Star Wars: The Dark Empire
Episode 1 – Exodus
Part 6 – Attack in the Night
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The hidden academy – Telos, Polar Regions
Mical Aurain sat facing Brianna over the dinner table. Dirty cutlery and crockery adorned the thick durasteel table, which could easily have seated fifty. Only eleven sat at it though: Mical, Brianna and nine Force sensitive beings that they had found between them on the planet of Telos that had been willing to be trained as Jedi. Five of them were human; the others included a Twi'lek, a Chiss, a Nikto and (amazingly) a Wookiee. The new students ranged in age from twelve up to fourty, excluding the wookiee who was sixty-three.
Mical had come to the academy some six months before, fleeing from his bondage to Jezebel the Exile. He'd found the academy gutted, and littered with the decomposing bodies of Brianna's handmaiden sisters and Jedi Council Member Atris, and Brianna holding onto life by a thread. It had taken a month of careful nursing before she could even walk again. Since then she had progressed in leaps and bounds, she was now nearly fully recovered.
Brianna and Mical had worked out a good training routine between them, Brianna taught the students how to fight while Mical taught them how to use the Force. All were now competent enough to use a lightsaber without hurting themselves and use the Force for simple feats. They also taught each other separately; Mical had been able to quickly build martial competency, but Brianna had taken a while to overcome her natural barriers to the Force that her Euchani training had induced. Recently he had also been teaching the students how to make a lightsaber, as most of them were now in various stages of perfecting their design. Fortunately Atris, the late Jedi Master who had resided at the academy before, had left a great deal of lightsaber parts as well as some fully made sabers from which to base their designs. But that was only part of the treasures that they were now entitled to. There were training holocrons, for all aspects of Jedi training. They had been a great help, for Mical and Brianna couldn't train nine students at once, and most of them were at different levels. They also used them to refine and hone their own techniques. There were Sith holocrons too, but Mical had locked those that he couldn't destroy away, they were just too dangerous. The entire history of the Jedi order and the Republic was documented there in detail, Mical had been tempted to dig deeply into the Jedi histories, but Brianna had stopped him, citing that the training of new Jedi for the future was far more important than worrying about their past. So Mical had refined his excursions into the histories to his relaxation time.
With dinner over, the students began to clear up and drift towards the refresher and bed. They'd had a long day of intense training, and could expect to be woken up early the next day for another. Mical and Brianna stayed at their seats though, bidding each of the students a good night as they passed. Mical crossed the room and sat down next to Brianna. He opened his mouth to speak, then his nerve failed him and he closed it again. Brianna turned slightly to look at him, and Mical felt something leap inside him as he stared into her crystal-blue irises. Her hair was as white as the snow outside, and her skin flawless and smooth, except for the faint scars that were now the only evidence that she'd once been an inch away from death.
While Mical had been nursing her, he'd slowly come to the realization that he cared deeply about Brianna. During their near-naked sparring matches it had taken all of his resolve not to pull her close and…and…. He had to say something, but his nerve kept failing him. This was the third time already. Silently he resolved that he would admit his feeling now, no matter how much it took out of him. His skin was tingling all over, he felt lightheaded as he opened his mouth again to speak.
"Brianna," he began.
"Yes," she replied. She had never looked so beautiful. Mical struggled to put words to his feelings.
"There is something I have to tell you. Ever since…"
Suddenly the communications console in the center of the table began to whirr loudly, interrupting him. Mical's heart sank as Admiral Carth Onasi's image came into view.
"Evening, Mical. Nice to see you looking better, Brianna," said the Admiral.
"Good evening, Admiral," said Brianna crisply as Mical murmured a soft 'hello', the sinking feeling reaching the pit of his stomach. Brianna's jaw stiffened with what was probably annoyance.
Carth smiled slightly at their expressions, "Sorry if I'm interrupting a very important conversation, but I guarantee that this is more important."
Mical highly doubted it, but he turned his attention to the Admiral anyway.
Carth began outlining what he apparently had just found out. Mical listened with growing fear, his disappointment evaporating as quickly as rain on a lightsaber.
"So the true Sith do exist!" he said aghast.
Carth nodded "And they're planning to invade the Republic within the next few years." He began to outline the Rebellion on the Sith Planets and its failure.
"Couldn't we have helped the rebels?" asked Brianna.
"Even if we had known, our combined Forces would never have been able to match the Empire for numbers," Carth replied.
"We still would have stood a better chance than facing them on our own," said Mical. With the current state of most Republic infrastructure it would crumble against any serious threat. And by the way Carth was talking about these 'true Sith' and their Empire it would have taken a full strength Republic and Jedi order to face them. The Jedi were slowly reforming, but while they had grown in numbers somewhat in the last six months, there were still only one hundred and fourty of them. They could never possibly stand against four thousand Sith.
"But then we would have been drawn into a war we weren't ready for," said Carth "at least now we have some time to prepare."
"So do they," muttered Mical as Carth began to explain the plight of the academy that had chosen the light over darkness.
"How do you know all this?" said Brianna.
"We have to save these people," said Carth, neglecting to answer her question "with five-hundred new Jedi trained in the Sith arts we may still have a fighting chance."
"And what exactly does this have to do with us?" said Mical.
"I need as many Jedi as possible to go with the fleet, we don't know what we might find in the unknown reaches."
"Why don't you just speak to the Jedi council?"
"I did," said Carth curtly "it currently consists of three members, and none of them were prepared to let any Jedi go on the mission. They felt the risks were too great. Fortunately I've found some Jedi who where prepared to come with us. I was wondering if you two would as well."
"We have students to train," said Mical "and it would be best to trust in the wisdom of the council…"
"Count us in, Admiral," cut in Brianna. By the look in her eye there would be no dissuading her. Mical sighed; hopefully they would both survive this new adventure so he could get around to telling her how he really felt.
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The Sedan Sith Academy – Marka's chambers
Marka raised the damp towel to his face, wiping off the remaining gel that hadn't been taken off by his razor blade. Afterwards he examined his face in the mirror, searching for any cuts that he might have inadvertently created. Today there wasn't even a minor one, a good indication to him that he had perfect control of body and mind. The dark blush of hair growing from under the skin was barely visible.
With all technology at his disposal Marka could easily have used a plasma-roller, which removed the hairs even under the skin. There were also creams that dissolved the hair, quickly and painlessly. But he preferred to shave. While Marka didn't have quite enough growth to merit a shave every day he did so anyway. He enjoyed the routine.
There was a nock at the door. "Enter!" Marka ordered, and took a sip of mouthwash. Nearby Kaya muttered something from the bed they shared, and pulled the pillow over her head. Marka smiled as he gargled, he must have kept her up later than he thought. The door opened and Ramon stepped through. He gave a start at seeing Marka undressed, but mastered it almost instantly.
Marka spat out the mouthwash, "You came, good," he said as he raised his head from the sink "there's something you and I need to discuss, in private."
Ramon nodded and moved to Marka's Study. After drying off the last drops of water from his morning refreshment off, Marka pulled on his robes and joined Ramon in the study, closing the door behind him.
"This is so important that you can't even share it with your wife?" said Ramon as soon as the door was closed.
Marka grinned "No, but she's tired, and I dare not speak to you about this outside my chambers." he gave a yawn, then continued "Ever since Pierce left you've been acting as my right-hand man. I've received confirmation that he was killed on Arn, along with his remaining eighteen men and women."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said Ramon. Marka looked him carefully, deciding that Ramon was sincere he continued.
"I think its time to make your appointment permanent."
"You won't regret it," Ramon promised.
"There are problems though," said Marka "As my right-hand man you will have to make decisions on my behalf, based on what you know I would do in the situation. Additionally you have to serve as a role model to others. This means that some of your other…pursuits…will have to stop."
Ramon stiffened "Such as?"
"You are a womanizer," said Marka bluntly "and you seem to like to make lesser men, without your looks; strength or power feel like exactly that."
"I just put them in their place," said Ramon "and as for the woman, how can you fail to appreciate their beauty, their…"
"Stop justifying!" Marka snapped, "In the past six months you've impregnated ten different women, and that's just the tip of the iceberg with the amount of them you go through. How many was it last month Ramon? Thirteen, fourteen…"
"It was sixteen," said Ramon sheepish "But most of them I'd known before."
"How do you find enough hours in the day?" muttered Marka "No, don't answer that. Half the men in the academy hate you for how you treat them, the other half try to mimic you, with varying degrees of success. This can't go on. I need your word that you will change, from to-day."
A muscle twitched in Ramon's jaw. "And what if I don't?" he said, staring directly into Marka's eyes. Sapphire blue met pure ice. Ramon looked down first, "You have my word," he said quietly.
Marka nodded "Then you are my new right-hand man." He sat down, and motioned towards another seat "Sit, there is a lot we need to get through. I suppose we can start with the true identity of my wife."
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The 'Archon', dockyards of Coruscant
"The 'Archon' is ready for loading and launch Captain," said the Docking bay officer, saluting her.
"Thank you lieutenant," said Captain Mission Ohtok, and the image on the holo-deck winked out.
Mission walked around the command deck, checking on her team of technicians that were busy making sure that everything was in perfect working order. She had been tasked with making sure that the brand new ship was ready for its ceremonial introduction into the fleet in two days time. It was to be a momentous occasion, with tens of billions on Coruscant joining in the celebrations as the ship flew overhead, rekindling their faith in the Republic. It would be displayed over the holo-net for all the worlds to see. She was here to make sure that the ship did not explode halfway through and ruin everything.
The 'Archon' was the first of its kind, a massive, state of the art Republic battleship. It was armed with high-powered laser cannons and long-range missiles, incredibly dense armour plating as well as the most powerful shields ever seen on a warship. But best of all was its primary weapon, a state-of-the-art multi-laser cannon with enough power to destroy a small moon in a single shot. The ship was not totally ready yet; even after it had been launched there would probably be a long series of problems for a while. As a prototype it needed constant maintenance. The primary weapon especially still needed a lot of work.
This 'Archon' class would be replacing the old Republic 'Hammerhead' class ships, which were far too small for their role as capital ships. During the Jedi Civil War the Republic had had very few warships, and had been reduced to converting transport and cargo ships into warships, one the many results had been the 'Hammerhead' class light cruisers. They had proved reasonably effective, but against Darth Revan and Malak's Leviathan class battleships they had only been able to take them on in numbers.
Static came from the holo-deck, and Mission turned to see the familiar figure of Carth appear. "Good to see you Admiral" she said brightly "we are running ahead of schedule, all the preparations are …"
"The ceremony's been postponed indefinitely," said Carth, cutting her off "an urgent relief force is being assembled, and this ship is needed immediately."
Missions blue jaw dropped "Admiral Onasi, this ship is not in operational condition, nothing has been tested outside the dock. It could fall apart in hyperspace," she told him with perhaps a shade too little respect, "and what about the huge fanfare to restore peoples confidence in the Republic?"
"Damn it Mission, I know all that." said Carth angrily, calling her by her name in frustration, "But the survival of the Republic could depend on the outcome of this rescue."
Mission's shoulders slumped in defeat, she could not argue with an Admiral, even if he was her friend.
"I have ordered supplies, weapons, ammunition and fuel to the ship; they should arrive within the hour," said Carth, then his expression softened, "Your husband has agreed to accompany us on this rescue-mission."
Mission gasped and looked up "Carth, its … its going to be dangerous, isn't it?" she stammered.
"That's Admiral Onasi to you Captain" Carth rebuked her, but his heart wasn't in it.
"It IS dangerous, isn't it," said Mission, her blue lekku turning purple as blood rushed to them. Her shoulders squared "HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME" she shouted suddenly, causing her technicians to turn and look at her in alarm.
"Your husband is a Jedi, he has a duty to the Republic." said Carth in a strained voice, "And where we are going, we will be needing as many Jedi possible."
"And your son?"
"Technically he never joined the order, but yes, he is coming. His wife's coming too, she insisted."
"Where are you going?"
"Confidential." said Carth, closing the subject.
Mission thought fast "Permission to accompany you, Admiral Onasi, to make sure this ship does not fall apart!"
Carth looked at her for a moment, "What about your son?" he said.
"He can stay with the Nanny for a few weeks, he's used to it" Missions resolve hardened "After all those years of hiding and protecting him from bounty hunters, I'm not about to let you get Kaah killed on some foolish rescue-mission."
Carth smiled "Permission granted then, Captain, glad to have you on board. You'd better get ready quickly, we leave as soon as the ship is loaded."
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The Sith Fleet of Rengath Fer'rer, Arn system
Two massive Sith battleships flew by, flanked by cruisers of every size and design, destroyers, frigates, gun-ships, corvettes and other warships so bizarre that they didn't fall into any class. Scores of fighters and bombers wove between the ships, and in the midsts of the fleet were dozens of massive unarmed transport ships.
"My apprentice has betrayed me" said Fer'rer's chilling voice over the intercom "He has corrupted MY academy with pathetic Greys teachings."
"All ships set a course for Sedan," said the Sith Admiral over another communication line, the ships began to power up their engines.
"Remember that Marka belongs to ME," the boosters of the ships started to glow white-hot "and I will have my vengeance." whispered Rengath Fer'rer as the entire fleet blasted into hyperspace. Within seconds they had disappeared into the infinite blackness.
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The Sedan Sith Academy
Kaya kissed Marka lingeringly as he caught his breath. By the way he responded she knew that she could be expecting more before the night was out. His muscles felt very tense; they had for the last little while, ever since the bad news about the rebellion had reached them. Unwrapping her thighs from around him she slid onto his back and began to massage his knotted shoulders. Slowly he began to relax, his hard body softening. As she heard his breathing begin to deepen she stopped massaging and lay on his back, absorbing the heat from his body. She smiled as she felt his instant arousal at feeling her naked body on his. She traced indistinguishable patterns between his shoulder blades with her tongue, he groaned with desire. She had him in the perfect balance between relaxation and stimulation; he was ready to hear. Moving her mouth to his ear she nibbled it softly and whispered the good news.
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It was just past midnight on Sedan, and in the new meditation glade Marka walked slowly between the trees, trying to reach peace with all the turmoil in his heart. He closed his eyes and drank in the sweet, crisp night air. The meditation glade had been Kaya's idea, it had been completed two months ago and had greatly aided in the turning of the darker Sith. Just walking in any Force sensitive could feel the presence of the light side of the Force. Yet even in his tired state, in one of the most tranquil places, Marka could find no rest, no peace. The news that Kaya had given him an hour before had turned his world upside-down.
"Marka, I'm pregnant"
It was terrible, it could hardly have happened at a worse possible time. His brain had been running on overdrive ever since he had heard those three words. He did not know if he wanted to be a father, he did not know if he was even ready to become a father. And how could they possibly look after a newborn if they were on the run from the Sith? Even if Never pulled through and they were evacuated to the Republic; how could the Jedi ever accept them with a child? And yet, Never's promise was still their only hope.
Marka had met up with Never every day for seven days in a row, until he had left two days ago. He had promised him relief within the next three days, but for some reason did not want to be around when the Republic arrived, his reasons were vague enough to make Marka suspicious. The two of them now shared a bond close to friendship, driven by their mutual respect for each other's skills. Marka trained Never in the twelfth form, Yoshi Ma, while Never taught Marka more about the Force (especially the light side, where Marka was notably lacking in instruction). In between their respective training they had planned for the future, for the evacuation of the academy's members and the survival of the Republic, which were now intricately linked together. Marka had put his trust in Never. He was their only chance for survival, so Marka didn't really have much of a choice. And there was just something about the conviction with which Never spoke.
Something that Marka really liked about Never was their mock-duels. They were so similar in skill that there was barely a shade of difference between them. Marka thought that he was slightly better, but that might just be arrogance. Certainly Never had a far superior command of the Force, what Marka had learned from him in just seven days had been nothing short of incredible.
A sudden premonition cut through his thoughts. Igniting his double-saber Marka deflected a high-powered laser blast, which instantly rebounded into the head of his would-be assassin. All around he sensed intruders, silently he cursed himself for being too preoccupied in his thoughts to notice before.
"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" he shouted, using the Force to amplify his voice, making it loud enough to wake up the deepest sleeper on the furthermost side of the academy. Furiously he leapt at the nearest attacker; even now they were butchering his guards. Why couldn't they have waited just a few days?
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Lorn had been drifting off at his post when Marka's huge warning cry woke him sharply. Swiveling around with his blaster in hand, he shot down a dark-robed assailant an instant before he would have been killed. All around the academy was in chaos; the guards were trying to fight back but were hideously outnumbered. Lorn shot another enemy as he ran down the stairs, to be on the walls with the enemy inside the compound was suicide, they were totally exposed. He could see ex-Sith rushing out of their dormitories in various stages of undress, joining in with their lightsabers and fighting back strongly. Lorn dived to cover behind a speeder as a shot blasted just over his head. It had to be this night when the attack came, the one when a guard had been taken sick and Lorn had volunteered to take his place.
Lia dived in next to him behind the speeder; she looked as though she had only just woken up. She was armed with a blaster-rifle.
"What happened to the automatic defenses?" she shouted over the din.
"They must have disabled them," he shouted back, crouching behind the speeder and sending a flurry of shots at the enemy. Another fell to the floor and lay still.
For a few long moments they crouched, sniping at the enemy. Then Lia looked up and pointed.
"Look at that!" she cried pointing, and Lorn followed her arm. A strange group of metallic objects was flying towards them; they all had a peculiar tail of mist trailing behind them.
In the instant that it took Lorn to realize what he was looking at, the shells began crashing into various places of the compound and release greenish yellow smoke.
"Rancor-breath, cried Lorn, and turned to Lia "don't breath."
Rancor-breath was a commonly used nock-out gas; one whiff of it was enough to put anyone down for hours. It also had a lot of other unpleasant effects, including severe irritation to the skin, lips, throat and especially the eyes. Even now Lorn could feel his eyes begin to burn. He had used it on a number of occasions in the past, it was easy to produce and was highly efficient, any settlement or ship being boarded that got a good dose was very easy to subdue, with little loss of life on either sides. Lorn did not need to look to know that the attackers were protected, nobody was that stupid.
Quickly Lorn reached into the speeder and pulled out two helmets, he gave one to Lia. Speeder helmets on Sedan all had goggles and breath masks to protect the drivers from small insects and dust clouds. He gave silent blessing to the engineers who, instead of simply putting in a simple dust sieve, had attached a proper breath mask to the helmet; which was far more effective. They had probably only done though it to protect themselves from angry academy Sith who had got a little fine dust in their mouth. Sith were law unto only themselves, and did not take kindly to unnecessary discomforts.
"We have to get out of here," said Lia, muffled from behind the mask.
Lorn nodded, the gas was beginning to make his skin itch. With the academy being gassed, they wouldn't last for long. Even now he could see defenders fall by the score. The attackers had those among them who would know the academy (and the surrounding town) like the back of their hand, so hiding was not an option. Flight was the only chance they had. Lorn jumped into the speeder and powered up the engine. Lia jumped in behind him, still firing her rifle. Lorn released the clutch and they sped off in the direction of the main entrance, shots following them. Lia returned fire.
All around the defenders were drowning in the sea of green-yellow gas. Lorn saw they Marka's young wife Lucia and his confidant Ramon putting up a good fight with the support a group of ex-Sith; he recognized Laman, Venoak, Unor and Banali in the group. Somehow they were not breathing. They were hopelessly outnumbered though, with all the guard's dead and most of the other ex-Sith gassed, and were being shot down one at a time by dozens of stun-rifles.
They reached the main entrance to the town and the academy; it was the only one large enough for speeders. From directly in front of them came a huge, animalistic roar. Lorn pulled the speeder to a grinding halt. Coming out of the sea of green-yellow he saw something directly out of the worst of nightmares. Standing at well over three meters tall, nearly seven meters from tip to tail of armour, spines, claws, jaws, poison, irritability and instant death. Lorn had only ever seen holo-recordings of these creatures, they were known as Terantateks, but even the largest ever recorded in Sith space hadn't been nearly this big. It was blocking the exit; they would never possibly get past it.
Then Marka ran just in front of them towards the terror-beast, he also wasn't breathing. His voice spoke in Lorn's mind, causing him to turn his head in alarm "I'll distract it, get out of here. The Republic was going to rescue us in three days time, come back then and tell them what has happened."
Lorn gasped with surprise, he had never imagined that Marka could have been in contact with the Republic. He had so many questions that he would like to have asked, but there was no time. Marka baited the huge beast, drawing it far enough away from the entrance for Lorn and Lia to escape. It began chasing him with breathtaking speed. Lorn and Lia shot out of the now-clear entrance and into the nearby forest. Three Empire speeders outside the compound quickly powered up and took up the chase. As Lorn wove between the trees with Lia firing at their pursuers behind him, dodging enemy fire, he spared a though for brave young Marka, who had in all likelihood sacrificed himself so that they could escape. There was no way a single man could possibly prevail against a beast like that, even a Sith. For the first time since he had found out about his family's death Lorn felt something akin to emotion stir in his chest.
"May the Force be with you, Marka," he said softly, respect in his eyes and sorrow in his heart.
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Pandema, Chambers of the Dark Lord.
Delhano Sorge, the apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith, bowed low before his Master as he entered the room.
"My Lord," he said slightly breathlessly "I have confirmed the report from our informant. The Republic has indeed sent a fleet to rescue those who rebelled on Sedan."
Darth Messiah sat a table, fiddling with wires and large pieces of durasteel, which he was manipulating with the Force like butter. He also had a few blocks of pure contortis, which he was molding in with the durasteel, creating alloy. His normal black robes and hood off, his back turned to Lord Delhano. This was all Delhano was allowed to see of his master, it was far more than most. Darth Messiah's hair was dark brown and short, and flecked at the sides with grey. His neck was thick and strong, and his fingers short and nimble, with palms larger than most. But there was nothing to suggest to Delhano that he wasn't looking at the back of a fifty year-old man. How his master managed to remain so young after over nine hundred years was beyond him.
"I wonder how they found out." Darth Messiah sneered, "They've come too late; all they'll find here is death. How do you suggest we deal with them, Lord Delhano?"
"We ambush them in the hyperspace corridors on their way back to the Republic, my Lord," said Delhano. There were only two major hyperspace routes near the Sedan system; they could easily blockade them with mines and ships. The Republic ships would certainly attempt to return once they found the academy a ruin.
"Do it."The dismissal in the Dark Lord's voice was obvious.
Delhano Sorge shot a glance at the contraption the Dark Lord was making as he left the room. It seemed to be a huge set of eight multi jointed spider-like limbs, modified to fit under somebody's torso or abdomen. Usable, provided that person had no legs.
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The 'Archon', En Route to Sedan
Jedi Master Bastila stood at the command deck of the 'Archon' watching the familiar tunnel of hyperspace, trying to use it aid her meditation and help her control her unruly emotions. Their journey was nearly over. They were now in the ancient Sith Empire, and she was afraid. She was afraid that she would be captured again and turned to the dark side. She was afraid of dying. She was even more afraid of finding her Revan dead.
Carth had tried to conceal from her who he had received the information from about the rogue Sith academy, but Bastila had put two and two together. Until now nobody had even known of the Sith Empire hidden in the unknown reaches of space. There was only one person who Carth and the Republic would have responded so promptly for, and he had left her nearly five years ago.
Mission joined her silently, and together they stared into hyperspace. While Bastila and Mission hadn't got off to a very good start, over the years they had learned to put up with each other. They would probably never be friends, but at least now they did not work on each other's nerves. They had grown closer on this journey, both leaving behind a young son for the sake of their husband. The difference was that while Bastila was hoping to find hers, Mission was trying to keep hers alive. Bastila had taken Mission's husband Kaah under her wing and was training him further in the ways of the Force, unofficially becoming his master, which was part of the reason why he was on this mission. Kaah had been left without a Master since the death of council-member Lonna Vash.
Kaah was not the only young Jedi that Bastila had recently taken under her wing. On board this ship were also Dustil and Mira Onasi. Dustil was an ex-Sith apprentice who had been redeemed by Bastila's husband shortly before the fall of Darth Malak. Mira was a former bounty hunter who had spared Dustil's life after tracking him down for the bounty. At the time he had been the apprentice of Jedi council-member Zez-Kai Ell, and Mira had become good friends with both of them until Jezebel had killed the Jedi Master. Dustil had returned the favour by healing the terrible wounds inflected upon her by some mad wookiee; even now she had severe scarring. He had also begun training her in the ways of the Force shortly before marrying her. They were both weren't far short of the level of Jedi Knight, especially Dustil. Bastila had trained them ever since they had gone to Telos to meet Carth, shortly after the strange cleansing of the Force.
"How are the repairs going Mission?" Bastila asked, attempting light conversation.
"Alright, the main weapon is still not operational," replied the blue young Twi'lek "Hope we don't run into any trouble."
The ship had about five repair jobs a day, as well as needing constant maintenance just to keep it running. Hopefully it would be fully functional if they ever got into a battle, Bastila knew just how much time Mission had spent on it.
Bastila was silent for a moment "I hope this trip was worth it," she sighed.
Mission grinned naughtily "If it is, you'll have your work cut out for you. Instead of three apprentices you'll have five hundred!"
Bastila smiled "Hopefully I'll get some help from the rest of the order."
Mission frowned "I've just thought of something," she said "there are over five hundred of these rebellious Sith, but there are only one hundred and fourty in the Jedi order." That was after six months of recruiting, the original amount after Malachor V had been eighty-three. "Now that the Jedi are re-forming, surely there is a danger that if you allow so many outsiders in that key doctrines will change, and the order will become almost an ex-Sith order?"
Bastila nodded "The Jedi order will have to change if we are to survive Mission, if we had before we wouldn't be in the position we are now. We will have to accept back into our fold many Jedi that followed Darth Revan," her voice caught a little on her beloved's name, she cleared her throat and continued, "and Darth Malak. The lost Jedi will have to return to the fold as well, and we will have to take up many new apprentices. And yes, Mission, a lot will have to change. Jedi will no longer be able to hold self righteous attitudes or adopt wait and see approaches." The corners of her mouth twitched as she remembered her old master, Vrook, a man who had personified all of those attributes and more.
"So you think it is a good thing?" said Mission, surprised.
"Yes Mission, I do," said Bastila simply, closing the subject.
"What about emotions, and especially love? Will the Jedi change in their views there too?"
Mission obviously wasn't going to give up easily, but Bastila could hardly blame her. Mission and Kaah's marriage was blatantly against the Jedi code, as was Bastila and Revan's. As she began to speak, Bastila felt Kaah enter the command deck, followed by Dustil and Mira, another pair who might have problems if the rules weren't changed. They must have finished their meditation session. Mical and Brianna came in last, Bastila wasn't sure but she thought she could see something brewing between them as well.
"Too many of the Jedi are now married for the council to expel them all, or simply turn a blind eye to their actions." said Bastila "I believe that they will just have to accept it and move on. That is assuming there is a Jedi council, the only council members still alive that I know of are Masters Vandar, Yarin and Astin."
Vandar Tokare was a diminutive creature, but wise in the ways of the galaxy and the Force and held in great esteem by all who knew him. Astin Lamar was the official head of the Jedi Council and the late Council Member Vrook's brother; unfortunately they had very similar characters. Yarin Bleur was an Ithorian.
"I think change has been too long in coming," said Kaah as he hugged Mission from behind, causing her to sigh with pleasure as she leaned backwards on him. Bastila felt a pang of sadness and even a little jealousy, seeing what the two of them had reminded her sharply how long it had been since she had been with her husband.
Kaah was a powerful Twi'lek, tall even by human standards and very handsome by Twi'lek standards. His skin pigmentation was such a dark purple that it looked almost black, giving him a dangerous appearance. In actual fact he was unusually soft spoken, compassionate, cautious and thoughtful. He was highly aggressive in battle though with his deep-blue double-saber.
Dustil and Mira stood hand in hand on Bastila's other side and Mical and Brianna next to them. The six of them were the only Jedi in the entire fleet, and this was the largest fleet ever assembled by the Republic since the destruction of the Star Forge. Yet again Bastila had to work hard not to feel any resentment to the Jedi council, who had stopped more Jedi from coming. Much would depend on them if they ran into the Sith, and especially upon Bastila. She was the only Jedi who currently knew the Battle Meditation technique, with the death of Nomi Sunrider and her daughter Vima during the Jedi assassinations. As soon as she returned to the Republic she would be searching for Force-sensitives with the ability to learn it, in the wake of the discovery of the Sith empire and the imminent war this was especially important.
"Exiting hyperspace in three, two, one" said the pilot.
The 'Archon' shuddered violently as it left hyperspace, driving everybody standing to their knees except for the Jedi and Mission who was being supported by Kaah.
"The hyperdrive needs more work," Mission noted absently, and left the bridge.
The rest of the fleet was busy exiting hyperspace, materializing as if by magic beside them. As they flew past a large a large asteroid field, Bastila caught sight of a blue-green planet.
"What a beautiful world," said Mira.
Bastila nodded, "Sedan."
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Stay tuned for 'Sith Poison', Part 7 of Star Wars: The Dark Empire Episode 1 – Exodus
