Chapter 2
Kai-Kwon slid the datacard in the computer drive. He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. Finally when he was ready he hit record.
"Citizens of the Republic. I am Jedi Master Kai-Kwon Deo and I know you grow weary of this conflict. I am here to tell you today you are not the only ones. I can speak for all Jedi when I say we have been tired of this war for just as long. The outbreak of hostilities nearly always means the failure of diplomacy and reason. As Jedi our core responsibility is to prevent the outbreak of war. We do this through various means, but know that the serving the perpetuity of peace is the Will of the Force, our highest calling. I say words like always, and nearly, because there are times when answering conflict is a moral necessity and we can rest easy knowing there was nothing we could do to prevent this depravity and violence. I come to you tonight because this is one of those times. While the Jedi's calling is ascension of the Light through peaceful existence, the Sith's calling is pure, unfiltered, power. Their need for conquest and expansion is as innate as a firaxen shark's need to keep swimming, lest it drown. For the Sith, there is no peace. Which means there can be no satisfaction. The rage which sustains them burns for more, always more. It is this rage which made the co-existence under the Treaty of Coruscant always a temporary state. We persevere because we must. There simply is no other choice. So why am I telling you this? The Senate is committed to the war and we could wage battles out here on the frontier whether you like it or not right? Wrong. For too long the Jedi have worn the mantle of hero undeservedly. I can assure you I have seen as many heroic acts from Republic naval commanders and planetary guard privates as I have seen from my own brethren. And I can also assure you that your perseverance in the face of this galactic chaos is heroic in its own right. So don't despair. Your stubborn adherence to life is what we are fighting for."
He stopped recording and pulled up the holomail account for Sirina Sabasoo, and paused a moment, before writing Sorry. This is the best I can do. He paused again before hitting send. He sat back in his chair and steeped his hands in front of his face. The door to his cabin opened suddenly and he turned around to see the Dornean Special Forces Commander Taneer T'Laht standing in his doorway, still in street clothes.
"We're coming up on Garos Kai…General Var-Suthra wants you by his side when we hit Fort Carrick." The tall green-skinned warrior shot a thumbs up to T7 in the corner of the room.
Kai-Kwon had found the droid hiding in the abandoned ruins of the Jedi Temple when he and Kira faced off with the Sith spy Saber Tarnis, whose death ended the oppressive Treaty of Coruscant. He also had been fighting with the Commander of ATIR-7, the Republic's preeminent Spec-Ops unit, for the last two years.
Kai-Kwon flashed a quick smile at Kira as the shuttle dropped beneath the cloud bank of the jungle world of Garos. They came in just above a massive storm cell and the pilot closed the automatic troop bay doors before they got completely soaked. He let go of the grip pole and sat back down next to a new member of Taneer's Convors and brushed the drops of water from his face before running a hand through his long damp hair.
In the three years since the dissolution of the Treaty of Coruscant, Kai-Kwon Deo had grown in so many ways. His short dirty blonde hair had fallen and curled to his shoulders. His lean and somewhat lanky body had filled out and hardened and become flecked with the numerous scars of battle. In addition, he had grown mentally; from a just initiated Knight with a reverence for the Jedi's warrior past and a thirst for battle, to a just initiated Master with a greater reverence for the Jedi's diplomats and a thirst for a lasting peace. He was still under no illusions that the Sith had to be confronted and defeated, but he no longer felt the zeal for battle he once had. No doubt the change had occured two years ago at Yag'Dhul…
The shuttle touched down and he and Kira stepped out onto the landing pad under the driving rain. A speeder came flying up at high speed from the direction of the Officer's quarters, and outstepped the Duros commander of Fort Carrick, Colonel Vanto Vasmar. Vasmar had a rain shield hovering just above his head and he touched a button on its underbelly to expand its girth over the Jedi and Taneer.
"Masters Deo and Carson" the blue skinned, red eyed alien said with an abrupt nod. "We were not expecting you for three more days."
Kai-Kwon ignored the implied question. "This is Major Taneer T'Laht of ATIR-7".
"I fear we may not be ready for your arrival" Vasmar said turning to his speeder, and ignoring Major T'Laht. Kai-Kwon forced himself past his initial dislike of the Colonel, and turned the other way.
"Master Deo? The speeder is here" he said, pointing out the obvious. "We can ride back to my quarters for breakfast and discuss our preparations."
"I'd rather greet the troops now."
"uhh…yes." Vasmar said, unmoving.
"Is there a problem?" Kira asked.
"what's that? No, no problem…they just may be sleeping is all" he stammered nervously.
"at 0940? This is a front line post Colonel" Kira snapped.
Vasmar looked at Taneer for the first time. "You know how things go out here Major, right?" his eyes searched the tall Dornean for an ally.
He didn't find one. "Enlighten me" T'Laht sneered.
With that the three marched to the large barracks complex, the Colonel and his aide scrambling to catch up.
Inside the main corridor the group stood as Colonel Vasmar filed in, brushing the one or two errant drops off his spotless uniform. After looking expectantly at the Duros for a moment Taneer gave up and called attention in a booming voice that needed no aid. Within moments males and females of every species came bursting out their rooms, and Kai-Kwon counted three from rooms not their own, in various states of undress. They came to attention to the right of their doors and snapped off salutes of varying crispness.
After peering into the first two Kai-kwon was disheartened. Each was a mess with empty ale bottles, pazaak decks, and credits scattered across the communal table of the second room. He flashed the Devaronian male with his best impersonation of Kira's daggers look, and saw the private swallow. Taneer would not let him off so easily, flipping over the table and sending bottles crashing to the grimy floor.
"Excuse me Major" Vasmar risked from the hallway.
From room three across the hall Kai-Kwon heard Kira say, "come out…now."
The young human standing at attention in his underwear closed his eyes in nightmarish anticipation.
"I won't ask again."
"Ok, ok, please don't mess with my mind" the ignorant plea rose from the private's closet. A moment later a half-naked Zeltron ran out, picking up her clothes as she went, past an embarrassed Private and a more indignant Colonel.
They had seen all they needed to.
"Alright, listen up! I am Major Taneer T'Laht of ATIR-7," the name of the most highly decorated commando unit in the war succeeded in eliciting some awe from the assembled troopers, but not from Colonel Vasmar.
"Excuse me Major" he whined again. "But you have no right to address my men. First off, you didn't follow protocol by arriving early without the courtesy of a comm, and then you-"
As the Duros continued Taneer just looked at Kai-Kwon, who slowly nodded his head.
"-shut it! I would call you a sorry excuse for an outer rim constable Colonel but that would be a grievous insult to constables anywhere. I don't know how in the Force you were able to climb to this vaunted postion but you have lost the mission, and disgraced that uniform. You're dismissed…by order of General Armin Var-Suthra" he added over the former colonel's protest.
"Var-Suthra? What does he have to do with this? And you don't have the authority to relieve me of command a-"
"-But I do" Kira interjected, positioning herself between the two. "We have the authority to make the determination based on General Var-Suthra's suspicions of your battalion's readiness. You are to collect your things and report to the Corellian Dawn by 0700 tomorrow."
Vasmar started to say something else. "That will be all" Kira bit out each word.
Once the former commander rushed out of the building with his aide Taneer turned back to the assembled troopers, all of whom had to make a conscience effort to close their mouths.
"You men and women are only partly responsible for what has happened here. But you are still partly responsible so don't think for a second you are off the hook. There is no commander who should need to tell Republic troopers to stay ready on the Mandalorian frontier. Starting tomorrow we begin preparations to take on the most capable non-Force using fighting force this galaxy has ever known. And all of you will be thanking the Force that you get to meet them with us on our terms. Because had they focused any attention on better intelligence you would have to met them here, and it would've been a massacre."