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New Jedi Temple of the New Empire, Arabia Terra, Imperial Mars
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"Block up, block up." Ashla Ti shouted encouragement to the New Order's lone initiate.
Her Padawan, Tenel Hja, offered her own advice to the initiate, "You are smaller, you must learn to use your opponent's perceived strength against them."
Ashla smiled. One day, a few years from now, Tenel would be ready for whatever version of a Jedi Trial Ashla could think of, and afterwards she would take a Padawan of her own. Gap-Ido was not only the logical choice but the only one as well. For his part the small Cerean boy was eager to earn his place in the New Jedi Order.
Gap-Ido crouched at the ready in the new sparring room that had only been recently completed. The sounds of drills and hammering came from various other areas of the temple as construction droids continued their work despite the Jedi training in their midst. The boy was armed with nothing more than a small, green light-buckler, a version of a light shield that Tenel had uncovered in her research of the old Jedi Order of the Home Galaxy. The light-shield was strapped to Gap-Ido's withered, arm. The boy had to learn to use the Force to move it.
He was getting better at it.
The Temple's new PROXY droid, GWB-99, was set to a low sparring mode and had taken on the holographic form of Katooni, a Tholothian Padawan who had grown up with Ashla in the Old Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The droid slowly walked in a circle around the Initiate. GWB-99 was armed with phrik-covered electrostaff from the Imperial Guard. It whirled its weapon over its head in an attempt to frighten the boy. Ashla did not sense fear in Gap-Ido, only concentration as he focused on the droid's next strike.
It came in a flash. The droid jumped into the air and then slashed downwards directly at Gap-Ido's head. The buckler flew upwards to meet the strike. With an electric buzz the small shield rang as it was struck, but the defensive move was raised a fraction too late and the electrostaff glanced off the boy's shoulder as well.
GWB-99 stepped backwards at the ready as Gap-Ido rubbed his shoulder with his good hand. It was obvious the blow had stung but he refused to cry out. In the slave camps of Desparye Gap-Ido had already learned that one must carry on despite hardships that arose in one's path. Some Jedi didn't learn that lesson until they were Padawans. Anyone who refused to learn it never saw the rank of Knight.
"Break." Tenel said. Ashla raised an eyebrow at the interruption. Gap-Ido lowered his shield while GWB-99 came to attention and reverted back to his neutral droid form.
"Great fight, Gob." Gap-Ido told the droid.
"Thank you, Initiate." The droid answered.
"Are you alright?" Tenel asked. "That was some blow."
"Padawan." Ashla interrupted with a low warning tone in her voice. "Initiate Gap-Ido needs to learn the basic defenses of Form 1 and he can't do that with constant pauses."
"My apologies, Master. I was merely concerned about his ability to continue." Tenel said.
"You and I both suffered far worse at his age. I can hardly imagine our trainers on Coruscant and Dathomir pausing for a single strike."
"Really I am alright, just a little sore, Master Ti. I'm not used to protecting that side is all." Gap-Ido said. "I want to continue."
"Perhaps we should go over the crystals again. The sooner he chooses one the sooner he can begin to build his own lightsaber." Tenel suggested. Ashla could see the sense in that. The youngling had been at his training for several hours. Ashla preferred the martial training for keeping the mind sharp but surprisingly both her Padawan and Initiate favored the more meditative sides to being a Jedi.
Tenel Hja especially leaned more towards the historical and dialectic sides of the Order. With permission she had combed Moff Kuat's and the late Moff Culter's archives for any tiny datum of Jedi lore. She was determined to regain all the knowledge that had been lost during the dark times of the Old Empire. Ashla found it interesting that Tenel, having been trained first to be a warrior and then forced to become an assassin, would strive to find the gentlest path she could since becoming a Jedi. She reminded Ashla of the long gone Master Fay or Master Unduli in their dedication to seeking out serenity in all things.
Gap-Ido was more steadfast. He was determined to earn his keep in the Jedi Order. He made it abundantly clear he would not take a hand out. In his spare time away from training he liked to clean and had expressed some interest in starting a temple garden. He had been upset when Ashla had forbid him from returning to work with his former employers inside the capital. Members of the Martian Christian Church had spotted the boy by now and knew he belonged to the Temple. It wouldn't be safe for him alone inside the city. After her explanation, Gap-Ido had understood, but had still sent written letters to his former employers explaining his inability to work for them anymore. He wasn't one to shirk any type of responsibility.
"I would like that, Master. I am sure one of the crystals will call to me soon." Gap-Ido said. They had only a handful of crystals that Ashla had procured while still a slave aboard one of the transports that had drifted powerlessly near Earth 5 three years ago. Ashla had used one of the remaining ones to craft Gap-Ido's light-buckler.
"I am sure it will. And your abilities with Telekinesis have improved greatly. You have almost full control of your arm in combat now." Ashla admitted.
"I blended it with the Art of Movement technique that Tenel uncovered. It has been an immense help, but my grip still leaves something to be desired."
"Art of Movement you say?" Ashla smiled. "I remember Master Fy-Tor-Ana had set up an obstacle course for us Mighty Bear Clan Initiates to train on during my younger days at the Old Temple. It was quite grueling if I recall."
"Master, do you recall the set up?" Tenel asked excitedly. "I would love to train on it."
"As would I, Master." Gap-Ido agreed. Ashla smiled at their enthusiasm for all things regarding the Light Side.
"I will try to remember what I can tonight. It's been some thirteen years since I was last on it. I will give the layout to Gob and he can construct a replica in the south courtyard tonight." Ashla said.
"It shall be done, mistress." GWB-99 said.
"Excellent, then let's take some air before we go and study the crystals some more. Perhaps clear our heads a little."
"Yes, Master." Both Tenel and Gap-Ido grabbed their cloaks to drape over their Jedi robes. There was a wintry storm coming in from the north that was threatening to deliver the settlement on Mars its first snow storm since the terraformation of the planet.
Ashla grinned when she saw the smile on Gap-Ido's face. He still wasn't used to his new robes. The clothing industry still hadn't gotten much off the ground in the New Empire since the 'big jump' and beings mostly wore what they had brought with them from Desparye or had discovered in the holds of the fleet's transports. Ashla suspected that Gap-Ido had worn the same thing every day for three years. After she gave him several new sets of Jedi robes she had had his old clothes burned in the Temple's furnace.
They went outside where dark snow clouds were looming on the eastern horizon. The New Jedi Temple would take many years before it was complete. Ashla had not wanted the Temple to mirror the Old Jedi Temple of Coruscant because she feared the painful memories such a sight would stir up. Instead she had hired an architect who had an eye for newer designs based off of local system. The Jedi Order had been granted the land for a kilometer in every direction and the construction teams had begun to erect the Temple. It was going to be a large, white marble structure standing on a square plinth, consisting of a symmetrical cube with an arch-shaped door. The structure was to be topped by a large dome and finial that would be the centerpiece of the Temple Precinct.
The three Jedi lived inside the nearly-complete base structure, which was a large, multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners, that was approximately eighty meters on each of the four long sides. The central dome rose several stories over the largely uninhabited and densely cratered Arabia Terra. Unfortunately, it would be several years before they would be able to contemplate starting on the construction of cardinally-orientated spires. The architect had called it the Jedi Mahal, which must have been an architecture joke, as Ashla didn't understand the reference.
The trio took to the base plinth to walk the perimeter path at a leisurely pace. They were safe here on the Temple grounds. A small contingent of the Royal Guard, who rotated as Temple Guards, was always on site to provide security.
"Master, yesterday you were going to tell us what you remembered of the practice of Mechu-deru." Tenel reminded Ashla.
"Was I?" Ashla jibed.
"Yes, Master. Hopefully it will help us get some more uses out of our limited A9G data droids." Tenel said.
"I would like to see some more fighting styles from GWB-99. He's no match for me and he hardly ever gets the upper hand with you on Knight-level sparring anymore. Very well then, when I was a member of the Bear Clan of Initiates we were given several training sessions on Mechu-deru by the Jedi knight Arca Jeth, a Jedi Watchman responsible for the protection of the planet Onderon. Jeth had us take protocol droids apart and reassemble them as loadlifters, albeit the weakest loadlifters you've ever seen."
Gap-Ido giggled at the image.
"The trick was to focus on their . . ." Her voice trailed off as they neared the temple's Processional Way, which was at the end of a grand reflection pool that stretched to the roadway. At the end of the still-empty pool was the gate to a fence that encircled the entirety of the Temple complex. Three royal Guardsmen stood on the interior side of the gate while a group of thirty beings sat on the far side of the fence.
The beings were nonthreatening. Instead of overt hostility they sat on the roadway itself. Some had brought chairs with them. They were eating their lunch and listening to a woman who was reading a book out loud to them. Every once in a while the crowd would chant the word "Amen" together in response to something the woman had said.
"They are back again." Tenel sighed.
"They are here every day. You think they would get tired of it." Gap-Ido added.
"Father George has made it abundantly clear that they will harass us until we leave the Empire completely." Ashla said.
"Or destroy ourselves. Though I'm sure the Martian Christian Church would like nothing more than to do it themselves." Tenel said. "Such a waste."
"There is a strange feeling about them, Master." Gap-Ido said.
"Yes. One of them is from Earth. I suspect it is the human female leading them. The Force doesn't like Earthlings very much. Their bodies seem to choke off the Force in a very unnatural way. That is what you are sensing."
"It does feel like a slippery choking sensation." Gap-Ido admitted.
"Imagine what their world must be like." Ashla said. She thought of Jason Bogan, who was never far from her thoughts even after their last disastrous encounter. She would have loved to spend one more moment near him despite his own unfortunate feeling in the living Force.
"I still don't understand why you don't report them to the Empress, Master. They must surely be acting as saboteurs for their world. If we exposed them as enemy agents it could relieve some of the pressure they bring to our Order." Tenel asked.
Ashla thought through the repercussions of the Empire finding out that Earthlings roamed freely in the capital. New measures of detection would be brought in, and soon enough Jason would be found out. She could not allow something like that to come to pass. "They were prisoners and slaves. When I was with Brakatak's crew we rescued them from a fate possibly worse than death. Though they would assault us, I have not seen them working in a violent manner to undermine the workings of the Empire. Instead they give food to the poor, they have started building a hospital and a free academy in the Negs. We should think of doing some of the same charitable acts to clear the name of the Jedi after how Palpatine branded us. Our exposing them will only lead to hardships for the innocent."
"They've called for changes that undermine the Empress and led protests against the war." Tenel argued.
"Peaceful ones. Not like the ones led by the students from the Academies that have produced so many injuries from fighting with the CCG. And who are we to condemn a group who calls out for more freedom." Ashla replied, which seemed to appease her Padawan for the moment.
"The book is new." Tenel pointed it out in the woman's hands. "That must be their so-called Bible."
"I've never heard of it. From the sounds of her speech, it seems to be a collection of historical texts." Ashla said.
"It is the story of their God and his chosen tribe." Gap-Ido said. "They used to read it on the street corners in the Negs. I heard several of the stories when I lived there."
"Any good ones?" Ashla asked. She suspected they were merely a collection of morality fairy tales but even fairy tales could have their uses.
"I really liked the story about the little nerf-herder boy and the giant. One rock in between the eyes and bam! Down he goes. Some didn't make sense like the guy with the animals and the boat. Couldn't figure out why they just didn't use a star cruiser to get everyone off the planet." Gap-Ido explained.
"They seem pretty wild." Tenel remarked.
"Somebody in the Negs told me, that they had to make them all up from memory. Their Bible didn't make it through the 'big jump' or something. So Father George and his church sat down and wrote down everything they could remember. Father George calls this new version his 'Special Edition'."
"I hope they got it as close to the original as possible." Tenel said. "Distorting beings' faith seems worse than the Dark Side."
"Something tells me this special edition mentions the Jedi quite a bit, and not in a positive light." Ashla guessed.
"It's not right that they can just change things. I guess it's their religion or they're the ones who came up with it, but still many beings will be upset once they see the additions or subtractions Father George has made." Tenel said.
"That is his worry. We have the Jedi Code and it has served us effectively since the early Manderon times." Ashla turned to Gap-Ido and slipped into her role as a teacher., "Gap-Ido, if you will."
Gap-Ido cleared his throat. "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."
Ashla considered the words. All of them were normal emotions or states of mind for beings of almost every species. Why did the Jedi deny themselves the very lives the Force offers every other living thing in the universe? The Jedi Code contained words of warning, but they need not fear straying from its path. Jason Bogan taught her that love binds all of those emotions together. That was a lesson she must somehow impart to her students. Perhaps, like Father George had done, they needed to write a new code.
"Wizard job, youngling." Ashla congratulated him. He had been having quite a time of memorizing it.
The wind chose that moment to pick up, almost concealing the approach of a cloaked warrior. To most he would have seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere, but these three were touched by the light side of the Force and detected him before he got within ten meters.
The Royal Guard liked to think they were indistinguishable. All of them were the same height, build and weight and in their training they even learned to breathe like one another. To anyone watching them as they protected the Empress they would have thought they were clones, in truth they were selected from the very best stormtroopers the Empire employed. Ashla, however, spent long hours training with each of them in an effort to improve the fighting techniques of both the Royal Guard and the Jedi Order. She had individual knowledge of each guardsmen in a way only a sparring ring could grant.
"Greetings, Paladin Delta. Out enjoying the day before the storm comes in?" Ashla asked.
Paladin Delta ignored the question. It wasn't pertinent to the defense of the House of Yos so it wasn't pertinent to him. "Sovereign Protector, your presence is requested by the Empress. She is touring facilities in the Kuat Research District."
"Is her current security detail not sufficient?" Tenel asked. She liked to tweak the Royal Guards tail from time to time. It wasn't as if they would ever forget Tenel had once tried to assassinate Phasma Yos.
"Twelve Guardsmen and six handmaidens, plus four squads from the Culter City Guard. All led by Monjai K'ra Indriummsegh"
"Sounds adequate. Why am I needed? Has there been a threat?" Ashla asked.
"None, Sovereign Protector. The Empress simply requires the public face of the Jedi at her side today." Paladin Delta stated.
"She can't be liking the Martian Christian Church telling her who she can and cannot be associated with." Tenel said. "One of the marches they held the other day not only demanded an end to the war but was demanding that the government stop paying for the construction of this temple. It was all over the HoloNews for a day."
"Stellar. Send word to Monjai's team that I am on my way. I will be bringing these two along with me. The more Jedi the better." Ashla said.
"Yes, Sovereign Protector."
"What about them, Master?" Gap-Ido pointed to the small group of thirty parishioners at the gate.
"Do you expect any trouble from that group, Paladin Delta?" Ashla asked.
"None. The three Guardsmen at the gate can handle them. We have a reaction squad of six more Guardsmen and your PROXY droid within the temple grounds if they are needed."
"Overkill. I've seen you guys fight Master Ti." Gap-Ido exclaimed. "I'm getting better with my arm. One day I will get to train against you guys."
"Practice, young Initiate. You will need it." Paladin Delta was deathly serious. "I will tell Monjai K'ra Indriummsegh that you are in route." And with that he spun around and quickly marched away.
"Meet me in the landspeeder bay in ten minutes." Ashla told the others before slipping away. She went to her room where she donned the blue shoulder and arm armor of the Royal Guard over her Jedi robes. She remembered seeing Jedi Master Kenobi wearing a similar style during the Clone War and liked the aesthetic of the look. She draped her heaviest cloak over the whole outfit and headed out to meet her two charges.
They waited for her in the garage. Both dressed thickly for the weather. Ashla feared it could be snowing by the time they returned. They stood next to the temple's pair of 74-Z speederbikes. Ashla mounted one while Tenel climbed aboard the second one. Gap-Ido got on right behind Tenel and secured his weak arm by safety strap to her waist.
They shot out of the temple complex, taking care to avoid the small crowd at the main gate, and were soon zipping along the jumbled terrain of the Arabia Terra. They kept north of the Imperial Waterworks plants in the Terra Meridani and were soon approaching the suburbs of the capital that spilled out of the Ares Vallis. After twenty minutes of navigating the mid-day traffic of Culter City they soon neared their destination in the Kuati Research District.
Ashla contacted Monjai K'ra Indriummsegh and was informed that Empress Phasma was about to leave the Imperial Mercantile Exchange and they needed to hurry. The Empress was heading to a tour of a genetic research facility that was being run by the new Honorable East Empire Company.
They arrived just as Empress Phasma was boarding her shuttle. Several finance ministers were present at the landing bay to see her off. Phasma nodded in acknowledgement to the Jedi's arrival but, knowing protocol, couldn't be seen giving favor to any of her advisers in public.
The Empress's Elomin handmaiden, Monjai K'ra Indriummsegh, stepped over to them. "Master Ti, it is good to see you today."
"And you as well, Monjai. Looks like we almost missed her."
"She knew you were on your way. She wouldn't have left without you."
"Any idea why she called us out here? Jedi are hardly needed for financial meetings." Ashla asked.
"After our tour of the genetics research facility Her Majesty is holding a press conference for the HoloNews." Monjai said.
"On?"
"Some pretty big exploration news. The HEEC has finally acquired enough hypermatter to make daily supply runs to New Ryloth and the Star Destroyer Immobile is taking liberty at Mother Garden, marking the first time the Imperial Navy has left the Sol System."
"That doesn't justify any extra security."
"It doesn't. Phasma will announce that our Viper droids have mapped a star lane to a planet carved with subterranean passages near Gleise 667, just a mere twenty-four light years away. The Exploratory Corps will be launching a manned-scout at the end of the week. The Empress will be announcing that the planet will be handed over to the newly promoted Governor Sodi and his Kage species for colonization, if for no other reason than to get their creepy Milodons off of Mars."
"That won't go over well." Ashla admitted. Every species wanted off Mars since the Earth's attack on Earth 2. It didn't help that the Twileks and the Ithorians were thriving in their new colonies away from the crowded capital.
"No, we expect considerable ire from the Kubaz, Tarnab and Gotal lobbyists. They've spent a lot of time and credits attempting to secure the next colony planet for their own. We may need you to confront them if the Empress orders it."
"The Empress does well to remember that we Jedi are peacekeepers not some sort of brute squad to threaten unruly subjects with. She has stormtroopers for that. We will do what we can to avoid confrontation if a disturbance occurs, but the most we can do is keep an eye out for trouble." Ashla said.
"Please do, and use your Force powers as well. The colonization effort is very important to the Empress since it was her father's passion before his unfortunate end. Perhaps even more important than the war."
"Of course."
"If you'll excuse me, I need to board the shuttle. If you would follow us I will see you again at this Operation Stork facility." Monjai excused herself and boarded the shuttle. It soon lifted off into the mid-day traffic with the three Jedi tailing behind.
The trip was short and there was a reception already waiting for the Empress at the facility's main landing pad. The three Jedi parked next to the Empress's Theta-class shuttle as it settled down. Ashla and her two charges were at the bottom of the ramp before the first Royal Guardsmen debarked. The three of them took a knee and bowed as Empress Phasma descended the ramp.
"Rise, Master Ti." Phasma smiled at her. When she was close enough not to be overheard she added, "Thank you, for coming today. It's good to see you, Ashla and Gap-Ido. And even you too, Tenel." Phasma stuck her tongue out at the Dathomir, whose eyes went wide at the familiarity. The young Empress had no fear for her former would-be assassin.
"I hear you have a big announcement for the HoloNews." Ashla said. "That is exciting." Ashla longed to explore the new Galaxy with the ultimate goal of finding a world out there that was more in tune with the Force than Mars and Earth were.
"Yes, an official third possible colony. If you don't count the two Moff Kuat is secreting away." Phasma said.
"I take it we shall not speak on that here. This facility is highly connected to the Honorable East Empire Company." Ashla said. They had turned and were now walking towards the entrance of the facility with the Empress's guards flanking them. A half dozen beings were on their knees at the entrance ahead.
"No, this is one of Moff Kuat's pet projects. No doubt he will see and hear everything that transpires during this visit." Phasma sighed. Then as if brandishing a curse. "Moffs."
"I hardly believe much in the Empire escapes Moff Kuat's notice. The man has been a manipulator behind the seat of power since the days of the Old Republic."
"Ha, I bet him and your Yoda were younglinghood friends together. He's old enough" Phasma joked. Ashla smiled at the thought. "Anyway, we will make this tour short. I have not been here before. It was something that had been started by my father with the assistance of Moffs Culter and Kuat."
"What does this place study?" Ashla asked.
"Genetics testing in concert with Operation Piper, the prisoner of war retrieval program that we started on Earth." Phasma said nonchalantly.
Ashla almost stumbled in her step. That was the program that had brought Jason Bogan to Mars, the same program that had dictated the flow of the war with Earth, and had filled Camp 1138 with such misery and suffering. She concentrated and reached out with the Force. Sure enough there were Earthlings within the thick walls of the research facilities. Hundreds of them. A blindfolded man at the head of the delegation snapped his head up in her direction.
She stole a glance at Tenel and Gap-Ido. They looked ill at ease. She stepped away from Phasma for a second and whispered to them. "Steady yourselves. There may be more Terrans here than either of you have dealt with before. It may be overwhelming."
"Yes, Master." They both whispered back. Ashla would try to shield them as best they could.
The man who had looked up was not just blindfolded, Ashla noticed as they got closer. He was a Miraluka, a force-sensitive species who had no eyes and instead used a variation on Force-sensitivity to see. Their kind had suffered greatly after the Jedi Purge and Ashla was surprised to see one in such a high position, even in the New Empire.
Phasma spoke first, as was customary. "Director Curu." She motioned for the group to stand, which they did. "It is so nice to see you again. I am sorry it has taken so long to arrange this visit. I hope this tour doesn't delay any of your facility's important research."
"Your Majesty, it is always an honor and a pleasure to be in your presence. And it really is no trouble at all. We are always prepared to host your grace. I sense you've brought Master Ti with you." Director Curu turned to the Jedi.
"Ah, yes." Phasma said, perhaps remembering Curu's species' unique ability. "May I introduce Master Ashla Ti of the New Jedi Order and her two associates, Tenel Hja and Gap-Ido."
"A pleasure, Master Jedi. I didn't mean to be rude but I felt your arrival as you were landing."
"You are a Miraluka. So it is to be expected." Ashla asked.
"Yes, but only at a low level. Though many of my kind go on to become Force-users, I am far from a Jedi. My only ability is in my Force-sense and my natural charm." Curu smiled then turned to the Empress. "Are you ready to see what we have to show you?"
"Of course Director, lead the way." Phasma replied.
Curu walked with the Empress into the genetics facility. Ashla walked in with Monjai, while Tenel, Gap-Ido, the Royal Guard and the half dozen nurses who had accompanied Curu fell in behind them.
The halls of the Stork Facility were stark white and filled with soothing instrumental music. Chroon-Tan B midwife droids floated down the side corridors while the nursing staff, all of whom were near-humans, stood to the side and bowed as Phasma's retinue passed by. Once they passed through the entrance atrium the hallways became transparent tubes that overlooked various medical bays on the floor below.
Director Curu explained the purpose of the facility, how the imbalance between the Empire and the Earth's population caused the need for an accelerated birthing program, how it was discovered that through a odd and rare vitamin requirement among the Terrans that their species wouldn't survive a lifetime away their own world's unique food supply. He explained how crop shortages on Mars had even prevented them from properly feeding the prisoner of war population they currently housed on Mars, and how genetic manipulation of a few bits of Terran DNA had cured them of their potassium requirement, but Ashla was only half paying attention. She tried to block out the unpalatable science that Curu described, that of changing the chemical composition of the mother's uterus, chromosome lengthening, homologous recombination and finally how they had to rewrite blood types, proteins, enzymes, nutritional requirements and even gestational periods.
The bays below them were filled with Terran females, all of whom were in various stages of pregnancy. Some bays contained sleeping and eating quarters for the women, while others stored large medical equipment in which dozens of these mothers were undergoing genetic treatments. In another bay several hundred Terrans were watching a holodrama. Ashla recognized the heavy propaganda feature as The Charge at the Feather Nebula, a popular holodrama from the Old Empire.
Curu was explaining how once the infants were delivered the mothers were returned immediately to their confines in Camp 1138, while the babies were taken for care and flash training elsewhere. "We've recently secured a training vessel, the Discovery, one of Moff Culter's former laboratory vessels, and have begun to retrofit it as a training ship for the Honorable East Empire Company. In fifteen years, these newborns will be the backbone of the merchant marine and exploratory corps of the Empire."
"Are you saying we are stealing newborns from captured Earthlings? Who authorized this?" Phasma was livid and Ashla could feel a rising anger coming from the young royal.
"Operation Stork was authorized under the authority of Emperor Yos, the Bureau of Operations and all three of the Moffs who led us through the 'big jump'." Curu explained. He appeared to be surprised that the Empress was unaware of his project's dealings with the captured prisoners of war.
"We plan on ending the war someday. The Terrans will never forgive us if they've learned that we are stealing babies."
"My Lady, your father made it abundantly clear to us that the Terrans were never to find out. Our populations are grossly lopsided and he desired a means to bring multitudes of the enemy over to our side, without any knowledge of their past and completely loyal to the Empire. We have done as he asked."
"Oh and how do you suppose we keep it from them?"
"Well, I hadn't thought of that. Moff Kuat has always been the most fervent sponsor of this program. He's begun to take the mothers away to another site off-world. I don't know what happens to them. I have read a report that the site is rich in heavy metals that would be rather laborious to extract. I'd rather rely on droid labor but manufacturing is woefully behind.
"Nal Kessel. That's why Camp 1138 hasn't started prisoner transfers yet. I suppose your offsite location is off Mars as well, and your training vessel will transport these HEEC initiates there." Phasma asked.
"The final training site hasn't fully been made operational yet and the location has not been disclosed to the public." Curu stammered.
"Ah, don't worry yourself, Director. I know all about Nal Kuat and this Nal Kessel, heavy metals world. A little Vratix Queen told me all about it. I don't approve of our initial methods, even if my Father did sign off on them, but we are going to need the HEEC to spread the Empire beyond the Sol System. From now on the mothers shall be returned to Camp 1138 as soon as their health and nutritional requirements allow it. My father ended slavery among everyone that was part of Tarkin's Fist and I will end it in any other form it arises in. Nal Kessel will be utilized for use with Imperial criminals while prisoners of war will be centralized in Camp 1138 where we can keep a better eye on them for their own safety."
"Excellent, your Majesty. We shall take steps to ensure the health of the Terrans. If they are repatriated after the war however . . ."
"Leave the politics to me." Phasma said.
"Of course, and I assume the newborns will remain with the HEEC and can continue to be transferred to Nal Kuat. The site there is state of the art. I do not appreciate any of Moff Kuat's subterfuge but the man does have his reasons." Curu said.
"As long as the HEEC serves the Empire. Now tell me, is there any major change in these genetically manipulated Terran infants once they are born as opposed to their counterparts that are delivered without your machinations?" Phasma asked.
"Besides the potassium dependence there is nothing that we have really been able to quantify with data, but there is something that my staff and I disagree upon." Curu started to explain.
"Go on."
"Well, Master Ti, perhaps you can help me explain." Curu suggested.
"I am no expert on genetics. I fail to see how I could be of assistance." Ashla replied.
"Ah but you are an expert in the Force. Something my species is also in tune with. Is there not something rather pungent about the feel of Terrans when it comes to their existence in the Living Force?"
Ashla had never discussed the feeling of Terrans to her Force sensitivity to anyone except the two other Jedi besides her. "You must be referring to the way they feel slippery in the Force, Their sense of strangulation and decay that emanates from them. I have felt it around the Terran First Lady and the Doctor that frequent your Majesty's court. It is almost sickening at first but one gets accustomed to it over time. This place, however, seems drenched in it."
"You speak of the sense of touch almost while it seems to me to be a foul odor, but yes you are correct. This feeling simply vanishes once the infant is separated from its mother. It stays with the parent, but the infant seems to be neutral in the Force. Since most of my staff is non-Force Sensitive there has been some discussion as to whether or not I'm imagining the phenomenon." Curu explained.
"Have you performed a midichlorian count on any of the mothers?" Ashla's interests were peaked now. "I, for one, would like to know the cause of the Terrans unfortunate Force condition."
"What are you implying?" Curu went on the defensive as if he had been accused of treason against the Empire. "Midichlorian tests and research have been banned in the Empire. This is one of the strictest security protocols Emperor Palpatine ever initiated."
"As Director I am sure you've had your suspicions. You have stated your own staff doesn't believe you."
Curu hesitated for a few seconds. The Empress coughed to encourage him. After a slight hesitation he continued, "When they were first brought to me I performed a random sampling of several Terran mothers. Our scanners aren't calibrated to search for midichlorians anymore so I had to make some adjustments. It's simple if you know how to do it."
"What did you discover?" Ashla asked.
"An unnaturally low midichlorian count. Far too low to be even possible." Curu admitted.
"Two thousand? Fifteen hundred?" Ashla asked, such numbers existed in individuals from time to time but they had trouble living without assistance in the Galaxy.
"Three to six." Curu said.
"Thousand?"
"No. Just three to six and not per cell but per host. The levels were almost untraceable by my advanced instruments, so I doubt the Terrans are even aware of them."
"That's impossible. Life cannot sustain itself without symbiosis with midichlorians." Tenel spoke up. Curu and Ashla both nodded in agreement.
"How do they continue to exist, Director? By everything you've stated life should never have evolved in a place where midichlorians occur in such low numbers."
"It's the potassium. I've discovered it has the same biological functions that midichlorians do in our bodies. Their world is choked full of it and they've integrated it into their own evolutionary needs."
"Can potassium and midichlorians coexist?" Phasma asked.
"I don't know. As I've said, research into them was strictly banned. I could hide a few blood tests but a research program would have drawn higher notice. Besides, my time was better dedicated to the research we undertaking with Operation Stork." Curu said.
"I'm not aware of any research regarding the relationship between midichlorians and potassium. Potassium was so rare and expensive back in the Home Galaxy and midichlorian studies were always conducted under the guidance of the Jedi Order. I suppose no one even suspected a correlation." Ashla said.
"There is something you should see." Curu said. "If you will all follow me."
Curu led them down the raised hallways, over dozens of housing and medical bays. Medical staff quickly got out of the way as Terrans and guards watched them pass from below. They finally arrived at a reception desk and a large blast door protected by a pair of HEEC guards. The Zelosian receptionist and the guards snapped to attention at the approach of the Empress and their Director.
"Open the blast door." Curu ordered.
"At once, sir." One of the guards entered a command code into the panel beside the door. The heavy door split horizontally down the center, revealing a well-lit and warmly heated room on the other side. The room was massive, at least the size of half a dozen limmie pitches.
The room was filled with newborns, each of them in an individual incubator set in rows that resembled crops in a field. At least fifty nurses walked slowly among the rows attending to the newborns' needs and wants. On the ceiling above were holopic images showcasing the might and glory of the New Empire here in the Milky Way. The staff snapped to attention as the royal party entered the sprawling nursery complex.
Ashla was shocked at the immensity of it. The Empire had stolen all of these younglings from their natural world. It reminded her of how Jason had been stolen from that same world to serve the Empire. Surely the staff thought they were giving these babies a better chance than the one they would have received on war torn Earth but that did not diminish the crime.
"First of all, I must say, before you start in on me, that your father wished for these younglings to be more Imperial than Terran and that we have accomplished this beyond our wildest dreams. These newborns are being taught to love the Empire, One day they will be the backbone that makes the Empire strong." Curu said.
"I disagree. Instead hey will be informed of what has been done to them. I want it in your protocols that they may have the choice on their thirteenth birthday of choosing to continue living in the Empire or returning to Earth. All beings shall be free in the Empire. Slavery shall die the death it deserves." Phasma declared. Ashla could tell the Empress was repulsed by what she saw here, by the depths to which her father had gone to ensure the dominance of the Empire. Phasma would build her own Empire upon foundations of stone and iron, not the muck of Operation Stork.
"As you wish, my Lady. I do not know how they will be recieved when they return to Earth. They do not medically screen as the near-human Terrans anymore."
"What do they screen as, then?"
"Not quite Coruscanti standard but we are so close it hardly matters. As they are now they are indistinguishable from Corellians, Kuati or even your Majesty's Denonian Humans."
Phasma thought for a moment, then replied, "In that case, perhaps they would be better served if they were raised in the Empire. I do not want their own world rejecting them. But I want this project ended right away. Finish birthing the waiting fetuses and then return all mothers to Camp 1138. Your staff can be better situated administering to the needs of the alien baby boom that is sweeping the Empire." Phasma declared.
"As you wish, Your Majesty. Our data and protocols were already set to be transferred to the HEEC anyway. They currently take over the care of these infants starting at one month of age." Curu sighed. Ashla could tell he wasn't thrilled about reassignment but he wouldn't fight an order from the Empress.
"How many are here now?" Phasma asked.
"Just over five thousand. The HEEC has already transferred almost twenty thousand to the new facility on Nal Kuat." Curu reported.
"That few? They would have barely been a monkey lizard to a Hutt in the Empire's population." Phasma said. "Our current natural baby boom far outstrips that."
"Your father may have realized that in the end. He was starting to make inquiries into giving them specialty training as hyperspace scouts and exploratory corps technicians. Moff Kuat expanded on the idea when he attached the new HEEC to the project." Curu said.
"No doubt. He's adamant about his new merchant navy and expanding capitalism into the colonies." Phasma looked at the baby in the first incubator, who smiled and made a cooing sound. "They are cute, for Terrans."
"Near-Terrans now. Tell me Master Ti, can you and your fellow Jedi feel it?" Curu said as he turned to Ashla.
"Feel it?" Ashla asked. She had been gazing at the endless rows of incubators.
"The slippery feel of the Force that was so present amongst the mothers." Curu said.
Ashla turned to the incubators. She didn't need to concentrate. The choking feel in the Force was gone. In its place was the sense of thousands of living beings at peace in the Force. Some were agitated while others were quite pleased. Most remained neutrally asleep or blissfully staring at the images above them. "No."
"It is gone." Gap-Ido declared for everyone in the Empress's entourage.
"Have you conducted a test?" Ashla asked the Director.
"Nothing besides my initial tests of a small sample of the mothers. I haven't had the time. We deliver around a hundred newborns a day here. I am present at nearly every one. I've had my suspicions but I didn't want to risk the chance of being caught. We've had an increase in monitoring since the HEEC took over."
"What is stopping you now?" Ashla asked.
"With your Majesty's permission?" Curu asked Phasma. A wise move since he couldn't be arrested if he had the Empress's permission after all.
"Of course. I will admit I am curious. Monjai, select a random newborn. I don't want the test to be tampered by anyone with a certain sensitivity."
Monjai walked into the rows, past a Lorrdian nurse and pointed to a baby boy. "This one."
"Nurse, if you would take a blood sample from that infant." Curu said. The Lorrdian made quick work of it, bending over the crib for a moment and then returning with a small sample of the infant's blood. She went to a piece of laboratory equipment along the front of the room and inserted the sample into the machine's receiving tray.
"Enter my override code 'Nightseer' and perform a midichlorian count."
"Yes, sir." The nurse did as ordered and then reported. "2516 per cell."
"Average for a human in the Empire is twenty-five thousand, is it not?" Curu asked.
"It is." Ashla said.
"That is quite the leap from three to six per host to twenty five hundred per cell in a single generation." Phasma stated.
"A testament to our genetics processing . . ." Curu started.
"No. Though it is probably no coincidence a Miraluka led this project. The Force will always find a way to survive. It can never be fully destroyed. Not even the Sith could do that."
Curu narrowed his eyes in disbelief. He was a man of science and even though he was from a species steeped in the Force Ashla could tell he would always trust science over belief.
Tenel suddenly gasped. Ashla turned to see what the trouble was.
Her Padawan had left the group and was purposely striding toward the center of the room. Evidently the Dathomir had a specific destination in mind as she weaved through the rows, never deviating from her general direction of travel.
"Excuse me, my Lady." Ashla said and walked after her Padawan. Gap-Ido, Phasma, Curu and Monjai all followed in her footsteps. Halfway there Gap-Ido fell behind the others.
Several hundred meters into the room Tenel suddenly stopped and peered down into an incubator. Ashla came up to her side. "What is it?"
"Master, can't you feel it?" Tenel pointed to the boy in the crib.
Ashla stared at the infant. There was a strong connection with the Force in this child, more so than the dozen nearest babies. Ashla focused and reached out with the Light Side, gently probing the infant's mind. The baby's eyes went wide for a second and then Ashla felt a gentle push back on her probe followed by the sensation of a barrier being erected to prevent her probing the infant's mind again.
Ashla turned to Curu. "Director, can you please perform a count on this youngling."
"Certainly. Though this infant should be in the same range as the other." Curu reached into the crib and took a sample from the infant's foot. He handed the sample to a nearby nurse who ran to the analysis machine to enter the sample.
"6800!" The nurse called back to them.
"I knew it. He is Force sensitive." Tenel said softly.
"Enough to have been accepted into the Old Jedi Order." Ashla said. She herself had a count of over ten thousand but she had known of fellow Initiates that had had counts as low as five thousand who had gone on to be highly active Knights in the Old Order."
"This is unintentional. We did not set out to manipulate the midichlorian content. Midichlorians are impossible to even clone, everyone knows this."
"The Force will find a way."
"But Master, I have looked into it. The Earth has never produced a Jedi. It is impossible." Tenel said.
"The Force will find a way." Ashla repeated herself. She already knew they would take this infant from here with them when they left. She knew it was hypocritical considering the Empire didn't want to continue kidnapping these younglings from their mothers, and the Jedi's own history with taking Initiates from their parents. But this child needed training. No one on Earth would know what to do with him and he himself would struggle to control any Force powers he uncovered or developed. When he was trained he would be given the option of becoming either Gap-Ido or Tenel's Padawan, or the opportunity to live the life of his choice. All Jedi would be given that choice.
"But how?" Curu and Tenel said again.
"Master!" This time it was Gap-Ido who yelled. Ashla turned to see the little Cerean standing next to another incubator almost half a kilometer away. Ashla rushed to his side.
This time it was a girl in the crib. A nurse was standing at Gap-Ido's side having just finished a blood count.
"I felt her. Like she was calling out to me." Gap-Ido said.
"Eleven hundred and thirty-two." The nurse reported.
"Two out of five thousand!" Tenel gasped. "Why so high?"
"The Force has found a way." Ashla declared again. The shock was setting in. Three Jedi was an insanely small amount of Force users for a single Galaxy but still a high percentage of the fifteen million beings that made of the Empire. Ashla had despaired at ever finding another.
"There are still the twenty thousand we must check on Nal Kuat, Master." Gap-Ido said. He was right and Ashla knew there would be more Force potentials uncovered when they journeyed there. All of them needing protection and training that could only be provided by the Jedi Order. Was this sense of duty what Master Shaak Ti had felt when she had taken Ashla from her own parents all those years ago?
"But no Earthling has ever been a Jedi." Tenel said, the situation still not fully sunken in.
"They are now."
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Up Next- First Noel
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Come find me over at Twitter Tarkinsfist or just find Ashla Ti