of the Force."
In his first few days at the temple, Kayne had been told of the Dark Side, and of the Jedi's ancient enemies, the Sith, who had been destroyed three hundred years ago by Jedi Master Meetra Surik before her disappearance into the Unknown Regions. The Dark Side is what gives Sith their strength, stemming from anger, and the use of negative emotions and experiences to boost their power in the Force. The Jedi were practitioners of the Light Side, which was mainly used in defense of the weak, and shunned the use of negative emotions. Kayne wasn't sure he grasped the reason behind this. If the Dark Side was so powerful, why didn't the Jedi use that power? It felt like a waste.
"Master Rax Broga will take over the assigning of Masters." Desto said, nodding at a blue skinned Twi'lek male standing at his side. 'Karagi, come with me." He nodded at the boy and started toward the entrance of the temple. Kayne ran to catch up with him, staying behind him and to his right. "You've progressed quite far in your short time here, young one." Desto smiled over his shoulder. "If you'd like, I can oversee your training as a Jedi. You could be my Padawan learner."
Kayne looked as shocked as he had the day he'd learned of his connection to the Force. "Why me?" he asked. "There are others much further along in their training."
"Yes, there are." Desto agreed. "So, logically, you could use more attention."
"I- I would be honored, Master." Kayne choked out. "That'd be amazing."
A few hours later, Kayne and his new Master stood in front of the Senate building, the hoods of their brown Jedi cloaks drawn up. "We've been asked here for what, again?" Kayne asked, a clear hint of annoyance in his voice.
Kelik smiled. "Relax, Padawan." The way he said the word made Kayne tremble with excitement. Padawan. "You know you weren't supposed to take that saber out of the temple, right?" He looked at the simple shining hilt prominently displayed on the boy's belt. "Though, I understand your reason. ''I remember when I built my first lightsaber. I was so proud of it I 'trained for hours on the live remotes. I'll show you the scars someday."
"Yes, Master. I'm sorry." Kayne said stiffly, and seemed to realize how not-relaxed that must have sounded. "We shouldn't keep the Chancellor-"
Suddenly a flash of light and fire erupted from the Senate building entrance, sending the two Jedi tumbling back. Desto managed a graceful midair flip and landed on his feet in a crouched combat stance, his lightsaber already in his hands, ignited, its violet light casting a luminous glow that seemed to cut through the fog created by the explosion. Reaching out with the Force, Kelik searched for his Padawan in the Force. The boy was only a few feet away, having not landed on his feet. He stood slowly, igniting his own training blade.
"Padawan!" Desto called. "You've only got a few hours' worth of training with that weapon. You'll be of no use in combat. Contact the Jedi temple and make sure the Council sends~" He let his words trail off as the smoke cleared. 'That can't be." He turned his eyes skyward, and his jaw dropped. There, in the sky above Coruscant sat dozens of huge starships. From their sides came a steady stream of smaller ships, fighters, landing craft and bombers among them, headed straight for the Senate building. In the distance Kelik could see another group of ships heading for the Jedi Temple. Smoke already rose from its spires.
Turning to Kayne, Kelik pointed to the space port. "Go. My ship is in hanger six B. My droid will let you on board. I want you to stay there until I contact you." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and ran into the Senate building.
Kayne swallowed hard, feeling a growing sense of unease creeping into his stomach. He hoped that it was nothing, and not the Force telling him he'd never see Master Desto again, but he didn't allow himself long to worry about that before breaking for the spaceport.
Another explosion rocked the Senate building as Master Desto rounded another corner. Down the hall from him, about thirty meters away, stood two armored humanoids brandishing blaster rifles. As he drew near, the men turned and fired a barrage of red blaster bolts in his direction, causing his advance to halt as he adopted a defensive stance and batted away the attacks. Reaching out with the Force, Desto focused on the soldier on the right, or rather, on his blaster, and tugged it to the side, spinning the soldier to face his comrade, and firing two shots into him. The soldier cried out in pain as he was launched into the wall due to the force of the blast. The remaining soldier let out his own startled cry, but it was cut short as a violet blade sliced through his chest.
Before moving on, Desto checked the attackers' armor for identifying markings. His eyes went wide as his eyes came upon the symbols on the shoulders of both men. It was a symbol he'd seen before in the Archives many times. The Sith Empire.
Stripping the bodies of their explosives and hooking them to his utility belt, Desto continued his race toward the Senate chamber, where he knew the senators would be held under guard. He hoped the attack on the temple was going better for the Jedi than this strike was proving to go for the Republic.
The Republic hadn't seen it coming. They'd been caught with their guard down in the worst way, and to be honest, Lieutenant Reina Keitan felt this war wasn't worth the Empire's time or recourses., though she had to admit a certain excitement had taken hold of her as she watched the invasion unfold from the bridge of the Star Destroyer Ziost Flame. She was the second in command aboard this ship, under Captain Oran Kent, though she, and a few others aboard, felt she had been the one that should be in charge, and to a certain extent, she'd hoped he would have done something to cost him his command during thi, though all indications were that he may be getting special recognition for a job well done.
A human female of average height, Keitan had been part of the Imperial navy for nearly six standard years and had been an officer for nearly two years, and had been transferred to the Ziost Flame two weeks ago, after the last second in command had been killed by an angry Sith. Keitan scowled, annoyed at the thought of the Sith. Those lunatics had been the reason the Empire had gone to war. The Emperor himself was a Sith Lord, and his Dark Council served as the enforcers of his will. Those without a connection to the Force were stepped over, considered lesser beings, even if they were human In lieu of having the Force, Keitan had decided to join the Military, proving to be an excellent tactician, blasting through the ranks.
"Lieutenant Keitan," came a voice from behind, "the invasion is proving to be a great success. We've simultaneously attacked the Senate building and the Jedi temple with strike teams consisting of both foot soldiers and Sith of varying rank."
Turning to face the voice, the Lieutenant nodded. "Very well. Now, we wait."
Kayne found the right docking bay and stared at the lock by the door. Without a thought he unclipped the training saber from his belt and ignited its blue blade, and jammed it into the control panel. The sound of electronics frying filled the air and the door opened with a hiss, granting the young Jedi entry. In the bay sat a rather nice looking Defender-class starship, painted deep blue with gold trim.
Master Desto ran past crowds of screaming civilians as he made his way to the Senate chambers, eventually reaching the doorway and raising his lightsaber, ready for a fight.
Before he could react a sharp pain struck the small of Kelik's back, launching him forward, over the railing of the observation walkway and tumbling down to the floor of the senate chamber, crashing into several of the Senate float stands as he went. He landed on his back on one of the lower platforms, which was luckily empty. Standing and looking back up in the direction of the strange attack, he saw its source. Standing there, looking down at him from under a black robe, was a red-skinned female that Desto recognized with shock, as a Pureblood Sith. She leapt down from the observation walkway landing in front of the injured Jedi, who ignited his saber again and stood in a limp defensive stance. "Sith." he declared.
"Yes, Jedi." Her voice was silky, almost mesmerizing. "We have finally returned, and your puny Order will not stop us."
She lunged forward igniting her lightsaber and jabbing at her opponent's midsection. Kelik took a step back and parried her strikes, his balance compromised by the nasty fall and shock damage he'd taken, so his defense was awkward and sloppy, and he was barely able to keep her blade away from his flesh.
Suddenly two Republic soldiers came to the Jedi's aid, appearing from the observation walkway, firing at the Sith and forcing her to back off and focus on them for just long enough for Kelik to blast her with the Force, sending her to the ground level, crashing to the floor with a loud thud. He leapt back up to the observation walkway and nodded to the soldiers in thanks. Turning back toward the Sith he unclipped one of the thermal detonators from his belt and pressed the button, holding onto the grenade until the Sith began to move, and then tossing it at her. "Now we leave!"
The loading ramp to Master Desto's ship lowered and Kayne ascended the ramp and pressed the door com. "Padawan Karagi here. Master Desto told me to stay in his ship."
After a moment a reply came. "Where is Master Desto, young one?"
"He's at the Senate building. There was an explosion."
"Understood."
The door hissed open and Kayne entered the ship, shedding his brown cloak and tossing it aside. Master Desto's droid approached him. "Young master Karagi." he said. "I am C2-A4. I'm a steward droid. Is there anything I can get you while we wait for Master Desto's arrival?"
"No, thank you, CeeTwo. I'll just meditate." Kayne replied and went to the cargo hold while the droid resumed its work.
Kayne sat cross legged in the cargo hold, eyes closed, trying to meditate. Dozens of thoughts raced through his head, keeping him from relaxing. What was happening, exactly? Who were these attackers, and what was going to happen to the Jedi? To the Republic? He realized he was trembling, and his eyes opened. No nine year old, Jedi or no, should have to go through something this traumatic. This was war, and that terrified him.
A dull thrumming noise woke Kayne abruptly, who didn't remember having fallen asleep. He stirred and got to his feet, stretching awkwardly. Walking to the galley, he saw that CeeTwo was at the Comm station. A holographic image of Master Desto stood awkwardly, as if injured. "Master?"
The holo turned to look at the child, one eye shut, a fresh cut over it. "Padawan…" Master Desto said quietly. "You're currently in route to the planet Tython, ancient home of our Order, as is the decree of the remainder of the Jedi Council and Republic Senate."
"And you?" Kayne asked.
Kelik smiled. "Unfortunately not, young one." He paused. "Our paths aren't the same. I have work to do. I've arranged for my former Padawan, Jedi Knight Rayth Wynn to take care of your training.
'Take care of my training?" Kayne frowned. "What are you talking about?" Even though he was untrained, he could feel the tension in the Force. "Why can't you do it?"
Master Desto sighed, closing his eyes. "Young one, the coming days are going to be difficult. You'll go through hardships that I couldn't have fathomed at your age." A smile graced the man's face. "But there will also be good times. You're a Jedi, and the Jedi stand together." He nodded to CeeTwo and the droid swiftly exited the room, leaving the two alone. "I have a gift for you." He nodded at a footlocker in the back of the room. "Inside, you will find my first lightsaber, as well as a Jedi holocron that I've constructed for this very occasion. You may use it to further your training while you travel to Tython, or if you simply require my guidance at any time over the years."
Kayne could feel something calling to him from inside the durasteel locker, radiating with the familiar feeling he had in the presence of his Master. "Is this goodbye, Master?" he asked somberly. "I mean, I wouldn't be a Jedi without you, and now I'm headed off-world and you're- well, you're not." He ran his hand over the lid of the locker, hearing the lock pop in response to his touch, and the door slid open, revealing a small cube adorned with several ornate designs, and a simple lightsaber hilt, the crystal chamber shown through a clear portion of the hilt, just above a grooved leather grip, showcasing a honey-colored auburn crystal. "The way you're talking, and giving me these things, it's like you don't plan on ever seeing me again in person."
"Try not to think about that, young one." Desto said. "You must concentrate on the here and now. The Sith have attacked the capitol of the Republic. A strenuous peace has risen from the ashes of Coruscant, but I don't want you to be fooled, Kayne."
"Fooled?" Kayne didn't know much about the Sith Empire. They'd only recently resurfaced, having taken back Korriban and carving a swath of destruction through Republic space in the last few months alone. Apparently they'd been involved in a long-standing war against the Jedi and all others who practiced the light side of the Force.
"The Sith are sly, and deceit is second nature to them. An offer of peace is clearly a ruse. In the years to come, I know you'll cross paths with them. The holocron I created contains information on lightsaber forms, as well as certain more advanced Force techniques that, should you keep up your studies, you should have no problem mastering." Desto smiled. "Now, I've got some things I have to take care of, so I've got to leave you to prepare for arrival on Tython. You'll be receiving a transmission from the Grand Master soon. May the Force be with you, Padawan."
Master Desto clipped the comlink back to his belt and raised the hood of his robe, ducking into a dark alleyway and suppressing his Force presence. He knew he was being followed, and he could feel the anticipation of his pursuers in the air, so thick he felt he could cut it with a vibroblade. Calling on the Force, he did what he could to ease the pain that still shot through his shoulder. A dull pop accompanied a sharp stabbing pain as he forced he popped it back into place, and the pain started to subside.
Several minutes passed without incident, and Kelik had begun to think he'd shaken his predator, before two hooded figures appeared at the end of the alleyway, both igniting crimson lightsabers and pointing them at their prey. "Jedi…" one breathed, pure distaste accompanying the word, the hate clear in her voice. "Your little grenade isn't nearly enough to stop me. I am Sith, fool, and it takes much more to kill one of us."
The other Sith made a sound that resembled garbled laughter, though Kelik couldn't make out his features, as they were silhouetted currently. "And from the looks of it, you're injured, Jedi." More garbled laughter. "A pity. I was hoping you'd be in better condition.'
Without waiting for a response, the female Sith leapt forward, coming down on her prey with a vicious overhand strike, which, had he not sidestepped, would have cleaved him down the middle. Igniting his lightsaber and digging in, Desto parried her strike, slashing at her legs. The Sith deftly blocked the attack, and a wash of sparks flew as her crimson blade intercepted his violet one. She let out a throaty cry as she once again went on the offensive, driving the weakened Jedi back with a quick series of thrusts and slashes, his one-handed defense barely able to keep up with her onslaught. Thinking quickly, Desto leapt back and thrust his injured arm forward, calling on the Force for all he was worth. The ensuing shockwave caught the Sith in the chest, propelling her backward with a cry of alarm. Her lightsaber slipped from her grip and clattered to the metal walkway, automatically powering down with a sharp hiss.
Acting purely on the momentum gained by the surprise attack, Desto called her weapon to his free hand and advanced on his defenseless prey, bringing both lightsabers down on her, but rather than hearing the sound of cauterizing flesh, Desto was met with the sound of a lightsaber blocking his killing blow. The male Sith, now clearly another pureblood, had come to his partner's defense. Refusing to lose his momentum, Desto kept the assault going, focusing now entirely on the male, who didn't seem to have much trouble bobbing and weaving around his aggressor's attacks. Flicking his wrist, he swung his lightsaber in the direction of Desto's off-hand, knocking his partner's blade free, and into the waiting hand of his now-recovered partner, who now decided to make her own advance, once again driving Desto back into the alley.
Suddenly a volley of blaster bolts rained down on the female, causing her to break off her assault and turn in defense. Three republic troopers had appeared, choosing now to make their move, and Desto silently thanked them, using this opportunity to strike, shoving his lightsaber through his attacker's back, and she cried out in agony before falling limp off of the Jedi blade with a hard thud. The male, now enraged by the death of his partner, shoved his free hand forward, sending a massive shockwave crashing into the soldiers, sending them screaming over the edge of the walkway, falling into the abyss.
Turning on the male, cursing to himself, Desto made another attempt to gain some ground, managing to score a tiny victory, pushing the Sith back, as well as giving him a decent sized burn scar on his cheek. The Sith howled in rage and thrust his arm forward, sending a nearby dumpster crashing into the unsuspecting Jedi Master. The dumpster made solid contact with Desto's head, earning a loud clang and making him see flashes of white. His lightsaber flew from his hand, following the unfortunate trajectory the Republic troopers had taken.
Kelik hit the ground with a hard crash, and he could tell he had a concussion, as his mind was swimming. This Sith wasn't a pushover, that much was obvious. Almost before he had registered hitting the ground, the Sith had him by the throat, slamming him roughly into the alley wall. A cacophony of pops and cracks rang in the air as the Jedi's bones shattered. His spine broken, Desto began to run through his options, but none seemed feasible in any sense. He had been disarmed, and was clearly in no condition to fight this Sith, whose Force presence had increased tenfold upon the death of his partner. "Seems I've-" He coughed blood, making a mess of the Sith's sleeve. "It seems I've struck a chord with you, Sith…" He drew a ragged, pained breath.
The Sith growled and tossed the broken Jedi to the ground, lowering his hood. He had jet-black hair slicked back with some sort of gel, and his appearance gave off a refined vibe. His bright red skin almost looked human, for he lacked any of the tell-tale tendrils that purebloods normally had on their faces. "I am Darth Xela." The Sith's voice boomed with anger. "I am a Sith-Human hybrid, in case you were wondering." He let out a humorless chuckle, gripping the Jedi's throat with the Force and lifting him off the ground. "And I am your executioner, as I have been for many Jedi today."
Now
Thrusting both arms forward, channeling the Force as best he could, he sent the Sith tumbling backwards over the walkway railing, though not before being pulled after him. The two combatants fell together, Desto having gone completely limp, the last of his energy having left him. Both of the men landed on top of a passing garbage transport ship, Xela landing gracefully while Desto likely broke even more bones as he crashed into the steel ship.
"Enough!" the Sith shouted and thrust his arm forward. Tendrils of blue lightning snaked from his finger tips and struck the crippled Jedi in the chest, causing him to scream out in agony, the force of the lightning launching Desto off of the transport and into the fog below.
Donning his hood once more, the Sith leapt to the nearest landing platform, landing with as much grace as he could manage, his composure faltering for a moment, and he allowed himself another laugh. He had seen this many times in his dreams, and today he, and the Empire as a whole, had struck a blow against the Republic that they wouldn't recover from swiftly. The Jedi were scattered, the Chancellor and many senators were dead, and the Sith casualties were barely in the hundreds compared to the thousands of dead Republic soldiers, citizens and Jedi. "Today will be a day long remembered." Xela smiled menacingly and began to walk toward the burning Jedi temple.
