Ten minutes later, Jedi swarmed in, light sabers drawn, to find seven dead Dark Force wielders, including Darth Maul, and many in need of medical attention. Fires starting in the wheeled transports were quickly put out, and the area secured, including down below.
Ash and Deirdre both receive 'bionic' left arms to replace what was lost fighting Dark Jedi, and the wounds of the others treated as appropriately. Brandi needed to have several ricochets removed from non-vital parts of her left side and rear, having barely broken the skin as she'd fallen the last time.
Mr. Scott was healed up, put on a diet and exercise regimen, while Kirk's torn shirt was replaced with a tunic; he'd missed out on the action when he'd thrown himself around Scotty during the vehicle crashes and had been knocked out for a crucial few minutes.
But as slight an amount of information as they gave the Jedi, it seemed enough to start sweeps of the under-city of Coruscant, skirmishes and small battles erupting as the Jedi turned to exterminate the numbers of corrupted brethren and the taint of the Sith, at least here and now. Coming as it did so close to the Trade Federation Scandals and their immediate loss at Naboo after the Jedi destruction of the clone facility, meant that the unusual intel regarding the future would shift back to the unknowable, though hopefully the reenergized Temple would continue to remain vigilant through this crisis that shook the known third of the Andromeda Galaxy.
"I never expected to meet any of you again, let alone directly," a young boy with his mother smiled as they entered the room with Kenobi and Jinn, "And to thank you." Xander and his group looked confused for a moment.
"I am Anakin Skywalker, and some how we are guessing that I returned to my earlier self because one of you dressed as my first master," the boy smiled at the bearded man next to him, "So I've truly been given a second chance, and can offer perspective on the Dark Side. And with my mother free from indenture on Tatooine and under the protection of the Council, I have a family on which to build a life. I can only hope that some day Luke and Leia will be born, offering a second chance there as well."
"Souls are eternal, Anakin," his mother corrected, "But whether they will become part of our family as they were? Only the Universe itself might know." The old-eyed child smiled a small smile for his mother, though in truth while he might in mind be older, she provided him with great balance in the Force and within himself.
"So what brings you to our reality?" Qui-Gonn Jinn ask in curiosity.
"It's not for the vegetable soup they serve here at the Temple," Xander responded, a bit of his old self shining through, "We managed to break free of our temporal loop, and after traveling through many alternate versions of our own world, are on our way home. We ended up here, though the particular location was not as you can imagine, of our choosing."
"Yes, your arrival, it was quite a spike in the Force for us," Jinn nodded, "And it clearly offset many of Sidious' protections, as we could feel your Opposition as well as yourselves."
"For which we are grateful, Master Jinn," Joyce added, placing a hand lightly on his outer wrist, "We might have lost many of us if you and your group hadn't been there to help us with our hurt ones." The Jedi Knight smiled, only the slightest hint of a blush showing, but enough for Kenobi to catch it and smile.
"That's enough, Obi-wan," Jinn smiled slightly but with a teacher's tone, then turned back to their visitors, "Do you have any idea of how long you will be with us? Master Yoda and the Council are fascinated by your story and the capabilities within other worlds, and as you have many Force-capable individuals in your group, are anxious to see what you've retained from our…possession of you…with your approval, of course."
"As long as we get to leave, regardless of test results," Xander says, turning to look at the timer, "when three more weeks have passed, and we must leave…" He looked to the others, all of whom indicated agreement, and turned back, looking expectantly.
"Agreed, it is," a small green being leaning on a cane indicated, walking in with Mace Windu, whom they'd met earlier, walking behind him, "Guests of Honor, at the Temple you shall stay."
"Master Yoda?" Doyle addressed the diminutively-statured one with great respect, "Will it be possible to see glories of this world while we are here? It is something that would mean much to us."
"Prisoners, you are not, lodgings this Temple is," the Master Jedi assured them, "But Sidious lurking is, so careful you must be, so these Jedi with you go."
"Excellent, Mister Yoda," Joyce beamed at him with her best Princess Diana smile, kneeling next to the small Jedi and touching his shoulder in thanks, "Thank you again for helping my family." Mace and the other Jedi braced in shock, then amazement, as the small Ancient One returned her gesture with a pat of her arm.
"Ah, warrior you might be now, but a comforter always you must remain," Yoda smiled, gesturing around, "Important it is, for those who protect, remember must they of why, and to alone they must know they are not, and your role it will be, to know this make them."
"That's very kind of you, I do what I can, especially since this dimension stuff prevents us from doing otherwise," she told him.
"Hmm, yes, if not too forward would it be your shoulder on me place, and to lunch we shall go?"
"Why Master Yoda, you fast talker you," Joyce kidded him as she placed him on her shoulder and they started to the door, "Do you treat all your guests so well?"
"Only those whose hearts are as the sun, who as I feel toward their charges do…"
"I'm taking that as avoiding the question?"
And as the bantering Master Supporters turned the corner, the rather stunned silent crowd tried to figure out what had just happened other than a lunch invite, as they heard a sound unheard previously in the Temple, the baying wheezing laugh of Master Yoda…
The three weeks proved uneventful in comparison with their entry, and they were happy to hear that Sidious apparently had fled the planet with several dozen Jedi in pursuit; the hope being that by at least keeping the devil on the run, the Republic and the Order would be able to make good use of the time before the next Crisis. Joyce, Yoda and many of the 'old-timers' in the Temple tended to gather together for breakfast and tea after the 'Lunch Incident' became known, and within that coterie, she'd loosened them up enough to where they admitted to parental, or similar, feelings toward the younger padawans and knights. Joyce revealed her daughters' Slayer destiny and what it meant, and how she was trying to deal with it, supporting and accompanying as possible, and letting them know she cared regardless of what needed doing. The older Masters had invited the Skywalkers, and when Anakin revealed how they used many of the personal insecurities, the lowered levels of kinship and brotherhood, and the simple offering of minor taboos, many including Yoda were able to draw connections to Joyce's path, and began to consider a few variations to turn this around without too sudden a stress on the existing structure.
"You're the family that takes care of all families, Yoda," Joyce pointed out, "Which is fair because in a way your Jedi family comes from all families. One of those circular things. I can understand how concentrating their training young might avoid many of the problems of having to deal with families, but if you helped find the families jobs here or around any other centers, and let them be families with their kids one day a week, you might find greater support among the billions out there who only think of you as a bunch of 'no you can't do that' types that can't remember what it's like for everyday people. And even if their parents are too old for any Force training, children also inherit other gifts, so why not make the parents be nearby? I'd think if my mechanic were untrained in the Force, then what untrained talent he had might be in his job, and more reliable than paying for services from someone else. After all, his work might be better, and since his kid might be operating the equipment, there's even less chance for evil-doing."
"Amazing line of thought," Mace conceded, "Since these get-togethers started, I've researched some of our archives and find that many times we've done this as dark undercurrents came upon the Order, causing the tiniest faults to become abyssal fissures nearly destroying us from within. But I don't believe blending the different paths into one has been tried, where the families are used to buttress, ally and connect us to the outer population. A…buffer not a wall, not turning the Jedi into family chapters, but more like the regional schools on some agrarian worlds, where the population indoctrinates itself as it educates. I think, though, if we assign Jedi to a region of space, it could in most cases mean they are in the same one as their family, but would mean moving the family with them."
"Why?" Anakin asked, finishing some fruit, "If my mother establishes herself here, as a young Jedi wanting to prove myself, I'd want some independence."
"In that case, you could be assigned to where your mother's family came from, occasionally stop in and visit with your cousins or aunts and uncles," Joyce said, "Before all of this dimension hopping happened, I was hoping Buffy could go to a university in the same city as my sister's family, that way my daughter could have her independence, but still have the comfort of family nearby. It keeps a person grounded." She met Anakin's eyes, and the group noted his sad smile and nod.
"Joyce, our thanks you have, many issues must we face," Yoda nodded sagely but with a smile, "Anakin listen to we might have, but empathized with would have not. The difference you have made, though short was the time."
"Especially, Master Yoda," Anakin's mother commented, a rarity outside of these gatherings, "As Anakin and I intend to travel with them, now that we know family of ours the Harrises are."
"New this is, explanation must be given," the Master Jedi gestured. Anakin spoke for them.
"The children of Leia are carried by Alexander's affianced," Anakin stated calmly, "And they will be strong in the Force. I never was able to know my children, but if my surrogate children will be raising my surrogate grandchildren atop a Rift of Dark Energy, I must help them to not become Dark Jedi…or Sith." Joyce look wide-eyed in realization of that possibility, then smiled gratefully at the Skywalkers.
"What about the Princess?" Joyce asked, "You might not able to come back here."
"We've thought of that, and we accept that living now is more important than trying to force a future that won't come about and achieve exactly the same results," Anakin explained, "And I've left a simulacrum of myself in the Archives, so my knowledge is not lost to the Order. As for Amidala, Obi-wan took her a communication from me, with another copy of the simulacrum. I had to say something, but I don't want any contact with her to come out as, how did Dawn put it? Stalker-Guy?"
"Yes, Anakin, I believe young Padawan Dawn did put it that way," an otherwise quiet Obiwan Kenobi affirmed, "though Princess Amidala remembered you quite fondly from our brief attack on the Trade Federation and her rescue. So at least if you part, you do so on good terms."
"Hmm, go you must," Yoda agreed, "Your family is weakness and strength, and this time start you will with them, and in tragedy if it comes, Sith you will not become." The two shortest and most powerful Jedi nodded in respect toward each other.
Three weeks of Jedi training and testing, site-seeing, and story-telling had left the rest of the group, especially those learning new cybernetic limbs, exhausted but in high spirits. The costume-granted skills, and the blessings of the gods Aldur and Eriond, had meant that even with child-bearing becoming noticeable, Dawn, Willow and Tara were accepted as Jedi Knights as though they were unable to fully demonstrate the most-stringent of physical skills, they had been able to polish up on many of the secondary skills of their characters. The Jedi Council had been impressed, which allowed them to put together a 'wish list' of items to take with them on their journey.
Xander had amazed the Council at how closely matched he was with Qui-Gonn Jinn, and was considered at Master level, and Doyle with his Belgarath and Elrond perspectives, and swept aside everyone, and possibly match Count Dooku as a saber-wielder, and able to make use of Dark methods without any real taint noticeable to the Council. He also received the same acclamation as had Alexander, the actual training of a padawan to Knight status being the only remaining requirement to become a true Jedi Master.
Ash Williams bewildered the gathered Jedi, the Promised One being able to extend around himself a bubble of non-Force, or a shell of 'Gray' Force, equal balances of Dark and Light. This anomaly was discussed, but as he seemed to have absolutely no other control or even awareness of the Force, it was set aside for later interpretation.
The others in the party seemed to have low-levels of Force capability, and the Sliders were surprised that the Slayer essence seemed to work without any connection to the Force, but seemed sensitive to ripples within it, but clearly visible to Force wielders. Kirk, Scott, Rupert, Pike, Maggie and Deirdre were calculated to tap the Force slightly as a focus enhancer, much as Joyce had suggested of her anecdotal mechanic, giving them a little extra, and getting a little more out of mental more than physical exercise, but would probably not make padawan in status even with intensive training. And with Scott and Kirk, probability seemed to focus slightly in their favor without measurable reason.
Joyce herself seemed to be able to tap enough but only in boosting her physical prowess to padawan or slower slayer levels of exertion, and seemed to have a higher level of empathy that could be felt by others. Dawn had joked, "It makes you the Jedi Knight of Moms."
The time for departure arrived, and gifts were traded, and the Temple had provided four anti-gravity freight lifters for the expanded group. Xander looked at the well-loaded cargo.
"Um, girls, what's in all the containers?" he asked, mainly of Dawn.
"Well, boy," Dawn said, rolling her eyes, "We packed our stuff in a couple of them, and we managed to get a bunch of seeds and stuff so we can grow some of the foods and medicines when we get back home."
"So at this rate instead of treasure and gadgets, we'll be farmers?" he laughed.
"No, silly, we do have gadgets, and the parts for light sabers and stuff, but yeah, we are concentrating on the nice things. Plus we have all of the paintings and scary stuff locked up back on Caprica."
"D-did you remember to get some of that Corellian tea we had the other day, Dawn?" Giles asked, drawing a smile from Deirdre as the Giles persona seemed a nice change from the Ripper years, though she could easily see her new beau as merely the same man without anger.
"Yes, Rupert," Dawn beamed, "It's not only the preferred tea for Watchers, but pregnant women as well. So never worry about us not having as much as possible on hand." Rupert smiled uncertainly as all of the females, Sliders and Jedi alike, smiled as his slight blush.
"Okay, seeing that we have seats on these too," Alexander said, breaking the moment and moving towards the inevitable good-byes, "I guess it's time we go. Get ready everyone." Individual exchanges of well-being were exchanged.
Yoda stepped up, and Alexander bowed slightly to him.
"Master, Council," he intoned respectfully, "May the Force be with you."
"And also with you," the gathering responded, to which Yoda added, "And carry with our best hopes, Jedi Council of Earth."