Phantom-jedi1 - The Force is pulling people together.

Chapter 51

"He will see you now, Master Ky'al."

The man looked up for a minute, numb, barely registering what was said before nodding. He rose, relying heavily on a walking stick to keep his balance. It felt as though the past few months of the war had been the hardest. He felt older than his fifty standard years, especially as the wounds he had sustained prior to Ruusan were slow in healing. With a smile, he turned to the young man sitting beside him.

"Stay here, Pad … Risyn." Stumbling over the name caused the older man to pause. He needed to be more careful in forming new habits. "I shouldn't be too long." With slow, deliberate strides he made his way to the senator's office, allowing the door to shut behind him.

A tall, strongly built man walked around his desk, grabbing the Jedi master in an embrace. "It is good to see you well, Jerik. I feared the worst when I heard that you had been injured … and then I received word of Ruusan. I read the reports, but I can't even begin to comprehend what happened there. And now …"

Jerik dropped into a chair across from the senator's desk. He sat in silence, long gray hair pulled neatly behind his head. His face bore the scars of countless battles, and it was odd to see him out of his Jedi robes or battle armor. To a casual observer, he looked composed and confident like the warrior he was, but he and the senator had been friends for too long. Right now Jerik Ky'al was weary and overwhelmed. The Jedi Master had awakened from severe injuries only to find he was the last surviving member of the Jedi Council. He had barely slept in weeks, seeking to guide the bewildered flock that had once been the honorable Jedi Order. All he had ever known since infancy was drastically changing.

"I did all that I could, Jerik," the senator said, shaking his head. "You have to believe I pulled every string, called in every favor … hell, I even resorted to some unsavory manipulations."

"I know that Adol, and I thank you, my friend, for what you were able to do," Ky'al said graciously. "I am glad the elderly masters will be able to see out their days in peace, cared for. And that the younglings …" He choked over the words, making it hard to continue.

"As I assured you, they will be cared for as well. I have already had parents calling these offices, wishing to reclaim their children. I will see that the others are placed in homes if I have to find them myself."

The Jedi master composed himself again.

"Losing the Temple, losing the younglings is hard. Losing the padawans is devastating. They are like our children." The master allowed himself a sigh of relief. His padawan had already reached eighteen years old and would not be taken away. He had already comforted other masters who were not so fortunate. "According to Galactic law, a Jedi master is the legal guardian of his or her padawan … if we challenged the custody issues in the courts …"

"You would lose, my friend," the senator said firmly. "The Senate does not want any more training of Force sensitives, and a master would likely continue to train his or her padawan."

Ky'al nodded his head sadly. He had sensed in the Force that the effort would be futile, but he had to try.

"What will you do, now?" the senator asked his friend.

"I cannot abandon my fellow Jedi. As the last surviving Council member, it is my responsibility to see them through this dark time. And, I will continue to train Risyn."

The senator rested his face in his hand, shaking his head. Jerik Ky'al was a stubborn man, and determination was evident in his steely voice. "Tell me you aren't going to do something foolish and try to reorganize the Order, Jerik. The Senate's ruling was clear, and I don't want to see you get yourself in trouble for nothing. I saw the reports of Ruusan – there were no survivors – Sith or Jedi. That's the end of it."

"If even one Sith escaped, it is only the beginning," the Jedi master mused. "Bane was not accounted for." The Jedi master's gaze grew distant at the mention of the powerful Sith Lord who had dealt the worst of his injuries and left him for dead. If not for Risyn that day, he surely would have died on the battlefield.

"Jerik?"

Ky'al snapped out of his reminiscence and faced his friend. "I will do as I must to see that the Republic remains safe and the Sith don't rise to power. For now, that means I, with those who are left, must fade away from the Republic, from Coruscant. I have come to say goodbye."

"I assumed you would stay here," the senator said with surprise. "Coruscant is your home."

"There is no home left for us here, and there is a hostile climate towards the Jedi."

"Where will you go?"

"I do not have an answer for that … the Force will lead," Ky'al replied confidently. "I do need to ask one more favor of you."

"Of course."

"I have told the padawans to contact you if they need anything. After I am settled, I will arrange a way to contact me. I need you to help them find me when they are of age."

"So you can continue to train them," the senator said, sighing wearily.

"So they can be with their rightful family."

The senator nodded his head. "Anything else?"

Ky'al removed a chain from around his neck, fingering the charm with the Jedi code etched on it between his fingers. "The Sith are not gone, Adol. I sense it. It may be ten years; it may be hundreds of years, but they will be back."

"Okay, I believe you, my friend, but what can I do?"

"Take this." Ky'al dropped the charm into the senator's hand outstretched hand.

"I can't accept this. Risyn gave it to you. You treasure it."

Ky'al closed the senator's hand around the small token. "Pass down the stories of our friendship to your line. Make sure the Jedi, and all they have done for the Republic, are not forgotten. There may come a time when those that remain seek you out, and the galaxy will look to your house for their salvation.

"He will see you now, Senator Kenobi."

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. He was about to enter the office of one of the most influential and respected senators in the Galactic Senate, and divulge information that could greatly affect the Jedi Order. While he had the collective support and blessing of the elders, and more importantly, the prompting of the Force, he had to admit that he felt a certain amount of anxiety.

The young man entered the office, and the senator walked around his desk and offered an outstretched hand. "Obi-Wan, good to see you."

"Senator Organa," Obi-Wan said, giving a firm handshake.

"It's Bail. Remember? Have a seat."

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Obi-Wan said as he took the seat offered to him.

"I'm intensely curious. You said this was more of a personal visit than business," Bail said as he poured two drinks. "I would have assumed you wanted to talk about Marojni walking out of the Senate. I would love to know your thoughts on it."

"I suppose there is always some business to discuss," Obi-Wan said, offering a smile.

"Of course." Bail passed one of the drinks to Obi-Wan. "So tell me, what brings you here?"

Obi-Wan reached into his pocket and removed the pendant he had been given for his knighting. He ran his fingers over the smooth metal once before offering it to his fellow senator. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

He held his breath as the Alderaani senator studied the piece of jewelry. It was time to find out if the Holocron was right about this choice.

"I have, actually." Bail let out a surprised chuckle. "There is one in our family library on Alderaan. I never thought I would see another."

"Would you mind telling me the story behind the one you have?"

"Certainly." Bail handed the pendant back to Obi-Wan. "One of my ancestors, a man named Adol, was good friends with a member of the last Jedi Council after Ruusan. The family stories say that it was one of the Jedi master's most precious possessions. He gave it to Adol along with a request for Alderaan to be willing to help the Jedi if the need ever arose. My family wondered for years if they would hear anything or receive any request for our house to be the savior of the galaxy." Bail chuckled again before letting out a deep sigh. "Time passed. The story was still handed down, but the speculation about Sith returning and Jerik Ky'al actually rebuilding the Jedi Order in secret ceased. I mean, it was a thousand years ago." The senator stared off at the wall for a moment, lost in thought, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry. Might I ask where you came about yours? It looks much newer than the one I have seen."

Obi-Wan took another deep breath before simply offering, "I received mine on the day I was knighted and vowed to uphold the Jedi Code."

Bail was stunned into silence, directing a skeptical stare at Obi-Wan before asking, "Are you saying that you are a Jedi?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan answered. "Jerik Ky'al did rebuild the Jedi Order in secret. It is strong, thriving, and ready to serve the Republic, especially now that the Sith have returned."

"The Sith have returned? How do you know?"

"I fought and killed one on Naboo. There are two more I know of. The identity of one, the master, is unknown to us. The other just withdrew his system from the Republic."

"Senator Marojni?"

"Yes, he confronted me two nights ago."

Senator Organa ran a hand through his hair. "I don't need to tell you what a political and legal mess this would be if word gets out."

"The attorneys within the Order assure me I have much legal ground to stand on, but as a precaution, we are only known by a select group that we feel we can trust."

"I am honored you trust me enough to include me in that group, and I will keep what I have just learned to myself because I trust you, Obi-Wan," Bail said. "But I must ask - what do you expect of Alderaan?"

"Right now, we only need more eyes and ears in the Senate to listen and help us to watch for signs that the Sith may be making a move for power. I am to arrange a conference between you and our Council of Elders."

"Tell your council that I would be interested in that as I have many questions. I would prefer face-to-face if possible."

"They all have various responsibilities, so it may take longer to work around schedules. But that is entirely possible."

"Then please know that I am willing to do whatever is necessary to avoid a war like the one that nearly destroyed this Republic before Ruusan."