Epilogue



Xanatos stared across the not so bleak landscape. A few months ago this place had been a barren waste land and the whole planet had been covered in a thick, musty, dark fog that seemed to hide things in it. Now the air was clear, sun was shining through and he might have been dreaming but plants seemed to be growing back.

Telly only smiled at him and shrugged. "Powers beyond us?" she suggested.

"Oh I dunno, after your little show of power." Xanatos laughed.

"I could by all means bring back life here." Telly said rubbing her head. "It's just not a good idea."

"How would you, little you, bring back life here?" Jareed's voice came up behind them and they turned to look at him. Jareed's hair was blowing back out of his face, showing the gray eyes sparkling in sunlight.

"As a Channel I can assume all talents of the Jeridi. Elementals have the gift of bringing plant life to it's peak, and healers would have the ability to bring something to life if it hasn't been to long since it's death." Telly explained turning back. "It's just too much energy to use though. Diriala seems to be doing quite well on it's own."

"Well it's nothing but empty space right now, we'll fix that eh?" Jareed smiled behind him.

There stood a group of ten or so people who on Bespin had shown an interest and a Force-sensitivity. Telly was surprised at how so many were turned away from the Temple and how many of them had subtle little gifts because of it. No wonder the Jedi were unable to tell differences between Gift strength, it was trained out of them by the time they were ten. Left alone, however, the gifts naturally appeared.

One surprising inductee was Jareed Terren, Xanatos' assistant. She had felt funny around him before but chalked it up to being so worn out she couldn't tell which side was up, but after her head cleared she noticed, Jareed was like her. He was an Empath.

The other surprise was Cianna. She wasn't about to let Xanatos drag off her new ward and decided if she didn't come along neither Telly nor Xanatos would eat or care for themselves properly. She knew Xanatos was a work-a- holic, so would be his friend. Cianna really was an old Mother Hen, Telly had decided.

So they stood, after getting off the transport Xani had bought just during the months of preparation. He'd also had the Tower rebuilt, to his and Telly's memory. Maybe a slight more showy and roomy for the different group areas to bring whoever they wanted. This place wouldn't be the drab boring place they both grew up in, it would be a place of welcome and peace, and well probably a lot more excitement then they could ever remember.

They already had a lot of excitement before they arrived. Upon further inspection of the planet there was a small moon that was actually inhabited. Eckinshia, as it was called was a warm tropical like planet that had some rather interesting natives. Xanatos had just wanted to by- pass the moon, keep it distant and away. Telly and Jareed, however, saw a doorway.

Getting the natives to see it was a bit harder but it was worked out well before they moved to the new Diriala. It had been during those times that Jareed showed his Empathy. The feelings of the natives had been the only thing Telly could really focus on, even after they learned more of the language. Jareed was exactly what Xanatos had originally hired him for, a planner and a slight manipulator. He could talk and reason that was for sure.

Jareed had the same opinion of her.

So the small group settled in to start anew. There were a few rules, like the violent and dangerous things that could be done with the Force had been forbidden, anyone attempting such things would be thrown out back where they found them. No one was restricted to Diriala. They could come, stay and train and once they hit Novice level could leave to return to their families or homes. Anyone could invite their non-force-sensitive family members to stay with them if they choice to live in Diriala, anyone was welcome. Basically only things portraying to The Dark side or violence of any kind towards anything or one was forbidden; anything else was allowed in their doors.

"So?" Jareed asked her as he and Xanatos looked up at the tall tower. "Where shall we begin?"

"You're the organizer not me pal." Telly said walking in-between the two on past into the door way. "I'm going to go find my room and stake my claim."

"HEY!" a few voices shouted from behind her and soon several boys and girls were racing through the doors to do just as Telly was doing, hearing several calls from either parents or older siblings after them. "Wait for us!"

"So it begins." Xanatos muttered as he walked inside, smirking at the chaos that momentarily filled the hallways, each child and group looking for their area.

"Just think Mister cra." Jareed stopped himself and smiled up. "Just think Xanatos, this could be the beginning of something great."

"Oh really?"

"Oh yes. Just think, our actions are directly affecting the outcome of this place and these people. Maybe we'll even give those Jedi a run for their money."

"Oh we'll be much better." Xanatos boasted, standing taller. "We'll actually have hearts and lives."

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Bant Eerin stared out across the lake, wondering just when things would be normal again. A month had passed, barely and still she felt like her world was in chaos. Tahl and she had grown more distant, the Master often leaving her behind when she took her rare missions. Bant not really wanting to speak with her much anymore anyway, and then there was the small flame of blame still sparked within her.

She still blamed for Telly's death.

She'd lost a dear friend in Telly and she missed her. The girl didn't speak much, she had been getting better at it though, but she had been a steady presence. She was in the Temple as much as she was. Bant couldn't help but wonder why she didn't see anything either. Why hadn't Telly told anyone? They would have tried to help her.

Why turn to a killer for something when she had the order..maybe Xanatos had the right idea of leaving. Maybe..

"Hey, looking for some company?" Obi-wan's familiar voice asked from behind her and she turned to look at him briefly.

"I guess." She sighed turning back to the water. Even swimming didn't seem enjoyable anymore.

Obi-wan settled in beside her and she tried as she could to avoid eye contact but knew Obi-wan would pick up on her mood, actually he probably already had.

"You still miss her." He stated.

"I still can't figure it out." Bant sighed. "Yaddle at the very least should have seen something. Something about her that was different from us and kept her from turning to someone else.prevent her from having to go and face that thing alone."

Obi-wan sighed too and leaned his chin on his knees. "It never is easy. I kept thinking it won't take as long this time cause I barely knew her and how many others have I lost already? I was wrong."

"I just want her to come back." Bant whispered. "She was always here when I needed her."

"I bet she still is, we just can't tell." Obi-wan smiled a bit. "One thing I knew about Telly was she was loyal."

"How did you know?" Bant looked up at him. She knew Obi-wan had only met Telly those few times she had drug the shy girl to meet him. The two never really talked much other than that.

"She had her moments. I remember her actually going up to Bruck Chun and letting him now what a petty, bully he was. I figured out later he had been picking on a smaller initiate that apparently had taken to Telly." Obi-wan smiled remembering this red-headed girl coming up out of nowhere and just standing right in Bruck's face. "She wasn't afraid then and it seemed like Bruck was afraid of her after she whispered something to him."

"I wonder what it was." Bant wondered out loud, thinking of any thing Telly would have to say to Bruck Chun.

"Guess we'll never know." Obi-wan sighed sitting up some. "Bant she wouldn't want you to be sad. What's the first thing she would have done if you had been acting like this?"

"First asked me what was wrong and when I don't answer her just go ahead and guess what's wrong." Bant replied. "I guess empathy comes in handy."

"And what would she say?"

"That things happen, that it hurts sure but it'll get better. Things don't last forever." Bant held back the emotion in her voice as best she could. Somehow those things sounded better coming from Telly.

"It'll get better, it'll still hurt but it will get better." Obi-wan smiled some. "And if you ever want to talk I'm still here you know."

Bant smiled over at him. "Sometimes you are."

"If I'm on a mission there are things called communicators and messages." Obi-wan grinned. "Wouldn't hurt you to give me something else to read on mission briefings would it?"

"Would Master Qui-gon like that?"

"Probably not." Obi-wan stood. "Actually I have to meet him for a bit of sparring here in a bit. Want to come watch me get knocked around?"

Bant considered sitting alone, mulling over everything or giving Obi-wan the impression he had done some good at least. She didn't feel better but nodded and stood up to follow him to the gyms. Better to be seen, not heard.

Better to live and forget than to hurt and remember.