Chapter 17 Outer Rim

The trip to Mandalore turned out to be every bit the disaster that Shem had warned her it might be. After a complex mess of ship transfers and other subterfuge, they had finally managed to meet with the Mandalore and were immediately shut down. From the first request for aid, it had been apparent the Emperor had reached out and suborned the Mandalorians to his cause. Again, Shem had proven vital in their escape, but the Mandalorian champion Stryver had actually been the one who helped them escape the planet against the wishes of her leader.

Stryver promised future aid and they parted with plans to meet again. In the meantime, Julienne wanted to lie low and set a course for the Outer Rim as soon as they could make a jump.

In the end, they chose an out of the way planet named Dagobah for the cover and security it would provide. Oddly, both of them had looked at the planetary conditions without enthusiasm but agreed that there was something there they needed to do there. Because of the violent storms on the surface, there was not much to be seen from space, but what could be seen was a dark green color interspersed with the blue of water. Julienne entered the atmosphere slowly and neither of them spoke as she steered through the lightning charged skies and tried to find a place to set down. She eventually found a clearing large enough for their ship and landed carefully. They did not so much set down as settle in to the soft ground.

Why did you choose this place to land, asked Shemric?

I don't know, she said. I was just going off feelings. Something about this place is … She did not finish her sentence. Whatever she had sensed was vague enough that it made her awkward trying to put it into words.

Yeah, he agreed, as if that explained everything.

They left the ship cautiously, sabers in hand and walked about to see if the ground was going to hold.

I do not think we are sinking anymore, said Shemric. This probably passes for solid ground around here.

Lovely, she replied.

Though it was dark and misty, Julienne could sense that the plentiful water had created a world teeming with life and growth.

The Force is strong in this place, commented Julienne.

There is a great deal of flora and fauna here, said Shem. It follows that such an abundance of life would have a very strong Force supply. It will be very hard to notice us here, even if we were flinging the Force about indiscriminately.

It is a little creepy, said Julienne.

That is funny coming from a Sith Lord, said Shem.

It reminds me too much of Dromund Kaas, our capital. The lighting in the skies, the jungle… only this place does not feel quite so steeped in Darkside power as there and the overcast is not from polution.

I think we both felt like we should come here, he commented, so there must be a reason.

Probably, she agreed, but are we going to like the reason?

Dagobah turned out to be every bit as bad as the star charts had described it. The humidity was so near 100 percent that as soon as they went outside, they were soaked from the inside out. That is if it was not raining and you got soaked from the outside in. When you added in the unfriendly forest denizens, the nearly-always treacherous footing, and the perpetual gloom, it seemed to be the planet least likely to make anyone stay for long.

In other words, it was perfect for a renegade Sith Lord and a Jedi Master looking to hide.

They went out in the muck twice a day to train and though nothing else resembled their time on Zeltros, the affect was the same. They tested and tried each other over and over until they would return exhausted and grimy. Fortunately, since water was not an issue, they were able to take actual hot showers for as long as they wanted. It was a consolation prize for winning a no-expenses trip to such an unpleasant place.

Julinne refused to answer Shemric when he asked how long they were staying; the first time he had done so, she had given him a direct look and told him she would know when it was time. When he had asked again a few days later, she simply ignored him. The Emperor's resources were great but not infinite and he could not keep looking for them forever without disrupting other Imperial activities.

After a few days of training, Julienne had slipped back into the role of trainee and Shemric the tutor. He had clearly spent a lot of time training on Tython and his skills were as sharp as ever. She eventually asked him if he had learned any new tricks during their time apart. As usual, he did not disappoint. He described something that Grand Master Shan had been teaching him.

"Do you remember the time when I caught your lightsaber in my hands?" Shem asked. When she nodded, he went on. "The time it happened was a creation of pure instinct for me. I had no idea what I was doing, but when I mentioned it to Grand Master Shan, she said it was a thing she had also done once, against Darth Malgus actually, when they fought on Alderaan. It is formed like a Force-shield but it is attuned to the elements of a lightsaber. While the science of it went over my head, you basically have to generate a containment field similar to the lightsaber itself so that the plasma flows back to the emitter, instead of continuing through your hand or body."

They had spent a good deal of time learning to create the shield and then practiced with a training blade. Shem shook his head at how fast she had mastered the technique and even exceeded him. She shrugged it off. Hopefully I don't come up against other saber users without my own, she said. But now, if I do… she left the thought hanging.

When they had been on Dagobah for a week, Julienne woke before Shem and went to the ship's hold to meditate. When Shem came looking for her, he did not disturb her but sat down and joined her without speaking. She had closed off their connection and tried to tune into whatever it was she seemed to be sensing. Something out there was calling her like an emergency beacon and the sensation had been growing in her mind during the past few days. She finally decided they needed to take a trip, which she was sure Shemric would oppose. He did not like being wet and cold.

When he opened his eyes, she gave him her most winning smile. "Good morning, Shemric, did you sleep well after last night's vigorous activities," she greeted him with a hint of teasing. Several nights ago she had informed him that she was resuming her official yum-yum duties and had an entire cabin in her ship devoted to that purpose. As usual, talking about their nocturnal activities embarrassed him and his face turned red. Sometimes keeping Shem occupied with intimate relations kept his mind off of asking too many questions. "We are going on a little expedition today," she said. "Maybe overnight."

Shem groaned. "Are you providing the camping gear?" he asked.

"We are taking minimal gear," she said. "A small, elevated tent to keep us off the wet ground."

"Sounds lovely," he said, rising. "I will pack my stuff." His acquiescence surprised her and she had to recompose her face. Shem walked away without arguing, which seemed ominous to her. When he met her at the ship's ramp, she questioned him about his unusual obedience.

What are you playing at, Shemric Norm, she asked? This non-questioning version of you is not normal.

Why argue when I always lose or end up giving in, he asked? If my yummers wants to spend the day tramping through the bogs, getting soaked and trying to avoid dragonsnakes, quick-mud, swamp slugs and other fauna we have yet to discover—well, who am I to argue? He punctuated his speech by pulling his rain hood over his head and hitting the lock mechanism for the ramp. Shall we? He trudged off down the ramp and, of course, it was raining.

If you are going to be bad company the whole time, I am just going to leave you here, she said. She had followed him down the ramp a few moments later after donning her own rain poncho. She could sense that he was more disgruntled than angry.

Who said I was going to be bad company, he said? I get to spend a lovely day on this paradise planet with my yum-yum. After years of being alone, I really do not care what we do or where we go as long as you do not tell me to leave. His first step sunk up to his ankle and he scowled and extricated himself.

You know what I find a little disturbing, she asked?

Tell me, he said.

After your initial sarcasm about this 'paradise planet,' you sounded perfectly sincere, she said. Are you well?

He snorted loudly and a nearby bogwing started and flew away screeching overhead.

I was sincere, silly woman, he said. If I have to go hiking in the mud to stay with you, then hiking it is. Shem was currently balancing along a moss-slimy log as they crossed a fair-sized stream. It was almost large enough for a dragonsnake, but she did not sense any nearby for now.

What really surprised Julienne, was that Shem was heading in the exact direction that she had intended to travel, towards whatever it was that she had been sensing during her meditation. It was almost like his subconscious mind was leading him where they needed to go. When he had been leading for the better part of half an hour, she finally asked him where he was going.

Shem blinked away a raindrop and stopped dead. I am sorry. I just sort of … well, felt like going this way.

Well, keep on going, she urged. She was curious to see if he would continue on the same heading.

What do you mean, he asked? This is your expedition.

But you seem to know right where I want to go, so I am happy to follow you, she said.

Shemric took a few steps back to her and lifted her hood so he could see her face. Are you making fun of me?

I'm serious, she said! You are going in the right direction. She smiled at him again and sent him a feeling of confidence, but he did not seem to be buying it.

I am not even sure where we are going, he said!

Apparently, we are both listening to the same Force-whisperings, she said. She leaned in and gave him a very wet kiss. Lead on my intrepid explorer.

Now you are making fun of me, he said.

Maybe a little, she said. But she waited for him to take the lead again. He shook his head and continued to wander through the fog.

So how are we going to get back, he asked?

I brought a tracker with me, said Julienne.

Good, because I have no desire to go native on this planet, said Shem.

Shem continued to trudge along through the rain and his sense of displeasure seemed to lesson as his curiosity took over. She continued to send him a flow of confidence and affection and he took it in and reveled in it.

You are such a drama queen, said Julienne. You act like the galaxy would not go on if I was not in the center of it.

Maybe someday you will grow up and understand, said Shemric. He smiled to himself, knowing that would irritate her.

It did irritate her, and she wanted to slap him, but that would not take away the feeling she had that he was completely content as long as he was with her. She did not think she felt that way about him. It made her wonder if the level of affection they showed each other was unbalanced and would create problems in the future. Or maybe she just had a lot more on her mind. He had joked and sulked about him being her tool, so maybe the tool could more easily be content as a tool; the hand that held the tool had to be more and that made it hard for Julienne to feel such contentment.

After perhaps four hours of walking, they stopped for some lunch when they found cover from a particularly harsh downpour. Several trees had grown together and formed a canopy overhead that only let a few drips through, so Shem actually took off his boots, wrung out his socks and situated a new chemical warming agent in the insoles. Julienne's was happy to have her synthetic-hide boots that were a lot better for the climate than what Shemric had available, plus they went all the way up to her knees.

So when are you going to stop being so secretive and tell me what this is about, asked Shem? The rain was really coming down in buckets and it was hard to hear much of anything.

Why don't you tell me, she said. All I said was that we were going on an expedition and then you walked off in a huff, right in the direction I intended to go. You are still heading right for the place I sensed earlier.

I suspect we are headed for a Force nexus, he said.

Julienne gave him a shrewd look and nodded. I wondered if I was imagining it.

What do you intend to do there, he asked?

Look for answers, she replied.

When the rain died down, they headed off again and Shemric commented that they had covered a good third of the distance already, which meant they were not going to reach it by 'nightfall." Night in the overcast jungle was almost entirely black and she Shemric's lack of desire to attempt to move about with no light. As they continued on, he started looking for likely places to set up their tent and as such, suggested a spot to stop before it became too dark.

I think we are still two or three hours away from the nexus, he said. Why don't we stop and set up camp. He eventually picked a low hill with tree cover that looked mostly dry. She helped him set up the tent/cot and told him she had brought along something for a fire.

Don't you think that will draw too many curious critters, he asked?

I don't care, she said. We are camping and I am going to have a campfire.

Which is how they found themselves sitting in the opening of the tent some time later, warming their hands and feet over the fire log.

Do you think the nexus drew you here on purpose, asked Shem?

I hardly believe in coincidence anymore, she said. Things happen for a reason around us. Just imagine if I had been scarred and unattractive when we met. Do you think we would be here now? Or if you had a thing for blondes?

Shem refused to answer her questions and took the conversation in a different direction.

Perhaps the Emperor is a great imbalance and seeks to further skew the problem with his crazy rite to absorb all the galaxy's energy, said Shemric. The galaxy seeks balance by having us destroy him. And something, here, will guide to that task.

Perhaps, she said. Let's just enjoy the fire and then go to bed.

After another half-hour or so of companionly silence, Shem created a Force-sheild around the log and deprived it of oxygen until the flame died. They crawled into their sleeping tubes and lay with their foreheads touching until Julienne pulled them both down into sleep.

The rest of the trip the next day was uneventful, but as they neared the nexus, Shem's sense of foreboding increased until he was very uncomfortable. Julienne could sense even he was having flashes of Force-vision that came and went quickly. Fortunately for Julienne, her new-found psionic skills protected her. When they finally reached the nexus, it was centered around an enormous gnarltree that sat in the middle of a clearing that was uncannily round.

It looked like it was a growth of several gnarltrees that all intertwined over hundreds and hundreds of years. She could feel how nervous Shem was, standing there on the edge of the clearing. He did not want to go any nearer.

I want you to stay outside, Shemric, she said suddenly. I think I need to go in alone.

What?! Are you kidding?!

I am not, she said calmly. I can sense the Force timestream here more strongly than anywhere since I stood in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban. That place nearly drove me mad.

Then why are we here, he asked quickly?

Because the Valley on Korriban was the final resting place of many Dark Masters of the Force and most of them are nearly mad by the time they pass on, Julienne explained. It was a Dark Nexus. This is not that. It is just very powerful. Please, she said. She could certainly feel something pressing in on her mental walls, trying to reach her mind. She could not protect Shem and open herself to the future visions at the same time.

Shemric nodded and she offered a different option.

If you want to follow me, then rest lightly on my consciousness.. Look out of my eyes. I am not sure if you will see what I see, but … She shrugged and removed her poncho and pack, which Shemric took and walked back to the edge of the clearing to the closest cover. He found a small root and sat down to close his eyes. In a moment he was looking out of Julienne's eyes as she made her way carefully through the roots of the tree and down into the cave. Instead of getting darker, it became lighter and the cave walls became more visible. It looked like the walls of a fortress, which made no sense at all. Julienne sucked in a breath. She had lowered her psionic walls and now the future visons were cycling through the back of her mind faster than she could track. At the same time the light continued to increase and it became evident from the reddish tinge that it emanated from a red lightsaber just out of sight. When the Sith came into view he or she wore an armored mask and approached Julienne warily.

"Well, woman, you have come to the end of your road," came a man's voice. "All your years of scheming and it goes for not. I am the Emperor's tool now and when you are dead I will go and destroy the Jedi in their own temple."

"I will not fight you," she said. She knew it was not real, but the sense of who she was facing was so close to Shemric's own aura it was horrifying; horrifying because it was how she imagined Shem would feel if he was immersed in Darkside power and wholly lost.

The not-Shem laughed and attacked her and Julienne held up a hand and caught his blade in her fingers. Energy crackled and she sent lightning into his body until it convulsed and then collapsed. The previously-ominous figure fell on his back and did not move. Julienne bent over and put her hand on the mask.

"Oh, dear Shemric, this was not how things were supposed to go," she said. When she removed the mask, it was Shemric's face, though it wore a malevolent expression that it had never had before the assault on the Emperor's citadel. Julienne's thoughts churned. The attack on the citadel had not yet taken place. She needed to keep a clear mind and keeping Shem with her was not helping.

That is enough, Shemric, wait for me until I come, said Julienne. She cast his consciousness from her and back into his own body. She sensed he stood and would have followed her but she used the subtlest of suggestions to make him return to his seat. The tree was no place for him and he knew it.

Julienne stood in the center of the nexus and cast her mind upon the timestream. The first vision of Shemric had been only one possible future, of Shemric suborned by the Emperor's power and turned against the rest of the galaxy as Revan and Malak had been hundreds of years earlier. But there were more. Julienne watched herself die. Watched Shemric die. Saw them succeed. Saw them fail. Saw them living happily with children surrounding them and laughing and feeling such joy that Julienne knew tears were streaming down her face. Saw the galaxy a dried out husk as the thing previously known as the Emperor rampaged across the universe. To a normal person, even a Jedi, it would have produced madness, but Darth Monikas had been swimming in the cosmic timestream since she was a small girl, though she had not recognized it at the time. Since that time she had used it to make all her important decisions. She never guessed.

The power of the nexus increased the clarity of the visions but also the frequency, so that she could never remember them all. At best, something would spark a memory at the moment of decision and she would know what to do. Like Shemric had once done, she tried to latch onto a positive future; a future that assured the continuation of life in the galaxy and happiness for Julienne. The threads remained as slippery as ever and she howled in the swirling maelstrom of possibility.

ENOUGH!

This voice in her mind was unfamiliar but also unforgiving and she cringed back from it.

YOUR MORTAL MIND CANNOT BEAR THIS, SMALL ONE. GO BACK AND BE SATISFIED. YOU ARE MEANT TO STRUGGLE AND LEARN WITHOUT TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE OF THE FUTURE. DEPART!

Julienne stumbled away, unaware of the direction she was taking, but in a moment familiar arms encompassed her and she collapsed, physically exhausted from the flow of Force visions she had endured.

Julienne should not have been surprised that she 'awakened' on her island construct that had often been an anchor for her unconscious mind. She was sitting in a chair on the beach. She looked about and there was no sign of Shemric. After few moments of mental relaxation, she tried to shift out of the dream and found she could not. Further examination showed that her mind was still reeling from the visions and there were so many portents and so much information she had no idea how to fix it, even with the increased knowledge provided for her by Master's Neilor's psionic training.

Julienne sat back on her chair and relaxed. She would wake when she could wake.

When Julienne next moved, she had no idea where she was other than in a sleep tube. In the ship. Her stomach rumbled and her first though to Shemric was for food. Did I just have a horrible dream?

She heard Shem let out a cry and soon he rushed into their sleeping quarters. Julienne sat up feeling groggy.. When Shem leaped on the bed and tried to squeeze her she protested.

What are you doing? I am just waking up in the morning.

You have been asleep for five days, Julienne, he countered.

What? Really? Obviously time was meaningless on the island but that was an unnaturally long sleep. What had happened in her brain. I remember hiking to the tree, she said. That is all.

I am guessing you regret your decision to visit the Force-nexus, he said.

She shook her head. I have no idea what even happened. The look on his face was surprised. Something bad?

Yeah, if you call frying me with Force-lightning bad, he said.

Well, that won't do, she said. Show me. She groaned as she tried to move and looked at the IV line attached to her arm. Can I get some real food first?

Shem headed off to the food prep area and Julienne tried to piece together her thoughts. Nothing came to her so she just waited until Shem brought back the food, which she consumed completely and then belched loudly. She felt foolish, but she was still hungry so she asked for more.

You should let that digest for a bit, he suggested. Let me show you what happened. Once she had seen the entire vision, Julienne sat back and was lost in thought. He had not seen much but he had seen her kill a version of himself; he could not be happy about that.

I can't recall anything that I saw there, she said.

Then it was a waste of time, he asked?

Hardly, even if all we get out of it was the vision you just showed me, it was well worth the trip, she said.

What, you wanted to know if you were capable of killing me, he asked?

Don't be petty, Shem, she said. And use your head. What did you say to me? Something about being the Emperor's tool to punish the Republic? Well, we knew, or I did, that something like that was possible going in. He is immensely powerful and psionic attacks or mind control should easily be within his capabilities. So we need to make sure he can't do that to you.

And how are you going to do that, he asked?

I'll be there to watch over you, she said. The Emperor would not have Shemric; of that, Julienne was quite determined. She gave him gave him a too-sweet smile. I'm gonna keep my good boy safe. She then sent him a flow of affection that made tears come to his eyes. She nearly reproved him for his mushy sentimentality but decided that would ruin the moment.

How are you going to protect me from an all-powerful being, he asked?

We will attack him with joined consciousness, she said. He won't be able to get to you without going through me. Of course, that assumes he can't break me as well, but we have to make some positive assumptions or this whole thing in futile. She sat up out of her sleeping tube and noticed Shem's unfocused expression. Why am I sleeping naked in bed?

Well, that is a long story, my dear, but the short version is that we had no dry clothes and were in danger of hypothermia, so I stripped you down and dried you off before stuffing you in that tube. After that I carried you in it to keep you warm until we made it back to the ship. Your vessel's excellent med droid took care of the IV and the catheter.

Well, I can't blame you this time for getting me in trouble, but I can thank you once again for saving me from it, she said. Now how about getting me something else to eat?

Shem chuckled and went off in search of more food.

"Is there a reason we are going to Kor Vella?" Shem asked as he noted the destination that Julienne had punched into the navicomputer. Kor Vella was a swank destination city in the Corellian System.

"Several, though for you and I, we are going to spend a day in a luxury hotel and then I am going to send you off to Tython," said Julienne. She had not told him that yet, but she still need to contact Darth Nocturne and bring Stryver in on the planning. She knew he would not be happy about it.

"Are you really leaving me again?" he asked."I thought we were in this to the end, this time."

"That time is not yet," she said. "I think I will have to meet you on Tython." That vision came back to her on occasion and often enough she would not discount it. She suspected they were going to have to bolster their force with as many Jedi as would agree to come.

"You are going to come to the Jedi Temple? That will be a sight," he mused.

"Please don't pine away without me, dearest," she said as she pulled back on the hyperdrive level and the stars blurred. "I am sending you back to Tython because I think that is as safe a place as any for you. Train hard. It is us or him now, Shem. I don't think either of us will survive much longer unless we eliminate him."

She said it so he would remain cautious, even in his familiar surroundings. The Emperor's reach was very long.

From Corellia, Julienne hired a private ship to take him directly to Tython with an android pilot that was known to see and hear nothing.

I won't be long this time, dear, she said at parting. And remember that you need to keep all this to yourself, she said. The first thing your Grand Master should hear about this conflict with the Emperor needs to come from me.

As you say, he agreed. I will wait, he said. Maybe not patiently.

She favored him with a smile and last kiss and then Shem boarded the ship she had chartered for him. It was time for Julienne to return to the Empire and meet with her allies. Bits and flashes of where and when came to her and she steeled herself for the danger ahead. It would not be long now. If there was one thing she was sure of from all she had seen, she knew they were nearing the final confrontation.