CHAPTER 7: PADAWAN YODA

Seventeen years had passed. Telon was given a two year sentence at Khal-Du-Rim but only served a year and a half thanks to the council and his own good behavior. Brignah never sat on the council again nor was he punished for his crime. There was no evidence that he was involved and despite the ill feeling he gave the council, they were never ones to jump to conclusions so he was allowed to stay. He stayed at the Temple on Coorascant as a teacher. Often, however to escape the gaze of the council he would take voyages to Malastare.

The Council filled Brignah's seat with a young Master named Erant Bahd. Master Bahd and the rest of the Council created the code and it was met with mixed emotions. Many felt that the Council's imposition of guidelines to avoid becoming to power-hungry was rather ironic in nature. They believed the Council created the code to increase their own power. Debate raged on for several years and never actually ceased until after the Purge when the Jedi were no more. When the Code was first created, formal debate took place for three years and changes were made.

One of the most controversial rules of the code was the one that demanded that a Jedi should not know love. Several Jedi were married and had families, still others planned on doing so. Some species had no trouble with the rule, their cultures had no need for amorous love, in many species, the males would merely mate and have no connection to their mate or offspring. Females of all species seemed to be troubled by this guideline. They could either bare no children or if they did bare children they would have to give them away before a bond had been formed.

The guidelines did seem rather harsh, especially to human beings. To humans, companionship is such an insatiable urge that many felt they'd rather leave the order than live a life alone. The Jedi Order was nearly torn in two. The only thing that held it together was the great Master Sarla. She went on a hunger strike to demonstrate the idea of sacrifice. She would speak of the life of the Jedi and how it was a life of sacrifice. Jedi Knight was a noble position which demanded discipline and great sacrifice. A Jedi must be committed to the peace, justice and liberty of the Republic and nothing more. Master Sarla's strike reminded everyone that a Jedi must be willing to give up everything even their life in order to secure freedom and in the end, none left and the code was accepted.

A Jedi must love all beings not just one. Love given to one being was single-minded and somewhat selfish. The greatest notion of love is sacrificing one's self for another's happiness and a Jedi's purpose was to sacrifice their self for all. While this seemed rather ridiculous to many who were not Jedi, those who had a great connection with the force understood. They were a part of the universe and their connection with the force gave them great satisfaction in easing the burden for others.

Despite all that, the Council still realized that it was natural for humans and several other species to need companionship. Master Thriknog came up with the idea of Masters training padawans. The idea was that hopefully it would serve two purposes first that padawans would get a great deal more attention and much more experience on missions and secondly that masters might relate passing their knowledge on to padawans to cease their urge to raise offspring. All agreed it was a good idea. The newest member of the council, Erant Bahd suggested that the code forbid a master from taking on more than one padawan learner. Only two; it was the only thing he seemed to be passionate about.

The darkside holocrons and the crystal stayed in the great vault untouched all those long years. The Code was put in place and the Jedi adjusted to it and most forgot about the threat of the darkside and the treachery of Muergoth; but Telon never did.

Shortly after his release from Khal-Du-Rim, Telon was accepted back into the Jedi order. A year later he took the trials and became a Knight. Occala, who had already been knighted, tried to convince him to go on missions with her. He refused.

Only one mission mattered to Telon and that was the mission of finding and capturing Lord Muergoth. Yes, "Lord Muergoth," for that was what he called himself now. He had dropped the prefix: "Master" so he would no longer be associated with the Jedi, however since the Jedi didn't really want him to be associated with them either, they quickly adopted the prefix: "Lord" as well.

Telon was determined to find Muergoth. He was hell-bent and spent many years tracking him all across the galaxy. He would only return to Coorascant every few months to rest and resupply, then he would continue his search. It became so widely known throughout the Temple that Telon was tracking Lord Muergoth that many of the padawans referred to him as "The Tracker."

Although she did not stay continuously with him, Occala, being the loyal friend she was, went with him on many of his great hunts. She'd go with him when he'd return to the Temple and go back with him to the Temple when he'd return again.

After returning from one such journey, seventeen years from the year of his sentence, Telon was summoned by Yala to a conference. Yala had told him to go to the room of a thousand fountains. Telon arrived to see that Yala was finishing teaching a group of younglings.

Yala was sitting on a rock and the children sat in a semi-circle around him. Telon knew the class was almost over because Yala was singing the song he always did at the end of any of his classes. He sang:

Times may seem dark
But light is on the way
No matter how deep night's mark
There will always be a day

Light will come for all
The darkness will be gone
For after a nightfall
There will always be a dawn

It was always funny to hear Yala sing that song. It was not written by him but he loved it. And because it was not written by him he had to talk in the fashion everyone else did.

It was funny to hear Yala sing that song and it was a comfort. He had been singing it to padawans for so long; nearly everyone in the Temple had fond memories of it. When he sang that song you knew Yala was there and that you were home.

Class ended and the children left to their next class. Yala stood and headed to talk to Telon.

"Knight Kilnu, made it you did." The small creature said.

"I didn't want to miss the song." Telon joked.

"Miss it do you?" Yala asked.

"It brings me a certain level of comfort. I can't tell you how many times I sang it to myself during my time at Khal-Du-Rim." Telon said.

"Seems to comfort everyone it does." Yala confessed.

"So what is it you wished to speak to me about?" Telon asked.

"Walk with me you should." Yala said and the two began to head toward the hallway. They then began to head down the hall toward the turbolift.

"So, we're walking. Were you ever going to get to the point?" Telon asked.

"Know you the requirements for becoming a Master?" Yala asked.

"Yes." Telon responded. "Are you asking because you forgot them?"

"No, remember them I do." Yala said. "Good it is that you know them. So know you do that train a padawan one must."

"Yes, but never more than one at a time." Telon said.

"Yes one only. Very insistent on that Master Erant Bahd was. Only two there should be he said. Sometimes stronger than a group a pair can be. Wisdom there is in that." Yala said.

"That's very interesting Master Yala, yet I fail to see how it's relevant to me."

"Fail to see do you? Wish to become a Master you do not?" Yala asked.

"Of course, I do, eventually. I don't think I'm ready for a padawan." Telon said.

"Not ready are you?" Yala asked as they entered the turbolift. "Ready you seem to me."

"A padawan is great for Knights like Occala. She and her padawan Alnex are great together but I just can't focus on training a padawan. I need to complete my mission." Telon explained

"Oh, mission, yes. Yes, important it is." Yala said.

"Yes, very important." Telon said, rather impressed he got through.

"Much more important than teaching young ones about the force." Yala said with a hint of nagging in his voice.

"I can't drag a padawan all over the galaxy." Telon said.

"Amazed you would be what we can do. Often don't want to do we, but we can. Accept your request to track Muergoth the council did not want to but we could, and did." Yala said.

"And I appreciate that. It means you understand why I have to get him. I have to make it right." Telon said.

"And so hard would it be if had a padawan's help you did?" Yala asked.

"Yes Master, you must understand, they would slow me down." Telon explained. "Even Occala slows me down when she comes."

"So why let her come do you?" Yala wondered.

"Yeah, like she'd listen to me if I told her not to come." Telon said, sarcastically.

"True that is." Yala confessed.

"I'm sorry, Yala but I can't take on a padawan now." Telon said as the turbolift came to a stop.

"Too bad that is. Chosen a padawan for you I did already." Yala said stepping off the lift, Telon following. "Break his heart you will."

"Seriously?" Telon asked, glaring at the tiny Master. "You told him already? That's pretty low even for you."

"Know what you are talking about I do not." Yala said with a knowing grin as the two moved down another hallway.

"Who did you pick?" Telon wondered, his curiosity finally getting the best of him.

"One of my species he is." Yala said.

"One of your species?" Telon asked. "What could I possibly have to teach him?"

"Know everything my race does not." Yala said as the two came to a stop outside a small door. "Only a Jedi Master could have the power to catch Muergoth. Become a Master and one you will be."

Telon puffed up his chest and prepared to spout wisdom just like every Master he'd ever known.

The door opened and out came a small green creature with pointy ears and big eyes. His hair, which was a pale brown color was cut close and spiked in the traditional padawan fashion with a ponytail in the back and a braid on the right side.

"Yoda, Master Telon this is." Yala said.

"A pleasure to meet you young Yoda." Telon greeted.

"Honored I am to be in the presence of a great warrior." Yoda said.

"Well thank you Yoda, but wars do not make one great." Telon said in his best Jedi-like voice.

Yala smiled in approval, he also smiled inside. He was proud of himself for putting together such a great duo. He knew they would teach each other many things. In that moment, he saw not a Master and a Padawan, but the future of the Jedi Order and for the first time in a while, he felt good about it.

*************************************************

In a private communications room at the south end of the Temple, there sat a platform that stood only three feet high. Master Brignah knelt before the platform as a hologram of Lord Muergoth appeared upon it.

"What is thy bidding, my Master?" Brignah said.

"Move ahead with you operations. Request to be transferred to Malestare and begin as planed." Muergoth said.

"And what of your operations, my Lord?" Brignah asked.

"I am being watched too closely. Telon Kilnu follows me everywhere. I will move ahead with my operations once he can no longer see. Once I remove his eyes." Muergoth spat.

"Do you think we made a mistake, my Lord? Making an enemy of Kilnu? I know he was merely a boy at the time but boys grow into men." Brignah said.

"Telon Kilnu is strong in the force and although he is our enemy now it will not always be so. His hatred for us grows. With each passing year he becomes more and more my servant. He hungers for power, he will join us before long or he will perish." Muergoth assured.

"Yes my Master." Brignah said. "He will join us or die. I will be in Malestare by the end of the week, I will then begin operations. Soon the galaxy will know the power of the Dark Jedi."

"No, we shall not be known by that name." Muergoth said. "I will not be associated with an arrogant order such as the Jedi. Henceforth the galaxy shall cringe at the sound of the word: 'Sith.'"