Dejarik vs. Pazaak
The Jedi didn't know who did this. They had gathered after Frreral had found the holocron. When K'Grhuk didn't respond, the group had set out after him. It was Frreral who had found him and it quite obvious no kinrath would have killed K'Grhuk in the manner he died. Blaster fire had been apparent—as well as a broken sword. Frreral let out an anguished moan. He had failed his Padawan—and worst of all, he didn't even know who killed him. Rin and Dante had their hands on the wookiee's shoulder, trying to comfort their saddened companion.
"I should have been there", Frreral began. "I knew it was tactically sound to split up, but I felt something strange lurk around him."
"You did what we all thought was best, Frreral," Dante replied. "The valley would have closed to us if we went with more than four." They were silent for a few more moments. Frreral was saddened, not angry. That would only come later.
"I felt him die… my apprentice… my great pupil. You understand this pain, Dante."
"Yes, I do. Which is why I know that we must stay strong and our journey will reveal who has been responsible for K'Grhuk's death. I promise you, his death will not go unpunished."
"It's not the Jedi way for vengeance, but I know it is the way of the Jedi to bring those responsible for horrendous act to justice. I trust you Dante, but when I find that person, do not get in my way."
"As long as you do the same for me."
Rin only gaped at the two Jedi. "What are you two talking about? K'Grhuk has died, certainly we will find the perpetrator, but do not forget that we are Jedi. We must be impartial and maintain neutrality. We must have peace at mind. You of all people should remember that Dante, after all, you arrested Phaete."
Dante looked at Rin and nodded solemnly. "I know." He looked at the body of the Padawan and he looked up at the sarcophagus. He bent down and picked up the blade of K'Grhuk. He paused and looked at Frreral. "Do you mind?" He asked the wookiee.
"No."
Dante stood tall and firm, with the lightsaber in his hand, he ignited it, admiring the orange glow of the blade. He walked towards the obelisk that had Val Qurashi's blade and drove it into the obelisk, right above the ancient Knight's blade. Feeling that he had enough space to embed the blade within the obelisk, he deactivated the blade and put it through the rapidly cooling stone.
Frreral looked at the engraving on the sarcophagus; it read:
This tomb is in honour of the noble Jedi Knight Val Qurashi, who valiantly gave his life while defending Clan Mesa from the efforts of the Sith Lord Marko Ragnos. May others, like him, defend peace and justice throughout the Galaxy. May the Force be with you,
- Dosheo, Apprentice of Val Qurashi
The wookiee engraved a message of his own.
Here lies Jedi Padawan K'Grhuk, who gave his life to restore balance to the Galaxy. May the Force be with you,
- Frreral, Master of K'Grhuk
After they had put stones over the body of the whipid, they sealed the door, welding it shut with their lightsabers.
They had all felt hundreds of deaths throughout the Force. The Sith had arrived and had begun fighting against the village. As they left the tunnels, they made their way to the entrance when Dante scream, "wait!"
Rin and Frreral paused and turned to see him. His expression was animated with fear as he realized they walked into a trap. A cloaked figure came out from behind him and brought his disruptor to bear.
"Wait right there," came the cold voice. "Well, well, Dante Ravenmoon. So this is what you've been up to. You've certainly grown, young man." The Mandalorian had decloaked and faced the group.
Dante turned around and saw the Mandalorian. Rin and Frreral looked at the meeting and had their lightsabers in their hand. Dante's eyes became slits. "I thought you were dead."
"Oh, me? Come now, you know that Mandalorians are hard to kill. Where's your Master, boy?"
Silence.
"He's dead isn't he?" The smile could be heard in his voice. "Well that's one down, now one more to go. Too bad someone got to him before I did. Oh well, you'll do just fine."
The wookiee growled and ignited his blade.
"Don't, Frreral!" The young Knight called out. "He's extremely dangerous."
"He's correct," Hessian said. "I am dangerous. Two Jedi couldn't even kill me, let alone the one in the tunnels."
"You! You killed him!" The wookiee's rage was visible and felt throughout the Force.
"Don't try anything stupid or I will turn you into a carpet for my floor."
Dante looked at the Mandalorian, probing through the Force to grab hold of the weapon. There, he thought. He felt the small power pack within the weapon. He could hold it and pull it out the moment he needed. The young man was unarmed. His lightsaber and disruptor were still holstered.
He also felt Rin and Frreral tempted to shove the Mandalorian through the Force, but they ran the risk of Dierak opening fire with his weapon and hitting Dante. Reaching out through the Force, the young man happened to find four other additional pieces of energy waiting to be released. Mines. He sent a wave of reassurance through the Force, calming the wookiee, who deactivated his blade.
I don't like this, the wookiee sent through the Force.
Neither do I, Rin sent.
Don't worry, I've got a trick or two up my sleeve. On my signal, I want you two to use the Force and leap out of the tunnel—it's mined. Dante looked at the Mandalorian while he let his thoughts flow through the Force. "You still play Pazaak?"
"Somehow I didn't think you were the chatty type, Dante. Oh well. Yes, I still play Pazaak."
"I'm a Dejarik man, myself. Strategy appeals to me rather than just blind luck."
The Mandalorian scoffed. "That's why you Jedi won the war, you'll say next. No, Pazaak isn't luck. It's about making the numbers work and making your opponent fall three steps behind you. It's my form of strategy."
"Three steps behind you, eh?" The young man smiled nonchalantly. "I'll keep that in mind if I decide to play it."
The Mandalorian cocked his weapon, "not bloody likely."
NOW! Dante sent through the Force. He pulled the cartridge out before the weapon could discharge, while Rin and Frreral leaped out of the tunnel.
The Mandalorian dropped his weapon within an instant—a testament to his skills—and extended his blades. As he leapt towards the Jedi, he found the air explode from his lungs as an invisible hand punched him far away.
Dante crouched and used the Force to lift the four mines and whipped them right past himself. The mines were aimed towards Dierak. As the spinning discs passed inches away from Dante, its arming trigger activated, detonating as the mines hit the tunnel wall near Dierak. The explosions triggered a small cave-in. The Knight leapt out of the tunnel in time to watch the rocks crash down where he was just moments earlier.
Coughing, he tried to dust off his shirt as he noticed his companions had their blades ignited and saw a group of Sith soldiers waiting in front of the entrance. He reached for his lightsaber and activated it.
Over the horizon, a show of colours flickered as bombs and energy were being dropped on the village. Rin was devastated.
The Sith soldiers opened fire on the Jedi as each of them deflected the blaster bolts. Three soldiers went down instantly, taking a blaster bolt to the chest. Suddenly, a swift shadow flew over them along with a mechanical whine that was accompanied by explosions where the Sith line had been. It was the Thunderbolt. The ship's engines were thrumming as Sekula had the ship's repulsorlifts activated. The ramp opened up. The Jedi leaped into the ramp as the ship began to take off with four Sith fighters in hot pursuit.
"Get us out of here!" Dante screamed as he ran towards the cockpit.
"No problem," Sekula said, gritting his teeth.
The boxy freighter shook from the fire the Sith fighters were raining upon them. The freighter brought itself out of the planet's atmosphere and barrel rolled, manoeuvring against the Sith's onslaught. The ship found itself open space in record time as the Sith fighters continued to give chase to the ship. Each blast was eating away at the shields.
"Sirry! Hex! Flin! Get to the turrets and decommission those nerfherders!" Sekula called out through the ship's comlink. Suddenly there came more blaster fire, but not from the Sith. Suddenly there were some explosions followed by more blaster fire. The commandoes had pushed back the Sith long enough to get out of the system. "Where to, Dante?"
It was at that moment the young man had realized that he didn't have the coordinates to the station. "Make the jump to Zhar," he called out. At least they would have the Sith off their backs, if only for a while. In the meantime, he would find out what the holocron contained and what the coordinates to Gateway station was. "Another planet bites the dust," he muttered to himself as he left the room.
The ship escaped the small group of Sith vessels that were preoccupied with Ryloth. Suddenly the ship became a streaking star as it made the jump to hyperspace.
Dante went to Frreral, who lay in his bunk, saddened by the loss of his student. "Credit for your thoughts?" He smiled warmly to the wookiee.
"Perhaps, but I doubt I could afford it." The wookiee tried to chortle, but found it difficult to do much of anything.
"Come on, you know K'Grhuk would never let you be like this. I know his death is painful, but you need to stay strong. Justice will be carried out and we can begin to heal after the war." The young man smiled reassuringly.
"Maybe, but his death is hard. He was my first apprentice."
"Death is a part of life, it completes the circle before we return to the Force," Dante said.
"You recite the words from our training, but does it really mean anything?" The wookiee growled inquisitively and with some hostility.
"Actually it does," the young human started. "It reveals that death is inevitable and that we can do as much as we have in our lifetime to make our family and friends' lives feel all the more special because we have touched them in such a profound way. When we die, we cast this shell and move on into the Force; eager to continue enhancing the lives of the ones we love. With a funeral, it gives us some sense of closure in that our loved ones have moved on. Death also reveals some of the special parts of ourselves and it helps us realize how this person has touched us." Dante smiled warmly, letting a wave of the Force know that his empathy was genuine. He felt himself reflecting on the life of Alec and found that Alec had been a father to him that had made sure he upheld what was right and what was justice.
"Yet it doesn't stop the hurting," the wookiee mentioned.
"No, it doesn't. When we realize how the one we loved has touched us, we can begin to accept the loss and heal our wounds, allowing us to grow stronger. You're very strong Frreral, I know you will always keep the memory of K'Grhuk in your heart."
The wookiee nodded.
"Now come," the young Knight said, rising from the bunk. "We've got to decode this holocron and figure out where our next heading is."
It had been an hour after the two Jedi had examined the holocron. Dante and Frreral had found themselves taking part of the training from the holocron. They found themselves immersed in the Force and the young man once more took part in his visions. He continued to look through the Force and watched those soldiers and the dark figure. Now, he just wanted to catch some rest as he entered the dormitory.
As he lay on his bunk, Dante found himself thinking of the times he had with his former Master. As a child, he and Alec had used the Force to fling things at each other—obviously in part to teach the child about the use of the living Force—for fun. He had found that most of his memories with the Master were fond, yet there were times where his relationship with the Master was stressed—especially concerning Jade Vel. They had their disagreements, though Dante knew that the Master was looking out for the young man. Unfortunately, the Master's wisdom allowed Dante to continue his relationship until he was forced to cross blades with Jade. It took time, but the Master and Dante had worked through the sadness.
The young man continued to wonder what the mission would have been like if Alec were still alive. Perhaps he'd find the Unifier and we could restore balance to the Galaxy. No, he thought to himself. It would never be that easy. At least I still have some contact with the Master. He can point me in the right direction.
Of course I can, came the familiar voice. It's just that you have to do the legwork.
"Alec?" The young man looked around and realized the faint mist throughout the ship. "I'm asleep, aren't I?"
"What was your first clue?" The image of Jedi Master appeared and sat down at the edge of the bunk, looking at Dante as if he were a child again.
He looked at his Master, trying to determine what to say. "I, uh, had to arrest Master Phaete."
"Of course you did, Dante. That man is not to be trusted. Not by you, not by the commandoes, not even me."
"How do you know him?"
The spectre sighed before he explained. "Well, Phaete and I trained together when we were younger. We were sparring partners. He always had an aggressive streak that matched his calm demeanour. He always lost to me. He forced himself to learn all he could, eager to defeat me. He even attempted to create another fighting style entirely. They were all vain. Naturally, his campaign in Borleias was so successful, the Council in Coruscant decided to offer him a seat on the Council in the Enclave. He rushed for it. He looks at the Jedi Order as a career, Dante. Make no mistake, if he can get the upper hand against you, he will take it."
The young Knight looked at the Master with a puzzled expression. Something didn't add up. "Then why is he still part of the Order? Surely the Sith would provide a better opportunity for someone such as himself."
"Good question, my former Padawan. I do not know what lurks within his mind. Even I am not that powerful. But you, on the other hand. You almost felt him through the Force. He keeps himself shrouded in mystery, that one. Be perceptive and wary when it comes to him. Something does not add up, though I know you already figured that out."
Dante only nodded towards the Master. He looked around and found that the mist was cool and soothing. He cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to phrase his question. "We, uh—that is Rin and I—we, uh, saw the Shaman… Nazri."
"Ah, yes, Nazri." The Jedi Master smiled, as if he were caught in the pleasurable moments of his past. "I felt her come into the netherworld, if you must know. And I know you're going to ask how I know her."
The young Jedi blushed. For all the bluster that gave the Jedi the reputation of being shrouded in mystery, Dante certainly didn't live up to the idea.
Alec chuckled to himself, knowing that Dante had been curious.
"Well, did it ever occur to you that some Jedi have had relationships?"
The young man remained silent.
"Jedi may not be allowed to have attachments, but it doesn't mean that we can't have relationships. We're certainly not benevolent angels or hellions like everyone believes. We have our own humanity. You should know that better than anyone."
"I know, Master. But, she seemed to admire you greatly."
"The feeling was mutual. It would never work though, she had a devotion to her clan and," the old man pointed to himself, "I wanted to explore the entire Galaxy. I participated in the last years of the war against Exar Kun, when I was about your age. That war, like the others that have followed, has taught me much about the Galaxy and the Jedi. Shortly before you were my apprentice, it dawned on me that Nazri might have had the right idea after all."
The young man slowly nodded, beginning to understand where Alec was going with this. "So this is when you decided to sign on for the mission?"
The old man chuckled, amused at his student's naiveté. "One does not sign on for the mission. The Council chooses those who are qualified for the certain tasks that are only fit for some Jedi."
The young man sighed. He was tired and he knew that Alec had come here not to discuss the semantics of the Jedi way nor his age-old romances.
"Anyway, I digress," the old man made himself more comfortable. "You want to know where Gateway station is." He looked at Dante and realized something was troubling him. Something else that Dante didn't seem to focus on—or want to focus on. "What is it, Dante?"
The young man looked at the blue aura man and took a deep breath. "I found the way to look through to the visions."
The corner of Alec's lips tugged, forming a very subtle smile. He continued to wait, eager to hear what Dante would tell him.
The young man looked at his Master. He remembered the soft smile; the comforting assurances the Jedi would give him when he felt he failed the Master's lesson. "I saw three visions. One had a Supreme Chancellor—many years from now—gazing out at soldiers in white boarding a Sith warship."
The old man nodded, almost as if he too saw the image at one point. Dante had no way of knowing, for Alec said nothing.
"I, uh, saw another one. A man in black armour. He had slaughtered the people on the planet. I felt his pain." Dante paused for a few moments, taking in a deep breath once more. The fire had encircled him; it licked at his flesh, eager to taste him. He closed his eyes and the words left his body. "I saw myself fighting my own reflection. He had longer hair and I don't know if I struck him down. Fire broiled around us, we were both badly injured."
Alec rested his hand on the young man's shoulder. "I understand your fear, Dante."
The younger man looked up at his old mentor. "Do you really?"
He smiled warmly at the young man. "I do. At one point, I thought I was going over to the Dark Side. The Sith war had caused me a lot of grief. A lot of friends were killed. I found myself slowly giving in to the anger that built within myself." He sighed, remembering those ancient, buried memories. "After the war, many Jedi were affected heavily. The Republic also had suffered from the effect of the war. I was still a student of the Order, but I sought out other worlds with Force-users, eager to understand my place in the Force and the Galaxy—but also to see how I could best achieve a balance within the Force, in order to prevent something like that from ever occurring again. I benefited from the many different perceptions of the Force during my time."
"And now we are in another war, where we are forced to kill our brethren," Dante grimly said, lowering his head.
"True, but like the Sith war, our brethren brought it down on themselves."
Dante looked up at the man.
"I learned—after my voyages—that we all must seek to find our place within the Galaxy. Some of our counterparts had never actually learned that lesson and ultimately sought power—thinking that was what the Force willed of them. So," the old man started, looking at the young man seriously, "do you think the Force wills you to go to the Dark Side?"
Dante remembered the way he felt before the vision occurred. He and Rin were above in the spectrum of Light, whereas Nazri was walking a fine line between the Dark Side and the Light. "No," he said, looking into the eyes of Alec. He noticed the old man no longer had the scar that ran down his cheek to his shoulder. He breathed again and said it once more. "No. I am not going to the Dark Side."
Alec smiled at his former apprentice. "Dante, you are strong. But beware; I sense there is something greater than Darth Malak that threatens the Galaxy. Something elusive."