Chapter 10
Ahsoka Tano was relieved when the Jedi Temple came into view. The Jedi's measures to keep Zekk alive had worked, and he would soon be in the care of Master Cilghal and her team of healers. However, this did not distract them from the fact that they had almost lost their companion. Tahiri Veila had not spoken since they left Mustafar, Lowbacca's furred-covered face was downcast, and Tesar Sebatyne, even with his reptilian features, appeared sad.
Ahsoka flipped a switch to open a com channel to the temple's flight controller. "This is Master Tano, requesting permission to land in the medical hanger. Jedi Zekk requires immediate medical attention for severe burns."
The controller responded, "Acknowledged, Master Tano. Proceed to the medical hanger and await landing instructions."
Watching Demood Elppirc lying unconscious on the table, broken in both mind and body, Luke Skywalker found it hard to believe that he could possibly be dangerous. Ahsoka seemed to view him as some kind of monster that had to be slain. Luke thought that he could try talking to Elppirc to discover whether or not he was truly a monster.
Master Cilghal announced, "We're ready to proceed, if that is your wish."
Luke nodded his head and replied, "Wake him."
The Mon Calamari Jedi pressed the button that initiated the neural shocks. Elppirc twitched, but did not wake. Cilghal increased the voltage and tried again, but to no avail. Luke looked at Cilghal, waiting for her to increase the voltage again. As she did, she commented, "We're getting into a dangerously high range. I do not know how many more times he can take this." She pressed the button again.
This time, Elppirc awoke screaming. "Damn it! Stop doing that! You're trying to kill me, aren't you? You think I'm a madman who has to be put down! Well, it isn't true!"
Luke replied calmly, "No one thinks you're mad. We just–"
Elppirc clenched his fists, squeezed his eyes shut (even though he was blind) and began to sing loudly, "LA LAAA LAAA! I CAN'T HEEEAAAR YOU! LA LAAA LA-LA-LA! JUUUST SHUT UUUUUUP!"
Luke wanted to use the Force to calm him down, but he was afraid that Elppirc would just get more violent. He yelled to Cilghal, "Is there anything you can do to calm him down?"
Cilghal yelled back, "I could give him a sedative, but I have no idea how that will affect him."
"LA LAAA LA! I AM NOT CRAZYYY! LEAVE MEEE ALOOONE! LA-LA-LA LA LA-LAAAAAA!"
Luke yelled, "I'll take the risk! Just give him something!"
Cilghal picked up a hypospray and grabbed Elppirc's arm, trying to hold it still so she could administer the injection. He immediately stopped singing and started screaming. "GET YOUR SLIMEY, FILTHY HANDS OFF ME!" At that instant, Cilghal stuck the hypospray into his arm, not caring where it ended up. Elppirc slowly quieted down and began to relax.
Luke sighed in relief. "Thank you." He moved to stand next to the panting patient and asked, "All I want to know is, why did you betray the Republic?"
Elppirc chuckled. "What? The Force can't tell you? You rely on it for everything else, so maybe you should ask it why I did what I did!"
"You're a Jedi. You serve the Force. Don't you feel any regret or remorse for all of the suffering that you caused?"
"Not. One. Iota," Elppirc answered blatantly. "I did what had to be done to stop the Jedi from winning the war. If they truly served the Force, then why did they remain blind to the Sith threat for so long? Why did they resort to war when they knew full well that they were not warriors? Why did they stand by while the rest of the galaxy suffered at the hands of pirates and criminals?"
Luke knew that these were the same questions people had asked toward the end of the Clone Wars, when public support for the Jedi was dwindling. The New Jedi Order had always held that Emperor Palpatine had been using the Force to keep the Jedi blind to his true intentions and manipulate the rest of the galaxy into believing that they were the villains. But, as many had often asked, was that indicative of Palpatine's abilities, or the Jedi's shortcomings?
Elppirc continued, "If everything that happened was the will of the Force, then I no longer wanted any part in it. I tried to escape when I blew up my command post on Geonosis, but they refused to let me die. So I resorted to more extreme measures. I realized that there are other forces at work in the universe than the will of the Force. We have to use our own wills to shape the outcome of events. If I hadn't released those prisoners, the war would have been over sooner, and the Jedi would go on serving Palpatine's evil designs and even more innocent people would suffer."
Luke asked, "If you wanted to die so bad, then why didn't you? How did you survive on the Dead Planet for sixty years?"
"HOW SHOULD I KNOW? I wanted to die! I pleaded for death! But it never came! I was starving, freezing, suffocating, yet I couldn't die! I was doomed to suffer for eternity! I always had been, and I always will be!"
"Why do you talk so much about suffering? What could possibly have happened to you to make you so depressed and pragmatic?"
"You couldn't possibly understand what I've been through! NO ONE CAN! Nooo…" Elppirc fell unconscious before he could finish the word "no."
The medical ward was silent for a moment as Luke and Cilghal pondered what they had just heard. Finally, Luke broke the silence. "I don't think we're any closer to finding out the truth than we were before. In fact, it seems to me that this is more serious than we thought. He didn't just lose faith in the Jedi; he lost faith in the Force."
"But that means that he has not turned to the dark side," pointed out Cilghal. "Meaning, there may yet be hope that we can save him. The hard part is renewing his faith in the Force. I really have no idea how to go about doing that."
"You said that we could use the Sith Orb to cure him. How exactly would we do that?"
If her physiology had allowed, Cilghal would have shrugged. "We could settle his brain wave patterns by adjusting them to a constant frequency and wavelength, thus curing him of his madness. If we wished, we could rejuvenate his eyes, reversing his blindness. We may even be able to set his autonomous functions back in order so that he would no longer have to rely on machines. However, this is pure speculation."
"Speculation or not, we have to do something. These Sith assassins are more dangerous than this Sinestro is letting on. The Sith Orb may be our best chance of stopping them before they cause serious damage. And right now, I don't think Master Elppirc will be of much help, even if he were willing."
An alarm chimed over the intercom system, followed by the voice of the Jedi Temple flight controller saying, "Master Cilghal, Master Tano's shuttle will be docking in the medical hanger. Jedi Zekk requires immediate medical attention for severe burns."
Luke's eyes widened in shock. Zekk had been injured!
Cilghal pressed the intercom button on the wall and answered, "Acknowledged, flight control. I will be there shortly." She entered a code to broadcast her voice through the Halls of Healing. "I need a gurney with standard life support in the hanger, and prepare a ward in the burn unit."
Ahsoka guided the Lambda-class shuttle to the hanger adjacent to the Halls of Healing. Following the instructions given by the flight controller, she guided the shuttle through the hanger doors and touched down in the middle of the hanger. Through the forward viewport, Ahsoka could see Luke Skywalker and Master Cilghal running into the hanger, followed by two apprentices pushing a gurney fitted with life support equipment.
As soon as the boarding ramp was lowered, the apprentices rushed aboard and went to the medbay. As they loaded Zekk onto the gurney and hooked him up to the portable life support systems, Ahsoka saw just how serious his injuries were. The young man was barely recognizable with his hair and eyebrows singed off, the smoldering remnants of his clothes stuck to his black-and-red skin, and a respirator mask covering his face. Once Zekk had been secured, the apprentices pushed the gurney back down the ramp.
While Cilghal accompanied the apprentices to the burn unit, Luke waited at the boarding ramp for Ahsoka and the rest of her team. They all stopped at the bottom of the ramp, except for Tahiri, who acknowledged Luke with a barely noticeable nod and walked straight out of the hanger.
Luke ventured, "I take it she's shaken from the experience."
Ahsoka nodded. "She almost lost Zekk the same way she lost Anakin. He nearly died to save us. It will take time for her to recover. That, of course, depends on whether Zekk lives or…" She was hesitant to state the other possibility, so she left her sentence unfinished.
"Did you at least find the… artifact?" Luke assumed that Tesar and Lowbacca still did not know about the Sith Orb.
Ahsoka shook her head. "We went to the right place, but it was gone."
"Gone?" repeated Luke. "You mean someone else found it first?"
"Not just 'someone.'" Ahsoka reached into her backpack and held up what appeared to be a flag with an all-too-familiar cog symbol on it. "The Empire."
Luke was momentarily stunned speechless. "I don't understand. How could they have known where to find it?"
Ahsoka answered, "I've thought about that. I don't think we should be too quick to dismiss the possibility that one of the secret-keepers told them."
"Secret-keeperz?" rasped Tesar. "What secret?"
Luke had almost forgotten that Tesar and Lowbacca were still there. He said, "I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to excuse us. This is council business."
Lowbacca grunted in understanding and bowed. Tesar mimicked the gesture and both Jedi began to walk away. As they did, Tesar muttered, "This one doez not like secrets. Nothing good ever comez from them."
After the other Jedi were gone, Luke and Ahsoka retreated to a corner of the hanger to continue their conversation. Luke said, "You think a Jedi would have just given up the secret? The location of the orb has been the most closely guarded secret kept for nine hundred years. If a Jedi were entrusted with it, he would probably take extra care to keep it."
Ahsoka suggested, "Perhaps if they were tortured enough, some Jedi probably would have let it slip. Or…"
"Or they intended to reveal the secret," finished Luke. "Perhaps one of the secret-keepers turned to the dark side." Another thought suddenly occurred to him, prompting him to suggest, "Could my father have been a secret-keeper?"
This question caught Ahsoka off-guard. She looked away and stammered, "I-I don't want to believe that he could have kept such a huge secret from me, but I know that it wouldn't be the only one. I didn't realize that he had been in love with your mother until after she died."
They were both silent for a moment. Ahsoka had told Luke about how she had deduced that Anakin Skywalker had been in love with Padmé Amidala, conceived twins with her, and then strangled her to death in a fit of rage. Officially, there was no record stating how she had died, but an autopsy had revealed throat constriction with no marks on her neck.
Hoping to change the subject, Luke said, "It doesn't matter how they found the orb. We just need to figure out what they did with it."
Ahsoka nodded her head. "I don't think it ever reached the Emperor, otherwise we would surely have noticed signs that he had used it. More troops, stronger ships, a tighter hold on the galaxy, things like that."
"You're right. Something happened to the orb between the time it was taken from Mustafar and the time it would have been taken to Palpatine. I wonder if there are any records that would indicate what happened."
Luke stared intently at the screen as the computer ran a search through all government platforms for any mention of the Sith Orb. A search limited to the Jedi Archives had turned up nothing. The computer chimed as a message was displayed, indicating the same result.
"Nothing," reported Luke. "There's no mention of the orb on any Alliance database."
Ahsoka, standing behind him, suggested, "Maybe we should look through higher-access files."
Luke shook his head. "We'd have to get Chancellor Dain's permission for that, and I, for one, don't want him prying into our business."
Ahsoka sighed. "Good point. But maybe there are files that only require someone else's permission."
Luke craned his head around to smile at Ahsoka. "Good idea. And I know just who to ask first. To the communications center." He stood up and led Ahsoka to a separate room in the library where he could place a long-distance call. Stopping in front of a console, he typed a message. He explained to Ahsoka, "I'm asking Jagged Fel to contact me."
"Jagged Fel?" repeated Ahsoka. "You think he can help us find the orb?"
"He's the head of state of the Imperial Remnant. He has access to records we don't. Besides, he's a friend of the Jedi."
Ahsoka pointed out, "He's more of a friend of Jaina." During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Jagged Fel and Jaina Solo flew in the same squadron. They also dated for a while until the end of the war when they broke up. Although they never admit it, they still have feelings for each other and remain friends.
A moment later, a hologram appeared depicting a mid-thirties man of average height with black hair and a short beard. His most distinguishable feature was a scar running down his forehead above his right eye. Where the scar overlapped with his hairline, white hair protruded. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he said, "Master Skywalker, this is a surprise. How may I help you?"
Luke replied, "I need information from Imperial records. I was hoping you could help me."
Jagged frowned and asked, "Don't you have access to our records at the Jedi Temple?"
"Not all of them."
"Very well, what exactly do you need?"
"We've been searching for an ancient artifact which, according to our source, is supposed to be on Mustafar, on the Island of Serpents. However, when we went to retrieve it, it was gone. Instead, we found an Imperial flag, which would indicate that the Empire found it first."
Jagged surmised, "And you think our records may tell you what we did with the artifact."
Luke nodded his head. "Yes, if it's not too much trouble."
"Well, I suppose I could take a look and see what I can find. I'll contact you when I find something."
"Thank you, Commander."
Jagged bowed his head and cut off the transmission.
Ahsoka commented, "That wasn't so hard. I thought he would ask questions."
Luke pointed out, "If he finds what we're looking for, I have no doubt that he will."
A few days later, Jagged called Luke back. At first glance, he did not appear happy. "Well, Master Skywalker, I believe I've found what you're looking for. What I don't understand is, why do you want to find this Sith Orb?"
Luke answered. "I'm afraid that is internal Jedi business."
Jagged shook his head. "You'll have to do better than that."
Luke chose his words carefully. "We hope to use the orb to defeat the three assassins from Chancellor Dain's inauguration."
"That's it? I hardly think that's worthy of all this secrecy. Unless you have other motives?"
"Well, there are other possible uses we were considering exploring. Medical uses."
Jagged did not appear entirely convinced, but he said, "I suppose that's as good an answer as I could hope for. I'm trusting that your intentions are honorable." He cleared his throat and held up a datapad. "I found this top-secret report from about forty-five years ago. It was written by your father. Apparently, the Emperor sent him and a battalion of stormtroopers to Mustafar to recover a Sith Orb."
Luke interrupted, "Does the report say how they knew where to look?"
"No. Anyway, they went to the Island of Serpents and retrieved the orb, and then they returned to their Star Destroyer in orbit. Vader left the orb locked in his quarters and went to the bridge to supervise the return journey to Coruscant. However, rebel saboteurs had damaged the ship's hyperdrive, causing it to fail mid-flight.
"The ship was pulled out of hyperspace over Kamino and, in the process, was severely damaged. An evacuation was ordered, and Vader did not have enough time to retrieve the orb. The entire crew escaped, but the Star Destroyer was pulled into the planet's gravitational field and sank to the bottom of the ocean."
Luke mentally processed what he had just heard. "So, the orb may still be on board the Star Destroyer, on Kamino?"
Jagged shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I can give you the coordinates of the crash site if you wish."
Luke bowed his head in thanks. "I would very much appreciate that."
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