Chapter 17
Lionsfall Part II
CORUSCANT
Jedi Temple, War Room
Obi-Wan and Leo were standing as holograms over the Jedi council members gathered in the war room, among them were other Jedi and even Ahsoka as they reported. "The local resistance I stronger than anything we ever anticipated." Obi-Wan reported to them.
"Any word from Master Krell and his forces?" Master Windu asked them.
"They've encountered fierce resistance as well Masters, the Umbarans know the airfield is the only thing stopping them from being overrun; they tried to take a main road to the city but were pushed back." Leo answered.
Windu gave Leo an undeserved scowl "I was speaking to your Master, Padawan?" Leo looked at Windu confused and somewhat insulted.
"Regardless Leo is correct, but I have full confidence in Anakin's troops under Master Krell." Obi-Wan said coming to his padawan said "Though we have slowed the number of their counter attacks by Leo's cutting of their supply lines." Obi-Wan said.
"It's mostly been food and medicine, we believe it's for the citizens still inside the city while there we can't afford to bomb the city from space, but some how there still getting supplies in." Leo added, Ahsoka smiled hearing Leo was being sincere in the fact that he didn't want to harm innocent civilians.
Kit Fitso spoke up then "We've received new intel, the air base that's halting your attacks is also dropping supplies into the city, its located west of the city if you take it it should break them." Kit told the Jedi "We'll relay that to Master Krell." Obi-Wan responded.
"If may Masters?" Leo started to ask.
"Speak padawan." Plo Koon said beside Ahsoka "I'd like to request Senator Bail Organa be dispatched here to Umbara to negotiate that the Umbaran civilians be allowed to leave the city, without the people there the Umbarans would be willing to negotiate a surrender and have a chance for there wounded to be allowed to leave." Leo explained.
The masters looked at one another and said, "I'm afraid that's not possible." Windu answered "What, but there are thousands of innocent people in there."
"The Chancellor has made it a point for Umbara to be taken, and that its citizens know the price of… treason." Master Plo said not sounding as if he agreed with the proclamation.
Leo looked at his Master before closing his mouth with no other objection "We will report if we make any progress in the siege." Obi-Wan said before they cut the transmission.
UMBARA
Outside The Capital City
The two Jedi watched the holograms of the Masters and other Jedi disappear before Leo scoffed in annoyance, he looked over at the city on the hill a giant beam of light shooting out from its center illuminating it like a beacon, with the clones and jedi like moths to a flame. "The Chancellor shouldn't be making strategic choices based on politics." Leo hissed in a hushed tone to his master "I agree, but we serve the Republic Leo never forget that."
"And the Republic serves the people, all people." Leo replied as they walked away to examine their siege progress on top of some ramparts.
Leo groaned "And Master Krell his strategy to take the Capital head on from the main road… that was suicide."
"I'm sure Master Krell had a reason for his strategy, he may be shrewd but… I'm sure you know the rest." Obi-Wan said remembering Leo used to be Pong's own apprentice.
Chuckling and crossing his arms Leo smiled "Believe me I know, Pong is-" Before he could even finish his sentence an Umbaran energy shell flew out of nowhere blasting the two Jedi off the rampart "Sneak attack!" Cody yelled as the clones around the forward base came running out helmets on and blasters ready. Leo got up first helping his Master to his feet when the shadow people of Umbara emerged from the darkness lighting up the mist filled air with green laser fire. Soon the clones blue blaster bolts returned the kindness engaging the enemy. The umbarans charged the clone's front lines being cut down by turret and blaster fire, Turok appeared beside Leo helping drag Obi-Wan away "These Umbarans sure love a good fight." Turok said, shooting out behind Leo and his Master.
"Leo, get out there and hold the line, I'll tell General Krell about the air base and join you shortly." Obi-Wan said getting up behind cover.
Leo nodded "Yes Master, come on Turok."
The jedi and his trandoshan ally ran back into the fray joining the clones on the front line, Leo jumped up on the rampart deflecting fire while drawing the main enemy toward him. "How was your nap?" Waxer asked Turok.
"Fine, I dreamed of your mother." Turok hissed "We don't have mothers." Boil laughed.
"No, but we got BROTHERS COME ON!" Waxer shouted, shooting when the ground started to shake.
Leo and the clones looked up to see a full regiment of Umbaran AT-ATs heading their way, they had big dom bodies with four bowed legs and large guns on their heads with glass cockpits in front and three lights below them. "Tanks, why'd it have to be tanks." Boil said before Leo looked back at the men "Waxer, throw me your grenades." Leo said, tossed him a satchel of grenades.
"Distract them?" Turok asked before Leo ran straight into the sea of Umbaran militias.
"GRAAAAHH!" Leo screamed, summoning the force to him before he began to cut a path through the Umbarans he sliced off one's head, before stabbing another. Using the force to get some room by pushing others away. Soon he was right in front of the first tank he climbed up its leg and deflecting blaster shots while he scaled the metal monster, when he was by the barrel he took out a grenade and thrower it inside its gun before it exploded taking the rest of the tanks with it.
Jumping off to the one on the left he landed on the cockpit and smashed it open with his lightsaber before throwing the satchel inside.
After he left that one behind he saw only one tank remaining, the Umbarans around it were scattered and in chaos from losing two tanks. Leo saw the third one would be their rallying point. "Cody's I need you to buy me some time." Leo said into his coms "You heard the Berserker lets get in there!" Cody yelled, leading his men and Turok out into the open field to engage the Umbarans.
While the clones gave him cover, Leo sheathed his lightsaber and held out his hands. He grabbed the tank with the force and it started to slow, starting to look like it was about to jump but it was too heavy. Leo grunted and growled trying to lift it suddenly it got lighter and Leo opened his eyes seeing Obi-Wan beside him "Together Leo, as one." The Master and Student raised the tank from the very earth it was trampling over. When the umbarans saw their tank floating above their heads they lost all heart and began to retreat while the clones all started in disbelief "Ha, Jedi am I right?" Boil said, nudging Waxer.
"Never gets old." Obi-Wan and Leo together through the tank back at the retreating Umbarans and a giant green explosion followed with cheers of victory from the clones. The Jedi's arms dropped like they were about to fall off as the clones started to regroup back behind there lines in front of the city. Up on one of the glowing fungus trees of Umbara, a shadowy figure stood there an Umbaran woman watching the Jedi before she too disappeared.
Later as the wounded were being gathered to be shipped off the planet, among their number was Turok on a stretcher with Leo beside him "This doesn't count as you saving my life again, no second life debts." Turok hissed.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Leo said to the trandoshan "Just make sure not to send me to some medical station, I'll repay that life debt so I can get on with my life." Turok added before being taken onto a gunship with other wounded clones and shipped off into the dark skies.
Leo smiled watching it go when a sudden wave of fatigue rushed over him, he reached up to rub his eyes. The fatigue didn't go unnoticed by Obi-Wan who was speaking with Cody and some of the men "Good idea Cody, report back to me when you return." Obi-Wan said before he approached his padawan.
"Are you alright Leo?" Obi-Wan asked "It's nothing Master, only a slight headache."
"You're tired, when was the last time you slept?" Obi-Wan asked him.
The padawan shook his head "I'm fine Master." Leo told him.
"Leo?" Obi-Wan asked, crossing his arms "Not since we arrived in the system."
Obi-Wan shook his head smiling "Go get some sleep, your not good to us exhausted."
Leo grudgingly agreed "Yes Master."
Leo walked away from his Master, heading to the back of the siege camp Leo walked further beyond that and into some of the ground they had taken where he spotted a single Umbaran tree still standing, the tips of its branches glowing with soft red embers before he propped himself up against it. He shut his eyes and a rush of sleep washed over him before he slipped into a dream.
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Leo awoke not on the dark fields of Umbara, but somewhere strangely familiar. The dirt was white like snow and just as soft, he looked up at the tree he had rested under only to see that I was now a great giant oak, with thick green leaves glowing with light. As he got up he saw the glowing leaves dancing in the wind around other trees, rising from the white dirt were fields of bluegrass dancing with the leaves in a strong but soft wind.
Rising up from the grass as Leo approached it was a being cloaked in a white robe, Leo reached for his lightsaber but felt it was gone.
"I mean you no harm." The ethereal stranger said.
Leo looked up the voice was familiar, and as the stranger got closer to him Leo started to see the face under the hood. It was orange with white marks "Ahsoka?" Leo asked when the stranger pulled down their hood to reveal his best friend.
"I have chosen a face you trust, if this displeases you I will change it." The stranger said.
Leo gripped his fists tight seeing it was a lie "Who are you." Leo growled.
Ahsoka's face melted away like sand in the breeze to reveal an Umbaran woman with narrow features and pale yellow eyes "I am not your enemy Leo Rock."
"How do you know my name?" Leo asked, holding his ground.
"I know a great deal about you, young Jedi, why you are here and why when you leave this planet… you will not be the same." She said almost with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Leo started to walk toward her "Your an Umbaran, and your… you are Sith." Leo gasped seeing her eyes.
"I am a Shadow Priestess, I serve the will of the force here on Umbara, a world of darkness and you a servant of light makes this a precarious meeting." She said as Leo waded into the blue grasses.
"What is it you want?" Leo asked now ten feet from her "To meet with you, in person." She said waving her hand and the vision started to recede, Leo saw a great hill on Umbara and at its top was one of the strange Umbaran trees that glowed red at the tips, except this one was ten times the size of an average one with great branches reaching high almost into the cloud "Find us here, and all shall be revealed."
"What exactly is going to be revealed?" Leo asked her.
The Umbaran Priestess turned to her "That which you have always known to be true." The priestess said walking away
"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Leo asked her as she began to sink into the blue grasses "When you arrive, ask for my name…"
"But I don't even know your name?" Leo called out starting to follow her "You do now it's …"
"Get up kid."
Leo snapped out of the vision to see Waxer and Boil standing over him "Where is he?" Leo said getting to his feet, grabbing his lightsaber back at his hip, "Where'd she go?"
Waxer and Boil snickered "Dreaming of a girl huh, sorry I woke you." Waxer said, grabbing his shoulder, "A dream… yes." He said waking up and looking back at the clones.
"General Kenobi has come up with a new strategy, Rex and Fives have taken the airbase so we may be moving soon." Boil said while they walked back down into the Republic staging point.
Leo followed the two clones "Just out of curiosity Commander, what's her name the girl you were dreaming about?"
"It was a woman… her name was…. Morgana."
Later, the clones and Leo were gathered around the holotable like a campfire with Obi-Wan telling them a ghost story, but instead it was a battle plan "With the airfield out of commission, the city can't hold out for much longer but we've gotten word that the Umbarans have guerilla forces heading our way." Obi-Wan told them.
"How long till they get here General?" Cody asked "Three days, maybe less the Umbarans are desperate they know we're just as tired as they are so these next few days will be critical to our success in the invasion."
Leo crossed his arms looking at the map, the casualty lists on both sides staggeringly high, but he couldn't shake the dream "Leo, you and… Leo are you listening?"
"What- yes Master, sorry." Leo replied "I need you here and now Leo, you'll take Waxer and Boil on a scouting mission at first light tomorrow or… what little light there is on this dismal world." Obi-Wan said, realizing they had no sunlight making some of the clones laugh "Dismissed." Obi-Wan said.
The clones broke off but Leo stayed knowing Obi-Wan would want to talk to him "Leo, I sense something is bothering you?"
"I had a vision Master." Leo told him outright "A vision of what, are you sure it wasn't a dream?" He asked his padawan.
Leo nodded "I'm sure of it Master, I saw a woman and Umbaran who called herself a- Shadow Priestess?"
"A Shadow Priestess." Obi-Wan gasped before he grabbed Leo by the arm and pulled him into a more private area of the base till they were inside a tent "Master?" Leo asked.
Obi-Wan let go "How do you know of the Shadow Priesthood?"
"The what?" Leo asked.
"In the days of the old Republic, when I was a Padawan here on Umbara lived a sect of force wielders, a cult known only as the Shadow Priests, they worshiped the dark side and began to train in sith teachings." Obi-Wan told him, Leo's face turned grim, "I think I know where this is going?" Leo asked him.
Obi-Wan crossed his arms "The Shadow Priests slowly began to infiltrate the government here on Umbara, when they were discovered the Republic sent a Jedi strike team of two dozen Jedi to put an end to the cult when they arrived at their stronghold and went inside… only three came out." Obi-Wan said, turning away, crossing his arms thinking of the dead.
"Their stronghold, it's a great tree, isn't it on a high hill?" Leo asked him.
Again Obi-Wan looked at his padawan in disbelief "So it was a vision, what did they say?"
"It wasn't a they, a who a woman calling herself Morgana she said 'all will be revealed' and that its 'already what I know to be true'?" Leo said, quoting her to his master.
Obi-Wan stroked his beard thinking it "Curious."
"But we don't have time, Master, we should focus on the siege, right?" Leo asked him but Obi-Wan was still thinking "Right Master?"
Obi-Wan looked up then "You need to go."
"What?" Leo was shocked hearing it from his master's lips "But Master, you said if I stepped out of line again with Council would… you know."
"You are not stepping out of line, this will be a scouting mission to go to their old stronghold and seek what your vision told you then return." Obi-Wan took a step toward him "Promise me you'll return."
"I promise Master, I'll take one of the walkers and be back before dawn." Leo told Obi-Wan reassuringly "Good, their old stronghold is southwest of here, at the end of a valley called the Ghost's Grave." Obi-Wan said walking out of the tent to a set of two legged clone walkers
Leo followed him "You have to admit it the Umbarans sure love their spooky names." Leo said climbing up onto a walker
"Then you'll love what the tree is called my young Padawan." Obi-wan said, giving him a sideways glance. "Let me guess, the Willow of Woe, the Bad Berch, Rage Redwood?" Leo asked spitting off ideas of names.
Obi-Wan crossed his arms smiling "Actually if I remember they called it the Tree of Darkness."
Leo started up the walker and nodded "Guess Tree of the Dead and Damned were taken."
Before he could leave Obi-Wan grabbed his foot "Be careful Leo."
"I have your training with me Master, I will not fail you." Leo replied confidently before he took off southwest toward the Shadow Priestess.
CORUSCANT
Jedi Temple
Meanwhile, back in the hallowed halls of the Jedi's home and stronghold of their own, Ahsoka meditated in one of the meditation gardens. Her legs were crossed and her hands on her knees but as she tried to focus the glimpses of battle and pain started to seep into her. She winced and gritted her tweet trying to see more but couldn't finally gasp, falling forward the vision too much.
"Trouble meditating Padawan?" Ahsoka looked behind her to see Aayla Secura standing behind her.
Ahsoka started to stand in respect but Aayla waved her back down "It's okay padawan, you seem troubled?" Aayla asked her.
"It's nothing Master Secura, I'm fine." Aayla smiled before she sat down across from Ahsoka "Come now Ahsoka, I've known you for a long time, what is it?" The blue skinned twi'lek asked her.
"It's just… I'm worried about Master Kenobi and his padawan, the reports coming out of Umbara aren't good and Master Skywalker has refused to even consider returning or letting me go assist them." Ahsoka told the older woman.
Aayla listened and thought on how to respond "And do you think you could make much of a difference, the Umbarans are a proud people and have fought off many invaders in their day, sometimes Jedi."
"I could, sometimes one person can make a difference right, especially a jedi?" Ahsoka retorted.
"Especially a Jedi, yes." Aayla smilled "But I sense you aren't just worried for the clones and Master Kenobi, you are particularly concerned with Leo, you have strong feelings for him?"
Ahsoka blushed embarrassed that she wasn't unable to hide her emotions from the Jedi Master "Y-yes…" she confessed.
But rather than give her a scowling Mace Windu glare, or a disappointing Skywalker stare, Aayla only kept her smile "And does he feel the same way?"
"I… I think so, we only… there was an incident?" Ahsoka said not wanting to say it out loud "An incident?" Aayla asked, getting a bit more concerned, her smile wavering.
"Nothing serious Master, just some overly affectionate behavior- Leo and I both agreed it was a mistake, that it should never have happened that we could never-" "Ahsoka, Ahsoka it's alright." Master Secura said cutting her off before Ahsoka could go on a rant about the kiss they shared.
Ahsoka shut her mouth and waited on Secura to speak "I was young once too Ahsoka, a padawan much like you there was another Jedi here another padawan who I grew very fond of but I knew the code forbid such a bond from ever being realized, the dangers of an emotional attachment that could lead to the dark side." Aayla told her "When the time came to choose between them and the Order, you can guess which I chose." The now twi'leks Jedi Master told the young torgurtan padawan learner
"And the other Padawan?" Ahsoka asked nervously about the answer, Aayla sighed "At first it strained our relationship, we didn't not speak for many years till finally they too accepted the wisdom of our Order." She said.
"So you remained friends?" Ahsoka asked "We did, though I find myself often thinking of what could have been and remind myself not to dwell on such thoughts and trust in the force." Aayla told her.
Ahsoka listened and looked down at her fidgeting hands "But what if the force told you were wrong?"
"I don't know how it could Ahsoka, that's something we have to find out for ourselves." Aayla said "I guess that makes sense." Ahsoka said slouching where she sat "It's just I get so worried when I'm not around with Leo, he makes such reckless decisions."
"Then those are his to make, and you must learn to trust him as he becomes a Jedi." Aayla said "But the Council is always against him?" Ahsoka asked him.
Aayla's ire was raised hearing such an accusation "Ahsoka, the Council is never against a Jedi, especially a Padawan, but with Leo we have been concerned but take the incident on Naboo for example Leo could have slain Grievous in cold blood but showed him mercy, a trait all Jedi should have."
"But Leo's not on Naboo." Ahsoka retorted the only argument she had at the time "No and he's not with you either, whatever he faces there he'll have to face it…. alone."
UMBARA
Ghost's Grave
Leo pulled his walker into the heart of the dark valley, a thick fog had fallen and the only light came from the crimson buds of the umbarans trees. He drove the walker in between them every once in a while. Leo thought he saw something in the trees looking at him before he came to a rising hill that got too steep for the walker to go up, he scanned the rocks and gravel while it rose up pulsing red roots were coiling around the stones all the way up to where it stood. The Tree of the Darkness stood towering over the valley sending dim red light across Leo's face.
He started to climb the rocks up to the tree, when he was halfway up one of the local fauns spied him. It was one of the flying creatures with piercing glowing eyes and fangs, it screeched before flying straight down toward Leo ready to pick him up.
Sensing the danger, Leo got an idea he jumped off the rocks and grabbed the legs of the creature letting it fly up to the top of the hill before he let go landing in front of the base of the tree. It towered over him roughly the size of a ten story building and at the base of the roots Leo saw a party stoneway carved into the ground. He knelt down dusting off one of the stones and saw carved into the rock was a symbol of a black circle with two three tipped crowns on the side. A twig snapped and when Leo looked up he was face to face with spears pointed in his face held buy black cloaked Umbarans.
"Trespasser." One of them hissed but it was hard to tell considering they were all wearing masks around their faces.
"I was invited by someone named Morgana." Leo replied.
The spear men looked at one another before backing off, Leo looked on ahead and saw through the miss there was a hole in the base of the tree trunk. Emerging from the darkness of the tree's cavern was the woman Leo had seen in the vision, Lady Morgana walking out to greet him. She removed her hood and Leo saw she had a head full of dark black braids pulled back on her head, when she saw him. The Priestess smiled "Follow." She said in a soothing voice before she returned into the darkness and Leo reluctantly followed her.
The ground had been carved into to make steps deep into the hill, the trees glowing red roots gave them enough light to see the steps down into the earth.
"Alright I'm here." He said to Morgana following her deeper.
Morgana said nothing but kept walking, the deeper they went the wider the passage became, the tree roots were replaced with carved stone like the floor, roots hanging from the walls giving light were redirected into metal cages from the ceiling. They seemed to be constantly trimmed so as not to be overgrown, Leo noticed the walls were painted with hieroglyphs of strange characters some dark and evil looking but all together it seemed to tell a very strange story, Leo stopped when he recognized three characters, a man and a woman kneeling in front of a tall old man with a long white beard. The Celestials of Mortis, Leo gapped looking at them "This way." The Shadow Priestess said.
She was standing at the end of the hallway "Why did you bring me here?" He asked following him.
"We wanted to meet you." She said.
"Who's we?" Leo asked before they came into a large empty room, the floor was surrounded with strange circular carvings that glowed red with an opening in the center "We are we, we speak for this church." Morgana said sitting down opposite of Leo, she held out her hand offering him a chance to sit.
Leo did so and looked at her, Morgana kept her statuesque gaze on him the two yellow eyes making his hand inch for his lightsaber when he started to back away "If we wanted to hurt you, we very much doubt we'd survive the attempted young Jedi." Morgana said, raising a brow at him, she reached into her robe and pulled out a strange gord like bottle with two small cups and setting them down. She began to pour the drinks without waiting for him to sit.
The jedi moved his hand away before he sat down across from her "If your heart to tell me to leave this planet and give up the siege, your waistline your time."
She filled the first cup then started to fill the other "Well it would be nice to get rid of all that racket." She said filling the other cup and offering it to him "It's not poisoned if that's what your thinking?" She said before she sipped the gord itself to prove it.
Leo took the cup "You don't care about the war, your planet is under siege?"
"Hmm so it is." She said, holding up the cup "What shall we drink to?"
He looked at her puzzled as she wanted to make a toast "The end of the war?"
"Why not, to the end of the war." She said toasting with him tapping her cup on his and downing the drink. Leo took one drink of the liquid and to his strange delight it was surprisingly sweet, made of some kind of wheat extract "You still haven't answered my question?" Leo said letting the drink hit him.
Morgana licked her lips and sat up straight "Why I asked you here?" She asked.
He looked at her knowing it was obvious, still waiting for her to her explain "You asked me if I cared about the war, of course I do but there's little we can do about it." She said.
"You could tell your people surrender?" Leo asked the Shadow priestess as she poured two more cups "My people hmhmhm, the last time our church tried to influence our people your order slaughtered us."
"That was a different time?" Leo said remembering the story Obi-Wan had told him "Different time, some species." She said "War is the natural state of civilizations, we rise, we fall, we fight with our ferocity until we're nothing but dust and our names are all that remain." She said Leo was about to drink again but she stopped him "No, we drink after you leave." She said.
Leo put the cup down and waited for her to continue "Tell me young Jedi, what do you think I am, you called me a Sith?"
"I've met Sith, they lie, betray and seek to corrupt everything they touch… I'm waiting to see if you will?" He replied glaring at her.
Morgana let out a snigger of laughter cupping her hand over her mouth "Well that sounds just about right for a classic Sith."
"Well allow me to put all questions to rest, am I sith yes… I study the ways of the dark side, the teachings of Bane, Freedon Nadd, and the writings of Exar Kun to the poetry of Darth Nihilus." She said holding up her hand Leo watched as as sith lighting fluttered in her palm chirping like birds before she shut her hand "We are enemies then." Leo said tensing up.
Morgana rolled her eyes "According to who, the Sith Lords, the Jedi Masters, and here we sith A Jedi padawan and a Sith Acolyte enjoying a drink of friendship."
"I've known Sith Acolytes, killed some too." Leo replied coldly, Morgana scoffed at his answer.
"And I've never killed a Jedi, should we even score?" She asked, reaching for something in her robe.
Leo refused to hesitate, he jumped up and so did Morgana she tore out a red lightsaber and locked blades with Leo's white one activated "I knew this was a trap." He said as she held the lightsaber up against his blade.
Morgana gritted her pale white teeth into a grin "Then why did you come?" She asked him.
"I wanted answers, why did you bring me here?" He barked before he broke off the lock and attacked her. Morgana rolled out of the way deflecting his double bladed lightsaber. Despite her heavy robe she moved faster then Leo expected, a shroud of white and red dancing in the room before she broke off and Leo chased after her. Swinging left and right at the Shadow Priestess, Morgana held her lightsaber behind her back and dodged every swing he made not countering or engaging him.
"Fight me!" Leo barked when she skipped away landing on one foot before she held up her lightsaber and turned it off "Why?" She asked him.
Leo looked at the Shadow Priestess dumbfounded "What?"
"Why would I fight you, I invited you into my home, I offered you drink I seek only to speak to you, it was you who drew first?" She asked.
Leo opened his mouth to say something but he realized she was right, he had attacked her after being welcomed in. Looking at his lightsaber he turned it off "Forgive me, you're right I attacked you without provocation only-" "Out of fear, we're used to it." Morgana turned off her saber and walked back to the center of the room where the two cups were.
Morgana sat back down and Leo did too, "Please just tell me why you wanted me to come here?"
"We knew this war was coming, we knew Jedi would be here soon." She said leaning in "We decided for the sake of our own order, to remain out of this war, then you arrived." She said with her yellow eyes looking into his very soul.
"Me, what's so special about me?" He asked.
Morgana smiled "I'm surprised you haven't noticed it earlier?"
Leo's face fell, he dropped his shoulders "The darkness."
"Yes, unlike the other Jedi you do not have fear of it." She said "It's impressive really."
"But I am afraid of it, I'm afraid it'll take control of me." He told her looking up into her eyes "We are always controlled by what we fear young jedi, you asked why we asked you here." She said eluding that she was about to reveal "We meditated for many days and saw that soon you will have to face the darkness within you." She said.
Leo's eyes widened and a feeling of dread came over him "But you said-" "We said you do not fear the dark, but there is another here who has given into fear, into the dark side of the force, they are powerful and threaten the balance of the force."
"There must be balance between Leo Rock, powerful light, powerful dark if one overtakesthe other there is chaos." She told him.
The jedi glared down at the floor "So I have to restore balance, as a Jedi should?" He asked.
Morgana shrugged, picking up the cup "You don't have to do anything?"
"Excuse me?" Leo inquired.
Morgana cocked her head sideways a bit "You don't have to do a damn thing Jedi, the Sith teachings we have tell us to go out and dominate all life but we don't, because we learned that when we do we face conflict." She told him "We have a choice, we all have choice, young Jedi." She told him as she raised his cup with the force and he took it.
"You can choose to return to your Master, return to your troops and this war or…" she took a big gulp of the cup downing it all in one drink "Ooooor?" Leo asked her.
"Or you can leave, find a ship and leave go and live whatever life you want." She said as if she was scolding a child "I can't just leave my master, my men, I have a duty to them, to the Republic- I can't just run away." Leo said disgusted at the mere thought of it standing up he was so mad at the suggestion "Why?" She asked him.
"What do you owe the Republic, the clones, the Jedi Order even if you don't think you've given enough?" She asked him.
Leo paced back and forth holding the cup "It doesn't matter what I've given, it's because I believe in the Republic, in the Clones, in the Jedi?"
"Why?" She asked him "BECAUSE IT'S WHO I AM!" Leo screamed at her throwing the cup away "I am Leo Rock, I am a Jedi, a Jedi fights for everyone, so do the clones and so should the Republic, I believe in the truth of democracy and the freedom that's worth fighting for, maybe dying for, I'll pay whatever price I have to so the Republic that's stood for a thousand years stands for a thousand more, I'll do whatever it takes." Leo told her pointing a finger at her "Do you honestly believe that, or is it what you've been taught you believe?" She asked him, crossed arms standing up.
She started to pace around him "You've been raised and taught by Jedi Masters your whole life, seen the universe in only one point of view over and over again… but I sense a reasonable doubt, you know this war is more then just politics, the force is out of balance, the light of the Jedi has blinded them from a shadow of the Sith, about too consume them all." She said picking up the cup and taking out her gord to pour into the cup once again.
Leo took a pause "Not that long ago… on a strange world, a… man called me a Sith- a Sith'Ari."
Morgana stood up straight hearing it, her eyes twitched hearing it letting Leo know she recognized the word "What is it?" He asked.
"An ancient word, from the earliest Sith Texts, the word Sith comes from the ancient dialect that means perfect or lord." She said walking up to the cup "The Sith'Ari is something more."
"More than a Sith Lord?" He asked looking at the cup Morgana nodded her head "The word itself, Sith'ari means Overlord, one who has freed themselves from all restrictions, has reached perfection, their potential fulfilled, perfect strength, perfect power, perfect destiny." She said taking his hand, her hand was cold but not freezing instead it was a cool feeling one that calmed him at its touch.
She put his fingers around the cup "I sense you are still confused?"
"This is a lot to take in." He said his hands trembling on the cup "Then I will explain as simply as I can, no more riddles, no more elusive tongues, simple." She said, taking her hand away and walking to the back of the room where Leo saw a door open "You can either leave this planet, abandon this pointless war and live your life however you see fit." She said before looking back around and putting a hood over his head "Or, you can stay and face the darkness within you where you will either conqueror it or it will consume you." She said, giving him one last look.
Leo looked at her then down at the cup "Will I still be me if I choose either one?"
When he looked up, Morgana was gone and he was alone "You will be, who you choose to be Leo Rock, may the force light or dark be with you."
The time has come, will Leo choose the light or the dark, review and tell me why you think he should do either up to you.