Author's Note and Disclaimer: The Star Wars franchise does not belong to the author in any way, shape or form. This is not for profit. The setting begins roughly a hundred years after the Yuuzhan Vong Wars in the New Jedi Order series and summarily ignores any novels that took place afterwards. The plot and characters are all mine.
The Sith Insurgency – Chapter XIII – Return to Sinroc
Three Jedi Masters made up the Tatooine Council. Several other Jedi were called before them, in addition to Rel Dryden and Jason Farlander. The Council studied all of the Jedi before them, before anyone spoke. Master Jarik was the leader of the Council, and so he was the one to address them. "Terentateks have returned to the Galaxy, and that can only mean one thing: the Sith have returned. The Grand Council on Coruscant has received additional proof of this and of hidden strongholds throughout the Galaxy. War is brewing and lightsaber crystals are about to become a precious commodity."
Rel's eyes lost focus as his mind analyzed every word that was spoken. It was now common knowledge that the Sith were poised to attack, and that meant there was a time limit on his staged defection. The enemy certainly had spies in the Jedi Order, and they knew that he had kept silent about the Krath Warrior on Sinroc. Recent events made his mission easier, though he wondered what Master Jarik meant by "additional proof."
"For this reason," the Jedi Master continued, "we need to clear out the mines on Sinroc. The Grand Council has ordered a strike team to kill every terentatek in the mines. Because of his experience against the Sith beasts, Jedi Dryden will be the leader. Do not return to Tatooine until you are certain the mines are clear, else we risk a shortage of lightsabers in the upcoming war. And, Jedi Dryden, there will be no more negotiations that include lightsaber crystals. We cannot afford to give away important weapons, even for the sake of peace with the natives. Is that understood?" Finally, the rebuke that Jason had originally anticipated came. When the words were finally spoken, they had much less affect than intended.
Rel wanted to protest. True peace required compromise, and sometimes compromise meant laying down arms. Wars were made by the Will of the Force, not by sentient beings. He held back his inner thoughts and gave the answer Master Jarik expected to hear. "Yes, Master Jarik. Lightsabers will remain in the hands of the warriors who require them, and no one else."
Master Jarik's eyes narrowed and he wondered if his words had any affect on the Jedi Knight. After thinking the matter through, he decided that it did not matter. "Very well. Head to Sinroc aboard the Lucky Streak. The transport is large enough to take you all. And may the Force be with you."
XxxxX
Lucky Streak launched from Tatooine and into space. The moment the ship jumped into hyperspace, Jason asked a question. It was three months since the incident with the Sand People, and they had long since replaced their lightsabers. The two Jedi were currently focusing their training on Quaad Roke's personalized version of Jar'Kai, a combat style that combined a regular lightsaber with a two-thirds length lightsaber called a shoto.
"Master, I feel as if some key piece of information is missing." Jason ran through a complex combat exercise that would have been impossible for him, before he met Jedi Dryden. His execution was sloppy, due to lack of focus.
Rel considered activating target drones to teach his apprentice a lesson about concentrating on the moment. Instead, he gave his student reprieve. "You refer to Master Jarik's warning of the Sith," he surmised. "Yes, it is most troubling. There were rumors of Dark Side activity, but to presume that the Sith are responsible is a great leap in logic. It is strange that the Council would reveal hidden information now, of all times. I sense a great tragedy has happened, one that took place without our notice."
The Apprentice was troubled by the news to a degree that focus was impossible.
Another teacher would have told his student to take time off. Rel needed to push Jason harder, or else the Apprentice would certainly fall to the Dark Side. "Stretch out with your feelings and focus on your connection to the Force." His words had a whole new meaning, ever since he had taken Jason up in the X-wings to sense the Will of the Force. He barely gave Jason a minute, before he activated the target drones and ordered the Apprentice to continue the exercise.
In the meantime, Rel reviewed the holocrons from memory. "The sage, Master Papa-bar-Rava says that it is prohibited to rely on miracles, but prayer is not considered a miracle..."
XxxxX
"When the year is up," the holocron told her, "you must travel to the planet Ivri to be tested. Only then, can you be considered one of the Ivri people. The people will immediately reject you and turn you away, and it is up to you to make yourself accepted. It could take days, weeks, or even months to convince the sages that you are sincere in your desire to be one of them."
"That feels like a long time from now," she said, sadly. When Jedi Lorna told her that she was now in her Knighthood Trials, Perhi thought that it would be a matter of days. Her challenge was much more difficult than most, at least in the amount of time required.
The holocron had not exaggerated. Several months studying and learning the material had broken her. She lost track of the number of times she fell into tears out of guilt and despair, and yet, miraculously, she had the strength to stand up again. Her studies resumed. Private communications with Rel Dryden's sisters-in-law helped her cope, and Perhi felt a true bond building between herself and the Ivri women.
She switched off the holocron and placed a call to Dovac. It was time for her to ask a favor that she had no business requesting, and yet she knew of no other recourse. This was too difficult to go through, alone.
Sera Dryden's holographic image appeared before her.
"Sera, I can't do this anymore. Not by myself." She unloaded all of her pent up feelings of frustration, annoyance, and pain. "Please, come. You can... maybe you can join the Rangers and come along as my helper?"
The wife of Nic Dryden gave words of empathy, instead of the answer Perhi had requested. "I'm not a military girl, Perhi. My husband is the one who enlisted." Before the Jedi became too disappointed, she added, "I would be more than happy to come as your friend. Besides, the children and I haven't seen Nic in a while... it would give us the perfect excuse to fly to Tatooine."
A heavy weight lifted off of Perhi's shoulders. She was in the process of transforming her very essence, and every step was more difficult than she ever imagined. And yet it felt natural, healthy, and good. This was the path to true inner peace and happiness, she was certain of it. But she would only succeed if she had a support group to help her through the low times, and Sera was already a big part of that.
"Nic's parents just came back from Csilla, and they brought a present from Lorna. She said she upgraded Sea-Pea for you."
Perhi laughed. It would also be good to see her old friend again, the unusual protocol droid that had won a place in her heart. For the moment, the future looked very bright – despite the challenges that currently filled her life.
XxxxX
The Jedi strike team was prepared to face terentateks in the mines of Sinroc. They were not ready to face all of the threats that the planet had to offer.
Several Jedi were killed by the terentateks, and others were wounded. It seemed that another terentatek was at hand to replace every dead one, until they were finally wiped out. That was when the Krath Warriors charged out from the mines.
Each Krath Warrior was as skilled in combat as the average Jedi Apprentice, which meant that they were inferior to the Knights of the terentatek hunt. Nevertheless, the Jedi were outnumbered. First one Knight fell, and then another. More Krath appeared to cut off their retreat, while a team of assassins captured the Lucky Streak. The capture of the Ghtroc-720 was much more difficult than the first time, but greater numbers prevailed.
Every Jedi Knight was cut down, except for Rel Dryden. The Krath kept their distance from him and his Apprentice, as if they wanted the pair to survive.
Rel surveyed the carnage. There was no respect for life. Even their own Warriors were nothing more than drones, in the eyes of the Krath. They were animals by choice, which made them worse than the terentateks.
"What do you want?" Rel called out to them, wary of Krath trickery. There were eight Krath Warriors left, and Rel lacked the stamina to defeat them all. His Apprentice was easily the equal of any Krath Warrior, but he would be of little help against so many.
One of the Warriors stepped forward. "Your rebellious nature and unusual skill have caught the notice of the Dread Lord. His hand is only extended once and his offers are not to be taken lightly." The words were spoken bitterly, and laden with more than a bit of jealousy. "You and your apprentice are offered entrance to the Sith Academy on Bastion. Personally, I hope you refuse. Killing you and your ship's crew will be... fun."
Jason looked to his master, in panic. Once again, the crew of Lucky Streak was in danger. Master Dryden's younger brother's life was on the line, and there was no way that Rel could refuse. It took him time to remember that this was part of their mission. Even though this moment was anticipated, it was still painful and difficult to experience.
The surviving Jedi Knight felt anger threaten to rise within him. Great loss of life pained him to the core, and the risk to his brother hit him even harder. With enough adrenaline and help from the Force, he could kill every Krath present. But then his brother and the mission would be forfeit. He let a brief instant of despair wash over him and he switched off his twin lightsabers.
Another Krath stepped out of the shadows, previously unseen. His face was familiar: a zabrak named Cy Uvek, the best student of Rel's class in the Dovac Praxeum. Of all the Jedi that Rel could imagine falling to the Dark Side, Cy Uvek was the last.
"You may call me Lord Uvek," the former Jedi told the two prisoners. His voice had a bitterness that never existed, back when Rel had known him. "I will accompany you on the Lucky Streak to Bastion, where you will learn the true meaning of power."
Jason wanted to make a sarcastic comment. He could barely contain himself, but he managed to keep silent.
"Was there something you wanted to say, worm?" Uvek asked Jason. His tone and posture made it clear that the wrong word would end in a loss of life.
The Apprentice almost lost control a second time. He gained strength in resolve through the Master-Apprentice bond he shared with Jedi Dryden. "No, Lord Uvek." The insistence on protocol saved Jason's life, and he knew it. "I was merely overwhelmed by your presence."
Uvek bristled at the praise. "You teach your Apprentice honesty, Jedi Dryden. It is a good trait, in a Jedi Knight, but the Sith have more realistic ideals. Soon, you both will learn how to use words to your advantage – and not to have your own words used against you. Follow." He marched passed the Jedi, while the Krath Warriors collected the lightsabers of fallen and living Jedi alike.
Jason rushed to his Jedi Dryden's side, and whispered, "They're collecting weapons."
The Jedi Knight was pleased by his Apprentice's observation. "Sith have no need for Jedi lightsabers – they can make artificial crystals of their own. Perhaps their goal is strip the Order of its weapons." Jedi without lightsabers were far from defenseless, but the disadvantage in combat could lead to the end of the Order.
"The Jedi Order has already fallen," Uvek informed them. His senses were more attuned than either Jedi realized. "It is only a matter of time before they realize the truth: more than half of their number have already been replaced by Sith and Krath."
When the Jedi and Krath reached the surface, the smell of death was heavy in the air. Rel stretched out with the Force and confirmed what he suspected. All of the miners were already dead. The only living sentients on the planet were Sith, Krath, and the four prisoners.
The Lucky Streak felt different, as they approached. The ship felt dirty, as if it had been desecrated by an unholy presence. Rel followed Uvek up the ramp, and he spotted several black clad assassins in guard positions. Nic and Hathes were behind the assassins, all but forgotten with the arrival of Cy Uvek and the Jedi.
A pair of Krath Warriors climbed up to the cockpit, and the ship boarding ramp closed shut. They knew their way around, apparently, because the Lucky Streak soon took off and launched into space.
"Rumor has it that you were assigned to infiltrate the Sith Empire," Uvek announced, to the shock of the two prisoners.
It was then that Rel realized the truth of everything that Uvek had said. The Tatooine Council had been infiltrated long ago, and Rel's strike team was likely picked because of their Jedi loyalties. This had been a suicide mission meant to eliminate problematic Jedi before the Sith War even began.
"There is no more need for deception, Rel Dryden. There will be no great war. The Alliance Navy has been destroyed through sabotage, and the Jedi Order was wiped out from within. Jedi will never suspect their own comrades to turn against them, or to send them directly into an ambush."
Fear and despair filled Jason Farlander. He, too, knew that Uvek's words were truth. The Sith Lord's explanation was more in-line with events than anything that Jason came up with.
Rel turned to his Apprentice and gave a faint smile of reassurance. He turned back to the Sith Lord, and he used the zabrak's full name as a measure of rebuke. "Cy Uvek, you are an arrogant fool who is not even fit to be called a sentient being." He continued to move his lips, speaking a silent prayer. There was no other choice. Either he was going to succeed, or they would be taken in by the Sith. All his trust and desire was directed towards his connection with the Force.
The Sith Lord turned around with rage on his face. "How dare you!"
Calm filled Rel, with an overwhelming sense of love from the Force. He reached out with his hand, and his lightsaber flew off the belt of a Krath Warrior. The green blade switched on.
Lightning shot from Uvek's fingertips. It was a technique designed to kill through excruciating pain, honed by Sith over millennia. The lightning was intercepted by Rel's lightsaber. "Impossible. You are not strong enough in the Force to tear an object from the grips of a Krath Warrior."
"The time for lies has passed," Rel reminded the Sith Lord. "The Force is not just my ally, Cy Uvek – the Force is also my father and my mother. It is my shield and salvation, and you are my enemy."
Another battle began. Jason and the other prisoners were completely ignored, while the Krath were completely overwhelmed by the feat Rel had just accomplished. First one Krath Warrior was slain, and then another. Rel's second blade flew to his off-hand, and he resumed the battle in the Jar'Kai combat style. He killed all of the Krath Warriors, while Apprentice Farlander, Captain Parres, and Chief Dryden retrieved weapons and fought off the assassins.
"You fool," Uvek said, drawing his own, red-bladed lightsaber. "You might have a defense against my lightning, but your precious friends are not. Surrender, or they will die." He seemed oblivious to the death of all his allies, a trait of Sith arrogance.
"You were the best of our class in the Praxeum and you trained for years to become a Sith Lord. And yet you fear me, a mere Jedi Knight, in combat?"
The Sith Lord sneered, and the duel began. Uvek preferred the Makashi combat form and he was an expert. Nevertheless, he had never been a match Rel in the Praxeum – and the Dark Side was actually weaker than the Light, despite Sith propaganda.
Rel displayed true master over Jar'Kai for the first time in his life in the battle against Uvek. The fight ended when the Sith Lord's fighting arm was removed at the shoulder with a clean cut from Rel's shoto. "Yield," the Jedi Knight ordered, fully aware that Sith did not believe in surrender.
"You will die!" Uvek barked. Lightning shot out of his hand, only to be once again absorbed by Rel's lightsaber. He stretched out with his fingers, and his lightsaber came up into his left hand. The red blade switched back on.
The second round of combat was shorter. Rel blocked Uvek's first attack with his shoto and removed Uvek's legs with his green lightsaber. Uvek fell to the ground in a scream of pain, while his lightsaber flew off in a random direction. Jason collected the weapon before Uvek could recall it to his hand.
"Surrender."
The Sith Lord's condition was almost comical. He had one arm, no legs, and yet his facial expression was still stubborn and resilient. "Jedi fool. I am a Dark Lord of the Sith!" Even as Uvek spoke, he writhed in pain on the ground. He tried to direct his remaining hand, to direct a Dark Side attack against the Jedi.
Rel cut off Uvek's other arm, at the elbow, to ensure that the Sith Lord never used his lightning again. Even with his rage, Uvek lacked the focus to keep overcome the trauma of the experience. He finally lost consciousness from the pain and shock of having his body cut apart before his eyes.
The Jedi Knight looked up to his companions, who stood a short distance away. Disbelief covered their faces, which was a far cry better than the pain and despair that had been there a short moment before. "He was a poor excuse for a Sith Lord. Don't expect future fights to go so easily."
"What just happened?" Jason asked. "How did you retrieve your lightsaber? I'm stronger in the Force than you are, and I couldn't get mine back until the Krath holding it was dead."
"Ivri have a special connection with the Force," Nic answered. "The rules of the Universe are sometimes..." he trailed off, in search of the right word. None came to mind, so he instead gave a fuller explanation. "When an Ivri prays to the Will of the Force, sometimes our prayers are answered. Even if it's something that should be impossible."
"We can discuss prayer another time," Rel told them. "Once Jason and I clear the ship of Dark Jedi, I want Captain Hathes and Nic to take us to planet Ivri. We need guidance, and the sages are the only sentients we can trust."