Bastila jogged away from the Ebon Hawk, across the courtyard and down into a tunnel under the hill, while I followed a few paces behind. As we crossed a smaller courtyard, though, a brown-haired woman stepped into my path with a slight frown.
"You, padawan. Why do you not wear the traditional robes of the Jedi? Do you mock the customs of our order?"
I tried to ignore her, but she stepped purposefully into my way so I couldn't go past. Bastila disappeared into another tunnel, seemingly unaware that I was being delayed.
"Are you a Jedi?" I demanded, matching her irate stance with my hand on my hip.
"I am Belaya, and I have come here to study the ways of the force. Many come here to learn from Master Zhar, but any in the Order should know this. You are clearly neglecting your studies, padawan."
"And I am no padawan, only the hero who saved Bastila. And I am on my way to a meeting with the Council, which you would know if you were important enough to be anything but a small-time irritation. Now back off."
Her frown deepened slightly, but her tone remained mild. "Bastila. I have heard of her. It is said she has already mastered the art of Battle Meditation, rare in one so young. Less rare is foolish pride in one's achievements." She tilted her head just a little as she said that, glancing at me to make her intention clear. "But you claim you are not a padawan? That is hard to believe, I can feel that the Force is very strong in you. If this is a jest, it is in poor taste. The Jedi Order should be above such."
"And you should be above stopping strangers to insult their choice of attire," I retorted. "I didn't come here to be scolded by one as ignorant as you."
"I. . . I suppose you did not. I apologize for the abruptness of my address, I may have been needlessly harsh. My master often says I must learn to control my emotions. I see that I do have much to learn. I wish you a pleasant stay here on Dantooine, and may the Force be with you."
I suppressed my irritation and hurried down the corridor Bastila had taken. It ended in an intersection of two corridors, but I saw Onasi stood off to one side by an open double doorway. "They're waiting for you inside," he said, gesturing into the large room. I thanked him and walked in to meet these Jedi Masters.
Somehow, I didn't feel impressed, awed, or honored by the summons. To be entirely honest, I was getting fed up with all the Jedi thinking they knew so much and that everyone should jump at their command. Bastila may be annoying at times, but at least she's more honest with her emotions.
I took a position within the circular room, facing the collected Jedi Masters, and Bastila, who stood off to one side. The first to address me was a pink-skinned twi'lek with a blue robe.
"So, you are the one who rescued Bastila. It is appropriate you are here. We have been discussing your rather... special case. I am Master Zhar. With me are Master Vrook," he gestured to a grumpy-looking human who scowled at me openly, "Master Vandar," a tiny creature with huge ears, whose species I couldn't place, "and of course the chronicler of our Academy, Master Dorak." This last was another human, dark-skinned and with a slight frown, though he appeared more openly curious than the others. "Padawan Bastila, I believe you are already familiar with."
"Yeah, we've met," I said, trying for humor. No one laughed, so I sighed and attempted to appear calm and wise. "So, what do you want from me?"
Master Zhar replied without hesitation. "Bastila tells us you are strong in the Force. We are considering you for Jedi training."
"Strong in the Force?" I asked. Bastila had mentioned I was Force 'sensitive', but she hadn't said strong.
"Master Zhar speaks out of turn, perhaps," Vrook cut in. "We need absolute proof of your strong affinity for the Force before we could even consider training you as a Jedi."
"Proof?" Bastila demanded. "Surely as Masters of the Jedi you can sense the strength of the Force within her. And I have related to you the events on Taris."
"Perhaps it was luck," Vrook said. He really seemed to have it out for me.
Master Zhar waved a hand. "We both know there is no such thing as luck. The Force moves through us all. We can all feel the strength within her, though wild and untamed. Now that it has begun to manifest itself, would it be prudent to ignore such strong ability? Could we do so safely?"
"Training to become a Jedi is long and difficult," Vrook said, "even with a young and open mind. Teaching a child is hard. How much more difficult would it be for an adult to learn the ways of the Jedi?"
"I can handle your training, and my age has nothing to do with it!" I retorted without thinking. It took a moment to sink in that I'd just agreed to become a Jedi, but the revelation wasn't anything new. I've always been a Jedi at heart, I realized, it had just taken this long for it to come to be.
Strong in the Force? Perhaps that's the feeling that connects me to Bastila. Though I felt no such affinity for any of these so-called Masters.
"Such pride, such arrogance." Vrook's expression never changed from his dissaproving glower. "This one is clearly on the path to the Dark Side already."
"As are many who have never received the proper training," Vandar replied. "Only through our guidance can we hope to bring those who have strayed back to the Light."
"Traditionally, the Jedi do not accept adults for training," put in the Chronicler. Master Dorak? "There have been rare exceptions, however, and you are a special case."
"I agree with Master Dorak." Vandar said. "Many of our own students are leaving to join the Sith, and we will need recruits to face the threat of Malak. With Revan dead—"
I flinched involuntarily. Whenever someone mentioned Revan, or any time I thought about the fallen Dark Lord, I felt a sudden flash of intense hatred, fury, and disgust. Just for a brief moment, then the emotions faded and allowed me to at least pretend calm.
"And are you certain that Revan is truly dead?" Master Vrook interrupted. "What if we should undertake to train this one and the Dark Lord should return?"
I began to think he was just grasping at any thread he could to argue about. Even I could see through that weak argument. The Masters wouldn't be spending all their time training one student, no matter how exceptional I ended up being. And besides, Revan, returning? Bastila had seen him fall. I had seen him fall, through her memories in dream.
"We should discuss the matter more fully in private," Master Vandar said, clearly not wanting us to see them squabbling like this. It wasn't exactly dignified. "This is a matter for the Council alone. Bastila, you and your friend must leave."
Bastila swept the most obsequious bow I could possibly have imagined, as though the Council were great lords and she a mere servant. Or slave, even. "As you wish, Masters, we will return to the Ebon Hawk and leave you to your deliberations."
I deliberately made no such courtesies.
The afternoon passed without word from them, and I began to worry they would refuse me. Like many subconscious decisions lately, I couldn't pinpoint a time when I'd decided that I wanted to become a Jedi, that I would become a Jedi, but now that the reality might be snatched away I found it hard to stay focused.
If the traders on Dantooine had been less honest, I may have ended up shorted without noticing. The numbers checked out, however, and I ended the day with some much better equipment than when I began it. And Onasi seemed relieved to finally be rid of a good portion of the junk in the cargo bay.
Still. The constant worry in the back of my mind. Would Vrook be able to convince the Council to send me away? The other three seemed pleased by my potential, eager to bring me into their Order. Vrook, though, was a disagreeable old grumbler.
The more I thought about what he'd said, the more it irritated me. Bringing up Revan? What was that possibly supposed to accomplish? Or was he comparing us? Was his 'dark lord returning' talk some sort of symbolic way of hinting that I could end up joining the Sith like Revan had?
As though I would be so foolish. I had seen all too clearly the way the Sith were treated by their masters. If I were to take over the universe, there would be some serious changes. And bombing Taris? What was that stupid move about? Malak wasted resources and got everyone even more upset with him over an insignificant planet like that?
I realized I was pacing the ship, fists by my sides, and forced my thoughts away from what I would do when in charge of everything. Instead, I considered the vengeance I would wreak on Malak and Saul Kareth. They had hurt me, they hurt Bastila and Onasi, and they were a nuisance to the universe. It would help everyone to take them down, and I wasn't going to wait for them to destroy more planets.
I would become a Jedi. If I had to sleep in the wild and spy on Bastila's lessons through our bond - could I do that? If I were sleeping while she was awake, could I use it to spy through her? - whatever it took, I would master this power I could feel constantly flowing through and around us all. I would bring it under my control, and I would destroy our enemies so Bastila and I could rise to our glorious destiny.
I needed power, and I needed it fast. The way they talked about it made me envision years of study and contemplation, which I could ill afford.
My temper was heated to a boiling point. I couldn't go on like this, I'd end up making a fool of myself and goodness knew I'd done that enough already lately. I crossed firmly to the nearest empty room, sat down in the center of the floor, and tried to bring my mind to calmness.
It was hard. Between Vrook's constant assault on my character and Malak with his overpowering fleets, I had far too much on my mind to slip easily into restfulness. Slowly, slowly, I relaxed into restful peace.
I paced before a door, massive and thick with power. The room in which we stood was ancient, worn carvings that had once been deep.
"The Dark Side is strong in this place," Malak said.
I glanced at him reprovingly for the interruption, then returned my attention to the door. I had nearly solved it.
"Is this wise?" Malak asked. "The ancient Jedi sealed this archway. If we pass through this door we can never go back. The Order will surely banish us."
I waved a hand, moving the Force just so, and the door slid apart with a grinding shuddering that shook the hall. I strode forward, ignoring Malak's weakness and fear. He was my friend, my follower, but not my equal. He had agreed to accompany me, which was strength enough for the moment.
"Are the secrets of the Star Forge so valuable?" he asked without moving from where he stood, hesitating even now. "Can its power truly be worth the risk?"
I continued forward, toward the triangular artifact that held the secrets to endless power. Reluctantly, Malak came to stand beside me as the Star Map opened itself and projected the path to my future destiny.
I jerked awake, stood as fast as I could, and ran out of the ship. It was morning; I must have drifted from meditation into true sleep. My legs felt unsteady, but that wasn't the cause of my alarm.
Onasi caught me as I stumbled on the departure ramp, steadied me on my feet. "Woah there. This morning's getting stranger by the minute. First Bastila runs out looking like she's seen a ghost, and now you?"
I stared at him a second, then sighed with relief. Of course. Bastila. Our connection.
My panicked breathing calmed. She'd had a nightmare after that fool Vrook brought up Revan, and now she had me all jumpy. I growled under my breath. Sometimes I wondered if events were just conspiring to drive me crazy.
"So, you saw Bastila. How was she?"
Onasi shrugged. "She looked pretty much like you, unsteady and nearly ill. Are you alright?"
"I had a rough night," I said hoarsely. I needed a drink. And some breakfast. And some dinner, for that matter.
"Can't say I blame you," Onasi said. "I haven't exactly been sleeping well myself. And here I thought things would improve once we escaped Taris."
"Would you like to head to the cantina?" I asked, then glanced around. Come to think on it, I hadn't actually seen a cantina since we landed. "Or whatever passes for one around here?" I amended.
Onasi shifted uncomfortably. "Well, Bastila did say you should join her in the Council chambers when you woke up, and it is no doubt urgent. She didn't look in a mood to be kept waiting."
"Another time then," I told him. I rubbed at my forehead. I'd jumped up altogether too fast, and this headache would probably hang around the rest of the morning. No time for food either? ugh.
I walked to the council chamber, yawning and wishing I had slept in a proper bed. My clothing was rumpled and I hadn't bathed in far too long. Not the best impression, but neither would delaying an extra hour to eat and shower.
"Padawan Bastila has told us of a most unusual development," Vandar said without preamble. "She claims you and she have shared a dream, a vision of Malak and Revan in the ancient ruins here on Dantooine."
The mention of Revan's name flooded me with rage and I stood straighter, the flash of furious emotion burning away tiredness.
"These ruins have long been known to us," the chronicler said. Dorak. "But we believed them to be mere burial grounds until now. Perhaps there is more to them than we thought, if Revan and Malak found something there."
"I don't even want to think about Bastila's nightmares," I said, irritation seeping through my calm facade, "Much less discuss them."
"Bastila has shared this dream with the council in great detail," Vandar said, "and we believe it to be more. A true vision, given by the Force."
"I'll trust to your greater knowledge of such affairs, then." I said, but my heart was sinking. If Bastila's nightmare was truly some sort of vision, then the Force might be pushing her into a confrontation with Malak. She'd been there for Revan's defeat, why not his apprentice's too?
But I didn't have time. I had to be strong enough to help her, guide her. If she was just a padawan and I was just a smuggler, there was no way we'd be able to take down Malak no matter how much help we had.
"You and Bastila share a powerful connection to the Force, and to each other." Dorak said. "Such connections are not unheard of, they often form between master and student, but rarely so quickly."
"Whatever dangers lie ahead, we cannot ignore the destiny that has brought you and Bastila to us, together," Vandar said.
"What do you mean? What exactly is this connection?" Maybe they would know. If her constant presence in my mind, in my dreams, was some part of the Force, they should be able to explain it to me properly.
"You and she are linked, your destinies intertwined," Vandar said. "Together you may be able to stop Darth Malak, and the Sith."
Ah. They didn't know much more than I did, then. But that could make it easier, especially if they jumped to the conclusion that our shared fate was to do the same things I'd wanted to all along. I began to smile, but Vrook cut my eagerness short.
"Do not let your head be filled with visions of glory and power. These thoughts lead to the Dark Side. The way of the Light is long and difficult, are you ready to learn?"
I could barely suppress the sarcasm that suffused my voice. "Yes, Master, of course I will try to follow the Light." Whatever that meant.
"Good," Vandar said. "It is well that you understand the importance of this, and have the strength to follow it. Understand that there is little choice in the matter, for you or us. Across the galaxy our numbers thin as Malak and his Sith destroy us wherever we can be found. And many more Jedi have fallen, embraced darkness and joined Malak."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to fall, and I'm certainly never going to join Malak." I would rise in power and victory, and Malak would grovel at my feet before he died alone and defeated by my hand.
"If Malak is not stopped, the Republic will fall, and the Jedi will be hunted to extinction," Dorak replied. "The galaxy would be thrown into darkness and turmoil as never seen for a thousand generations."
"The council has decreed that you and Bastila should investigate the ruins you dreamed of, once the Council considers you ready." Vandar's tone left no space for argument.
"Perhaps there you can find some clue, some explanation of how Revan and Malak were corrupted. And, perhaps, discover a way to stop them.
"I don't know if I want to," I said. That dream had upset my balance, left me feeling out of sync with myself. My vision wavered, and I really wished I'd had time for breakfast.
"With such strong affinity for the Force come many responsibilities," Vandar lectured. "As well as great danger. You may wish to deny what you are, but the Council cannot ignore it."
"And neither will Darth Malak," Dorak put in. "Your strength, even if untrained, will be seen as a threat to him. Once he learns of you, he will send his Sith to hunt you down. Defeating them is the only way to defend yourself."
I very nearly laughed outright at that. "Oh, I will learn your Jedi powers and I will destroy Malak, that was never in question. I just don't like making decisions because of Bastila's nightmares."
"The Force flows through you like no student we've ever seen," Vrook said. I raised an eyebrow at the perceived compliment, until he continued. "But you are willful and headstrong, a dangerous combination.
"Before we send you to the ruins, you will be trained as a Jedi," Vandar said.
I nodded agreement. That was a bargain I could accept.
"If you cannot learn to defeat the darkness with you, within us all," he warned, "you will be doomed to fall."
I nodded, but I had no intention of 'defeating the darkness within me'. Any darkness I may carry, I would wield it as a weapon to maximum effect.
