Star Wars: Infinities – The Apprentice

Chapter 13

By: Christopher W. Blaine (darth_yoshi@yahoo.com)

DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are used without permission for non-profit entertainment purposes only and are ©2002 by George Lucas. This story (pertaining to this chapter and all subsequent chapters) is ©2002 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in any form, except hard printouts for personal enjoyment, without the express permission of the author.

"We need to put all of the facts together if we are going to come up with a plan of action," Mace Windu commanded. Several of the other Jedi nodded agreement and started to move to the large table in the center of the room. They were not gathered for an impromptu reunion.

This was a council of war.

When everyone was sitting, Mace looked them over. This was his new Council, this was the future of the Jedi and despite the circumstances, he was very proud to be with them. He did wish that there were more masters among them and that fewer of the knights had been rush promoted, but desperate times required desperate measures.

"My friends, it has been far too long since we have all gathered together so, and it is apparent by our small number that the task ahead is most difficult." Mace smiled warmly. "But, we are not alone," he indicated Bail Organna, who sat opposite of him. "Senator, I would like to extend our thanks to you once again for providing us with this transport."

Bail nodded, a glimmer in his eye. It had been several months since he had last had a drink and the abstinence had been good for him. "The Tantive IV is at your disposal for as long as you wish, Master Windu. It sails under diplomatic immunity and therefore  cannot be boarded by Imperial vessels."

The mention of the Empire made several of the Jedi grimace and Ferrin actually spit on the floor. Three months before, Chancellor Palpatine took the final step of establishing his dictatorship by naming himself Emperor and dissolving the Republic in favor of the Empire of the New Order. The senate, purged of nearly 60% of its members, all of them non-human delegates charged with a variety of crimes against the Republic, ratified his proclamation with only three dissentions.

Bail Organna had led the veto battle, but had accepted defeat graciously. Though he was sure that Emperor Palpatine suspected treachery, Alderaan had too much money to make outright accusations. "We cannot stay here for long, regardless; Alderaan is the safest place for the Jedi, but our presence threatens the populace."

Master Solusar held a finger up. "But, we do have a need to hide the pregnant Jedi there."

"Agreed," Bail answered. The Jedi Order was made up of as many females as males and while dedication to the Order was considered to be one the cornerstones of the Jedi way, intimate relations still occurred. Marriage was also permitted, given the circumstances, but it was rare. Most married Jedi normally chose to serve in ambassadorial duties or simply left the Order. "We have arranged for those Jedi who are with child to be given new identities and citizenship on Alderaan. However, based on Master Ovos' recommendation, once the children are born, they will be dispersed to other worlds and families to be raised."

Ferrin shook his head. "I still disagree with that. Didn't we learn anything from Anakin Skywalker? You can't just rip families apart!" His face reddened and he pulled his robes tighter. Quinlan, who was seated next to him, laid a hand on his forearm.

"Our personal feelings do not outweigh the danger the Empire poses to us," Mace responded. "All of you have seen the death squads of stormtroopers. Jedi are being systematically hunted down by Darth Maul."

"Which brings us to the matter of the dispersal, " Master C'Baoth said, stroking his gray beard. The oldest surviving member of the Council, he had been on semi-permanent leave while exploring the edges of the known galaxy when the troubles had started. "I am mostly concerned with the older padawans. They have just enough ability to be dangerous and not enough experience to know better."

Mace bit his lip. The youngest of the students that had not been rounded up by the Empire were the easiest to hide. It would take too much effort to hunt them down, but the teenaged students were another problem entirely. "What of our efforts on Dathomir?"

Jedi Knight Lindia Jade shook her head. "Just as when Master Yoda tried to pull the Ch'Unthor out of the swamps centuries ago, we were also beaten back by the witches. Then we lost several members trying to get back through the naval blockade." She stopped for a second and pushed her chair back to allow her swollen belly a little more room. "I can't believe how big I'm getting," she said in disgust. "I look like a Hutt."

"Two Hutts," Ferrin joked. Several of the gathered Jedi chuckled, thankful for the opportunity to release their pent up energies.

After everyone had calmed down and Ferrin had apologized to the incensed Lindia, Mace returned to the subject at hand. "Does anyone have a suggestion?"

"What about escaping to the Hapans?" Ki Adi Mundi asked. "Palpatine seems to want to avoid them." With good reason too, Mace thought. The Hapan Cluster was 63 worlds located outside the Republic and guarded jealously. The Hapans were regarded as an extremely militant society.

"We could send an envoy to speak with the Ta'Chume, but I wouldn't hold out much hope," Mace offered as a compromise. "I was thinking more about the Corporate Sector."

"Somehow, I don't think the reception would be any better there," Quinlan said. "Business people generally do not like to be around Jedi because we can detect lies." He leaned forward and out his elbows on the table. "The only chance we really have is to try and establish small colonies on outlying worlds."

"I was preparing to do just that," Master C'Baoth said. "I could take some of the students with me, go out past the galactic rim."

Many of the Jedi nodded. It was the safest of all of the plans, especially with all of the anti-Jedi and anti-alien sentiments that were prevalent in the galaxy now. It was also the most dangerous plan as the worlds out side the known galaxy were a mystery. For many years, several Jedi Masters had pushed for project that would allow them to explore those worlds.

Only two years before, Master C'Baoth had secured permission from the Council to carry out his dream. He had spent the last year on Jomark preparing for the journey with three other Jedi Masters. "But only take a few; if we spread everyone out, then Palpatine will have to dedicate more forces to the search."

"More forces mean more eyes looking," Master Ovos commented.

"It is a chance we will have to take." Mace sat back and put his hands together under his chin. "Anakin has taken a padawan."

"Really? The Sith are really pushing it, aren't they?" Lindia asked, scratching her belly.

"Who is his padawan? Is it one of us?" Ferrin asked.

Bail answered the question, his face showing the pain the words were causing. "Padme Amidala, the former Queen of the Naboo."

"What? She's not a Jedi!" Ferrin said. The discoloration over his right eye seemed to grow darker. "We would have sensed it!"

"Calm down, Ferrin; we were just as surprised as you," Mace replied, his demeanor providing some calm in the storm. "Whatever talent she does have is weak at best; she can't hope to become very powerful in the Force."

"I believe that is the wrong attitude to have, Master Windu," Master Ovos observed. "After all that has happened, we still have a tendency to underestimate the power of the dark side. Evil is subtle, darkness goes where there is no light, it does not stand out. We have gotten too used to having everything blazing in our faces like advertising signs."

"Did anyone even bother to check her for ability?" Master C'Baoth asked, looking to the other Jedi Masters. "Is it not the responsibility of the Order to seek out those children with the ability to tap into the Force?"

"I would think the lesson of Anakin Skywalker would have demonstrated how amiss the Jedi have been in that duty," Bail accused. If the Jedi had had been a little more on the ball, maybe Padme wouldn't be under the influence of the Sith.

Ki quickly shot back. "Normally, we rely on the observations of local government officials in order to determine talented children, unless they are sensed by a local Jedi. Naboo has no Jedi and the local government representative was Senator Palpatine."

Mace sat up. He hadn't considered something. "Do you think its possible that Palpatine knew about her all along?"

"Why kill her then? We now know he had to be the one behind the assassination attempts," Bail said, his fists clenching.

Master Ovos shook a finger and rubbed his forehead. "If I remember correctly, sometimes latent Force-ability can be increased through strong emotional responses. It is an old Sith training technique."

Quinlan nodded. "Cute. Scare the Force out of them. Savages."

"Says the Jedi who wields Force-lightning," Ovos said with a smile. It was a dark joke. Force-lightning was caused by tapping into the dark side and was only used by the Sith. Quinlan's special emotional problems had granted him the ability to use the technique, but using it pulled him in closer to the dark side.

"All of this is very nice, Master Windu," Lindia started, "but how is this going to get rid of Palpatine, Maul, Vader and whoever the hell else wants a fight?" Ferrin nodded and wanted to give the other Jedi a hug. She looked at him with that look he was getting used to. Again, his thoughts were lashing out. He was having a very hard time controlling them.

There was an uncomfortable silence as each Jedi looked to the other for an answer. Even Bail was silent, though all he wanted to do was personally strangle all of the Sith lords that had destroyed his life.

"Korriban."

All eyes turned slowly to Ferrin, who, for once, looked completely calm. "What did you say?" Ovos asked, his eyes wide.

"Korriban, the legendary home world of the Sith. If we go there, they will follow," Ferrin said coldly. He stood up and walked over to a large flimsyplast map of the galaxy. There were several colored pins on several worlds. Blue stood for worlds that were considered "safe" havens for the Jedi; red for worlds that were too dangerous to travel to.

A modern ship would have a holographic display, but the Tantive IV was an older vessel with a proud history of service with the Alderaanian government. Ferrin traced a line with his finger along the Outer Rim. He then moved past it and then came back into the known galaxy, his finger moving from world to world in what appeared to be a haphazard method, but the Jedi could sense that Ferrin was concentrating through the Force.

His finger finally stopped. "Here, this is where it is."

"Are you sure?" Bail asked, standing up. "How do you know? Korriban has been a myth for centuries."

"Anakin Skywalker knew where it was; he's been there. If they think we're going to raid the sacred temples of the long dead Sith, they'll go nuts." He smiled devilishly at the thought.

"The dark side will be strong there…perhaps too strong for many of us," Mace said, eyeing Quinlan and Ferrin. "It is a good idea, though; Korriban is too sacred to let fall. At the very least, Palpatine will send both Vader and Maul to try and stop us."

"And Padme?" Bail asked as he looked at the map. He started calculating hyperspace jumps in his head, looking for nearby friendly worlds and trying to remember where the new Imperial patrol ships were stationed.

"It makes sense," Mace said. "That would leave Palpatine vulnerable. Dooku is dead so we will not have to contend with him."

"Then it's agreed, we will lead the Sith to Korriban and it will be there that we end this," Mace said. He just wished he was as confident as he sounded.

"I must confess," Emperor Palpatine began to the gathered nobles, dignitaries and various government officials, "that in these dark times, these times when it appears that every step forward is actually two steps back, that I get very little time to do those things which the leader of a government truly enjoys."

Mon Mothma rolled her eyes and elbowed Garm Bel Iblis. The two young senators, members of the new Imperial Senate, had been invited to this ceremony personally by the newly self-appointed Emperor. "Arrogant bastard!" she whispered.

"Did you notice that everyone here is human?" Garm asked. She looked around the room and spied a blue-skinned man in a uniform devoid of any rank insignia.

"What about him? You're still on the military appropriations committee, right?"

He nodded. "If that's what you want to call it. The only reason I'm on there is because of all of the shipyards we have. As for that guy," he shrugged, indicating he was a mystery to him as well.

Palpatine continued, raising his voice slightly, as if he could hear the whispered conversations. "We gather here today to join together the old with the new. The world of Naboo with the world of Tatooine…"

"Master, I cannot thank you enough for what you have done," Vader said as he and Palpatine walked through an empty corridor of the newly christened Imperial Palace. Two flights below them, the wedding reception was getting underway and they could hear the faint sounds of a jizz band and the laughter of semi-drunken guests.

"I do hope you young bride appreciates my gift," Palpatine said. He was wearing the black robes of Darth Sideous and was beginning to appear more and more with the hood drawn up over his head, hiding his face. Vader had sensed that there were physical changes occurring within the other man.

"A piece of the legendary Kaiburr Crystal; it will greatly amplify her abilities," Vader replied. Palpatine smiled and placed a hand on Vader's shoulder.

"Tell me, Lord Vader, why is it that you and my apprentice, Lord Maul, do not speak?"

Vader swallowed hard. It had been six months since Threepio had revealed that it had been Darth Maul who had murdered the Lars family, but could not say anything else. Shimi Skywalker had been kidnapped by the Sand People, that much had been true. "Forgive me, but it is a matter I prefer not to discuss."

Palpatine's gripped increased slightly. "My boy, I sense the anger within you. It is powerful, just as you are. I see…I see that you suspect Lord Maul of deceit, but deceit has ever been the way of the Sith."

"I know, master, but how can we trust one another if we do not at least speak true to each other?" Vader put his head down. "My doubts undermine our mission."

Palpatine snapped his jaw shut then stopped. "I can force you to tell me Lord Vader, but I shall not. Whatever this problem is, the two of you must deal with it."

Vader nodded and then tried to change the subject. "Master, do the spirits of the Sith ever speak to you?"

Palpatine's eyes went wide and then closed to slits. "What do you know of such things, Lord Vader?"

"I hear them, master, they speak to me constantly, warning me…" Vader let his voice trail off as he could see that Palpatine was getting angry.

"You will tell me immediately from now on when you hear these voices, Lord Vader; is that clear?" Palpatine was shaking with rage and had to summon his considerable strength to calm himself. The ancient Dark Lords were to only speak with the chosen successor…him. If they were speaking with Vader…well, it didn't matter. As powerful as Anakin Skywalker had been, Palpatine was much more powerful.

"Yes, my master, I'm sorry," Vader apologized.

Palpatine seemed to shrug off his dark mood. He had already divined the future. I  did not matter what the dead thought. "Come, we have a party to attend. I have a new military officer to introduce you to; he's alien but so fascinating."

"Of course, master," Vader said as they began to walk again.