At long last, I have returned. I am super sorry for the three month delay. I got addicted to Star Wars: The Old Republic and my charger got fried. I hope that the chapter you've all been waiting for is not a disappointment. I had to think VERY carefully with how I wanted things to play out. Enjoy this chapter with the hope that I won't take as long next time.
Chapter 28: Judgement Day
(Orbit above Coruscant; four hours later)
Arcee stared out the window, gazing at Coruscant. Last time, she didn't really get a chance to look at the city-wide planet. Looking at it now, she couldn't help but be amazed by the ingenuity of humanoids and the other species. She could only imagine how long it took to cover the entire planet with buildings.
The heavy footsteps approaching behind her confirmed that she was not looking at Coruscant alone.
"Incredible," Ironhide breathed, his optics wide in amazement. "It seems that we should not underestimate the organics for as long as we function."
Arcee nodded in agreement, continuing to stare wistfully out the window. "It's like their equivalent of Cybertron. There's so much life down there, so many incredible things that these organics have created, that they've done. And like us, they are in a war that could destroy everything they've worked so hard to build."
"It won't," Ironhide assured. "This will not end up like Cybertron, Arcee."
"How can you be sure?" she questioned.
The Autobot commander sighed. "I'm not, but pessimism will only prevent me from functioning at full capacity. Prime gave us all hope for survival, and it's our duty to deliver the same to others." Then, Ironhide remembered the reason he went to find Arcee. "The fleshling, Jack, wanted to inform you of Wheeljack's departure."
Arcee rolled her optics, walking towards the hangar bay. "Leave it to Wheeljack not to tell us in person."
"Wreckers have a habit of doing things like that," he informed her. "Optimus will have his work cut out for him when he returns."
"What made you decide to stay here instead of rallying to Optimus, Ironhide?" Arcee wondered.
"Optimus may be our leader," he explained, "but this side of the universe needs the help of the Autobots. Even if the Decepticons weren't around here, I would still offer my aide. We cannot let this war destroy all that these fleshlings have worked hard to create." He gave her a questioning look. "What about you?"
"At first, it was to protect Jack," Arcee admitted, "and I still plan to continue doing so, but, as you said, they need our help."
"You're fond of that human, aren't you?"
It was a rhetorical question, but Arcee still nodded. "Yes. Jack is one of the bravest humans I have ever met. No matter how big the threat is, he would always be willing to give his life to help out in any way he can."
Ironhide chuckled in appreciation. "Sounds like he has the spirit of an Autobot."
"Optimus even gave him the Key to Vector Sigma months ago," she added.
The Autobot Commander stopped dead in his tracks. "What!?"
Arcee smirked at his dumbfounded expression. "I see I've piqued your interest."
"Optimus would never just hand over the Key to anyone," he stated seriously. "I think explanations are due."
Wheeljack, though he wouldn't voice it out loud, was extremely grateful that the Republic allowed him to use their technology to repair his ship, but he was getting annoyed at being stared at by the clones or a few of the Jedi like some sort of circus attraction. He understood that Autobots never existed in this part of the universe until recently, but it was annoying nonetheless. At least he would be leaving soon once Jack bid Miko farewell.
The girl was healing really well thanks to the bacta patches she received. The doctors predicted that by the time she returned, the blaster wound in her leg would be almost healed. Her hypothermia was also gone after 5 hours of treatment, so there wasn't going to be any permanent damage from that.
Since repairs were just about finished, she was saying goodbye to several people who wanted to see her off. Barriss, however, wasn't among the group. Wheeljack guessed that the Mirialan felt guilty for what she did to her and probably didn't want to make her upset by showing up.
"Shame I can't stick around longer," Miko stated, sounding worn out from the action and the medical treatment. "I would have loved to see all the stuff in this part of the universe."
"It's for the best, Miko," Jack said. "Maybe once the war is over, you might be able to add more pictures for your phone."
"If my parents let me leave my room ever again," she replied with a frown. "Wish I could tell them what I did here, not that they'd believe me."
"Your parents may never know what you did," Ahsoka said, "but we will never forget, Miko."
"Couldn't have said it better myself," Obi-Wan added with a look of approval.
That brought a smile to her face, but it quickly vanished when she remembered what she did to Havoc. "I won't forget either."
The clones were upset that two of their brothers were killed, but they didn't blame Miko or Barriss. After all, Barriss was under the control of a parasite, and Havoc tried to kill Miko. What choice did she have?
Rex decided to point this out to the Japanese girl. "Kid, you didn't have a choice. If I was in your position, I would've had to do the same thing. I don't expect you to get over it, but don't blame yourself for something you couldn't control. Is that understood?"
Miko slowly nodded. "Yes, sir."
Satisfied, Rex gave a barely noticeable smile. "Take care of yourself, kid."
"Time to go, Miko," Wheeljack announced, putting away his power tools.
"Without saying goodbye?"
The Wrecker spotted Jazz walking towards him with mock-hurt on his face. Arcee and Ironhide, both carrying annoyed expressions, were not far behind.
"That hurts, Jackie," Jazz said. "That really hurts."
Wheeljack chuckled, fist-bumping him. "You'll live, Jazz."
Ironhide crossed his arms, glaring at him. "Wrecker, I have information that I need you to pass on to Optimus Prime. Did you stop to think that maybe the former Autobot Commander and the good friend of Optimus Prime might have something to say?"
"I figured that if you wanted to say something, you would have mentioned it sooner," the Wrecker responded with a grin.
"Wreckers," Ironhide mumbled, annoyed.
"It's like looking in a mirror, isn't it, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, smirking.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Master," Anakin replied expressionless.
"Tell Optimus that Jazz and I are still alive," Ironhide continued, "and tell him that we have allied ourselves with the Republic so we can end their war. Understand?"
"Loud and clear, Commander," Wheeljack answered. "Any other requests?"
"One last thing," he added before grinning. "Smash as many Decepticon heads as you can, Wrecker. That's an order."
He grinned back, fist-bumping him. "Now, that's an order I can gladly follow. Take care of yourself, Hide. You too, Jazz."
"Say hi to Optimus for me," Jazz replied.
"Ready to go, Miko?" the Wrecker asked.
Miko nodded, giving Jack one last hug. "Good luck, Jack. I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you, too," he said.
She followed Wheeljack up the ramp to the Jackhammer, giving a final wave to the group. Once the two were inside, the ship began to take off and left the hangar. Jack watched as the ship zoomed away from Coruscant until it faded into the darkness of space.
"Jack," Arcee said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "it's time."
"Oh, joy," he muttered.
He began following the group, who became a little too silent for his liking. They were all heading to the LAATs to be dropped off at the Jedi Temple where Yvana, who was being escorted by Luminara and Ki-Adi, would face the Council. When she saw Jack, she tried to give him an encouraging smile, but he couldn't bring himself to return it. Too much was stacked against the both of them. Whatever happened today would affect the both of them for the rest of their lives.
Jack, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-Wan entered one LAAT while Yvana, Luminara, Ki-Adi, Arcee (in vehicle mode), and a squad of clone troopers entered another. Obviously, they wanted to separate Jack from his mom so that they wouldn't make things worse. Once they were all secure, they were transported to Coruscant's surface, still silent as the grave. Ahsoka put a comforting hand on his shoulder, prompting him to give her a smile. The gesture did not go unnoticed by Anakin, who raised an eyebrow at them.
When the LAATs finally landed, Jack stepped out to see his Master, Aayla, waiting for him.
"Hello, Master," he greeted, giving her a bow. "It's been a while."
"Welcome back, Jack," she replied with a smile. "I only wish it were under better circumstances."
"No arguments there," Jack said, looking back at his handcuffed mother, who was being escorted to another part of the Jedi Temple by Ki-Adi and Luminara. "Where is she going?"
"To the Chamber of Judgement," Obi-Wan answered from behind. "She will be tried there by the Council. You will have to attend as well, Jackson."
Jack sighed in exhaustion from this whole ordeal. "Let's get this over with."
"It will be all right, Jack," Aayla assured.
Not likely. He thought to himself.
"Ahsoka, I want you to go to your chambers and wait for me there," Anakin ordered. "I will fill you in on what happens when I get back."
On any other day, Ahsoka would have argued, but this was a personal time for Jack and everyone involved, so she just said, "Yes, Master," before leaving.
"Arcee, would you mind waiting for me as well?" Jack requested. "I'd rather you not get caught up in all this again."
"All right, Jack," she conceded in understanding. "Good luck."
The rest of the group, plus Aayla, followed Yvana as she was placed in a dark room that had several Temple Guards, golden-armored beings that carried double-bladed lightsabers, guarding her. Obi-Wan, however, left to join the Council a floor above them. For now, they all had to wait.
Jack took a seat next to Yvana. "Hey."
"Hey," she responded.
"So…this kinda sucks, doesn't it?"
Yvana chuckled. "Yeah, it kinda does."
Jack frowned, thinking about the aftermath of it all. "What do you think will happen?"
"Best case? Kicked out of the Order," Yvana guessed. "Worst case? Kicked out of the Order and imprisoned."
"Neither of those options look good," Jack pointed out.
She sighed. "I've long since lost any hope of getting anything less. I betrayed the Jedi Order and a good friend. I need to be held accountable for my actions, Jack. Sugarcoating my actions will only make it worse for both of us."
He nodded. "I agree."
There was low chime that sounded in the room, signaling that it was time.
Taking a deep breath, Yvana stepped into the middlemost circle while Jack and others stood on the outskirts. The platform they stood on began to rise up an entire floor until they reached the Chamber of Judgement.
The entire room had a very intimidating feel to it. There was a spotlight that seemed to be shining down on Yvana alone while everything else was shrouded in darkness. The only other sources of light came from the seats the Jedi Council sat in, who all had grim looks on their faces.
Yvana noticed that Mace, too, had the same look, but she also saw disappointment in his eyes. She felt ashamed for standing before him after all that had happened, but she made a promise that she would take responsibility for her actions. Besides, it was too late to back out now.
The circle she stood on rose above the others, stopping after about 20 feet. For all intents and purposes, Yvana was alone.
"Padawan Salan," Yoda started, his voice echoing the chamber, "pleased I am that you are alive, but serious charges face you. How plead you?"
"Guilty, Masters," she answered bowing her head in pure shame.
"There are questions that you must answer before we pass judgement," Shaak Ti said. "For starters, how did you fake your death?"
"I paid off the pirates to make it convincing and Kyle Bain shielded me so that no one could detect that I was still alive."
"So, Kyle was in on it as well," Ki-Adi figured out. "That would explain a few things. What was your relationship with him?"
"We were married," she explained bluntly. "That I don't regret."
The Council looked at each other, a little surprised by that statement.
"So, you don't regret breaking the Jedi Code?" Saesee Tiin questioned with a slight glare.
"Denying my emotions for Kyle only made things worse," Yvana stated. "I needed him as much as he needed me. It…it was as if the Force itself was guiding me to him."
"Just as the Force guided you to betray Master Windu?" Obi-Wan retorted, crossing his arms.
"I-no! I found out that I was pregnant, and I didn't want to be thrown out into the streets like a piece of trash."
"Irrational and fearful, you were," Yoda countered. "Treat you as the plague, we would not."
"But dwelling on what-ifs will get us nowhere," Ki-Adi informed. "What happened to Kyle, if I may ask?"
Yvana hesitated before answering. "He was murdered by a Sith."
There were worried murmurs throughout the Council. Another Sith Lord was the last thing they needed right now.
"Elaborate," Saesee demanded.
She told them everything from Kyle and Jack's abduction to the point where she barely managed to defeat the Sith.
Yoda was deeply concerned about how Kyle was killed. "Most troubling, this is. Powerful, this Sith is. Mention a name, did he?"
Yvana shook her head. "He wore a mask the entire time according to my son, so we can't describe him for you...besides evil."
"And why was it that Jackson never told us about any of this?" Obi-Wan questioned.
She struggled to find the right words to say. "He…I…"
"She burned my memories and made me believe a falsehood for four years of my life," Jack suddenly interrupted.
A hush fell over the room as all eyes locked on mother and son, shock etched on all their faces. Even Mace, who had kept himself blank throughout these proceedings, couldn't help but be shocked at what his former Padawan had done. Jack looked back at Anakin and Aayla, who were equally horrified by what he just said. Anakin couldn't seem to process why she would do that to him, and Aayla decided to make her displeasure known.
"How could you do that to him!?" she exclaimed angrily. "To your own son!"
It was if a dam was shattered. Nearly the entire Council was in an uproar, shouting accusations at Yvana, calling her a disgrace to the Order itself. Aayla and Anakin were demanding answers from Yvana as to why she did what she did, and Jack seemed to blend into the shadows, not defending his mom nor agreeing with the accusations. He wanted to see how this all played out.
BAM! The loud noise echoed throughout the chamber. Yoda just used his walking stick and combined it with the power of the Force to silence everyone.
"Be silent!" he commanded. "Let her speak, we shall." He wasn't taking her side (he was just as disappointed in her as Mace was), but he wanted to hear her side of the story.
Yvana looked down and spoke barely above a whisper, tears streaming down her face. "Do you know what it's like to listen to someone scream in the night? To not be able to comfort him in any way possible? To watch him barely eat and drink? To see the boy you love so much and took care of be turned into nothing more than a barely-breathing body?" She looked back at the Council, fury filling her face. "He took my husband away from me! His memory was killing my son day by day! I took away those memories to save my son…and I hate myself every day for it!"
Jack stared at his mom in amazement. True, he had heard her tell him something similar like that when she revealed it to him, but all he could think of was how horrible the action was. The way she described the situation now, it was almost as if the next step, if she didn't flashburn him, he would have been attempting suicide. Granted, there might have been another way, but at that moment, flashburning was the lesser of the two evils.
"This act cannot go unpunished!" Shaak Ti stated firmly, "no matter how good the intentions were."
"Excuse me," Jack interrupted, crossing his arms, "but since the crime was against me, I get to choose whether I press charges or not."
Everyone, including Yvana, looked confused by that statement.
"What exactly are you saying, Jackson?" Plo Koon asked.
Taking a deep breath, Jack responded with, "I understand why she did what she did. Maybe there was another way, maybe there wasn't, but the point of the matter is that she did what she thought was right at the time. This wasn't another moment of her avoiding responsibility. She did it to save me. And now that I am able to understand the situation…" This was it! "…I forgive her for what she did to me and refuse to press charges."
At long last, the bond between mother and son had finally been mended. True, the two would remember everything that had transpired between them, but they could finally move on.
The Council, however, wasn't.
"This is outrageous!" Saesee exclaimed. "How can you stand there and defend this woman?"
"This woman is my mother, first of all," Jack replied coolly. "Second of all, not too long ago, I felt ashamed of being called her son. Arcee can attest to that, and Anakin can tell you that there was great tension between us."
"It's true," Anakin agreed, nodding.
"It was wrong, don't misunderstand me," he continued, "but it was the lesser wrong."
"If she never fell in love with Kyle to begin with, she would have never needed to make these decisions," Obi-Wan countered.
Yvana glared at him. "Ignoring the fact that my son would never have existed, sometimes I have to make difficult calls when it comes to my son."
"Like the calls you made with Poggle and Master Unduli?" Saesee retorted. "Threatening their lives and severing the hand of the Geonosian?"
"What I did against Luminara was uncalled for," Yvana admitted, "but I won't be losing any sleep over Poggle."
"To a dark a place, that line of thought will take you," Yoda warned.
Yvana went from being ashamed to being annoyed with the Council. "Jack's life was at risk. He left us all no choice. If I didn't get the information out of them, the medical facility would've been infected by those parasites including my son!"
"And there's the crux of the problem," Shaak Ti pointed out. "Your relationship with Jack has caused you to make these decisions. You are the perfect reason as to why Jedi must remain detached and not have families. As peace keepers, we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. Simply by your son being in danger, you gave up your moral high ground, and sank to the depths of the criminals we fight."
Jack gulped. She just opened the floodgates.
Yvana let out a mirthless laugh. "Hah! Moral high ground? Yes, if I took the 'moral high ground,' I'm sure Poggle would have told us how to stop the worms over a warm cup of tea. But, hey! You're the Jedi Council! I'm sure that you know all the answers, don't you? 'Sever all ties with your loved ones,' 'Love is the way to pain and suffering,' and, my favorite ones, 'There is no emotion, no ignorance, and no passion.' If we judged ourselves by the Code, every single Jedi would be guilty of breaking that Code on a regular basis. Lose control of your emotions? Stamp the Sith card on their foreheads, why don't we? I don't claim to know the answers regarding the Jedi, but my point back then still stands now. The Order has become stagnant. We refuse to move on from the blasted traditions even though that it's clearly failing. If we truly want to be a great people, we have to evolve like the rest of the universe, or are you all comfortable in your ignorance?"
Once again, the Council turned into a mob scene, shouting various things at Yvana, but this time, she stood tall and refused to back down. Jack and Anakin were both reminded of the last time this happened when The Catalyst discussion came up except three times as bad. With a sigh, Yoda banged his stick on the podium for the second time today.
"Annoying, that is getting," he stated, looking at the culprits. "Respect your positions, you shall, and keep control." Once they were silent, he faced Yvana. "Hmm… many points, you have. But also, fail to realize something, you did. Survived long, the Jedi Order has. The Code, we have to thank."
"Survival doesn't mean that it works," she replied.
"Ahhh. But missing the point, you are. If work, it did not, survive, we could not. Perfect, the order is not. The only perfect thing, the Force is. Imperfect things, live long, they do not. Survived, we have, through the will of the Force. Perfect, its will is. If the survival of the order, it wills...who are we to argue?"
She nodded, understanding his side. "Fair enough, but what if the Force calls you to change and you don't listen? What happens then?"
Yoda made a long "Hmm" noise and nodded. "If call, the Force does, listen, we will. Until then, keep to the traditions, we shall. Keep in mind what you said, I shall."
It's a start. Yvana thought to herself. "Thank you, Master Yoda. Am I to face my sentence now?"
"Why?"
Her ears did not deceive her. Mace finally spoke after sitting in silence throughout the whole ordeal.
"Why did you come back?" he asked, locking his eyes with hers. "You could have stayed on Earth and continue to be presumed dead. Why let all of that go?"
"I wanted to take responsibility for everything that I have done to you, Master," she answered. "I have hurt you in terrible ways, and I wish that I chose my path differently. For that, I am so sorry."
The two stared at each other before Ki-Adi cleared his throat.
"I think it's time to come to a decision," he stated. "If you will please await our call."
The platforms began to descend, taking Yvana, Jack, Aayla, and Anakin with them. Once they returned to the waiting room and the Guards returned to keep an eye on Yvana, Jack let out a huge exhale.
"All things considered, could have done worse," he said, wiping the sweat off his forehead before looking at the two Jedi. "I honestly hope you two aren't going to talk about the little spat between the Council and my mom."
"We weren't going to," Aayla assured, "but some things said were not wise."
"Could've left the insults out," Yvana admitted.
"I don't know what to think about all of this," Anakin stated, massaging his forehead. "I feel like I should be blaming you, yet I can't bring myself to do it."
"You probably spoke for some of the Council," Jack pointed out. "I hope."
The minutes ticked by as Jack paced around the room, not being able to stop. The suspense was killing the others, but they managed to keep themselves restrained.
Jack finally blurted it out. "How long until-!?"
The chime was sounded again, answering his unfinished question.
Once the platforms rose again, Yoda was the first to speak.
"Padawan Salan," he said, "reviewed your situation, we have, and a decision was made."
"You will not be a Padawan again, and you will not be training as a Jedi again," Ki-Adi said sadly.
Yvana bowed her head. "I understand, Masters."
"However," Plo Koon added, "you are not banned from the Jedi Temple."
She looked up with confusion on her face. "Wait, what?"
"The knowledge of healing, you still have," Yoda informed her. "A skill much needed during these times. A Healer, you will continue to be, but a Jedi, you will not be."
Yvana almost breathed a sigh of relief right there, but she continued to remain humble. "It's more than I deserve, Masters."
"Don't waste this second chance," Obi-Wan warned her.
"There is but one more thing," Plo Koon said. "Until the Council can come to a decision regarding the two of you, for the next month, you will only be able to see Jack once every other week."
Jack had a feeling something like that was going to happen, but at least he wasn't forbidden to see her. Otherwise, he would have thrown a fit.
"May the Force be with you, Healer Salan," Yoda finished, putting it behind them.
(Outside the Jedi Temple; five minutes later)
"I wonder how they're doing in there," Arcee wondered.
"Let's hope they wrap things up soon," Ironhide stated. "I'm getting tired of waiting for him."
As Arcee waited for Jack, Ironhide and Jazz joined her, discussing ideas for bringing Autobots to their cause. Ironhide ran an idea by Arcee that involved Jack, but she decided to wait for him to show up and then discuss it further
Speaking of which, she spotted Jack walking towards them. He didn't look upset, from what she could tell, but relieved.
"Jack, what happened?" she instantly asked.
"Good news and bad news," he answered. "Bad news is that she can't be a Jedi anymore and that contact between her and myself will be regulated from now on."
"And the good news?" Jazz questioned.
"She will still be a healer at the Temple," he continued. "She'll be constantly supervised, naturally, but she won't be imprisoned."
Arcee grinned a bit, relieved at how things played out. "I thought things were going to go completely south. I'm happy for the both of you, Jack."
"Thanks for the moral support, Arcee," he replied.
Ironhide decided to cut in. "I hate to interrupt, but we need to speak with you, Jack."
A frown appeared on the teen's face, suspicious. "What about?"
"We were talking about ways we can rally Autobots to help the Republic," Jazz said, "and we thought up a way that could work."
"And that is?"
"We make you the Ambassador of the Republic," Ironhide answered.
Jack's jaw dropped and his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "What!?"
"You are the only human that Prime has ever blessed with the Key to Vector Sigma," the Autobot Commander explained. "That is not something to be glossed over. If the Autobots find out that Optimus trusted you with the Key, they will discover that the organics are worth fighting for."
"Contrary to popular believe, not all Cybertronians are naturally going to lend a helping hand," Jazz added. "They're gonna need some convincing, and the fact that you, instead of an Autobot, bore the Key to Vector Sigma will amount to something."
"You have to admit," Arcee said, "they bring up good points."
Jack scratched the back of his head nervously. "Wow. Being offered to be an ambassador for you guys. It's a huge responsibility." There was a pause before… "So, where do I sign up?"
I hope this wasn't too short. I considered adding another important scene, but I decided to add it to the next chapter when I finish it. Speaking of which, the next chapter will be a short one, a transitional chapter, if you will. Spoiler: Mace and Yvana will talk in the next chapter near the end.
Please review and give feedback.
Next chapter: Jack and Yvana begin to fit in to their new situations.
NOTE: I have started a Kingdom Hearts/Justice League crossover that I hope you guys will check out. I will be updating it as well, but Jedi from Earth will be my primary focus.
