Chapter 10 –In Palpatine's Court
Terra slowly woke up. It was almost noon. Her husband lay next to her, his mask resting on his night stand. He isn't the most handsome guy in the world, but he sure is a tiger in the sack she thought to herself. Slade stirred and woke up. He instinctively reached for his mask and put it on.
"You know that you don't need to wear that when it's just the two of us." she purred.
"It's part of who I am."
"So I should consider myself lucky that you take it off when we 'celebrate', right?"
"There is a place and time for everything, my dear."
Terra snorted. "Sure. Speaking of which, when are you going to tell me how are we going to contact this friend of yours?"
"We will travel to him. And he isn't my friend. Truth be told, he has no friends. He's more of a benefactor."
"Sounds a bit like you." Terra teased him.
"Not so. He doesn't have a spouse, mate or even a lover."
"He sounds like a barrel of fun. Who is he?"
"He is a Sith Lord called Darth Sidious. I met him when I briefly served as Trigon's emissary to the Sith. I offered him an alliance with Trigon, which he politely declined. As an act of good faith he presented me with a starship. Since Trigon had no need for a starship, I kept it for myself."
"You have a starship? What other surprises have you kept from me?"
"Remember the Ring of Azar I told you about?"
"The one you gave to Starfire so she could fight Trigon?" she replied.
"Correct. I have more of them. Different rings have different powers. One of them grants the power to jump between dimensions."
"So how can this Darth Sidious help us?"
"When I met him he was plotting to overthrow that Galactic Republic that existed in his dimension. The Jedi at the time were a misguided group of peace keepers who kept the Republic safe."
"Ugh! You mean they are a Galactic version of the Titans?"
"Somewhat. As you experienced firsthand yesterday, they are quite formidable. Part of Sidious' plot to over throw the Republic was to eliminate the Jedi. I believe that these four Jedi are exiled here in our dimension. Their ship is in perfect condition, I've scanned it very thoroughly . There is nothing to prevent them from returning to their original dimension. This must mean that Sidious was successful and conquered his galaxy. They basically ran for their lives."
"Why would he care about four Jedi if he took over an entire Galaxy? Are they a threat?"
"They are, the Jedi have always been the enemies of the Sith. They both are practitioners of the Force, and seek to destroy each other. Much like me Palpatine is an obsessed man, Terra. He won't rest until every Jedi is either dead or has pledged allegiance to him and the Dark Side of the Force."
"Sounds ominous. So when do we leave?"
"This evening. Pack your bags. We might be gone for a while."
-(-)-
Two weeks had elapsed. Gar and Raven returned from their honeymoon. Neither had a tan to show off, since both lacked melanin and relied on other compounds to provide them with their green and gray skin pigmentations. Nevertheless both seemed to glow. Married life was already suiting them quite well.
As soon as they unpacked they were treated to a welcome home dinner prepared by Cyborg, which the Jedi were invited to join. To everyone's amazement, Cyborg prepared an all vegetarian feast, including eggplant parmesan, pasta primavera and even a few vegan dishes as well. He even produced a few bottles of Asti Spumante to accompany the huge Tiramisu he served for dessert. After tasting her flute of Spumante, Ahsoka gave the underage Padawans a look that they understood immediately: No Asti for you. It's not fair, Sleedo thought to himself. Ahsoka isn't 18 yet and she can have some. They were allowed second helpings of Tiramisu, however, which they washed down with something called a 'Cappucino'. I could get used to Earth food, Nuvuti thought as she finished her second helping of Tiramisu.
Once the meal was consumed and the light conversation was over, Nightwing began to debrief Raven and Garfield on what had happened at the mall. There was little new information, as they had followed the aftermath of the incident via various internet news outlets. And just as Garfield had predicted, Slade had been absent since the attack.
Once the debriefing was over, Gar turned to Raven "Rae, is it me, or are there bad vibes between Jarvik and Ahsoka?"
"It's not you. Until now they have been able to completely hide their emotions from me, but not since we returned. I am sensing anger in Jarvik and distrust in Ahsoka. Something has happened between them…"
Then, as if on cue, Ahsoka walked up to them. "I wish to speak with both of you, in private, if possible."
"Of course" Raven replied "Come with us."
Ahsoka followed Raven and Gar to their new top floor apartment. Cyborg had furbished it with the latest security and eavesdropping protections in the known world.
Gar broke the silence. "You can speak with confidence. This is probably the most secure room in the whole world."
Since when does he talk like that? Raven thought to herself. She heard Knowledge pipe up in the back of her mind He just keeps getting better and better, right? Raven silenced her emotions and the other parts of her mind, instead focusing on what Ahsoka was about to share with them.
"Raven, you may have noticed that Jarvik and I are having a problem with each other."
"Heck, I noticed, and I'm not an empath like Raven." BB piped up.
Ahsoka dropped her head, and then raised it again, once again facing the newlyweds.
"Jarvik used a Force power at the shopping center that is associated with the Sith."
"You mean the energy that poured from his fingers?" Raven asked.
"Yes. We Jedi call it 'Sith Lightning'. It is perhaps one of the deadliest uses of the Force. I could tell that Jarvik did not apply it with full power on the Geomancer, since she survived."
"What does this mean to us?" Raven continued. "Why are you sharing this with us and not with Nightwing? He is our leader after all."
"I fear that Jarvik has been seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. If this is true we might have to expel him from Titan's Tower, as he could become dangerous."
"I understand your concern, but once again, why not inform Nightwing?"
"It concerns Garfield. I am afraid that if we expel Jarvik that he will take Garfield as his Dark Force apprentice."
"And what if I don't accept his offer?"
"Then he would kill you." Ahsoka replied in a grim tone.
Raven and Garfield exchanged worried looks. Gar saw fear in her eyes.
"So what can we do?" he added.
"I will train you as a Jedi myself." Ahsoka offered. "Between the four of us and the Titans we should be able keep Jarvik at bay."
"Really, you will train me?" Gar replied, unable to conceal the excitement in his voice.
"Yes, but I will need Raven's permission."
"You have it." Raven offered.
"Before I accept you permission, let me explain why I need it."
Ahsoka paused , looking even more grim, then continued.
"The bond between a Master and a Padawan learner is often described as 'intimate'."
"What?" Raven growled.
Ahsoka thought she saw Raven's eyes briefly glow red and split into two pairs of eyes.
"Oh no, nothing like that" she clarified. "It's more like an emotional bond. A good Master/Padawan pair can almost read each other's thoughts. It is a form of mental intimacy usually only found in married couples."
Raven calmed down. "Thanks for clarifying. But to be honest, I'm still not all that comfortable with what you just told me. I now understand why you need my permission."
"Dot not worry, Raven, I will not steal your husband from you. When I was granted the rank of Knight I had to take a vow of celibacy, and unlike my old Master I intend to honor that vow. Also, Gar's training will be expedited. I hope to accomplish in months what normally takes years to complete. Our bond will be superficial at best."
"Uh, I won't have to take that vow, will I?" Gar asked.
"No. First of all, I cannot confer on you the rank of Jedi Knight. Only a Master can do that. Secondly, you are already married and Raven's right to your body trumps the Jedi Code."
"I thought Jarvik said that you had to be single to be a Jedi" Raven asked.
"Garfield's membership in the order would be valid, but illicit."
"Meaning?" Raven continued.
"He would not be allowed to appear before the Jedi Council and could never be granted the rank of Knight orMaster. Since there is no longer a Jedi Council, the point is moot. He would be a defacto Jedi Knight. No ifs, ands or buts. That is if we could find a Master agreeable to granting him the rank itself."
Raven sat down on the couch in the apartment living room, her eyes closed, deep in thought. After a few minutes she opened her eyes and looked up at Ahsoka. "You have my consent".
Gar locked yes with Ahsoka. "So, you took a vow of celibacy?"
"Yes." She nodded sadly.
"That blows, so you've never had a boyfriend?" He remarked, earning himself an elbowing from his wife, along with a mild glare.
"Actually … I … kind of had a boyfriend."
"You did?" Raven asked as she sat up straight.
Ashsoka blushed . "All we ever was kiss, once … his name is Lux Bonteri."
"Are you still in touch with him?"
Ahsoka slowly shook her head. "No … it would have never worked. He's married now, and is a Senator."
"I'm sorry to hear that." The sorceress replied in her monotone.
"It was probably for the best." Ahsoka murmured.
-(-)-
A dazzling wormhole appeared near Naboo, close enough to be seen with the naked eye from the planet's surface. A sleek, silver hulled ship emerged. It was Nubian in design, a near twin of the ship that years earlier had served as a getaway vessel for Queen Amidala, Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi. This time the passenger list was different.
Slade relaxed at the controls while Terra took in the view of nearby Naboo.
"So what do we do now?" Terra asked.
"We wait for them to come to us".
Terra noticed that reality looked different in this dimension, as Slade had told her it would. She walked to the rest room and looked at her reflection in the mirror. This is going to take some getting used to, she thought.
"Who?" She called from the lav.
"An imperial ship of course. You don't think that our grand entrance into this dimension went unnoticed, do you?"
Just as Slade finished speaking a giant space craft dropped out of hyperspace, hovering over them. It was a Venator class Star Destroyer. It was over 1000 meters long and even Terra could tell that it dwarfed the corvette parked in front of Titans Tower.
Suddenly they received a hail from the Star destroyer. "Nubian vessel, your transponder code has expired. Identify yourself immediately."
"This is Ambassador Slade Wilson from the Trigonic Hegemony. I seek an audience with the Imperial government."
"Transmit your diplomatic code immediately." Slade keyed in a code on his console.
"Code received. Stand by." the voice ordered.
After a couple of minutes the voice returned. "Your code is valid. Stand by while we contact central command."
This time almost an hour elapsed. Terra was getting nervous.
"Patience, my dear, I'm sure the Dark Lord, or as he is known to the masses, Emperor Palpatine, is curious regarding our arrival."
"What's taking so long?"
"It's just chain of command, Terra. Be patient."
At that moment the comm speaker came back to life. "Welcome back Ambassador. The Emperor sends you his personal greetings. We are instructed to bring you and your vessel to Coruscant. We will guide you into the main docking bay with tractor beams, so please idle your engines. Commander Tennyson will be there to greet you".
Slade flipped a switch. "Acknowledged. Engines are now off line."
Slade and Terra felt the tractor beam engage their vessel and gently guide it into the massive docking bay. Once the docking bay was sealed and pressurized they saw an honor guard approach their vessel.
"Let's not keep our hosts waiting" Slade said as he lowered the loading ramp.