A/N: Jedi Monthly is back. Sorry for the delay, but even with the state of the world I couldn't get it done sooner (the downside to being an essential worker and a huge procrastinator who jumps from project to project too easily without finishing them). Someday I hope to learn to be able to actually figure out how to get stuff written in a timely manner. But finally, after 2 years since posting the last of the last story I am ready to start posting this one. If you don't remember much of my last story here is a brief summary. Qui-Gon didn't die in ep 1. Trained Anakin. Encouraged relationships Anakin had with family and friends believing it made him stronger. Anakin starts a monthly publication called Jedi Monthly. Anakin uses credits from it to fund an anti-slavery movement that frees slaves. Qui-Gon died in the last story. This story like the universe I'm creating for it is semi-serious/semi-crack.
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This instalment essentially picks up where the last one left off. A week or so has passed and that is all the time that has elapsed. Yes, Anakin is upset by the loss of his master but has come to terms with it and processed his grief and is able to move forward. I hope when you read it you are entertained and get some good laughs out of it. Given that I have barely begun work on the 3rd instalment (I do not know how long this series will go, but I do have idea floating in my head that could see it go into rebellion era) I am going to take my time posting the chapters for this story. I have not decided on a publication timeline but am leaning towards 1 chapter every 3-4 weeks.
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Well, I think that wraps up my opening notes. I may have some at the beginning of the chapters as I publish them but that is TBD. And with That I give you Jedi Monthly: The Crack Continues.
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Star Wars
Jedi Monthly
Episode 2: the Crack Continues
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Chapter 1
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The Jedi Council waited patiently as their guest was escorted in. He was almost as tall as a Wookie. Dressed all in black including a cape, helmet and full-face mask. On his chest, a box that was likely a life support system as an almost menacing heavy mechanical breathing came from the mouth of the mask; he certainly made for an intimidating image.
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"Ekkreth I presume." Mace Windu spoke welcoming the guest.
"That is correct." A deep, dark, mechanical voice replied.
"Would you please remove your helmet and mask."
"My apologies, but they must remain on." Ekkreth replied.
"I take it then you need them to live?"
"I have sustained injuries, yes."
"What sort of injuries?"
"They are not relevant; I have come here to discuss Jedi Monthly."
"Very well then, let's discuss that then."
"I suppose you want to know how it is I came up with Kamino."
"Yes, how did you know about Kamino?"
"I did not. When I wrote that I was making things up. I was quite surprised to learn that it existed and that the article had been so accurate."
"How learn of kamino's existence did you?" Master Yoda asked.
"From my Master."
"Your Master?" Master Windu asked suspiciously.
"Yes, Master Qui-Gon Jinn."
"Qui-Gon Jinn was your Master? That's not possible. Qui-Gon only had two apprentices, and you are neither, nor are you a Jedi."
"Is it so hard to believe that he would defy you? Had he not done so many times? Did he not even plan to defy you and train Anakin Skywalker without your permission?"
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The council all looked at each other, Ekkreth had a very good point, which raised all new questions, "How do you know of these things?" Master Plo Koon asked.
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"Master Qui-Gon taught me many things and told me of his many disagreements with you."
Master Even Piell cut in asking, "Why would Master Qui-Gon train you in secret, why not bring you back to the order for training?"
"Master Qui-Gon sensed many things about me and what my existence meant to the Republic."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"I was a slave when Master Qui-Gon found me, and I had already known about the Jedi and the republic since long before then, and neither did anything to help me until he came along."
"So, you sympathize with the separatists then?"
"Master Piell, you mistake my words. I have no fondness for them. They are just as corrupt and have even less concern for the people than the republic.
"The Jedi and the republic at least have some amongst them that try to fight and succeed on behalf of others."
"We are the guardians of the galaxy," Master Windu began.
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"I am Groot." A new voice cut in and all turned to a corner of the room to see a knee-high talking tree, a female Zen-Whoberis, a pair of human males one of which had green skin with red tattoos, and a talking bipedal racoon.
"That's right, you can't use that name." The racoon said, "We've already got it copyrighted and trademarked. Call yourselves the Guardians of the Galaxy again and we'll sue you into oblivion."
"We are the protectors of the galaxy," Master Windu corrected, making a point to give the group in the corner a good hard look.
"That's better." The racoon said, and Master Windu returned his attention to Ekkreth.
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"We are the protectors of the galaxy, a galaxy that is very large. It is not always possible to help everyone. We do what we can, intervening when and where we are called to do so."
"The Jedi are bound by their traditions and rules, such as answering to the senate. What you can do is limited, and what you choose to do is even more.
"You have the desire to do the right thing in most cases, and for that I do not hold you as an enemy."
"If you agree with our cause then why not join us, why not help us make a difference."
"Because you can but choose not to act against the dark side.
"You train yourselves to resist it and fight against only the elements of it that threaten your way of life.
"But the dark side has many forms, not just the power in the force. Slavery is one such example.
"The Republic outlawed slavery but yet on many outlying worlds it still exists." Ekkreth pointed out.
"We cannot control what happens on planets that are not part of the Republic."
"Some of these planets are supposed to be part, but yet they are not given representation, they have no voice and as such have come to be ruled over by criminals.
"This is the work that I do. This is the work that you can and choose not to do. I fight against dark side manifestations that are not of the force itself."
"And how is it then that your publication does that?"
"Master Windu, do you not know what it is like to be in a dark place, to have everything around you working against you and then have that one small little glimmer of light; that one small glimmer of hope that keeps you going, gives you something to look forward to, something good that you can enjoy. Jedi Monthly gives people that, it gives them that joy and entertainment that brightens up their lives. And it provides me with the means to fight against things like slavery."
"You say the republic does nothing about it," Master Windu countered, "Then why not come to Coruscant, talk to the senate, tell them about it and implore them to take action."
"The Senate takes too long to do anything.
"I once sent one of my many freed to talk to a senate committee that was debating a bill, perhaps you've heard of him, Kister Bani?"
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The looks on all present were a mix of recognition and confusion.
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"Isn't he the one who writes your Arts and Leisure section?" Obi-Wan Kenobi asked.
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Ekkreth turned to regard Kenobi. "You are correct, though that has nothing to do with why he was chosen.
"Since then, the Senate has introduced multiple bills addressing this, but they always get lost in committee as they debate what slavery truly is."
"I fail to see how something such as what constitutes slavery can be debated." Master Ki-Adi Mundi said.
"Slavery can take many forms. It is not always as simple as being treated as another's property. And even in that regard there are many who try to interrupt what equates to slavery.
"Many slave owners beat their slaves purely for the purposes of their own enjoyment, mine did not; does that mean I was not a slave? There are those that would say yes.
"I was given quarter; shelter; a dwelling to live in; and to some that means I was not a slave.
"I was given a very small allowance to acquire food with; and I have been told that means I was not a slave.
"If I took ill enough, I received treatment. There are those who say that does not make me a slave.
"I may not have been beaten for whim, my dwelling was barely big enough for who it needed to contain and kept us safe from the elements, and the allowance for food was just enough to keep me from being malnourished, but there is no mistaking that I was a slave. Another had ownership of me, had my life in his hands on a constant basis. Another had say over everything I was allowed to do, how I was to live my life, where I was to be and when and what I did.
"And that is only the most obvious of examples.
"Many systems and planets in the republic recognize and allow for indentured servants; slavery in all but name.
"Need I go on?"
"No. Ask you here to discuss slavery we did not." Master Yoda chimed in. "Gotten off track we have. The article on Kamino, we called you to discuss."
"Yes, Kamino. As I already said, I knew nothing of it at the time. It was meant to be a work of fiction; a piece to be entertaining not informative.
"Rarely do I publish purely factual pieces."
"Please explain to us then," Master Plo Koon began, "How it is a piece in your publication, could describe a world you have never heard of in such accurate detail."
"I believe it was the will of the force."
"The will of the force?" Mace Windu replied skeptically.
"Yes, as I have told you, Master Qui-Gon taught me of the force, how it flows through all living beings. I believe it was speaking to me, sending me a message that I did not hear in time, nor did anyone else.
"This would not be the first time that the force has worked in such a way. Are there not countless cases of the force acting through unusual means? Would you not say that Master Qui-Gon's being forced to land on Tatooine was the work of the force? If he had not been forced to do so he wouldn't have found Anakin Skywalker. Without him would the battle of Naboo have been a success?"
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Nobody in the room could counter the argument.
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"The force does work in ways that we don't always understand, and while this could be another example of such, there is no way to prove it." Master Windu finally broke the silence, "You say that the force was acting through you to create this article, that it was trying to send a message. What message was it trying to send?"
"I believe it was trying to alert the galaxy to the existence of the clone army, an army that was going to be needed to defend the republic. The message was a warning that war was coming, and should the message had been heard you would have known of the army and could have had it ready. It would have served as a warning to Count Dooku and the separatists and would have made them rethink their plans."
"While I won't argue that that could have been, it still leaves the issue of not being able to prove it." Master Windu pointed out.
"Surely by now you have asked the Kaminoans about ever having been visited or contacted by me. As I have never been to or heard of Kamino until Master Qui-Gon told me of it, they would have told you that they knew nothing of me. Further prior to this meeting I reviewed the article as a refresher on what was written, and I must point out that not everything written was accurate. Am I to understand that they are able to clone a body that is attuned to the force such as a Jedi and have the resulting clone also be attuned to the force? I also understand that they are not secretly helping the Tutshill Tornados blackmail their opponents into letting them win the British and Irish Quidditch League Cup."
"With these inaccuracies I assume then that you don't believe that the force was speaking through you." Master Windu said accusingly.
"I make no claims either way. It may be that the force was speaking through me to get the important parts out to the galaxy, and I added in other elements, and it may be that I simply made it all up myself and by chance wrote a story detailing many elements of Kamino accurately."
Master Windu was all set to say something in response when Ekkreth cut him off, "But as you are a Jedi, and a member of the High Council, you do not believe in chance and coincidence. Therefore, you must accept that indeed the force was working through me."
Master Windu scowled, "Or you are not telling the truth, and knew all about Kamino when you wrote it and threw in the inaccuracies as a means of distraction. Then somehow managed to delete Kamino from the archives so we wouldn't know about the clone army."
Ekkreth's posture stiffened slightly at this declaration. "What is this you say about Kamnio being deleted from the Jedi archives?"
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Realization dawned on Master Windu's face; he had slipped up. It was not public knowledge that the archives had been compromised. Not even Qui-Gon had been told about that, it was too sensitive of information to be shared on channels that were not secure. There was no way Ekkreth could have known about it unless he had been the one to do the deed. Master Windu had meant to trick Ekkreth into mentioning that himself, and thus revealing that he knew about it already. Now that was out the window but based on Ekkreth's body language it seemed that he did not know about the missing information.
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"How could such a thing happen? I was told that only a Jedi Master could do such a thing."
"Your concern the archives are not." Master Yoda replied.
"Master Yoda," Plo Koon cut in, "If I may, there is no evidence to conclude that Ekkreth knew about Kamino, and that it was the force working through him as he has suggested. My concern is that even if he is not being honest and did in fact know all about Kamino and the clones, what did he have to gain by telling the galaxy about them? Would it not have been wiser to keep that information secret rather than put it out there for anyone to read. While it is widely accepted that Jedi Monthly is meant to be satirical, there are many who accept what they read in it to be true. If he knew about it and released the information to the galaxy anyone could have found Kamino and discovered the clone army and told the separatists about it, allowing them to claim the army for themselves, or attack it without warning and eliminate it before we could call upon it."
"I appreciate your concern Master Kloon." Ekkreth replied, "You worry that I am trying to sabotage the republic while hiding behind the claim of being loyal to it.
"I have already stated that I have issues with the republic and its handling of slavery, the separatists are worse though.
"They claim to be fighting for freedom but yet enslave those that have what they want and won't willingly give it to them. As a former slave I cannot abide such.
"The republic does not force slavery onto any beings. They may perpetuate the conditions that have led to slavery and deny its existence within their ranks, but they do not allow or participate in the practice while claiming to abhor it.
"It is my most sincere hope that the republic will finally quit turning a blind eye and take action, but in order to do so there is much that will have to happen within the Senate.
"I am sending Kister Bani to talk to the full Senate in a few days, as they take up the matter yet again. But I am not optimistic and will continue my work just as I have been."
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With that Ekkreth turned and walked out of the chamber not caring if the council had anything more, they wished to say to him. He had told them all he could; there was nothing more that he could say to convince them of his lack of knowledge about Kamino when he wrote the article.
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Ekkreth walked out of the council chambers with the door shutting behind him. The only being around was the Togruta padawan who had been his guide through the halls of the temple. She was to be his guide back out, but he did not feel the need for her assistance. At the moment he felt only frustration and felt it was best to simply walk it off. Had Master Qui-Gon been there he would have told him to control his feelings and not give in to the rash impulses that his current state could easily lead him too. He missed his Master, but Qui-Gon had done all he could to educate him in the ways of the force, and now it was up to him to take all he had learned and put it to use.
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"Excuse me Ekkreth," The Togruta called to him.
Ekkreth stopped and turned to the padawan. "I thank you for your service Padawan Tano, but your services are not needed. I know the way out."
"Actually, it's just youngling, not padawan, and that's what I want to talk to you about. I listened through the doors and heard what you said to the council. I admire what you're doing and want to help. I'm already a subscriber to Jedi Monthly, but after hearing you speak it makes me want to do more."
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Ekkreth stood still looking down at her, the breathing apparatus on his chest pumping air into his helmet the only sound being made as he regarded her.
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"My actions are not in any way sanctioned by the Jedi or the Republic. They have no say over my fight against slavery. You are not yet even a padawan, you are bound by the order to do as they say."
"Then take me on as your apprentice, ask the council to take me as your padawan." She replied. "Then I could help you and the council wouldn't have to know."
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Ekkreth stood staring down at her silent save for the heavy mechanical breathing coming from his suit.
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The youngling hesitated before speaking again, "I know who you are."
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Ekkreth stopped and stood frozen in his tracks before turning his full and intimidating gaze upon her. "The council means well, but they tend to be a little blind in their wisdom.
"They haven't made the existence of Kamino public yet, and yet you knew that is what they wanted to talk about. If I hadn't been there when Jedi Kenobi was searching for it, I'd wouldn't know about it myself. Because of that I've been able to convince Master Plo-Koon to tell me everything the council knows. Like the transmission Jedi Kenobi sent to the council, and how they sent a transmission to your master to fill him in, so he could be on standby to help if needed. Combine that with your personal story and it all comes together clearly. I'm not supposed to know this, and probably shouldn't tell you, but the council is planning to knight you in just a few days. Once they do you can request to take me as your padawan. Like that I can assist you with ease.
"And I swear I'm not going to tell anyone you're Ekkreth, even if you don't take me as your padawan."
He continued to regard her silently for a moment longer before speaking, "I shall consider it."
"Thank you. And please know I'm very serious about this."