-4-
It was now just after dawn on Fi'ar'la, and the temple lay quiet after the joyous reception the night before. Vhinh and Karta, now husband and wife, escorted Karta's father to the launch pad to see him off. He would be relocated to a new, secure location on Fi'ar'la, not too far from the temple, so that he could remain close with the daughter he had just been reunited with. After a couple lighthearted threats that Vhinh better take good care of his daughter, he and Karta exchanged a long embrace.
"I'll be close by, sweetheart. You can come visit me any time, day or night. My door is always open," he said as he gave her one last look.
"I know, daddy," she said, then added, "I'm so glad you're back."
"I'm glad you're back," he said.
With a nod to Vhinh, and one last wave, he started up the shuttle's entrance ramp, followed by two Jedi. They watched as the ship's thrusters fired up and rocketed it away from the temple, across the landscape of Fi'ar'la until it was only a tiny dot.
Vhinh put a comforting arm around her, and she sunk into him. They were both exhausted from the reception last night, having already had little sleep the night before, not to mention from their wedding night back in their quarters.
"I wish we could just go back to bed for the rest of the day," she said.
He kissed the top of her head. "I know. But we'll have plenty of time for sleep when all this is over."
"Who said anything about sleep?" she said, jokingly.
He gave her a mischievous look. "Oh, wasn't last night enough? Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to steal a moment here and there."
"If you're lucky, Jedi," she said with a lopsided grin.
"I'm the luckiest Jedi in the galaxy right now." With that, he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately.
When the kiss ended, she said, "Don't ever forget that and we'll be in good shape," which made him laugh a little.
"Well, I suppose I should wake up the lazy one," she said with a sigh.
The lazy one in question, better known as Nars Free'ta, drunk on wine and cheer, had been instructed to spend the night in his former room rather than return to Gli'ze'kai' that night, which he had tried to do. Not that NineHundred wasn't apt to ensure his safe transport in his inebriated state, but he would need an escort anyway to return his rented shuttle.
After the ceremony, Vhinh and Karta had pulled him aside and surprised him with NineHundred, and he'd been so happy he wanted to fly it on the spot, but didn't want to leave the reception.
A few drinks later, he had thought it would be a good idea to take a scenic tour around Fi'ar'la, but nobody else seemed to agree.
"Who is it? What's going on?" came his jarred-awake voice from the speaker of his room's com.
"Get your lazy tail up, ya bum!" she said teasingly.
"Oh, hey Karta..." A long, drawn-out yawn could be heard over the com. "Gimme a sec, I'll be out," he said through the yawn.
When he emerged from the room, now more collected, they made their way back to the temple's launch pad.
"Funny how things change so quickly, huh?" he reflected.
"Yeah, story of my life," Karta muttered. Then she perked up. "It's not all bad, though." She smiled at him, and he smiled back.
"Yeah. Hey, I'm really happy for you guys, seriously. You deserve each other."
"Well, he deserves me, at least. He's been very persistent."
"Come on, Karta. He knows how lucky he is. And it's not everyone who can make a Jedi all googly-eyed like he gets when he's around you."
"Well, I suppose that's a good thing," she said. Then she became more serious. "Hey, it really means a lot to me that you came back for this. And I..."
"What?" he asked.
"I feel bad about the way we left things. I was a little hurt when you said you weren't coming back with me, and maybe a little angry, too." She put an arm on his shoulder and turned him to face her. "But you made the right decision, okay? And I got over it - I just wasn't expecting it."
"Yeah, I know, Karta, I wasn't either, and I felt really bad about springing that on you like that."
"Hey, sometimes when you know what you have to do, it just hits you like it did. No amount of planning can change that."
"Yeah, that was kinda what happened, I guess," he said.
"Well, look, you better get your butt back to that family of yours, because stars know they've been really patient. And tell my little niece that I'll have a surprise for her next time I see her!"
"Will do," he grinned. Then they moved in for a hug.
"Love ya, kid," he said.
"Love you too, buddy," she replied.
When they reached the launch pad, they'd already said their good-byes, and Vhinh and Master Ytalha stood waiting. Master Ytalha offered his hand to Nars.
"Mr. Free'ta," he bowed his head slightly, "thank you for your service, and send my best wishes to your family."
"Okay, Master Ytalha." Nars bowed back, then turned to Vhinh, offering his hand.
"Oh, come on, Nars," Vhinh protested. "We're practically brothers now," he said, and gathered Nars in his arms, clapping him on the back a few times. "Take care, pal."
"You, too, Master Skywalker. And take care of your wife," he put in.
"You know I will."
When Nars had boarded NineHundred, Master Ytalha turned to Karta and Vhinh, placing one hand on each of their shoulders. It was clear this was going to be a day of heartfelt good-byes.
"I'm very happy for you both. May all your days together be fulfilling." Then he looked at Karta. "Mrs. Skywalker." He paused, smiling warmly. "You have been a blessing unto us, which I'm sure my pupil here will agree."
Vhinh nodded his head. Then Master Ytalha turned to him, placing both hands on his shoulders, and just smiled; but there was a certain sadness in his eyes.
It was then that his master's age hit Vhinh more than ever. His hair and beard, now almost completely white, framed his sunken features, and his warm, kind eyes were surrounded by deep lines. His frame, once stout and virile, had thinned noticeably, and he stood with an ever-so-slight hunch. Master Ytalha was still very able, and his wisdom more than made up for any depreciation in his physical abilities. But he moved slower these days, almost as if every step was now driven more by reflection than purpose.
Vhinh suddenly showed a look of concern. "Hey, you're acting weird, Master. Is anything wrong? Do you know something I don't?"
His master only smiled more heartily, saying, "Not if I have trained you as well as I believe, my son."
This made Vhinh grin a little. "I wish you could come with us."
"I as well. But my place is here at the temple," he said. Since becoming the most senior master at the Jedi Temple of Fi'ar'la, he had in fact been required to spend most of his time there. "And your place is in winning this war for us," he reminded.
"Consider it done, Master. We'll be back before you realize we were gone."
Before they could turn to board their own shuttle, another party came running up to join them. Jhanopellis Udo now stood before them, hair freshly cropped, save for a single, braided strand behind his ear.
Vhinh couldn't help but laugh, then took the braid in his hand. "You think so, huh?" he looked at Jhan quizzically.
"Hey, I can hope, can't I? You did say that I was your best student."
Vhinh mussed the back of what was left of his hair. "Alright, then, get in the shuttle. I know we can use your talents."
Then he held up a finger to Jhan. "But this doesn't mean anything, okay? Nothing official. We still have a lot to discuss."
"Fair enough," Jhan said, trying to hide a grin behind a serious expression. Then his eyes focused elsewhere. "Master, uh..." he started. "Would you give me just a moment?"
Without turning to look, Vhinh knew the reason. "Yeah. Hurry up, then."
Jhan approached Edala, who was preparing to board her own starfighter. "Hey."
"Hey," she replied.
"You weren't going to leave without saying good-bye, were you, Dal?"
"Good-bye, Jhan," she said, without looking up.
Not satisfied with her response, he persisted. "How long are you going to hate me?"
She turned to him. "I don't hate you, Jhan. That word isn't in my vocabulary. Something was lost between us. You act like you expect us to just pick up where we left off, but it doesn't work that way. It's going to take some time."
"I'll wait forever if I have to."
"Yeah, well, I'm not going to wait around forever, Jhan. I take life as it comes. That's something you used to know about me, remember?"
"Yeah, I do. I remember a lot more than you think."
She gave a weak grin. "Yeah, I guess I can believe that."
"Just be careful, okay? Promise," he said.
"I will. You too." She turned to enter her ship's cockpit. Before climbing in, she said, without turning to face him, "I am glad you're back, Jhan."
He knew this was all she could give him. "Me too."
When all good-byes had been said, Master Ytalha stood alone on the launch pad, watching all his best warriors jet away to continue the fight for their cause.
What he had told Vhinh was, in fact, true. He had no real knowledge to share, no vision of events to come. He only knew one thing, which he chose not to share with his former padawan, as no good would come of it.
This would be the last time they would see one another.
As he watched the Jedi ships disappear into the sky above, he took a deep breath, savoring the crisp morning air of Fi'ar'la. He then headed back to the temple.
Though many of his Jedi were now gone, he still had others to attend to, some knights, and a plethora of padawans. Many of his padawans would soon be deployed, and now was a very dangerous time, so they would need his extra guidance in preparing for this big step. His knights could benefit from some extra counsel as well, both with themselves and with handling their padawans through all this. A master's work was never done, it seemed.
As he reached the temple, he turned to take a look at the skyline of Fi'ar'la. It was still one of the most beautiful worlds he had visited, and a place he was happy to call home.
Then something caught his eye in the distance. A flash, then a slowly materializing form. The form grew larger, and he began to make out what appeared to be several ships. A small fleet, in fact, he noted as it drew ever closer. Now descending rapidly, he recognized the ships as Tratzel's - two transports and a dozen fighters. He watched as the fleet continued on, now appearing to be headed for the temple.
He indeed had a very bad feeling about this.
As the Jedi Temple of Coruscant came back into view, Raha Dima felt a cold sensation come over her. She'd intended to share with her master the information she'd obtained, and had made haste to return after seeing the fallen Chrome Guard's body shuttled off.
What she saw now made her stomach turn. The temple was now in flames, and as she drew closer, she could see a struggle below. Many figures, dressed in black armor, surrounding a small group of Jedi with lightsabers drawn.
Tratzel's Chrome Guard!
It couldn't be! Sure, the Jedi had long since suspected Tratzel of shady dealings and ulterior motives, even entertained the possibility that he could in fact be a Sith lord in disguise. But for such a bold move as this, he had to be insane, didn't he? What did he hope to accomplish, and how did he think the Order would react to such an attack?
Presently, it was obvious the Jedi were those on the defensive. As she watched her severely outnumbered comrades on the ground being cut down, she also took note of the many fighters who were swarming around the area, taking shots at the temple itself. Its shields had been penetrated, and now the ancient building bore the brunt of the array of blaster fire that pelted it from all sides.
This won't stand.
She performed a swift dive, weaving into the midst of the other fighters, taking several shots as soon as one was in her sights. The fighter, caught off-guard by her sudden presence, fell prey to her attack and went up in a ball of flame. Evading return fire from a few of the other fighters, she experienced a brief wave of relief at seeing that hers was not the only Jedi fighter in the air; the remainder of her party had apparently arrived at just the right time. They were heavily outnumbered as well, though.
This was clearly a losing battle. If it went on, they would all die here. Even if they called for reinfocements, they would be dead before any arrived. She had to make a quick decision.
"Hey guys, give me some cover fire, I'm going to the ground!" she called over her com.
"Roger," came the response.
Swooping down toward the battle below, she circled the Jedi, firing a series of shots at the surrounding Chrome Guard, giving her allies a little breathing room. Only a handful of Jedi remained - and one was Grand Master Aysurii Vilaska! Thank the Force, she thought. At a time like this, they would be lost without her. Master Vilaska, rooted deep in the front line, was a one-person army, her lightsaber a blur, creating a wide radius of destruction between herself and the attackers, while providing added defense to the Jedi at her sides.
But this was too much even for the Grand Master. More Jedi fell, despite Raha Dima's and Grand Master Vilaska's efforts, and now only a few remained. Now pulling in even closer, concentrating her fire, she closed in on the small group, sliding open the cockpit. Keeping up her defending fire, she called out to them.
"Get in! Come on!" The remaining Jedi, reluctant to leave Grand Master Vilaska's side, continued on, until Master Vilaska motioned for them to go. They did, reluctantly, but were followed by Chrome Guard, now climbing up the sides of the fighter as well, piling on, moving in for the cockpit. Raha watched as the Jedi were cut down by the swarm before they could even climb aboard, and was forced to draw her lightsaber to fend off the Guard who now closed in on her.
"Master Vilaska! Come on!" she pleaded, as time was running out, the Grand Master now the only Jedi left on the ground.
Realizing this, Vilaska made a full circle around herself with her lightsaber, powering through many of the guards' advancing vibro-swords, then pounded the ground hard with a force push that sent the surrounding Chrome Guard flying back. She then soared into the air, performing a backflip that left her standing just above the open cockpit.
"Go!" she called to Raha.
Though it seemed insane, she would never question her Grand Master, and did as she was told. Many Chrome Guard still clung to the ship, and Raha continued trying to bat them off with her lightsaber while piloting the ship with one arm. Judging by the thump of footsteps above her head, there was another intense battle transpiring atop the moving fighter!
Aysurii Vilaska, completely trusting in her pupil, calmly held her position atop the moving craft, carrying on as comfortably as she would on the ground. Several Chrome Guard had made their way up, and were trying overwhelm the Grand Master, but to no avail. Far superior in both speed and technique, the aging master seemingly effortlessly cut down the group of more imposing Chrome Guard. Swiping the last few stragglers away from the still open cockpit, she then climbed in to join Raha, who quickly closed the cockpit, as if expecting more Chrome Guard to pop out at any moment.
"Instruct the others to retreat and regroup," Master Vilaska told her.
Raha got on her com. "This is Raha Dima. Orders from the Grand Master are to retreat and regroup immediately, repeat, retreat and regroup!"
"What's going on, Master Vilaska?!" Raha asked then, obviously fearful.
"I do not know, young one, but we must must make contact with the other temples, and hope this is an isolated incident."
"What is Tratzel thinking? He'll never get away with this!"
"I feel Tratzel may be more formidable than we had anticipated, Raha. A tactical mind like his would not plan such an attack if he did not have an underlying strategy. We must be watchful, and we must act quickly to assess the situation."
Raha wanted to tell her master about the fallen Chrome Guard, but she would wait until they were in a safer place, wherever that was. She punched the ship's accelerator.
Raha didn't need a master's astuteness in the Force to tell that big things were about to go down.
Darth Zin shivered all over with anticipation. When Darth Sceptaurus had informed him that the time was at hand, and that they would be laying siege on the Jedi temples, Zin had implored his master to allow him to lead the strike on the temple in Fi'ar'la, on the off chance that his father would be there. He knew the chances were slim to none, as many of the Jedi were deployed on various fronts in the war against the Tekdaemons. But if he could hit Vhinh Skywalker at home, where it would hurt him the most, he would take great pleasure in that knowledge. It would be like the appetizer before the main course.
This was, basically, what his entire life had been leading up to. In the past eleven years, since learning of his mother's death at Skywalker's hand, he had doubled his efforts, pushing himself past his breaking point on more occasions than he could count. He'd wake up on the training mat, drenched in sweat, to Sceptaurus's cold slap across his face. It only served to feed his anger, and he would keep getting up, even when he previously thought it physically impossible.
The funny thing was, as many times as Sceptaurus had told him that Zin would thank him later for all the harsh treatment, and as much as he had grown to hate the man, Sceptaurus had been right. Darth Zin owed much of his power to Darth Sceptaurus, and would do anything the Sith lord asked of him. Still, inside he knew that so much of his power stemmed from the anger he felt over his mother's wrongful death, over these feelings, this yearning, for veangeance.
When Zin did finally kill his father, watching him writhe in agony as the life slowly drained from his body, he would have accomplished his life's work. At only twenty-three years old; yet he felt so much older. He felt the dark power of the Sith lords of the ages channeling through him, as if his hatred was so strong that their spirits had been drawn back from Hell to feed off him.
Was he already more powerful than Darth Sceptaurus? Sometimes he thought so - and the way Sceptaurus looked at him sometimes, almost lustfully, hinted that the older Sith lord craved the power which he possessed.
So when Zin did kill his father, where would he go from there? Though he didn't occupy his time pondering such things, and though there was only one thing in the universe he really wanted, Zin was aware of what he was. And a Sith lord without purpose would slowly decay; with no channel for his dark power, it would eat him away from the inside, until there was nothing left of his body or mind - he would become a being of pure, undirected dark energy, waiting to be absorbed by its next willing, or unwilling, host.
He had heard a story like this from old Sith lore.
Before the discovery of hyperdrive, there existed a world, once a great utopia. The records were spotty, at best, as they were compiled solely from archaelogical evidence, mostly decoded scripts and relics.
Legend says that this world was where the terms Bogan and Ashlan originated, thousands, perhaps millions of years before the early Je'dai.
The people of this world, their exact species unclear, had discovered the ways of the Force, and some had learned to manipulate it. Like most races, only a select few were sensitive to the mystical energy field, and those people were looked upon as gods on their world.
Using this power to perform what seemed like miracles, seeking to aid their people and nurture the progress of their rising civilization, they devoted their lives to the study and teaching of these abilities.
But they soon found that the more they did for their people, the more demanding their people became. When they began refusing to cater to every whim of the people, the people grew angry, and these Force users soon became outcasts. The people eventually grew to fear this power that they did not understand, throwing out false accusations and shunning them...
Until one of these Force users, through his own studies, discovered the true nature of the Force. He found that by looking inward rather than seeking to serve all those around him, he could unlock unseen potential; powers that far over-shadowed those of his fellow students.
Living in a primitive democratic society, over the years, the people began to squabble amongst themselves, as well, unable to agree on how their society should be run. Now, this new user of the dark side, who records have associated only the name Bogh with, saw how this new power could be used to control the people, rather than serve them - to force them to see things as they should be. Together, the Force users could rule this civilization, bringing order and prosperity. If they eliminated the need to choose, they would eliminate all the wasted energy better spent elsewhere, like in building a greater, more powerful civilization.
But his fellow students did not see things his way. They argued that the people would come around eventually, seeing that the Force users were a blessing rather than a curse, and that by taking away the choice of the people, they would be taking away their spirit. And when they learned of his new-found powers, they cast him out, claiming he had forgotten his purpose.
He knew, though, that he was the only one who saw things clearly. So one night, when his former companions lay sleeping, he entered their isolated dwelling, setting fire to the inside and blocking the entrance. From the outside, he could hear their screams and pleas, but he ignored them, until they were silent. After the murders, he found himself actually feeling much stronger than before.
He returned to civilization then, and, alone, stormed the capital, assassinating the elders and claiming the throne for himself. He then ordered a handful of the more respected citizens to convey his demands to the public.
For awhile, the citizens lived under his oppressive rule. But, having already had a taste of democracy, they again longed for it, and soon revolted. They killed his messengers and defeated the army he had raised. So, he took it upon himself to bring them down. He began slaughtering them by the dozens, feeling his power grow progressively stronger with each kill. He developed an unsatiable bloodlust, which he kept feeding until all the remaining citizens had fled into the unknown wilderness. He spent the remainder of his years hunting them down. But eventually, he stopped finding them.
His writings were the only trace of him found - and if one followed them, they could actually visualize his slow descent into madness, before he was completely consumed.
Perhaps many millennia later, the period remains uncertain, a deep space explorer stumbled upon the planet, by then completely desolate of sentient life. Seeing small traces of past inhabitants, he returned with crews of archaelogists to uncover the secrets of this ancient civilization.
Talk soon began of an eerie echo radiating from somewhere in the wilderness, that could not be heard but felt through the entire body. It seemed to touch the mind, in a very unsettling way. No one dared enter this wilderness.
Until one a day, a Jedi, a Cathar by the name of Ratan Katar, sought to understand this strange aura. Some said he was fearless, others that he was just plain foolish, but he said it was the thirst for knowledge that brought him there. And so he went - alone.
Everyone feared that Ratan wouldn't return; but perhaps they should have prayed that he wouldn't.
Because he did return - and he wasn't the same. For one, he looked horrible - they said he seemed to have aged by twenty years or more. His feline eyes became pure black. When he spoke, it was as if his words came from elsewhere. But he would never speak of what he found in the wilderness. He would sometimes be found talking to himself - but not just talking, more like engaged in a heated, verbal war with himself - yet he spoke in an unknown tongue.
There were many theories at the time about the changes in him, the most prevailing being his possession by some type of evil spirit. That theory turned out to be closest to the truth.
Then the killing started. People began disappearing in the night, found mangled and drained of their blood. When the killings were finally traced to Ratan, he revealed himself; a creature of pure malevolence, craving the very life force of his victims.
He killed so many Je'dai, he later became legend among the Sith, who had not yet come to be. It took all the known Je'dai at the time to finally bring him down. The story became both an inspiration and a warning to those who tap into the dark side of the Force.
Being creatures of pure will,
we must sustain that will in order to sustain ourselves,
lest we lose all that we have taken;
That was the doctrine that became one of the foundations for the ways of the Sith.
Darth Zin took heed of this. He knew he would rule the galaxy with his master. But he also knew that he would never be completely satisfied being second to even one as compelling as Darth Sceptaurus. When the time came, he had no doubt he could kill Sceptaurus. It wouldn't be easy with the guard constantly watching over their shoulders, but he would find a way. There would be many factors to consider - but that would come much later.
Right now, he was preparing to live out his fantasies.
