Epilogue
Somewhere else in the galaxy, on a moon in the farthest reaches of the galaxy, Jinx was sitting on a beach, a thick bramble of thorns and twisting branches behind him a fog over the water and sky. He was back on Wasskah, the fourth jungle moon of Trandosha, a nightmare that he had barely survived watching the water bring in a slow tide. "We shouldn't have left him behind?" Jinx asked, looking back at the camp set up between the Rogue Shadow and a junk hauler, the younglings were all sitting around a fire or resting sound asleep in the sand. Masters Tholme, K'Khurk, and Jeisel were seated on logs or in the sand around the fires as Quinlan stood leaning up on a large rock.
"It was his choice to stay behind Jinx." Quinlan said.
"That still doesn't make it any less right Master?" Jinx barked, getting to his feet.
Quinlan sighed "I know, but all we can do now is-" suddenly they heard a sound like thunder overhead and looked up to see a meteor falling from the sky toward the water. But it wasn't a meteor it was K'Khurk's jedi starfighter with Leo inside. "It's Rock." Sian said, getting to her feet.
"What happened, why isn't he slowing down?" Jinx asked.
The starfighter had lost an engine and the ship was spiraling out of control as Essix the astro droid tried to keep it steady, leveling it out as it headed toward the beach. With a furious crash the starfighter broke on the water splashing the beach with a salty rain before it came to a smoking halt on the other side of the sand. The jedi all ran to the downed ship Jinx turning on his lightsaber to cut the cockpit open and see Leo in there passed out.
"He's still alive." Jinx said, starting to pull him out. Quinlan came up and they carried him out.
"Gently, gently." Quinlan said as the other Masters came to help him.
They laid him on the sand where where K'Khurk knelt down putting his hands over him "These wounds are severe, we have to get him to the ship." K'Khurk said picking him up with Quinlan and Jinx.
"What I wouldn't give to have Mira with us again?" Sian asked Tholme, the stoic master squeezed his cane tight "And Rhad, the poor fool."
"We'll miss them, but Master Tholme how did you know to come here, where Leo would find us?" Sian asked him.
Tholme followed them back to the camp "He brought it up when we spoke of the padawan who died, O-Mer, they met here, I sensed he still had a plan to escape and when this was the only world he spoke off it was a gamble." Tholme answered.
"Let's hope it paid off." Sian said.
CORUSCANT
Office of the Supreme Chancellor
Master Windu, Plo and Yoda were before the Supreme Chancellor, each of the masters in one of the three chairs facing down a frowning Palpatine. Behind him stood his Vice Chancellor Mas Amedda and Admiral Tarkkin who could barely hide the grin on his face at their failure. Dark storm clouds thundered and rained outside the office covering the capital in a dark gray world lighting connecting to pylons and towers funneling safely away. "So he's escaped?" The Chancellor asked the Masters.
"For now." Master Windu answered.
"You're deflecting the question Master Jedi, do you have any idea where the traitor may have gone?" Tarkkin asked him.
Windu shot Tarkkin a glare that made the smirk evaporate "Wherever he's gone, he will not be able to hide for long we've alerted all Republic presences in the outer rim, and have already begun to dispatch Sentinels to scout out possible hiding spots."
"Your track record doesn't speak confidently of your abilities to reign in your own orders dissident members, knowing that four jedi Masters were planning to betray the Republic leads us to be concerned about the Jedi's loyalty." Mas Amedda said, clutching his golden staff.
The Masters kept their composure "There was but one traitor, Sora Bulq who is now dead, along with his treachery."
"And yet, the traitor and a handful of your order's members have followed him. How many more Jedi do you expect to follow him?" The Chancellor asked him.
The Masters were all silent "The Chancellor asked you a question Master Jedi?" Tarkkin insisted.
"Despite our best efforts, your excellency, we fear it will be inevitable that the order will-" "Don't even say it?" Windu interrupted Plo as he looked at him "Schism."
"Schism?" Mas asked, unsure of what he meant.
Yoda raised his head "Centuries ago, in times of crisis broken the Orders has, history to repeat itself we fear unless we recover the lost jedi we do."
"And these, what did you call them Sentires, they can find these traitors?" The Chancellor asked him.
"Traitor only one is, misguided the others are, deceived by Rock we know they have been." Master Yoda explained "The Sentinel Corp of the Jedi Order are tasked with seeking out and actively fighting the threats of the Sith and the Dark Side, which we are confident that Rock will use against us." Windu added.
The Chancellor pressed his hands together before he rose to his feet turning to face the window looking out on the Republic "This is concerning Master Jedi, word will spread that there are Jedi who no longer support the Republic or the war, what will that mean for the people they already have lost so much faith in the Government and the Jedi." He said looking at his reflection in the mirror.
"The traitor will not stay free for long excellency, you have the Council's word." Master Windu said.
Later across the city at the Temple the trio of members entered the temple "How long till the Sentinels are off Coruscant?" Windu asked Plo, but he didn't say a word "Master Plo?"
"Are we sure we want to do this, actively sending out the Master Tholme was a Sentinel once, as the Order learns that three Masters are in league with Leo it could make the Council look even worse?" Plo asked him.
"Worse, how?" Windu asked him.
Plo stopped locking his claws "I fear Rock may have been correct, our pride has started to blind us to the needs of our Order, if we simply leave them be we deny them validation of their claim show the Order that we hold no grudges and not take revenge?" Plo suggested.
"This isn't about vengeance, this is about keeping our Order whole Master Yoda you surely agree?" Windu asked but Master Yoda was already down the hallway ahead of them without saying a single word.
In the medical wing, Anakin awoke pushed off the blanket and grabbed the cane he was using to keep up. His leg was in a brace and his arm was in a sling as he looked for his robes. "Where are my clothes?" Anakin snapped at the Jedi Healer, she ran up to him "Sir Skywalker, what are you doing you need to get back in bed."
"No, I need to go find that traitor Leo." Anakin snapped.
The healer stood in front of him not budging, "Your robes were too damaged for repair, right now you need rest, you have internal bleeding, two broken robes and a fractured leg?" She said using the force to push him back on the bed.
"I'm fine, I'll heal I'll-" Anaki cut himself off when he saw across from him under a bed sheet with Master Luminara sitting next to him was Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Anakin sat up but the doctor held him back "Obi-Wan what happened to him!" He snapped.
"We aren't sure, suddenly his heart started to give out. We had to put him in a medically induced coma but whatever the danger was, it passed." The Doctor said as Anakin sat back down "His heart?" Anakin asked.
The Doctor nodded "Yes, I've never seen anything like it, but his vitals are back to normal. You can speak to him when he's awake."
Anakin locked eyes with her before he laid down on the bed "Fine… but get me some new robes." Anakin ordered.
Sighing in relief the Doctor smiled "I'll have the temple tailors fashion you some new ones, dark brown yes?" She asked.
"... No, I need new ones, black." Anakin said looking up, squeezing the cast around his knuckles making them bleed. The doctor looked at the blood seeping out and was about to call for a droid when Anakin snapped "Go." His outburst made Luminara raise her head from over Obi-Wan's bed
The doctor could see Anakin didn't want her help, she stepped away and silently resided to leave him alone. Eyes rising slowly he looked across the medical room at Obi-Wan's bed, his former teacher and master lying there suffering a wound far greater than any lightsaber could ever bring him "... this is all his fault." He mumbled
"Skywalker?" Luminara asked, looking at him.
"Leo, everything that's happened, from Ahsoka leaving, to the Jedi who've died, we should have never let him come back to the Order after he left the first time." Anakin said as Luminara sat and listened, "When he and Obi-Wan hatched their double agent scheme, I wondered it myself when I learned the truth?" She asked, stroking a loose hair that had fallen over Obi-Wan's sleeping face.
Anakin had looked away not even noticing "You knew?"
She stood up, approaching him so they could speak softer "The Council does, but as you know the public story is that he was a spy under our orders…. perhaps you're right, knighting him so early was a mistake?"
"Knighting him? We should have cast him out from the Order the second we're off the second Malevolence." Anakin hissed "He antagonized the Republic officers like Tarkkin, he made no efforts to even speak to Senators, corrupted my padawan- maybe even yours and now this!" Anakin snapped, throwing his hand out over Obi-Wan.
Luminara looked back at his old teacher then at him "You think he had something to do with this?"
"I Don't think I know!" Anakin said "Obi-Wan should never have taken Leo as his padawan, he was a lost cause from the start"
The strike was like a crack of lightning, surprising and shocking. Without warning, Luminara had slapped Anakin across the face.
"You still believe Leo's responsible for your Masters condition?"
Anakin had a red welt growing on his face "You're not wrong or right, I've known Obi Wan my whole life, we shared a youngling clan and I know his and his pain, this war has tested and taken from all of us Skywalker not just you." Luminara said to him.
"Now, Leo is out there, exiled because of these recent events, all thanks to your anger against him."
Anakin sat up almost jumping out of bed "Leo betrayed the Order, the Republic, everything we believed in and I'll drag him back to face trial." Anakin snapped.
"What if Obi Wan died?" Luminara asked him suddenly, turning Anakin's anger into a confusion as Luminara said.
"What if Obi Wan had died when you were away, his heart was in pain for you and for Leo, his students, the things he values more than anything he has left?" She asked him as she gestured over to the sleeping Obi-Wan unaware of their conversation.
"Say you captured Leo, he's brought here, he's officially excommunicated and turned over to the Military, a formal trial followed by death by firing squad, imagine what that would have done to Obi-Wan?" She asked him, Anakin was about to spit out some retort but she shushed him with a hand to show she wasn't finished "I know you lost your mother and your Padawan, but force once put yourself in his place, all the people he's lost his master, the man who brought you to us, his legacy lives on in you Anakin. He vowed to train you because that was his master's last wish before he became one with the force. He treated you like your own brother and you treated Ahsoka the same no?" She asked him.
Anakin nodded "Of course, but-" "Please, let me finish?" Luminara asked him.
He shut his mouth and she continued "Part of being a Jedi is letting go of what we fear to lose, being Master is living with that loss. No one understands that more then Obi-Wan I fear, you remember the Duchess Satine?" Luminara asked him.
"... yes, he couldn't save her?" Anakin said knowing that the noble Duchess Satine Kryze had been slain by the leader of the Deathwatch, Darth Maul.
"Yes, when we were both still Padawans, when he returned from the mission to protect her Obi-Wan was a changed man, he was distant, cold, as if a spark had been taken from him I knew in his heart he wished to be back on Mandalore, with her." Luminara explained.
Anakin couldn't hold his tongue much longer "Then why couldn't he-" "Because that's who he is, it's who he trained Leo and yourself to be, to put their own needs aside for the greater good. You may not know it but when Ahsoka was being tired by the Council, Obi-Wan was one of the few Masters like Plo who held out for her
innocence, it nearly broke him to vote in favor of her expulsion but he knew the Council's voice had to be as one."
"Even now he blames himself, though he'll never admit it, for her choice to leave the Order. Now, Leo is gone, on worse terms than anyone could imagine, an enemy of both the Republic and the Jedi; Obi-Wan is in more pain & suffering than you could possibly imagine because of this." She said shaking her head, slightly bowed, Anakin looked over at Obi-Wan who shifted in his sleep but still remained unconscious. Anakin laid back in the bed, his head against the pillow, taking a deep breath, his face stern as he watched the ceiling.
"I will not dismiss the pain Leo has caused you, but for the sake of Obi-Wan please do not hate him for not understanding our wisdom, I do not, nor will he or else the suffering will never end." Luminara asked him to reach over and touch Anakin's forearm. Luminara let go of his arm and started to leave the medical wing.
Anakin shifted over "Luminara, thank you… I'll do my best to not hate Leo." Lumiran faced him with a sincere sorrowful smile, giving a nod she didn't realize Anakin still had one more thing to say "But if he's not with us, I'll treat him as any I would any enemy."
RYLOTH EMBASSY
Orn Free Taa's estate
In the upper districts of the city, the large Twi'lek senator Orn Free Taa poured himself a glass of wine looking at his reflection in the glass. He looked at the rain battering his window showering the balcony and veranda in water "Senator Taa, did you hear what we said?" Taa turned back to look at the Senators who assembled in his living room. Among them was Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Riyo Chuchi Padme Amidalla who had just spoke to him "I heard you Senator Amidala… but I cannot do what you ask."
"You must try as hard as it may seem, the Senate expects it." Mon Mothma said insidnetly.
"But to come out and openly discredit a Jedi, one who helped liberate my people I would be ashamed, discredited by Ryloth." Taa said walking over to his desk he pressed a button which revealed a hologram of a statue with a small boy riding it holding a lightsaber "You see this, I wanted to show it to Rock when he visited Ryloth next, the people of Ryloth love him, I've even spoken with the Senators of Rendili and Scipio who said the same thing you did."
Taa sat at his desk "General Syndulla will have everything he needs to take absolute control of Ryloth."
"But he vowed not to take power, do you think he would break his promise?" Padme asked him.
"He won't need to, the people will call for my removal, our congress will approve it and Cham will pick a puppet Senator." Taa said, shaking his head.
The Senators glanced at one another "We aren't asking you to discredit him, his old friend." Bail started "But you must condemn his actions, the Republic must see the Senate and the Jedi as one in this matter?"
"Condem, discredit they're the same thing." Taa said back to him.
Mon Mothma frowned at him leaning on his desk "Listen to reason Orn as leader of the Loyalist Committee you need to be the one to say it, terrible as it is in the Senate Tower no one has uttered it but there's fear of a Civil War."
"That's absurd, I've known Leo Rock since he was a child, maybe not as well as other Jedi but he would never engage in open war against the Republic?" Padme countered over to Mothma "I agree, there must be something the Chancellor and the Jedi Council aren't telling us." Riyo added the Plutonian siding with Padme.
"As you said Taa, your people would call for your removal, what if they do the same to Rendili and Scipio, he'd have a military and economic system to back it and you're willing to risk that on your own personal interactions, you can't possibly be that naive?" Mothma asked them even though it was just an assumption the insult structure
Padme stood up from where she'd been sitting "I know you're heart will always be for what's best for the Republic Senator, so I'll forgive that comment, but I still and always will have faith in those who call themselves Jedi, call one a traitor soon everyone will."
"I support Senator Taa, Naboo will not condemn Rock's actions."
"Neither will Orto Plutonia." Chuchi added, as Mon Mothma turned away walking to the exit "Be it on your heads."
Soon the only one who hadn't chosen a side was Bail Organa the Senator of Alderaan, "Bail?" Padme asked.
Bail paced forward not to the exit but past the Senators "My friends, I wish I could summon your courage, but we have no army like Ryloth, nor the strength and credibility of Orto Plutonia or Naboo, Alderaan is a peaceful world we have no weapons, all it would take would be one Senator with a grudge against the loyalist committee and Alderaan would be thrown to the wolves."
"So you'll condemn him, even after that boy- that man saved our lives from Cad Bane?" Chuchi asked him.
"You know I can't put my own debts among the debts of our people, we all agreed to serve our homeworld faithfully to the best of our abilities, when we chose to become Senators we swore an oath to put any emotions aside for what was best for our people, I will not condemn Rock but I will not defend him the only way to protect both the jedi and our systems is not to play this political game." Bail explained.
SOMEWHERE IN THE OUTER RIM
A Cantina
On the fringes of the galaxy, in a pub of scum and villainy pirates, smugglers and mercenaries drank and smoked spice while at the back corner near a window Steela Gerrera sat holding her sniper rifle close one hand over her swollen stomach under her poncho hiding the pregnancy. Just then Asajj Ventress came over to her table wearing a cloak holding three cups. She put two stiff drinks in front of them and one clear liquid in front of Steela. "The bartender laughed when I asked for water, but he came around."
"You broke his arm didn't you?" Steela asked the assassin.
"Just a few fingers, nothing much." Asajj said as she sipped the dark drink.
The two women snickered as Steela drank the water "So where are we going next, someplace with a beach I hope?" Steela asked.
Asajj tapped her fingers "Telerath, though the wanted posters may be a problem?" She said, putting the drink in her mouth.
"Speaking of wanted posters?" Steela said pointing to a board of holoscreens showing Republic wanted posters all showing the new top bounty of nine million credits.
The Nightsister coughed on her drink before the entire cantina froze, the sight of such a large bounty got the attention of every bounty hunter and boy who could hold a gun. Three seconds lasted before the cantina flushed out in a flurry of credits being thorns on tabs people pushing over one another for the door and soon the Cantina was cleared out except for Steela and Asajj.
The two women were now alone. "Hmmm, wasn't I expecting that today?" Asajj asked.
"So are we going after him?" Steela asked.
"What, are you serious?" Asajj asked him.
Steela shrugged "It's a suggestion, we know how he fights, we could use the money and he has no one left to protect him?" Steela suggested.
Asajj put her drink down and leaned in "We call that someone who has nothing left to lose, if he's no longer a jedi with the republics protection that means he's far more dangerous now, nothing holding him back, no code to follow but his own, he gave us a chance to kill him in that cave he won't give us a second one." Asajj said to Steela, she squeezed her blaster rifle.
"How can you be so sure?" She asked.
"I just know, the jedi tried to capture him that's for sure, so did the Republic so for now he'll run and hide, rest, recover his strength." Asajj said, looking away "And when he's all healed up, all hell will follow with him."
WASSKAH
Island Four
Later, Leo awoke by the sound of fire crackling wood and dried leaves, it was late at night and almost all the Jedi were asleep. Except for Tholme who was stocking the fire with the end of his cane "Welcome back to the world of living." Tholme said to him, the camp had grown a bit. There were now tents and makeshift huts for shelter outside the ships and the clone troopers who had come to them were securing the perimeter with sentires around the beach.
"How long was I out?" Leo asked him to sit up, he winced and groaned behind his teeth looking down and his entire body was mummified from the waist up. He had his right leg in a splint and his left forearm was covered up all the way, the bandages were even up around his forehead, neck and face. Out of all the times he'd looked like a mummy this was the worst one yet.
Tholme handed him a cantine "Three days, in that time the Republic Senate has come out openly against you as a traitor and a criminal, the bounty they set rose from nine million to nine in half you'll soon be worth a fortune." Tholme said filling in the gaps.
"Admiral Dallin, the troopers?" Leo asked, forcing himself to sit up but Tholme pushed him back down.
Tholme put his cane on his shoulder his push was old but strong against Leo's shoulder as he held up a holopad, it came alive with the picture of Admiral Dallin "After we captured him, the traitor Leo Rock used his force magic to blind myself and my fellow troops, were bewitched, unable to stop his escape-" "This has been playing on repeat along with the official statement of your treason by the Chancellor." Tholme said, putting it away.
"The story is that you have the power to influence people's minds, even Jedi to obey your will with your battle meditation, though I must say Bewitching has a far greater ring to it?" Tholme said as Leo gulped down the water from the cantina till it was empty.
Leo gasped wiping his lip dry "Good, that'll keep Tess and the men safe from court martial or worse."
"Don't be so sure, shortly after her statement was aired Admiral Dallin was removed from command, and sent back to Rendili." Tholme said as Leo slouched "She threw away her entire career…. for me, idiot." Leo swore.
Tholme suddenly took his cane and swatted at Leo, but he caught it with one hand "Your reflexes are still there good." Tholme said as Leo pushed his cane away.
"I didn't ask her to do it, or any of you to follow me." Leo said "Then what did you ask, you had a plan to escape, Jinx told me as much when you used your droid to disguise yourself as Skywalker's padawan, you have a plan and I think we have every right to know it?" Tholme asked standing up. Leo looked over his shoulder suddenly seeing Sian, Quinlan and K'Kruhk standing over him.
He got to his feet slowly wincing from the pain, the other Masters didn't stop him from getting up "... Jinx, the younglings?" Leo asked Quinlan.
"Somewhere around here, the younglings are all aboard your ship asleep but there's something else." Quinlan said.
Leo followed the Masters into their junk hauler where they opened a slit in a compartment, Leo looked inside to see both Aayla and the ikotchi Jedi Ferren Barr sharing a room in a makeshift cell "You brought Ferren?" Leo asked Quinlan.
"It was either that or leave him to die on the Knight." Quinlan said.
"And Aayla?" Leo asked him to shut the slit, Quinlan sighed "That's trickier, she hasn't said to word to me, I was thinking when we actually had a plan we could all talk again?" Quinlan asked.
"That's why we waited for you to wake up, we need to know your goal Rock, you didn't just escape the Council just to run and hide did you?" Sian asked him.
He faced her now, Leo grabbed on to his side limping at her "Maybe I did?" He asked looking at Tholme then "Maybe I'm sick and tired of all this Jedi, Sith, Republic nonsense and I want to go live a quiet life?" Leo asked.
"Lying to us is one thing, but lying to yourself?" K'Kruhk asked him, Leo's head spun toward him "You don't know me, none of you know me." Leo said, pointing to the four Jedi Masters.
"Maybe I am just going to run away, maybe I'm tired of fighting so hard, and losing everything while gaining nothing huh?" Leo asked them, he looked back at Tholme "I didn't ask you to come here, you chose to come to this place, why?" Leo asked Tholme.
Behind Leo, Quinlan crossed his arms waiting for an answer too, Tholme looked over Leo and rested his free hand on his cane "Because despite his actions, despite his endgame, Sora Bulq was right about one thing, the Jedi Council and by extension the Order has lost touch with the People of the Republic, they care more about preserving the status quo of politics then the balance of the force." Tholme said.
"In that we are agreed, had he not been the true traitor I would have gladly returned to the Order where the Council reassembled with new Masters." K'Kruhk said hands tucked under his robes sleeves "But we fear that is no longer possible, it will not be long till all who associate with you Rock, will be labeled as traitors?" Sian said.
"What are you getting at?" Leo asked, turning to her.
"The Order is on the verge of fracturing in order to survive it must change, if what Quinlan has told us the Order yearns for new leadership, a younger voice that isn't afraid to challenge the old ways." Tholme said "Challenge?" Leo gasped as if it were a sin to just say the word.
He looked at the other Masters then back at Tholme, his head started to shake then he stopped "I need…. I need to think." Leo said walking out of the junk hauler "We need an answer sooner rather than later." Sian said, starting to follow, Tholme plucked his cane around her forearm to hold her back. "Let him go, he will return." Tholme said. Elsewhere, up in one of the lost padawans secret hideouts on the island overlooking the other land masses of the archipelagos. Jinx was sitting alone in the treehouse they, Jinx, O-Mer, Kalifa had set up, to hide from the cruel trandoshan hunters. Who slaughtered them for sport, it wasn't until Leo and Ahsoka arrived to show them they could stand as Jedi and overcome their enemies.
Now out of all the survivors on the island, only Jinx remained alone. "Thought I'd find you here." Jinx looked down at the lower branch that led up to their hideout from the bramble forest, to see Leo.
"You're awake." Jinx said short and curt.
"Glad you have your old attitude back." Leo said climbing up, Jinx took his hand to help him into the hideout.
"Yeah, something about being back here at this place… helps remind me what it means to survive in a world where you're hunted like an animal." Jinx said, looking into the hollowed out tree.
Leo turned to him and said "And who can you trust to keep you alive." Silence filled the air between them as the birds chirped below.
"I'm sorry we had to come back here, I know it's not easy." Leo said consolingly.
"... A lesser me would have, but I'm not the same frightened padawan I was when you first met Leo." Jinx said standing up straight he looked back out at the starry night down at the beachside camp "What's the plan?"
Leo took a deep breath and looked down at the camp"The Masters down there, they want the Order to change, so do I, but wanting it to and making change that's the hard part." Leo said over to Jinx "I thought of what needs to be done, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to do it alone."
"Why?" Jinx asked him "Why what?" Leo asked Jinx.
"Why care what the rest of the Order does?" Jinx asked him walking back into the hovel "The Order didn't care about us, not me or the other padawans who were left here to die, it was you and Ahsoka who came to save us." Jinx said turning around "And what did they do for you, you told me that Krell was the traitor not you, you took the fall, you took the blame and still you were loyal spying on Dooku for them?" Jinx asked.
"How do you know-" "Tholme told us everything while you were passed out, at first I was shocked then it all made sense, your not to blame."
Leo walked up to him "It's not that simple, I lost myself to the darkness."
"SO WHAT!" Jinx screamed at him, the sudden outburst let the force shake the whole tree "Leo, you're not perfect, you're person you were right next to a Sith Lord, how could not be a Jedi spy to a Sith and not turn to the dark side— but you came back." Jinx argued "And you fought, on Rendili, on Kiffex, Scipio and they brand you a traitor because we know the truth, and still you want to try and save the people who want to kill you, why?" Jinx asked him.
Leo didn't say anything, he was silent.
"Why!?" Jinx shouted at him "BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS TO!" Leo shouted back at him.
Leo was breathing hard, a bit taking back his wounds taking a toll "And because I promised her" Leo said.
"Ahsoka?" Jinx asked, Leo nodded "Before she left, she said the Republic and the Jedi need me, need us; someone has to be the one, to say no more, to make a stand and say 'No you move, we won't let you do this to us anymore to us or anyone any longer'." Leo said "We need to be the change we want to see, we have to be better than those who came before and I need your help to make sure I don't lose sight of that?" Leo asked, holding up his wrapped up hand.
"We'll make sure O-Mer didn't die for nothing, neither did Kalifa or anyone else ever again
." Leo reached out and the two locked their hands around their forearms "Tell me what you need me to do brother." Jinx said when he took it.
"Help me get down so we can tell the others." Leo said.
Later, Jinx and Leo came back to the beach camp, both Dogma and Fives were speaking to the Masters when they got close to Dogma and Fives ran up to him to take him from Jinx "Dogma, Fives, thank you." Leo said.
"You didn't leave us behind General, neither will we." Dogma said confidently.
Leo nodded at him "Thank you Captain, Master Tholme?" Leo asked, looking at him.
"Let Zubain and Aayla go, no one who doesn't want to be here should be kept prisoner." Leo said.
"Then it'll just be Zubain." He looked up at the junk hauler to see Aayla standing on the loading ramp "I'm not going anywhere unless the younglings come home, and seeing as that won't happen I'm staying." Aayla said.
Leo nodded to her, "Fair enough." Leo said before standing on his own in front of them "You asked me what my plan was Master Tholme, well here it is." Leo said.
The Jedi all watched Leo waiting to hear him "The Republic is failing and the Jedi Council is blinded by their own arrogance to see it, the Clone Wars are proof of that." Leo started to say as they listened to him "Entire systems divided, the people of the galaxy live in fear and terror of Jedi, we will show them what real Jedi are made of."
No one spoke, so he kept talking to all of them wondering the same thing, if this was the start of the feared civil war they dreaded "No, we will not take up arms against the Republic, or the Order, but remind them of who were, what they should stand for by being what they forgot." Leo said walking between them he reached up and took Jinx by the back of the knack "We will be Knights, Knights who fight for honor, for freedom, for justice and truth-" he let go continuing toward the fire "Loyal to no Republic, or corrupt Senate, but to the weak and defenseless, where they cry out we will be there to save them." Leo said as Jinx started to nod, even Quinlan and Sian smiled hearing that.
"And where the cruel and wicked run free, it will be in terror of us, until the Jedi and the Republic call on us, to save them, yes…. we will be true Knights." Leo said, looking into the flames.
Tholme stroked his stubble covered chin "And what will we call ourselves, certainly not the Rogue Jedi, or perhaps the Knights of Light?" Tholme asked him.
Leo turned smiling, the flames behind him burning bright against darkness "Like I said we'll be Knights, but loyal to no nation or code that isn't our own, we are The Black Knights."
CORUSCANT
Council Chamber
"The Black Knights?" Windu asked Ferren who was standing in front of the Council, he had new robes one and his wounds on his face were patched up and the Council was assembled. Shaak Ti was in a hologram and so was Master Mundi but all the other Masters had assembled, Obi-Wan was there too now awake from his medical coma he sat leaned over in his chair thinking on what Ferren had just reported "That is what he said, that they would be true Knights and remind us of….." Ferren didn't finish his sentence.
"Yes?" Obi-Wan asked him.
Ferren gulped "Of who the Jedi are supposed to be, as if the traitor knew they didn't say they'd fight against either the Jedi, or the Republic but I don't trust him on that." Ferren said firmly.
"Thank you Barr, you may go." Plo said dismissing him.
Barr bowed his single horned head and left the Council to deliberate.
"The Schism has begun." Kit said with a heavy heart.
"Four rogue Masters and one Knight hardly a schism, Aayla is there she may prove useful if she is there to protect the younglings?" Shaak ti said scratching her chin "Till she joins them you mean, we've already had a dozen Jedi disappear from the Temple we've had to instigate a curfew on all Knights and Masters need to notify us before they leave." Luminara expressed this to them.
Windu slammed his hand on his chair "It doesn't matter, if Rock wants to fight this crusade we won't be goaded into his game, the Sentinels have been dispatched, wherever he runs we'll find them."
"Didn't you hear him?" Obi-Wan asked standing up "Leo isn't running, not anymore, not from us or anyone, you wanted him out of the order and now he is, now there is nothing holding him back not you, not me, and if it's the galaxy first him then it wouldn't be fair otherwise."
WASSKAH
Island Four
Leo and the rogue or 'Black Knights' were packing up everything onto the Rogue Shadow, Leo had been given a dark brown robe to wear as he rested by the beach. Tholme came up to him and leaned his cane into the sand as he hunched over "We should go soon, Ferren will have told them we were here."
"Right." Leo said getting up with his help.
"If your goal is to launch this 'crusade' and inspire the Jedi and Republic to change, you'll need to recover to full strength." Tholme said as they walked toward the Rogue Shadow.
"The war won't go anywhere anytime soon I think, gives us time to plan, like a larger ship for instance the Rogue Shadow can't handle much more?" Leo said, pathing the top of the ship while they walked to the ramp.
Tholme smirked as he limped with his cane "Indeed."
Leo turned to him "By the way Master Tholme, you told me you named me, I know you served in the Stark Hyperspace War, the one my father started, how in the galaxy did you come up with the name Leo Rock?" The man of the same name asked him.
"Does it really matter, you seem to wear it well?" Tholme asked him.
"Humor me, I used to think I was giving it because I thought the Council wanted me to be hard, cold, unfeeling like rocks?" Leo asked him back.
Tholme held his hand and a stone rose from the sand into the air around him hovering over his palm "Rocks are hard and unfeeling, but they are strong, they are the foundation for many things; a rock may be a tool to build or a weapon to kill—" Tholme let the hand fall into his hand before he closed his hand around it into a fist crushing the stone with the force to make a diamond "Given enough time, and the right amount of pressure they can become beautiful, refined it's a fitting name for a Jedi, no?"
"Maybe?" Leo asked him to take the stone and skip the diamond across the beach's water. "But even a perfect stone makes ripples."
"And I foresee yours will become waves." Tholme said as they walked up the ship with the other jedi and clones following them "And my first name, Leo?"
"Napoleon long enough as it is, we could always call you that if you by your true name if like?" Tholme asked him, "No I use to think it wasn't, but Leo Rock is my name and I won't change it for anything."
TO BE CONTINUED….