Hello everyone! This is the first chapter I'm writing while back to school but I am working hard to make sure there isn't any sort of drop in quality or length. However, the flip side is that you shouldn't expect any double-uploads or particularly long chapters - as in something in the ten thousand word range - in the coming weeks. If I do manage, great! Anyway, as I said, I am committed to regular, quality chapters in the 5-8 thousand word range, basically, the 8k word chapter three from two weeks ago and this are normal, the chapter 1 and 2 double upload before that was abnormal. With all that business-y stuff out of the way, lets get into some damn Star Wars!
Secrets of The Outer Rim.
Act I.
The Last Days of The Jedi Order.
Chapter IV.
Mysteries of The Unknown.
"Lady Attam and Ceyla, her Mandalorian ally, caught me before I could get to their hyperdrive." I admitted to my master as we spoke in hushed tones in our shared bedroom on board the Ultimate. We did not know if we were being spied on, but, considering everything else that's happened so far, we would hardly be surprised. It is clear that The Republic does not trust Taaszon and that they don't trust us.
"I didn't have any luck either. I got to the cockpit but that protocol droid was watching me, eerily." Master Avdune didn't have any look either. This HK-107 was definitely more than just a protocol droid, the fact that he was armed was a testament to that. I haven't even heard him speak yet, though I expected that whatever that droid says, I wouldn't want to hear it anyway.
"Ceyla is a warrior through and through, I can see in her mannerisms that she is predisposed towards fighting Jedi." I relayed my observations of the Echani Mandalorian to my Master, I felt it was fitting given that we were talking about Lady Attam's companions. Phanza certainly traveled with a powerful retinue of warriors and, individually, they were all quite a threat to a Jedi, together, they could mop the floor with the both of us. I had to wonder if they were even necessary though, after all, given the display that Phanza unleashed on those separatist tanks with her chain lightning, it seemed that she easily had the power to murder the both of us easily. In general The Grand Duchy of Taaszon seemed capable of fighting the separatists, while they didn't have the raw numbers, their tanks, starships, and super dreadnoughts were all at or above the level of the separatists and the Republic. This faction had clearly been gearing up for a major conflict when the separatists stumbled upon them and I'm not quite sure what their game is now.
They had the advantage of secrecy and surprise if their foe was the Republic and now they've lost that, even if they are hiding as much information from us as possible. The separatist invasion fleet was bigger than we expected and, even now as we rush to Acina, war wages on back on Imperius Prime, so perhaps they really did need the help. I found that hard to believe though, I seriously doubt that the Super Dreadnoughts here are the entire Sith Fleet, Taaszon has more, I'm sure of it. It is possible that this is a plot to turn Jedi over to the Dark Side, but Taaszon is risking a lot to do it by revealing themselves and I think that there is more to it. Sure, Phanza has seemingly taken a particular interest in me, but something tells me there is more to it - the long glance she gave me back on Coruscant suggests that this is not premeditated. She only took an interest in me after seeing me, she only claimed that the Chancellor is deceiving me after meeting him, and she only claimed that the Jedi Council is deceiving me after both of those events. I think that her interest in me is separate from whatever is going on between The Grand Duchy of Taaszon and The Republic. Though I can only guess what both of those plans entail.
"Yet nevertheless, they have fought with us in battle. The human with the electrostaff, Avoine, she's one of Phanza's bodyguards, but she fought alongside me back on Imperius Prime." Master Avdune told me, interesting that we both had the same experience. I do not mean to assume but that seems like too much to be a coincidence, I wondered if Lady Attam had gone so far as to coordinate the order of battle. The fact that we were now separated from our clone battalion was suspicious as well. I had to wonder if Phanza was orchestrating this because of Taaszon's plan for the Republic or because of her plan for me. Either way, I knew I had to be on high alert and, while my master didn't know the whole truth quite yet, I had a feeling that she at least suspected something was going on with Phanza taking an interest in me. As long as my master did not abandon the people of this Grand Duchy because of this, I was content with the situation.
I was confident in my ability to resist Phanza's attempts to convert me and I felt that, given that I was following the Jedi way by showing compassion to the innocent people of this Grand Duchy who were forced to live under the Sith's iron fist, my motivations only drove me further and further away from the Dark Side. Every Padawan must face trials, challenges, and adversity to become a Jedi Knight, therefore, if I can get past this, hopefully Master Avdune and the Jedi Council will see that I am well on my way to becoming a Jedi Knight. Once I am a Jedi Knight, perhaps then I'll finally have enough clout amongst my fellow Jedi to begin arguing for peace. I do not want to take a Padawan of my own only to have to lead them into battle. I am only sixteen, if I become a Jedi Knight any time soon, I won't be ready to potentially lose a Padawan. I'm not sure if anyone is ever ready to lose a pupil. I know that Master Avdune, as much as she tries to be an ideal Jedi Knight and my master, in many ways, she is young and not ready. I don't know what would happen to her if she lost me and I am doing everything in my power to ensure that she does not lose me - whether its by defending myself despite my distaste from combat and by resisting Phanza and the Dark Side.
"The Zabrak, Ruumshi, did the same for me." I told my master, referencing the battle where Ruumshi arrived to support me along with Commander Warlock and the other clone troopers. I was worried about them now, Warlock was a competent Commander, as loyal as they come, but leaving him, Wishlist, Williams, Winch, Warden, and Witchcraft along on a planet with Sith on one end and separatists on the other...I wanted to help the people of Taaszon, but with Phanza's intentions mysterious, Grand Duchess Voytana clearly orchestrating some grand game, and the two of us isolated on a ship surrounded by elite warriors, I couldn't help but get worried over our clones. Master Avdune would not be so callous as to say that it would be my fault if something happened to the 1204th Clone Battalion, but I would know that if I didn't fight to help these Sith, our clones wouldn't be in this position now. In fact, our clones would be resting on Coruscant on leave after our stint on Felucia, instead, they were on the battlefield again. I didn't think that anything would happen, it would defy all logic for the Sith to begin a war that they were not yet prepared for against a much larger foe, but I was worried because if anyone was going to defy a Jedi's logic, it would be the Sith.
"They are up to something...we must stay vigilant Zaliza." Master Avdune cautioned, we have gotten ourselves pulled into a Sith scheme and there is no telling where this journey will take us. All we could do is do everything we can to survive and extract as much information as possible without bringing harm to ourselves or our clones.
Master Avdune and I entered the cargo hold the next morning to find Phanza dueling against Avoine and Ruumshi. The Red-skinned Nautolan, dressed in a markedly different set of robes - this one was two shades of purple, the main one darker than the second - and it exposed her midriff, her arms up to her gloves, and quite a bit of her neckline despite being hooded. I suppose the get-up and the training meant that we were almost at Acina, the sandy moon of New Ziost. Lady Attam was a Sorceress first and foremost so she favored the Force, but she was no slouch with a lightsaber either, expertly fighting against two opponents with her Form II - Makashi - lightsaber combat style. She appeared downright elegant - the quick, dance-like nature of her blocking and countering, the gentle sway of her many tattooed Lekku as she moved, and even the subtle hints of her next move conveyed across her toned red skin. She was a talented duelist, a powerful Force user, and a she had a genius mind backing it all up - all of that only emphasized how dangerous this woman was.
She parried two blows from Ruumshi but, behind her, Avoine seemed like she has a chance - the human was going to swing her electrostaff all the way around and bring it to Phanza's throat, winning the duel. Unfortunately for her, Lady Attam had other ideas. As soon as Avoine began her motion Phanza disengaged from Ruumshi and brought her own lightsaber to Avoine's throat. The human was downright surprised to see the red and black lightsaber in front of her. Beaten, Avoine retreated to the edge of the cargo hold while Ruumshi and Phanza continued to fight.
The orange skinned bald Zabrak in a set of black robes - significantly more modest than Phanza's current outfit - fought valiantly but Lady Attam was not giving her a chance to go on the offensive and, when Ruumshi finally did try to go on it, she found the end of a red and black blade pointed at her chest. Lady Attam had won...I suspected this was a usual occurrence. For most people in the galaxy, the point of bodyguards was for them to be tougher than you in order to protect you, but the Sith never operated like that - their whole way of life demands paranoia and deception - their bodyguards were no match for them, they would be strong, sure, but the Sith would always be stronger. The Sith Master would always be stronger than the apprentice as well, for once the apprentice was strong enough to fight their master, they would become the Sith Master. At least, that's how it works with the rule of two, I'm not quite sure how this larger Sith Order works. Master Avdune and I are trying to find out, but Lady Attam and her allies seem devoted to keeping their civilization as secret as possible.
"Master Jedi...would you like to spar?" Phanza requested, a smirk on her face directed at my master. I wondered what both of them would do, I knew that my Master, on some level, would enjoy beating Lady Attam, however, she is rational enough to realize that Lady Attam wants to fight her, the Sith wants to spar, and my Master, in her wisdom, knew that if a Sith wanted something, it was better to not get involved.
"Jedi view combat as a last resort, I have no interest in sparring. I would rather meditate." Master Avdune replied, now we both knew that, especially since war broke out, many, many Jedi have been sparring in the temple and even before that every Padawan received lightsaber training, but this war was the exception rather than the rule. Combat should be a last resort for the Jedi and Ullara shouldn't have any interest in sparring with anyone, especially not a Sith. The high and mighty Jedi routine did nothing for Lady Attam though, in fact, her smirk only grew as she turned to me. I groaned internally, was she really going to target me over this? Was she really going to openly try and turn me to the Dark Side in front of my very own Jedi Master? How bold was this woman?
"Funny for a General of The Grand Army of The Republic to say combat is a last resort, Padawan Vyvan? ...or should I say Commander?" Phanza was all too eager to point out any sort of hypocrisy from the Jedi, yet she was unwilling to talk about her faction, about the Sith in fighting that has resulted in the separatists, a galaxy-wide faction but one that is on the verge of facing few defeats on worlds like Felucia, Saleucami, and Mygeeto, battling against The Grand Duchy of Taaszon, a remnant of a long dead Sith Empire clinging to life at the very edge of the galaxy, hiding in the unknown and hoping to defeat factions far larger and far more populated than them with some scheming and some potentially superior technology. They may have been able to repel this particular separatist attack, but I wonder...maybe the reason they called for our help is because that, while they can win a battle, they stand no chance in an all out war. Of course, the separatists committing on two fronts will only hasten their defeat, but either way, the Sith, who have such a field day criticizing the Jedi, will see one of their two remaining factions in the galaxy completely wiped out. The Jedi are far from perfect, but I intend to do my part in making them better, the Sith just seek to destroy one another and we can only hope that as few innocent people as possible are caught in the crossfire. If there was a peaceful way to banish the Sith from Taaszon and bring their people into the Republic, we would do that, but there wasn't. Starting a war against the Sith would just lead to more pain and suffering which is exactly what they want.
"With all due respect, Lady Attam, we are aware of the state of our order. Now please, tell us what we're doing on Acina so my Padawan and I don't have to be Commanders and Generals anymore." Master Avdune countered. Phanza was testing her patience but my master knew that getting angry or snapping at her was only giving the Sith what she wants. Perhaps the Force was not just testing my resistance to Phanza's Dark Side advances but it was also testing my master, seeing if she would be able to resist her own base level instincts. Perhaps the return of the ancient Sith is testing the Jedi as a whole, seeing if our war against the separatist and these "pretender" Sith Lords has turned us to the Dark Side. This could be the wake-up call many Jedi need, but if we lash out like Master Windu wants, like Master Avdune wanted to at some point, then maybe we'll be demonstrating that, as an Order, us Jedi have fallen to the Dark Side.
"As you wish Master Jedi." Phanza laughed it off "Your clones and my forces are pushing the separatists back from Zavros City back on Imperius Prime, our combined fleets are fully engaged over Kallig, and my armies on New Ziost have repelled separatist attacks on that planet. Now, we must finish this invasion once and for all. The separatists have positioned their Lucrehulk-class battleships on Acina after our fleets forced them out from orbit over New Ziost. Our Margraviate-class Super Dreadnoughts are in position to bombard the separatist ships into dust, all we need to do is deactivate the shield generator protecting them. A simple task for a small, elite team. The Ultimate comes in, we do our job, and we leave before our starships unleash their arsenal."
"How heavily guarded is the shield generator?" I asked. I may be a young Padawan but I've experienced enough situations like this to know that this seemingly simple task won't be all that simple. In fact, knowing how much Phanza knows about the Republic and the separatists, clearly she knows it won't be that easier either. I had to assume that she was simply trying to reassure us and make us more comfortable with this uneasy alliance. Phanza Attam seemed to be an experienced manipulator, she knows when to pressure us about the deep flaws within the Republic and the Jedi and when to ease up and give a sense of comfort and respect. Phanza addressed Master Avdune and I with respect all while tearing our values to shreds. A young female alien is certainly not the stereotypical image of the Sith, but between her raw power in the Force and her power of the mind - which, if anything, was greater than her actual ability to fight - she seemed, to me anyway, to be the ideal image of a Sith Lord. Powerful, manipulative, fiercely intelligent, and, most dangerously, easy to underestimate.
"Analysis: the shield generator will mainly be guarded by B1 Battle Droids reinforced with B2 Super Battle Droids. Analysis: we are composed of a Sith Lord, two Jedi, a Mandalorian, two armed meatbags, and myself. Conclusion: Open assault will be easy. Tantalizing Request: Mistress, may I prepare for battle? I would like to join you and your meatbag allies in the battle against these...lesser automatons." the protocol droid, HK-107 finally spoke up. We was clearly more than he seemed with advanced tactical knowledge and what seemed to be a droid version of bloodlust despite his archaic speak pattern. The droid clearly has not had a memory wipe in a very long time to have developed such an advanced personality...perhaps he could be the key to Master Avdune and I learning more about this Grand Duchy of Taaszon. That idea could hold some merit, however, the sheer mechanical emptiness of his eyes and the blankness in the Force while simultaneously being such a deadly and bloodthirsty creature made me uneasy. Someone built this machine. Someone decided to build a heartless killing machine and this person wasn't concerned with ease of manufacture like the separatists were - no, the designer of this droid wanted a single ultimate killing machine and spared no expense - in fact, I think even the archaic voice modulator might be a deliberate choice. There is something unnerving of the droid's voice and something even more unnerving about his speech pattern. It almost brings the thought that his designer minimized the processors to add more killing power. Now, that was a ruse given how fiercely intelligent the droid seemed, but I think there is something to it as well.
"Well, it seems that there won't be a problem. Shall we go then, Master Jedi?" Phanza asked, once again being deferential to Master Avdune. I could tell that Master Avdune didn't like it, she felt that it was deliberately mocking and patronizing, and I didn't think that she was necessarily wrong, either. Phanza's politeness was definitely meant to get under our skin and drive us mad, additionally, the deference to Master Avdune was definitely mocking the fact that we were basically prisoners on board a hostile vessel, however, perhaps there was some respect there. I mean, Phanza did come asking for help and Master Avdune ended up being the one to take her case to the Jedi Council and I think she did legitimately want to duel Master Avdune on a sparring basis as well as taking the opportunity to poke and prod her as an opportunity to bring me over the Dark Side. It was clear that Phanza was grateful, I just wondered if Phanza was grateful for the aid or if she was grateful for the opportunity to try and turn me, a Padawan, over to the Dark Side. The aid was clearly in the interests of Taaszon, even if we still didn't know exactly why they wanted the Republic here, but my presence in particular was in the interest of Lady Attam alone.
"Very well. We shall knock down the shield generator." Master Avdune reluctantly agreed. It was only natural for the two of us to be uncomfortable on a Sith moon with a Sith retinue fighting against the separatists opening the way for a Sith bombardment. Logic dictated that the Sith wouldn't harm us, but the fact that we were dealing with the Sith meant that we were uncomfortable. In the space of a decade the Jedi went from not seeing a Sith in centuries to now dealing with two dueling factions of Sith, now we had to find a way towards peace through this nonsense, so yes, we were allied with these Sith, Phanza was, at least nominally, our friend, but we were paranoid. As Jedi, perhaps we shouldn't be, but the history between the Jedi and the Sith have guaranteed that we are.
"Cover me." Phanza said simply. Her command was carried out as Ceyla and HK-107 came out of cover and opened fire. The Ultimate was sitting behind us on the red sand and we had just barely managed to set up a few barriers when the separatist ground forces ambushed us. This was not quite as simple as Phanza lead us to believe. The red-skinned Nautolan came out of cover and a toned, red arm rose up to the sky and launched red lightning into the air, lightning which came down on the droids as a Force storm. I didn't know the voltage of this lightning and I didn't want to find out, all I knew is that it was tearing the droids apart. I was not willing to take back my claim about Phanza underestimating the separatists, but she hardly seems troubled.
The heaviest droid resistance was eliminated and that allowed us to spring into action. Both ends of my double-bladed purple lightsaber was activated and I started swinging it through the droids while my master and her green lightsaber deflected blaster bolts back at the droids before she finished them off. My master had initially trained with the dignified and defensive Form III - Soresu - however, Master Avdune was one of many young Jedi to take quickly to warfare and she has since transitioned to the faster and more aggressive Form V - Shien - meanwhile, my double-bladed weapon demanded that I trained with a less traditional combat style. My fighting style was more akin to a quarterstaff martial arts fighting style rather than one of the traditional lightsaber forms. My master and I fought in very different ways, but we fought well together, despite my distaste for war and the fact that, as a Master-Padawan duo, we are amongst the youngest and least experienced pairs within the Jedi, though, as attrition and war takes a toll, younger and younger Jedi are becoming relatively commonplace.
Ruumshi and Avoine had a somewhat similar fighting style to me given that they wielded electrostaffs which were essentially electrified quarterstaffs, however, their training under a Sith Lord means that their fighting style is far more ruthless. From what little I've interacted with them, both we pleasant women and they seemed like they came from more humble beginnings rather than Sith aristocracy - based on what we traditionally know about the Sith, they are quite xenophobic, however, Lady Attam seems to be an indicator of progress, nevertheless, the fact that Ruumshi is a Zabrak, one so unabashed as to have shaved her hair and proudly and openly wear her horns, means she likely isn't a part of that Sith aristocracy, more open or not. I had to wonder if Taaszon even had an advanced aristocracy, I knew there was Grand Duchess Voytana and Lady Attam was her apprentice as well as many other lesser Sith, but what else was there? These were the answers Master Avdune and I wanted, yet instead, we found ourselves just fighting against battle droids once again.
Ceyla the Mandalorian used her jetpack to shoot up into the sky and unleash a hail of bullets down onto the droids. Phanza, then finished off the stragglers with a Force push. With that, we were now faced with the edge of the shield itself. Coming to a near stop, we had to move very slowly to pass through the shield - the purpose of these energy shields was to stop fast moving, unstable objects like lasers, lightning, and explosives, but in order to provide full protection from that in every way, the shield had to be designed so that organic life could pass through. Given that this shield generator belonged to the separatists, obviously their shields had to allow mechanical creatures through as well - a shield wouldn't be much good if it neutralized their own droid armies - therefore, HK-107 had no problem joining us inside. Now that we were within the shield generator's range, we could concentrate on the task of actually getting there - something which was easier said than done. Jedi and Sith gathered together behind a set of crates as we planned our next move, all the while the droids were on high alert.
"Master Jedi, you and your Padawan go to the right and swoop around to the shield generator. Ceyla and HK-107 will flank around to the left while Ruumshi, Avoine, and I draw their attention in the center." Lady Attam presented her plan. Her retinue agreed with it after only a beat but Master Avdune was hesitant. The selfish side of my master didn't want to agree to her plan, however, her logical side could not find any glaring flaws with this plan. Finally, my master nodded and we put the plan into action. Ceyla leaned to the left and used her jetpack to launch her towards another piece of cover to the left, filling the droids with laser bolts and draw attention, attention which HK-107 eagerly took as the assassin droid gunned down the targets. Master Avdune and I quietly and stealthily made our way to the shield generator, making our way past barricades. The massive Lucrehulk-class ships were just giant spheres placed in the ground around the outer perimeter of the shield generator, their large rings up in the air, just barely within the shield. The carnage would be absolutely massive once this shield was down and the Margraviate-class Sith Super Dreadnoughts opened fire on this separatist base.
We found out that the stealth was virtually unnecessary once Phanza shot red lightning and swung her black and red lightsaber through the droids - to say that her distraction was working was an understatement. Taking this chance, we rushed over to shield generator and began working. Master Avdune plunged her green lightsaber through the shield generator but it was a titanic machine, heavily armored and containing countless failsafes. Phanza was distracting them with an all out assault with the help from her two bodyguards while the Mandalorian and the assassin droid were attacking the droids from the side, however, it seems that their programming was to protect the shield generator above all else. Six Super Battle Droids turned around ominously and opened fire at the two of us. I activated my double-bladed purple lightsaber and spun it even which way to deflect and perhaps reflect as many laser bolts as possible. I had to protect myself and my master above all else, perhaps going on the offensive and ripping those droids apart would be a better choice but I couldn't risk doing that without seeing either myself or my master get hurt.
The Super Battle Droids were on the verge of overwhelming me when a red and black lightsaber plunged through the chest of one of the droids. Another one was pulled back at a horrible angle, seeing its waist torn apart and the pieces thrown off into the distance. A third droid was cut across the head while the remaining two droids to the left of Lady Attam were electrocuted. Turning to the right, the penultimate Super Battle Droid was pulled to Phanza and chopped in half while the last one was picked off by HK-107 before his mistress could finish it off. This particular group was finished off quickly but there were plenty of B1 and B2 droids left over which Ruumshi, Avoine, and Ceyla were engaged in, we were in danger of getting overwhelmed by their superior numbers, even with this mighty group of warriors, even with two Jedi here, even with Phanza Attam and her mighty Force powers.
Lady Attam rushed over and used the Force to rip a piece of armor off of the shield generator before filling the innards of the machine with Force Lightning. The machine overloaded and it exploded. Our job was done, the droids were overwhelming us, and the Sith fleet was about to unleash its arsenal upon the this separatist position. There wasn't a word spoken between the group of us, but we all understood that it was time to go. We raced back to the Ultimate as Margraviate-class Super Dreadnoughts began opening fire on the far side of the base, devastating the Lucrehulk starships and anything else that the separatists had. The Sith did seem to know what they were doing, the bombardment was slow enough that we were safe and could escape before we had any threat of getting blown to bits.
Red sand was blown high into the sky as the last of us boarded the Ultimate and launched off of Acina. Master Avdune and I watched from the cockpit of the Ravager-class Sith Interceptor as the massive red cloud settled back down, burying the separatists in red sand. The cloud of utter red seemed all too perfect for the Sith, their signature color combined with utter destruction culminating in it burying its enemies. Imperius Prime was a world of chaotic geology with bone-chilling cold on the fringes and burning hot lava in the center, two horribly destructive elements on one planet. Kallig was a gas giant of destructive winds and supercharged lightning were the Sith were exploiting the worlds resources. New Ziost had jagged peaks and oppressive ice as well. All that we have seen from this Grand Duchy of Taaszon is worlds tailor made for the Sith, worlds of death, worlds of darkness, worlds of exploitation. I wanted to help the people of this state and save them from the separatists, but I wasn't convinced if these people wanted any help after all. Perhaps the separatists would even be an improvement over these Sith as the Confederacy of Independent Systems is at least nominally a democracy with a parliament. I wanted to believe that these people were worth saving but they seem content to live with the Sith on their evil worlds with their autocracy despite seemingly having open knowledge of the galaxy beyond.
I was about to turn around and leave the cockpit when one of those oasis cities that Phanza mentioned back on Imperius Prime came into view, I saw the homes of regular people gathered around the fresh water where the dunes sunk into the oasis and, outside of them, I saw the faces of grateful people, grateful families, and grateful children. They have live on evil worlds, they may pledge their loyalty to the Sith, they may even go so far as to attribute this victory to Taaszon and downplay the Republic's involvement, but I will always know that they were grateful for being saved from the separatists and I was apart of saving them. It was hard to believe that, after everything else I've seen of Taaszon, that these people were actually happy to be citizens of a Sith Empire, but nevertheless, I saw humans, Chiss, and aliens living side by side grateful to still be a part of this Sith Grand Duchy. These people may subscribe to an ideology that views them as expendable resources and fetishizes war, but they have determined for themselves that they want to be a part of this civilization. These Sith citizens really are people and they really deserve to be saved, and if they decided that they want to be a part of Taaszon forever more, then perhaps it is the duty of the Jedi that these people get what they want, even if doing so means that we must help a civilization that has traditionally been our enemy and clearly still has animosity towards us.
"What did you think of this mission, Zaliza?" Master Avdune asked me casually as we walked through a corridor to the bridge of the Sage, happy to be back on-board our familiar Venator-class Star Destroyer along with our familiar clone brethren.
"It was enlightening master, the Sith have become so militarized, they wield so much evil power, and are so open about being Sith, yet their people seem happy about their rule." I explained, relaying my feelings over my observations as we left Acina.
"Oh? But I thought you were devoted to helping them from the beginning?" Master Avdune teased me, she had a point, perhaps I had not entirely thought this out. Wanting to help them was a compassionate gesture, not necessarily one brought out by logic.
"Well...I thought that helping them meant bringing them towards democracy while we bring the Sith back towards the light, however...it seems that the people of Taaszon are more happy with autocracy and the Dark Side. I must admit that this defies conventional wisdom." I passed on my thoughts to Master Avdune, feeling a bit more open about talking about Taaszon now that we already helped them as were leaving their system.
"I mean...we cannot sit so comfortably with autocracy." Master Avdune seemed concerned, as if she was fearful that my experiences in Taaszon have left me sympathetic towards autocracy.
"Can we really say that Master? After all, even the Jedi Order is rather hierarchical." I objected. The Republic contained various Kingdoms and other monarchical states - and also Naboo where they used royal titles but were in a Republic in every other sense of the word - and the Jedi Order basically had an absolute Council at the top, with Masters Yoda and Windu at the helm of the Council itself.
"Now, now Zaliza, comparing the Jedi Order to a Sith rump state is rather extreme." I had to admit, I thought that it was a bit harsh for Master Avdune to outright dismiss my observation rather than explaining why she felt differently "Now come on, the Jedi Council is permitting us to spend the rest of the time of our scheduled leave back on Coruscant. Lets enjoy it."
With that, I was left wondering if the Jedi really were deceiving me after all. Master Avdune was a brilliant master but this was just one example of how she grew uncomfortable whenever I so much as critiqued the Jedi Order.
Alright guys, this has been chapter four of Secrets of The Outer Rim, I hope you enjoyed it! Ciao!
