Chapter 3

Madeline Moraes, part 1

The Temple was eerily quiet.

It was strange how alive it became during the day, but at night, only the echoes of the lone guard patrolling the temple was the only sound. But, for Madeline Moraes, it was a time when she could be her old self. She could take off the mantel of leadership of the most prosperous Jedi Temple on Earth, place the title of Grand Master somewhere else and just be Madeline Moraes.

Madeline enjoyed being a Grand Master. But she never could've imagined the energy it took in running an entire Jedi branch. She was only fifty-six and already her hair was turning grey. The woman only had a couple strands of coffee-brown hair remaining. In all her life, Madeline would never have imagined her being the one to restore the Jedi Order on Earth. If you would've told her younger, more happy-go-lucky self that she would be a Grand Master who brought one the rebirth of the Jedi Order, she would've laughed and asked if you were on Death sticks.

As time went on, Madeline learned just how funny Fate could be. She learned different things about herself that she never knew she knew. Of course, it helped that the Ancients that held domain over this temple left behind some interesting teaching lessons. Such as the balance of the Light and Dark Side of the Force. It was an interesting concept that the woman had made the center lesson at the Temples throughout the world. She took the past mistakes of the Jedi Order to heart, figuring that the reason they had such trouble keeping the balance was because of their own hypocrisy. So, keeping that in mind, Madeline made sure all the temples taught that the balance was not the absence of darkness but a presence of both.

Her mind wondered to the boy that was currently staying with her on the account of his Uncle, Luke Skywalker. Madeline sighed as she slowly sipped the tea, a troubled expression on her face. Ben was strong in the Force, much like his Uncle and Grandfather. But much powerful. He had the potential to become his grandfather, only much more dangerous. Earlier that day, when Madeline took the boy to the Room of Prophecy, something in the Force had stirred. It more darkness than she had ever felt in her life. She had tried meditating, listening closely to what the Force was trying to say. It became all jumbled as visions from the Great Purge swept through her mind's eye. Screams of the murdered, dead and dying echoed within her very soul.

Then, Ben came running out of the room, looking like he had seen a ghost.

Madeline had to struggle to get him to calm down. When he went out for the day, many Padawans, Knights and Younglings had come to her, complaining about strange feelings. When she asked for a description of the feeling, all of them had agreed that it was like a snake, cold and scaly, was slithering all around them, tightening its grip on them. Because this place sat on a Nexus, the energies are amplified drastically. And all of the Padawans, Younglings and Knights had just described a feeling of amplified darkness.

The Grand Master placed the cup of tea on the wooden tray that sat in front of her. She took a deep breath as she clutched the cloth of her dress. There was a presence that entered the room, but Madeline wasn't frightened. The presence was a calming one, one that had been with her every step of the way in her journey to become the most famous Grand Master Earth ever had. She smiled as the stress practically melted off her, being replaced by a calm and collected feeling that had her shoulders dropping in relaxation.

"It's good to see you again, My Lady." She greeted to the glowing figure behind her. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"You have done quite well, Madame Moraes."The Daughter congratulated. "It is such a difficult task rebuilding an Order from the ground up with a new type of teaching."

"I had you to guide me. Maybe not physically, but spiritually." Madeline turned her body and poured an extra cup of tea for the Force Spirit. Only to realize that she didn't drink. But to her surprise, The Daughter picked up the cup by the handle delicately and sipped it daintily. The Force Deity glanced up and saw the greying brunette give her a questioning and confused expression.

"I am returning to the Natural Cycle of the Force. Thanks to you, some balance has been returned, balancing out the evil done by my brother. Soon enough, I shall begin a new and better life."

Madeline smiled a little wider. She even righted the unbalance caused by the former Grand Emperor. Fate was indeed a silly thing.

"Do you have anything important to tell me that I could do to continue this change?" Madeline asked.

All of the sudden, the atmosphere changed. The Daughter gained a dark expression on her face and her bright aura darkened. "Ben Solo, the young boy that you allowed into the Room of Prophecy. He is a danger to the balance of the Force."

"What do you mean?"

"Think of the Force like this cup. If dropped,"Madeline watched the Daughter let go of the china. The grey-haired woman winced when it landed on the floor, shattering into several pieces. "It shatters. The cup was delicate much like the Force. If not taken care of, the Force can easily be thrown back into unbalance."

"And what about Ben Solo?"

"The Scion of the Skywalker bloodline must not fall to the Dark Side. If he does, the Force will get thrown out of balance once again. An unbalance that could take years to fix."

"So, what you're saying is to make sure that Ben Solo doesn't fall to the Dark Side." Madeline summarized.

"Essentially."

"Well, you could've just said that." Madeline muttered. A little louder she said, "I'll do my best. But the decision to remain on the path of righteousness is Ben's choice, and his alone. The Force will take its course in due time."

The Daughter chuckled. "You have gotten the mysterious master speak down."

"It took a while to perfect it." Madeline agreed. "Thank you informing me of the danger the boy possesses. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to contact the boy's master."

"Of course, Madame Moraes. May the Force be with you."

The Daughter bowed her head as she vanished from the visible plan. Madeline used the Force to bring over her com. It landed on the amplifier, and almost immediately the symbol of the Old Jedi Order appeared as it tried to reach Master Skywalker. While it was loading, the woman returned to thinking about how much had changed. Chloe Bourgeois, the current mayor of Paris, was in her last term of service. However, she had been targeted by the EARTHLINGS, a terrorist organization that didn't approve of the Jedi being on Earth. Chloe had grown in maturity and into the leadership role flawlessly, although when Madeline visited her after the attempt on her life yesterday, it was clear that the EARTHLINGS wanted her out of office. Madeline suggested that she head somewhere safe before the elections.

After the latest attack on the Mayor, Madeline had beefed up security around the Temple, ordering the guards to not let anyone in unless they had identification. She also announced a curfew on the temple, with a specific order that no one would be allowed entry to the temple once the gates close at ten-thirty pm. Madeline knew that her orders were going to cause some outrage by some of the Knights and Masters but she did it to protect the Temple. The EARTHLINGS maybe smart, but that was a far cry from being sane. They would attack the Jedi Temple of Paris, even if the odds of them surviving such an assault were slim to none. Madeline would not stand for such an attack on such a sacred place.

The pinging of the communicator brought the greying master out of her thought. A moment later, the supposed Chosen One appeared.

"Master Skywalker." Madeline said in her way of greeting.

"Madame Moraes." The man greeted in the same way. "Do what do I owe this talk? Has my nephew caused trouble already?"

"No." Madeline answered honestly. "Young Solo is an excellent student, even besting me in some areas. However…."

"What?"

"I took him to the Room of Prophecy, hoping that he would be able to find some sense of peace, as there is a conflict within him. Unfortunately, that just made it worse. Whatever he saw in there, it wasn't good."

"He didn't tell you?"

"I have made it an unspoken rule that whatever happened in the Room of Prophecy, it stays with the person it happened to. I don't want anything seen inside that room to be misinterpreted, as that is exactly what happened with the old Order during the Clone Wars. But I think I have an idea on what happened."

"Oh, do tell." Luke Skywalker ordered, in a perfect impression of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Well, most of the younglings and Padawans had reported a feeling of darkness for several hours." Madeline informed the younger man. She started to ramble off theories. "Since this Temple sits on top of a nexus point, and the Room of Prophecy is the very center point of the nexus, I have a theory that Young Solo saw something dark in his future, and his fear spread throughout the Force. I fear that, as of today, he will be targeted by those who will seek to corrupt him."

"You maybe right. Ben is a powerful Jedi, even more powerful than I was at that age."

"With every generation, the power of the Skywalker bloodline will grow." Madeline theorized. It was a possibility. But she only encountered such things in the records of the Jedi Temple here, stopping when the Jedi started to forbid attachments. It was a theory that many Jedi had at the time, which, along with the emotions attachments could stir, was probably the reason they 'outlawed' attachments. "You must keep a close eye on your nephew."

"Yes, I agree." Even from across the galaxy, Madeline could sense the fear and anxiety radiating off the man in front of her.

"You must also not allow fear to cloud your judgment." Luke Skywalker looked up, surprised by her order. "I can sense your fear, even from across the galaxy. Such an emotion is dangerous, as it will make you do things that you would never do."

"I faced down the Emperor himself. One of the most powerful Siths in history. I am not afraid."

"While it was easy not to fear the Emperor, because you knew he would fall eventually, it will not be easy to not fear your nephew."

Skywalker gave her a confused expression. "What?"

Madeline sighed, thinking about a way to simplify her rather confusing sentence. "Ben Solo has the capacity to become an excellent Jedi, or a powerful Sith. We must make sure that we do not push him down the path of darkness."

"What happened to 'We must let Fate take it's course' speech?"

"While I do agree that messing with one's destiny is something I would not recommend, especially when that destiny is not our own to mess with, I fear that Young Solo will not be strong enough to fight the coming battle for his soul."

"I don't take too kindly with you calling my nephew weak. But I agree. While strong in the Force he is, Ben has a lot to learn about how to keep the call of the Dark Side at bay."

"I will handle some of the training, Master Skywalker." Madeline informed him. "But, I will leave it to you to make sure that whatever I teach him stays with him."

"Very well."Skywalker nodded his head. "Thank you for letting me know. May the Force be with you."

Madeline bowed her head as she severed the communications. She was about to stand and head towards her own quarters when a scream pierced Temple. Slight fear that maybe the EARTHLINGS entered the temple and was attacking a Padawan or youngling, Madeline grabbed her saber and bolted through the hallway, several temple guards following her.

"STAY IN YOUR ROOMS!" Madeline shouted as several knights, younglings and Padawans poked their head out of their room. However, after Madeline's order, most of them reentered their rooms. The screaming was coming from the section of the temple reserved only for Padawans and Younglings. The Grand Master and the Temple Guards managed to get to the room where the screaming was coming from in great time, using the Force to speed things along. Madeline halted suddenly, sliding a couple of inches as she was going faster than thought possible. She stopped in front of Adeline's door, where the screaming was coming from. It was a bloodcurdling sound that chilled the greying master's blood. She gestured to the Temple Guards to remain on the outside while she opened the door.

Madeline had her saber ready, just in case. But she didn't see anything amiss, except for the twisting and screaming girl on the bed. Placing her saber on the desk, Madeline quickly moved to sooth the young girl. Careful of the flailing limbs, the Grand Master engulfed the young girl in a hug. Her screams turned into sobs as Adeline melted into Madeline's embrace.

"shhh, it's going to be okay." Madeline soothed. "It was only a dream." Her eyes turned to the temple guards. "You can return to your posts. I have everything under control."

"As you wish, Grand Master," the lead temple guard said, bowing. He turned to the others, ordering them to return to their original posting.

"Master….?" Adeline's sobbing became a scratchy voice full of fear.

"What is it, young one?"

"It was so horrible." Adeline muttered, snuggling up closer to the greying master. "I saw death and grief everywhere. The Dark Side….it consumed everything. The love, the happiness, the hope of the galaxy, the Dark Side destroyed it all."

"It was only a dream, Adeline." Madeline assured the young girl. Adeline shook her head as she stood up. The Jedi Master watched the young girl closely as she paced, clearly agitated.

"It was a vision. I'm sure of it."

"What else did you see, Adeline?"

The dark-haired girl started to fiddle with the hem of her pajamas. Rarely did Adeline allow her emotions to show, so Madeline listened closely. "It was like the massacre you told us about. On Coruscant. But…..there was such destruction. I could feel that fear from the victims, the betrayal." Adeline paused before looking at Madeline with such fear in those familiar blue eyes. "Master, someone's going to betray the Order."

Madeline stood, facing the door. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was leveled as she connected herself with the Force. Even after giving up the Peacock Miraculous when she became the Grand Master, the greying brunette still had a stronger connection to the Force. And when she transformed with both the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous on, it was almost like she became a Force Being. It helped her figure out how to create balance between the two sides of the Force.

Now, she just needed to listen. The Force always was trying to tell her something. Unfortunately, at the moment, all she could sense was darkness that suddenly overtook the Temple.

"Master?" Adeline's tentative voice cut through Madeline's disturbance.

"I'll meditate on it." Madeline's gaze slide towards the half-packed suitcase, which was probably for her trip to Yavin IV. She felt a sense of pain and sadness shoot through her before she exited the room. The Temple had returned to being quiet. Madeline passed several chronometers that told her that it was approaching midnight. She swiftly walked through the hallway, passing her room without another thought. Instead, she headed down deeper into the temple. Pretty soon, Madeline entered a well-known (at least, to her) section of the Temple. The one that connected to the Parisian Catacombs.

Hidden within the depths of the Temple, was a burial site. While it was tradition to cremate the body of a fallen Jedi, this place was only for the Grand Masters. Madeline wasn't sure why the Jedi of the past decided to bury the Grand Masters, but it made a fine place for Madeline to think. It also gave her some closure, as Master Selma was buried here. She was a little upset when the circumstances of her brother's death reached her. There was no body to put in the underground mausoleums, so a little memorial which included pictures and flowers was placed up against Selma's stone coffin.

Madeline placed the torch she was carrying in a stone brazier that was placed over Selma's coffin. The greying master stared down at the face of her master, carved to look like she was sleeping. She sighed as she gently stroked the face. The master had lied to Adrien's face when she told him that his mother's body was burned. But before Madame Aurelie Cammi became one with the Force, the Twi'lek ghost told the woman that the Hall of Remembrance was only for the current Grand Master, as it was a sacred place for him or her to gain wisdom that could only be handed down to her. The Twi'lek ghost had allowed Master Selma to be buried her due to special circumstances.

"Master, please help me. I don't know what to do." A weight on her left shoulder had her tensing, before sighing shakily. She kept her head bowed, afraid of looking at the spirit of her dead master. Madeline had always thought that Selma had become one with the Force. Not that she was against it. Far from it. Selma Agreste had a crazy life.

She was born a clone, created for an unknown Sith (when Chancellor Palpatine had been exposed as a Sith Lord, Madeline held firm to her belief that he was her master's creator), looked down upon her whole life because of the circumstances of her birth, and led a secret double life here on earth as a wife and mother. It would make sense that the scarred master would want to join the Force, so she could finally have that peace she never had in life.

"You have done well for yourself, my dear apprentice."

"That's because I had you as a teacher Master." Madeline stated as a whisper.

There was a chuckle. "Believe me, my dear, this was all you. Your skills, which were well beyond mine, have helped you massively."

Finally, Madeline turned around, tears falling down her face. She smiled at the figure in front of her. Though tinted blue, Selma's face was exactly as she remembered it the last time she saw it. Her wrinkled and scarred face, her brilliant, toxic green eyes that shone in the low light, and her silver and gold hair tied up in a twisted, tight bun. Madeline thought the last time she would see that face was during the small service she held with only Madame Cammie and HK in attendance.

Now, after all these years, Madeline finally was able to see her surrogate mother again.

"But you gave me those skills, Master."

"Indeed."Selma's face became serious. "You only come here if something is bothering you."

"You're still observant." Madeline also became serious. "One of the pupils that I am training has shown a strong sensitivity in the Force, which would give him a susceptibility to the Dark Side of the Force."

"I see."She muttered.

"I didn't know the extent of his power until I took him to the Room of Prophecy. The entire Temple is cloaked in darkness. And my apprentice had a nightmare about a massacre, like the one we survived but much more brutal."

"This is troubling." The ghost of Selma agreed, muttering as she stroked her chin. "Have you spoken with the Chosen One?"

"Yes. And we both agreed to train him and help the young boy resist the Dark Side, but….."

"You don't know if that is the best course of action." Selma finished.

"I don't think it is." Madeline sighed. "There is something about that path that doesn't seem right. I fear that no matter what I do, I fear that Ben Solo is already lost."

Selma sighed in sadness. "I'm afraid that I must agree with your sentiment. All I can advise you to do is to be prepared for the road ahead."

"Thank you Master." The greying Master said bowing her head.

"Of course. I will be here if you need me." Selma reminded the woman gently before she vanished. Madeline yawned and made her way to her room, figuring a couple hours of sleep was better than none. She fell asleep into a sleep that was riddled with nightmares from her past.

Including the incident at the Spring dance.

-Line break-

The rest of the week had passed by quickly for Madeline. During that time, she kept a closer eye on Young Solo, both with her eyes and with the Force. There was a residual of the Dark Side around him that made her worried. Already, he was being targeted by those stronger than him in the darkness of the Force.

When the week was up, Madeline was saying farewell to those who were returning the Yavin IV temple. She was just making sure that Estelle was all set, as well as the rest of the few that were going. Estelle's green eyes scanned the crowd, landing on her little brother before rescanning the crowd. The Grand Master placed a comforting hand on the twenty-year-old Knight's shoulder. The action prompted a loud, heavy sigh from the girl.

"I wish Adeline was coming." She whispered.

Madeline furrowed her brow. Adeline was so scared by her dream a few days prior, that she refused to go on the trip, even if it was her life long dream to travel the stars. So, she made up an excuse that she wasn't feeling well, and she didn't want to spread the disease all over the galaxy. Even though Madeline knew that the young girl was faking, the Grand Master allowed her to stay, knowing full well that she couldn't force Adeline to do something the girl didn't want to.

"I believe that it is wise to not spread whatever my apprentice has to the stars, especially since they might not have the resources to combat it." Madeline hummed.

Estelle opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when the sounds of an engine cut her off. Both Jedi glanced up to see a transport ship landing in the designated space port. Once it was landed and the space locks were clicked, Master Skywalker exited the ship. Ben ran up to his uncle and Master, bowing before hugging the man. The Chosen One's eyes drifted to Madeline and the group of Knights and Padawans that stood behind her, all of them straightening. Madeline had to hide a smirk at the group feeling of awe and shock.

"I see we are one Padawan short." Luke noticed. The Grand Master's smirk vanished. "Are we waiting for one?"

"No. I'm afraid that my apprentice isn't feeling good. So, I decided to keep her here just in case it might be contagious."

"I see." Luke muttered. "Very well. Okay, everyone let's get going. We have a long trip."

Madeline gave Estelle a small smile which the young woman returned before she and the rest of the group boarded. The Grand Master watched the ship ascend with great sadness deep in her heart and soul.

-Line break-

Madeline jerked awake, her heart pounding in her chest and her forehead covered in sweat. Her eyes turned towards the corner of her room, where the ghost of Selma was waiting. The feeling of dread grew when Madeline took in the sad, devastated expression worn on the spirit's face.

Throwing off the covers, the greying master flew down the hallway in her pajamas, hoping that the feeling was a false one. Madeline ran all the way to the holonews room, where news from the New Republic was being received. She ran all the way there, not stopping for anything. Her heart was pounding in her chest hard as she skidded to a stop in front of the door. The Grand Master used the Force to open the door. Unfortunately, she didn't realize how great her fear was and the door flew off its hinges.

Madeline had tears falling down her face as she quickly pulled up the broadcast news. It had been five years since the Grand Master had sent her apprentices to the Yavin IV temple, so she monitored the transmissions from Master Skywalker. Hopefully, nothing was wrong.

However, the news she received when she opened up the broadcast had her hope sinking.

"Grand Master Madeline Moraes, this is General Leia Organa. I regret to inform you that my son has attacked the Jedi Temple and killed the members. I'm unsure how many really died in the blaze, though I know for a fact that your apprentices perished. My brother has not been answering my transmissions and seemed to have vanished. I know that there is nothing I do or say can bring your students back. Expect their bodies in several weeks."

When the transmission was over, Madeline sunk to the floor. Sobs started to wrack her body, as the news fully hit her. Estelle, Eurielle, Gabriele….they're all dead! Now, she would have to break the news to the city and the families of those who were lost.

This day just couldn't get any worse.