Dax the Jedi
"There are some people I cannot forgive,
they have done things I cannot forget,
and I will hate them forever."
The Jedi master stood looking out across the strange landscape. There was a very strange stillness to this entire area. Other than the little breeze, there were no birds, there was no background noise of nature, there was no mechanical traffic. It was simply quiet.
The light was low, and getting here had been very difficult, but here he stood, out in the open, at a rendezvous point, with two platoons of troopers. He had been to many worlds spread across the galaxy, but he had never been to one like this. This planet had a super dense atmosphere and a hollow crust. Its people lived in biodomes and subterranean caves that stretched across the vast planes of the planet.
The Jedi shifted his eyes across the landscape. It was dark, but what light there was came from crystalline trees and bushes that sprung from the ground and the cavernous roof. The ambient light was a soft pinkish purple that spilled over everything. While it was geologically fascinating, a geological study was not why he and his force of two-dozen clone troopers was there. Their objective was to meet the leader of this planet's indigenous people and get a more accurate view of the situation. Intelligence reports were that the Separatists had sent a force of droids to this neutral planet, and that posed a problem. On the other hand, there seemed to be a chance to recruit this planet into the Republic, and it would help expand the Republic's influence deeper into Wild Space.
The Jedi continued to intentionally scan the nearly barren landscape. Still nothing. He had familiarized himself with the background of this mission, he was surprised to see that this people had reached out to the Jedi in a cry for help nearly a year ago, but it was not until reports that the Separatists had a presence on this neutral world did the Senate and the Jedi Council take serious note. Unfortunately, a diplomatic delegation could not be sent. Most of the Republic Delegation Force was already over committed simply trying to hold the Republic together in the ongoing Galactic Civil War, an attempt that was becoming more and more desperate.
After this Jedi had researched the situation, he had convinced the council to send him and his twenty-four men to make contact and investigate the situation. Afterall, what is one Jedi and two platoons of clones?
He narrowed his eyes and listened intently as he scanned the environment around him. He saw a vast, dark landscape with slight rolling hills. The sky was the roof of a cave maybe a thousand meters over his head, and light flowed from the crystalline foliage. His eyes and ears could only feed him so much information.
"What do you see, Captain?" the Jedi asked the lead clone trooper to his right. Scanning his head back and forth, the clone examined the area through is flip-down visor.
"Not much, sir. Other than the wind patterns, I am not reading much movement, sir," the clone responded.
"Any life forms?" the Jedi asked.
"No, sir. Nothing." The Jedi peered and too saw nothing indicating life or the forces they were supposed to link up with. One way or the other, they needed either make contact with these people or extract and move on. He dug into the Force and reached out with his mind and felt the surroundings. His perception shifted into almost a subconscious mode, as if he had slipped into another sense. He could now feel all living beings within one-thousand meters as if they were within arm's reach. This particular skill in the Force was one of his strengths, and he used it with proficiency. He could feel his men, insects and micro life-forms, but there was something else out there, something unseen. He furrowed his brow deeply and reached out more firmly. He came to see that they were surrounded by a large force of sentient beings—people—seeming to float in the force.
"Strange," the Jedi said.
The clone commander next to him lowered the binoculars from his T-visor and turn to the Jedi.
"What's that, sir?" the Captain asked.
"I think I can feel them," the Jedi said.
"Do you think they are here?" the clone asked. The Jedi squinted his eyes as he shifted his gaze across the empty landscape and slowly nodded his head.
"Yes, Captain," he said, "they are here."
Their attention shifted toward small flashes of golden lights flutter across the landscape in pairs almost like fireflies. No, they did not flutter—they moved in smooth, fluid motions.
"What is that?" the captain to his right asked. Suddenly and without warning every member of the Republic force felt a pressure against the black, rubberized under-suit of their necks, and before they could react, they felt the snap—crack—sizzle of an electroblade buzzing through their under suits.
The Jedi felt the sting of the electricity against the bare skin of his neck and turned his head in its direction. Finally revealed was one of these beings. Standing in a strike pose against the Jedi was a man with a masked face and two eyes reflecting gold light off their irises.
The Jedi master immediately felt that there was at least one of these beings on every one of his troopers. They were surrounded…and dominated. As a moment passed, none of either group moved.
"Have the men hold their positions, Captain," the Jedi said with a commanding tone.
"Yes, sir," the clone to his right said. The Jedi performed a threat assessment of the man. Ornately designed, the man wore a hood covering his head and a mask covering from his nose to his jaw. Ornate pads strayed off his shoulders, down his torso, and were held tight against his midsection with a wide belt. His legs were shrouded in loose, black pants presumably made for ease of mobility, and his shins were bound by boots and grieves seemingly fashioned for running and protection. The Jedi master noted that this man stood ready, capable, and with a deadly weapon held against his neck.
"My name is Dax Gent'dri of the Galactic Republic. We come in peace," he said calmly. "We are looking for the Kage." The masked man's golden eyes interrogated Dax's face.
"Are you here to help us?" the opposing man asked in a powerful, flat tone.
"I am here to speak with Krismo Sodi," Dax responded.
"Are you the Jedi?" the man asked, the mask moving over his nose and jaw as he spoke.
"Perhaps," Dax said. The masked man slowly raised his opposite hand into view. In it he held Dax's lightsaber!
Dax instinctually brushed his hand against his waist where his lightsaber should have been but instead felt an empty belt clip.
The man had effectively disarmed him without him noticing. Dax narrowed his eyes and leaned his head back slightly.
"Are you Krismo Sodi?" Dax asked, the man's golden eyes did not move.
"I am," the man affirmed. Dax nodded once.
"Then, let's talk," Dax said. After a beat, Krismo removed the blade from Dax's neck, and the other warriors immediately followed suit.
Krismo loosened his stance and stood to his full height, comparable to Dax's. He spun the lightsaber hilt in his hand, facing the pommel toward the Jedi, offering the weapon back in a sign of respect—and trust.
"Then let's talk," Krismo replied.
Dax carefully noted that each of his troopers was paired with the Kage warrior who had just had a sword to his troopers' necks. The warriors had sheathed their electro blades behind the smalls of their backs and stood with eased stances. He overheard them welcoming the clones and exchanging names. He glanced over the one that was paired with his clone captain. He was taller than the captain but stood with a very eased and relaxed stance. The warrior offered and open, outstretch hand and shook the clone's in the handshake greeting of humans. Dax saw that the corners of the warrior's eyes were arched up as if he were smiling even though his face were shrouded by the mask.
Dax looked back to his Kage, Krismo Sodi, the leader of the Kage stood still examining him.
Dax saw what the Kage were doing. They had made themselves known by immediately dominating his force without harming any of them. Now, while they had sheathed their weapons, and they were being very friendly and disarming, they were staying within arm's reach of each of his men. Dax was under no illusions that with a single command, Krismo could have his entire force executed. He looked back to Krismo who was watching him directly and intently. With how the leader of the Kage stood, that included him.
Dax figured Krismo probably knew that he knew what the Kage were up to. He shifted his eyes over Krismo's form and examined the intricate armor. He appreciated that anyone who would discover themselves to be this close to a Kage warrior, much less their leader, would likely be taking their last breaths. He flicked his head toward the warriors interacting with his men before again meeting Krismo's golden, menacing gaze.
"So, you're the Kage?" he asked. Krismo nodded once. "What is your situation, Krismo?" Dax asked.
"We are in great crisis," he said, his mask moving subtly over his face. Our people are being persecuted in the worst possible ways," Krismo said flatly. Dax furrowed his brow.
"You sure? There are some pretty bad ways people can be persecuted," Dax challenged.
"I am sure," Krismo responded without equivocation. After a moment, Krismo looked to the distance and let out a loud whistle before turning back to Dax.
"Do your men need anything as of now?" Krismo asked.
"No. Would it be wise to get out of the open?"
"We are in what are known as the 'Cursed Outlands'. As of now, the Belugan forces are unwilling to venture this far."
"The 'Cursed Outlands'?" Dax asked. "Why?"
"They cannot tolerate the ultraviolent radiation of the natural geological formations," Krismo said motioning to the crystalline outcroppings. "They typically stick to the cities or wear full body armor like your men."
"But is that a guarantee that they will not have scouts or intelligence collection efforts out this far?" Dax asked.
"No, it is not. Our transport is on its way," Krismo responded. After a moment, there was movement in the distance. Dax looked on and saw five massive creatures, huge centipedes come into view!
The Jedi had seen massive creatures before, but these were amazing pieces of evolution. The ground shook with the approach of the massive beasts. They slowed to a stop, each of the five creatures being ridden and guided by a single Kage warrior with long reigns in their hands. Each of the Kage, from the ground, jumped at least two meters into the air and onto the backs of the creatures with ease!
Dax wondered if they were Force users, but as he watched them, he realized, no. They were hyper, hyper strong, and that was extremely revealing.
"Krismo, what are these called?" Dax asked as he placed his hand on the side of the surging creature and felt it move under his hand. Krismo scanned his men before he glanced to Dax.
"They are called Methladons," Krismo said in a friendly tone. Dax watched the massive animal, insect, whatever it was, surge and move before him with power.
"Incredible," he said softly. He turned and saw the other Kage perched atop the Methladons lean down and help the clones up and onto the backs of the creatures.
"You will need to step here," the other Kage said to the Captain. The Kage took several steps back, stepped forward a few and jumped two meters into the air, summersaulted once and landed atop the back of the centipede.
"My lord," Dax said softly. The warrior leaned down and offered and outstretched arm to the Captain.
"Well, okay, if you say so," the clone said as he placed his foot atop the joint on the creature's leg and took the warrior's hand. With a "Whoa, whoa, whoooa!" from the clone, the Kage lifted the clone off the ground as if he were a rag doll and plopped him onto the back of the Methladon.
Dax smiled.
After Krismo verified the rest of his men mount the enormous centipedes, he squatted and jumped high onto the back of the creature to Dax's right. The Jedi watched Krismo simply squat and fire into the air with ease! He landed atop the Methladon. It was becoming more and more apparent to the Jedi that the Kage were magnitudes stronger than typical humanoids.
Dax saw that as Krismo adjust himself atop the creature and gathered its reins in one hand, he leaned down and extended an open, outstretched hand with the other. He saw that the look in Krismo's eye was honest, and with the outstretched hand, the leader of the Kage offered the hand of friendship.
With a slap! Dax took his hand and felt a tremendous strength pull him up and onto the creature's back. As he was lifted into the air, he made sure to swing his leg over and land on the creature's back safely. He settled himself and looked to see Krismo examining him. After a moment, Krismo nodded and shifted his gaze looking out and taking a quick count of his men. Dax surveyed his as well, each of his squad leaders giving a thumbs up to his platoon leaders, and they gave him an affirmative. Dax turned his head to the side and looked past the Kage sitting directly behind him.
"Captain?" he asked.
"We're good to go, sir," he said from behind his Kage escort.
"My force is ready, Krismo," Dax said, meeting Krismo's metallic, golden eyes.
"Good," Krismo said with a nod of his head. He turned, again scanned the entire force, swirled his arm around his head and threw it forward. The group of creatures mounted by Kage Warriors and Republic forces surged forward.
Dax bounced on the back of the Methladon as they raced over the landscape at a remarkable speed. They must had been riding for an hour as he was consistently reminded of the term the "ass-saddle battle" as he cushioned himself with his upper legs. While Dax was not blind to the fact that the Kage showed his forces incredible trust by allowing them to keep their weapons, the violence of the ride would keep them from using them at all.
They moved up, over, and down hills as they raced over the landscape at a remarkable speed. They passed what appeared to be wooden foliage and crystalline outcroppings that shone light off the convoy of creatures. Dax looked up to the cavern's ceiling, what must have been five hundred meters or higher above their heads, and there seemed to be stars twinkling across its surface. The crystalline outcroppings must have been able to sprout from all directions on this world. They passed ruins of what appeared to be long abandoned buildings and paved streets—abandoned neighborhoods?
Dax realized that whatever had happened here, it had been severe.
Finally, as they slowed, he felt relief and began to sit on the saddle. The burn ebbed from his legs as he surged with the saddle as the creature slowed to a trot, the thrumming of the beasts' legs slowing to a thump, thump, thump.
They came to a stop, and Krismo issued several orders. The Kage helped the clones off the backs of the massive creatures while others tied the beasts to watering troughs. Dax watched Krismo oversee his men before he turned to the Jedi.
"Clearly we have arrived," Dax said. Krismo swung his leg over the back of their creature.
"This is one of our sanctuaries," Krismo said before he slid off the back of the creature and landed. Dax slid off in a similar fashion.
"That was incredible, Krismo," he said. Krismo nodded once and patted the creature's side.
"The Methladons are our closest allies. They are a spiritual creature that connects us to the land," he said. Dax found it fascinating that Krismo was so willing to pour information onto a stranger such as Dax. "Come."
The two led the entire contingent of troopers and warriors down a ramp to a two meter tall blast door. The door clanked as assumingly a lock disengaged and slid open.
Dax stood shocked. They had just been in a technologically devoid environment where the Kage warriors fought with swords and rode on the backs of massive insects. The interior of this bunker however was alive with white light, smooth surfaces, and technology.
In this illuminated environment, Dax could now see the warriors in full detail. Their battle armor was even more ornate than Dax had originally observed. The armors' surfaces wore gradients of purple and black. Their skin was not grey as it appeared in the low light but was instead purple, and their faces appeared to be adorned with tattoos.
Dax turned his attention to Krismo and saw that his armor differed from the others. His had golden trim that was ornate but subtle, and the light shone off it with the same gold as his eyes. The two electro blades rested sheathed at the small of Krismo's back. Again, Krismo was very trusting to allow a stranger such as Dax to be within arm's reach of his weapons. Then again, Dax thought, Krismo had demonstrated they could dominate him and his men with ease. In fact, they remained in a superior position.
The Jedi scanned the interior of the bunker and saw the other warriors removing their masks and head pieces. He noticed his squad leaders were looking to him. He could tell they were looking for permission to reciprocate, and he nodded his head. His clones immediately removed their helmets revealing their own unique markings and chair styles and began conversing with the Kage.
As the warriors' eyes swept the environment, he saw they flashed the same gold as Krismo's. Some had short, closely cropped hair buzzed on the sides with length atop that flowed back over their heads, and some were pulled back into ponytails that disappeared into the necks of their armor. He took note that each had a tattoo varying in design in the middle of his forehead.
As he examined them, Dax noticed that they all had the look in their flashing, golden eyes. It was the hard, focused, but distant look of a young man's eyes a thousand years old. He had seen this many times before. No matter the species, once one sees and understands the true depth of savagery one's fellow being is capable of…
Dax was learning quickly these Kage were the real deal. Now, he needed to discover the extent of the situation on this world.
Krismo issued a few commands in Galactic Basic to his men as he came to a stop in the middle of the room. His eyes swept across his men as they individually acknowledged his orders. Apparently satisfied, Krismo reached for his mask and hood and simultaneously remove them revealing his face.
Krismo also appeared younger, perhaps in his early thirties, but his features were angular, lean, and hard. Dax had seen this hard, tried body type before. Clearly it was not one of vanity but instead desperate necessity. The level of conditioning appeared to be both strategic and tactical. It was rapidly coming together. Dax figured the Kage were at such a tremendous disadvantage in this conflict they had to make up the difference by making as much of themselves as possible. Dax quickly noticed the string of nail shaped tattoos that crossed Krismo's cheeks under his eyes.
With his free hand, Krismo pointed to a doorway on the right that led into a large room.
"Your men will have their needs attended to," he said. "Please, let us speak." Dax nodded. As they passed through the doorway, he realized that they approached a padded floor and walls that were adorned with wooden swords of various kinds and two walls polished to a mirror's finish.
"Is this a dojo?" he asked they stopped just short of the pad. Krismo turned to him.
"Yes. This is where we teach lessons, train, tell stories of our history, and grow. This place is sacred," he said and turned to face the Jedi. "This is where we must talk."
Krismo took a knee and removed the grieve from around his lower leg and set it to the side. Dax recognized this. Every dojo he had ever gone to, one removes his footwear before stepping onto the mat in a sign of respect. He took a knee and removed his grieves and boots.
Krismo carefully set his to the side and stepped onto the mat, and Dax followed suit. Krismo's feet seemed to be wrapped in a split-toe legging giving the appearance of two-toed feet. As they made it to the center of the mat, they sat and crossed their legs.
"Your men," Krismo began, "they all appear to have the same face. How is this?" he asked as he sat and fluidly tucked his legs in.
"They are clones," Dax said casually. He looked to see Krismo watching him with furrowed brows. He then reminded himself that such a thing was not common knowledge. "They share the same genetic template."
"Are they genetically assembled, or is there an original donor?" Krismo asked.
"There was a singular donor," Dax said as he sat and folded his legs outside of arm's reach of Krismo.
"Why do you speak of him in the past tense?" Krismo asked.
"He died," Dax responded.
"How did he die?" Krismo asked.
"My understanding is he died fighting a Jedi," Dax responded conclusively. Krismo's brow twitched with a nearly imperceptible movement of his eyes to his right.
"Why would he have been fighting a Jedi?"
"He was a bounty hunter," Dax said. "Bounty hunters occasionally get wrapped up with bad people." Krismo nodded once and then let a quiet moment pass between them. After examining each other for the long moment, the leader of the Kage motioned toward himself with his hand and tapped the pad directly ahead of him, only a dozen centimeters from him.
"I do not fear you, Jedi, nor should you fear me. I do, however respect you, and I wish to earn yours," he said. Dax scooted himself closer to Krismo, feeling them overlap personal space.
"You already have," Dax said. "Your use of Galactic Basic is precise and fluent. Is it the primary language here?" Krismo's golden eyes tracked Dax as he moved closer. Once Dax settled, Krismo closed his eyes and bowed his head in silent thanks before returning to the Jedi's gaze.
"No, it is not. I participated in the Galactic Olympics with many others before our war. I have been to the capital world of Coruscant. It—" he paused searching for the word, "is impressive. I saw your Jedi Temple once, from across the city," he said. "It, too, was impressive." This time, it was Dax who slightly bowed his head.
"Thank you. It is beautiful, as is your planet. I have never been to one as unique as yours," Dax said. A woman approached them with two cups and saucers in her hands. She was short and had purple skin and hair as well, but instead of golden eyes, they were a metallic magenta, and her face was clear, lacking any tattoos. She wore a yellow robe or gown that went almost to the ground concealing her feet. They said something to each other in presumably their native language as Krismo turned and took the cups and saucers. She made eye contact with Dax and bowed before she turned and left them. Krismo placed the cups and saucers between them.
"Please, drink," Krismo said. "You are our guests." Dax steadied the saucer with one hand and took the cup with the other.
"Thank you, Krismo," he said as Krismo did the same and took a drink. Dax swallowed the warm, neutral liquid and set the cup back down on the saucer. "You're good, Krismo," he said.
"As are you, Dax, but may I ask, to what do you refer?" he asked. Dax carefully set his hands on his knees and smiled.
"Many things," he said through a sigh. "For instance, you're good at small talk, Krismo. Such a thing is meant to gather information on your part, but it also serves as a distraction. You have had the upper hand this entire time, and you still hold it now. Your ways and means of diplomacy while maintaining a tactical and strategic upper hand are subtle and impressive," he said. Krismo held a still gaze on Dax. Krismo blinked once and lifted the cup to his mouth.
"What is it to be a Jedi?" he asked, entirely ignoring Dax's observation.
"To be calm. Fair. Steady. To take responsibility for one's actions. To learn from one's mistakes and forgive wrongs made against one. To not hate." Krismo nodded a few times and set the cup back on the saucer.
"I can subscribe to almost all of those. The wrongs done against us, however, are too great to forgive," he said as he took a sip and then placed the cup back on the saucer. "There are some people I cannot forgive, they have done things I cannot forget, and I will hate them forever," he said as he carefully set the cup and saucer on the ground and looked back to Dax with a neutral look.
If a man like this, in his station of power, clearly both physical and intellectual, was making a statement like that, this was a very serious situation. Dax had been used to resolving these types of disputes before the war, but since the war with the CIS had begun, things had become different, and he wondered if his skills of diplomacy were up to the task.
"Why am I here, Krismo?" Dax asked as he set the cup back onto the saucer.
"That is a good question, Jedi. Why are you here?" Krismo asked. "I have sent multiple messages to the Galactic Senate and the Jedi Council for years," he said. "I have even sent one of my best warriors to live amongst you on Coruscant. He has made contact with many of your Senators to no result. I had lost hope in the Republic," he said with a serious note. "So, why are you here now, Jedi?"
Dax was caught. There was no pretty-ing this up. Now, it was he who had to atone for the lack luster response of the Senate.
"The movements of the CIS," he said. "It came to our attention they had opened communications with the people of this planet."
"Not us," he said. "They arrived with battle droids and built a relationship with Otua Blank's government," Krismo said. Dax nodded his head. "Should I question your motives for being here, Jedi?" Krismo asked.
"No," Dax said. "You understand the hierarchy of decision making. For instance, as soon as I learned of this situation, I invested myself in it."
"Why?" Kirismo asked.
"The limited information we had sounded like a genuine request for mediation," Dax said. "I requested my men and I be detached from the unit we were part of to come here and investigate."
"What would you have otherwise been doing?" Krismo asked.
"We would be on Ryloth right now," Dax said as he lifted the cup off the saucer.
"Doing what?" Krismo asked. Dax took the sip and lowered the cup.
"Fighting the droid army," Dax said as he set both on the mat. "Ryloth has been under siege for many months now. The droids are deeply entrenched, and the people are very desperate to be liberated." Krismo rocked his torso back and forth subtly as he nodded.
"Sounds like a familiar situation," he said. Dax again looked over Krismo and inventoried the situation. His face was tight, lean, tattoos subtly shaded his face, his hair was pulled back in a long tail that went into his armor, his ears were sharp, and his eyes were direct and had the metallic golden color. His armor was detailed and ornate but very utilitarian. He and his men used short swords as weapons, and they were hyper strong. He shook his head slightly.
"You are very perplexing, Krismo," Dax said. Krismo leaned back slightly and listened. "You're clearly hyper capable. There is no question about it. You're very, very physically strong. You're extremely skilled. You were able to disarm a Jedi Master without him knowing," Dax said, softly pointing at Krismo with his index finger, "and bring his entire force to defeat without hurting one of them," he concluded. "What can we possibly do that you cannot?"
"Anything you can," Krismo said. "We are good, yes, but we are few, they are many, and now they have battle droids."
Krismo very quickly made a good point.
"How has the dynamic changed here?" Dax asked.
"The addition of the droids has created a serious tactical and strategic problem. We are on track to collapse if we are not careful," Krismo said. Dax was surprised how quickly such an honest answer came out. "Over the past year we have been making positive offensive progress against Blank's government and collection efforts. We have freed thousands of our people, but when the droids arrived, our progress began to ebb. They pose a tactical and strategic problem. They have enabled Blank to resume the arrest, collection, and extermination of my people," he said.
"Are these arrests of criminals?" Dax asked careful not to insinuate too much.
"No. The history is long and fairly complicated but can be understood as a cull of my people with racists motivations," he said. Dax raised his brows.
"Really?" he asked. Dax was beginning to realize the pleas and points made in the messages he had read while still at the temple had not been misinterpretations of language. "What are they doing, Krismo?"
"The Belugans are collecting my people in a program called, 'The Cull', and they are being taken to concentration camps. We are tortured and worked to death. As I said, we had begun to get the upper hand, but when the Belugans were armed with droids, we nearly ground to a stop. The Belugans are continuing to commit the atrocities, and if we cannot stop them, our entire people will be exterminated."
After watching Krismo's serious demeanor for a moment, Dax rubbed his chin with his left hand.
"This is a beautiful room you brought me to, Krismo," he said. "You said this is a sacred room, once where lessons are learned and your history is told," he said. "Tell me more about your history."
Krismo Sodi described the history of the current era. He began with when he had returned to Corzite after the last Olympic games, the political environment had changed. There was rhetoric of identity politics being thrown back and forth, but the Belugans were being extremely aggressive in demonizing the Kage. As Krismo told the history of things recently past, Dax saw a dozen or so Kage listening from outside the door. Finally, they began to trickle in, some with clones in tow. They, too, removed their footwear and stepped onto the mat, but they gathered on the wall well behind Krismo, quietly and respectfully listening.
As the minutes passed, Krismo laid out the details of recent history. Dax listened as Krismo re-counted how it all started with identity politics that led to the deep divide being formed between the Kage and the Belugans. He described how as time went on the Kage were removed from institutes of higher learning and all forms of government. All rationality and equal debate disappeared and protests of shouting mobs formed against the Kage in all areas of society. There were claims of voter fraud in the election that brought Otua Blank to power, and as soon as he took the seat, things didn't just get worse, but it accelerated at an alarming rate. All Kage were put on watch lists, and racists names were assigned to them. What only years earlier had been simple political opponents were called "domestic terrorists," their reputations smeared and lives destroyed. The political bands of Belugans began targeting the Olympic team, citing their proficiency in athletics and the sport of martial arts as dangerous.
"As was anyone's right, we engaged in intellectual debate. We made our cases, defeated their emotional arguments with logic and reason. Then, they said we had dangerous, racist thoughts and our skills made us too dangerous to be tolerated. Finally, they designated us 'domestic terrorists'," Krismo explained. "Then they came for us." Dax again scanned the wall and saw fifteen Kage and fifteen clones listening to the story. "Then came the Cull," Krismo said.
As Krismo continued to tell the story, Dax realized it was their collective story. He watched the hardened looks on the Kage warriors faces begin to soften and fall to the ground as if wounded. Krismo described when the authorities came in the night, kidnapping entire families.
"Not a one of these men behind me knows where his parents were taken. Some of us have been lucky enough to reunite with siblings," he had said.
Dax saw the hardened look was gone from all of their faces. Instead, their brows were arched and pained at the shared experiences. Dax saw tears fill down the cheeks of some and others exit the room in quiet sobs. Krismo continued.
"We were all taken to the camps. They worked as hard and fed us little to nothing. They performed experiments on us. They starved us, they beat us, whipped us, they would force us to rape each other when we disobeyed," he said with a soft depression in his hard, level voice, "and they disposed of us when they were finished."
A long, long, quiet moment hung in the air. No one moved. No one breathed. No one made a sound. The tension filled the room like a fog.
Krismo let the moment pass between them inside before he spoke again.
"You are the first outsiders to know of our plight and to offer help."
Dax felt the texture of each of the men's minds. They were all mourned. They were all darkly saddened. They were all honest, but there was something else. They were all united? No, Dax reconsidered. They were—bonded. Dax again looked to Krismo. Krismo's mind shared the same qualities, however he was heightened in one area over the others. He was not just set, but he had the resolution and dedication of a leader.
"Will you help us?" Krismo asked.
In an uncharacteristic display of nervousness, Dax rubbed his left forefinger and thumb together. He faced quite the dilemma. He was convinced at Krismo's honesty. The Jedi Master's mind raced as he sat there with his legs crossed watching every of the Kage warriors watch him. Everyone knew the ball was now in his court, it was now his move.
The "proper" thing immediately popped into his head. This entire situation needed a full investigation under the oversight of the Senate and the assignment of a fully equipped diplomatic delegation. A peacekeeping force needed to be assigned to keep either side from doing anything they would all regret.
That would take time, lots of time.
However, if what Krismo said was true, that would be too much time. There were very few options, and Dax knew in order to do what he needed to do, he was going to have to do something he was not allowed to do. He took a deep breath and let out a sigh.
"My hands are tied, Krismo," he said. The men behind Krismo let a note of disappointment fall across their faces and body stance. "By the letter of the law, this situation calls for a fully detailed Senate diplomatic delegation to begin immediate cease-fire talks between you and the current government immediately followed by moderated negotiations between you and the current leader of Qorzite," Dax said in a complete and professional statement. Krismo narrowed his golden eyes, his body stance unmoved.
"You want me to negotiate with Otua Blank."
"By the letter of the law," Dax replied. After a moment, Krismo let out a shallow breath, and his eyes fell to the ground. "However," Dax said breaking the silence. Krismo's eyes returned to his. "The Senate is stretched very thin, and communications off this world is nearly impossible. That rests all diplomatic and tactical control with me." Dax said. Krismo furrowed his brow and cocked his head slightly as he listened to the Jedi. "Understand me, I am not questioning your honesty, but what I need is certainty. If I am going to make such a decision, I need to be able to articulate it to the Senate and the Jedi Council."
"Other than what I have said, how can I convince you?" Krismo asked.
"I need to see it through your eyes," Dax said. Krismo furrowed his brow and searched Dax's face.
"How can you do that?" Krismo asked. "Is it a Jedi power?" Krismo asked.
"Yes. If you invite me into your mind, I will be able to see through your eyes, and I will be able to see your memories."
"Can all Jedi do this?" Krismo asked.
"No, but some can, and it is one of my specialties," Dax said. Krismo clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes as he weighed the options.
"What must I do?" Krismo asked.
"We join hands, and you lay your mind open like a book. Let me walk in, and then close it around us," Dax illustrated. "By doing that, you will be in control, and we can navigate your memories together," he said.
Krismo nodded. Dax drew his lightsaber and placed it between them showing he was disarming himself. Krismo understood and drew both of his short swords and reciprocated. Dax removed his grieve and glove, and Krismo followed suit. Dax noticed that as Krismo loosened the gauntlet and pulled the glove loose, his purple hand and forearm were also adorned with tattoos. He noticed the inside of Krismo's hand was hardened with sharp callouses, and his forearm was round with cable-like muscles stretching from his elbow to his wrist. He was reminded that Krismo had illuded earlier that he had been a Galactic Olympian. Dax realized that his ability to use the Force or not, in a physical contest, Krismo could give him a serious run for his money.
In the moment, Dax realized that the fact that someone as radically capable as Krismo was, was so desperately asking for help illustrated the severity of the situation. Dax reached his bare arm out, in the same open hand of friendship Krismo had given him earlier that day. Krismo shot a look to the Kage to his right. Dax quickly felt both of their minds. Dax looked over his shoulder to the other warrior.
"I won't hurt him," he said. Krismo extended his bare, purple arm adorned with tattoos toward Dax. When Dax reached to meet his hand, Krismo reached further and gripped his wrist in a desperate plea for help. Krismo seemed to stare into Dax's soul with those golden eyes and silently agreed with a nod.
With a white flash, they disappeared into the Force.
Krismo snapped awake in an entirely white environment empty of surroundings and people. It was quiet, the quietest he had ever heard, even the ringing he usually heard in his ears was gone. The environment was devoid of noise. He looked around his field of view and saw nothing but white, no length, no depth, no height, it was a limitless white. He examined his hands and saw he was still in his armor, but now it was unblemished. He looked to his feet and saw they were flat as if he stood, but he did not see what he stood on.
"That was a hell of a story you told me, Krismo," he heard a voice say, breaking his attention. He turned toward the voice and saw the Jedi standing now in a totally different type of uniform. Instead of white, clavicle armor covering his upper chest with a robe of sorts beneath it, he stood in a full suit of silver and blue armor that instead covered most of his body. In his left hand was a T-visor helmet similar to that of the clone troopers he had brought with him.
"Where are we?" Krismo asked as he shifted his eyes over the Jedi's strange appearance. "What is this place?" The Jedi looked into the boundless white.
"This is what I call the 'construct'," he said before looking back to Krismo. "We are standing at the edges of our minds."
"Edges?" Krismo asked.
"Yes. This is the border where our minds meet and overlap. Behind me is my mind. Behind you is yours. Whenever I do this, which is not often, I bring us here, first. Here, we can talk in true privacy before we go any further," the Jedi said.
"No one can hear us?" Krismo asked. The Jedi shook his head in the negative.
"No. It's just you and me now, Krismo. You are very convincing," he said and then narrowed his eyes. "Are you lying to me?"