They flew to the remainder of the journey to the Jedi Temple in silence; Bastila barely registered the majestic building looming up in front of her, as the two walked briskly to the Council chamber. Hestra reasoned that Bastila would be here again in time, and perhaps then she would have something to say. To be honest Hestra was worried about what the High Council had planned for Bastila, the young Padawan was already in a state, what the Council had in mind could only make it worse.
The corridors of the Temple were filled with Jedi, young ones rushing around late for lessons, the older ones were chatting about the War. Bastila tried to eavesdrop on their conversations as she walked by, listening for some sign of Revan. Nothing. Suddenly an old familiar feeling was creeping up inside her.
"Well here we are. You know Bastila, once we go through these doors, life is going to get a whole lot harder" said Hestra, turning to face her Padawan, gauging her reaction
"Humph, I don't think it can" Bastila muttered, a faint, sad smile flickered for a second.
Hestra nodded, she understood. The doors to the Chamber slid open.
The Force in this room swirled like a whirlwind, each of the Jedi Masters emitting a strong aura of the Force. Bastila felt naked under their gaze, as if they could feel her emotions and read her thoughts.
"Welcome Padawan Bastila. It is an honour to finally meet you"
The voice came from a Master, whose hair was tied back into a rather fashionable ponytail.
"It is honour to finally meet you too, Master Zez-Kai Ell"
"Please just call me Zez"
Bastila looked over the row of the Masters sitting in front of her. She had never seen them before, but had hear tales of their wisdom and skills in combat. Here, sat before her, was the pinnacle of the Jedi Order.
"So Padawan Bastila, this is your first assignment. Are you nervous?" asked Master Atris, her piercing blue eyes giving Bastila the once-over
"Ummm..."
"It is common place to feel nervous on your first time out, and especially in our presence" said Master Zez, winking
Bastila smiled and nodded.
"Well Padawan, your taskis fairly simple as the Council on Dantooine has told you. As you should know we are sending you and Master Hestra to the spice mines of Kessel. You are simply playing the role of ambassador, to ascertain and solve the problems between the two clans on the planet" explained Atris, her eyes still searching Bastila
"Kessel is surrounded by black holes, so I doubt the Mandalorian Wars will affect you in anyway, while you're there" reassured Master Kavar
"To help Master Hestra navigate of course, we have obtained this navigation chart which we hope will be of some use" said Atris, nodding towards a service droid which carried forth a datapad.
"The two warring clans on the planet, haven't been at each others necks for a few generations and we would like to know why they have begun their pointless feuding once more" said Kavar
Bastila nodded, "We...uh...I...um...we, we shall get to the bottom of this my Masters"
Their was a mumur of approval from the Council, "May the Force be with you, young Padawan" said Master Lonna Vash
Bastila bowed low, and headed for the exit, and then realised Hestra hadn't followed suit.
"Wait for me outside Bastila, I want a word with the Council" said Hestra, nodding towards the exit.
Bastila looked towards her, questioningly, confused, but turned back round without question.
"Hold on Bastila. I'll keep you company" said Master Zez-Kai Ell, escorting Bastila out of the chamber.
Hestra turned to face the Council, "This was a bad idea Masters, to wait and tell her this now. I have had her practicing it without her knowledge, she believes it was just all part of the Jedi training. It was even worse to have her keep control of Revan, it obviously didn't work"
Kavar leant forward, "Well we stick by what we said, and perhaps it is for the best. If she had known, she could have very well gone off with Revan on this damn, fool, idealistic crusade"
"In this case Masters, I don't agree, in this case the end does not justify the means" said Hestra, perhaps too sternly
"This is not open for debate, Master Hestra, I thought we had all settled this years ago" said Atris
"Perhaps then it is time the Council was replaced"
Hestra looked round, it wasn't her who said it.
"Ahh, Master Kreia. You have arrived earlier than we expected" commented Atris, a note of coldness seemed to have entered her voice.
Kreia walked briskly into the room, "And none too late either. Were you going to expel Hestra too for disobeying the sacred Jedi Council? Don't tell me you're manipulating another poor unfortunate soul?"
Kreia stood next to Hestra, but didn't meet her gaze, and continued to look towards the Council, "It was the same with Revan, and it is the same with Bastila. You have mainpulated both of them, believing you can control them, and stop them from learning the truth about the dear, corrupt, Jedi Order. The one thing this War has shown, is that the Jedi are no longer in control of the galaxy, the power with which to govern planets is slipping through your fingers. You lot, believed you had the right to withold information, information I might add that may have prevented all those Padawans and Knights from following Revan into War. I doubt they even told you, Hestra?"
Hestra, realising she wasn't breathing gulped down some air, and turned hesitantly from Kreia, to the Council and back again.
"No I didn't think so" Kreia said, her voice not losing any of the steeliness, and took another step towards the Masters
"We stand before our decision now, as we did back then" said Kavar
"Humph, then so much for the wisdom of the High Council. I see that Master Bindo has left your side, Kavar, willingly I hope? Or was he forced out, like all the others into Exile?"
"Enough, Kreia. This meeting was to be about you. Not about the War, and not about Revan" said Master Vash, as if to signal that her word was final
"Perhaps, but then we reach the same conclusion either way. The hypocrisy of the Jedi. You do realise at this point in time, you are no better than the Sith, it's all about control, and power. Too scared that someone like Revan, Bastila or even Master Bindo is going to take it from you"
"Master Kreia" said Atris, standing up and drawing forth her lightsaber, "You are hereby expelled from the Jedi Order, for your heretical beliefs. If you are so much as caught trespassing within these halls, then your life is free game. Now hand over your lightsaber"
Kreia laughed. Hestra, her heart now racing, backed away slowly, taking note that the other Masters had begun to move forward, their lightsabers ignited.
"I am afraid, dear Atris, that where I am planning to go my lightsaber will be needed" Kreia unhooked her lightsaber, the green light casting back the shadows from her face, hidden under the hood.
- - -
Bastila and Zez-Kai Ell were walking past the training grounds in the Jedi Temple, nary a word uttered between them. Zez was content to let Bastila think quietly.
In fact Bastila wasn't thinking about anything, other than wondering when Master Zez was going to talk, she could see that he was waiting for the right moment to tell her something.
"Master?"
"Bastila?"
"Is there some reason, why were walking through the Temple?"
Zez smiled at the beautiful face staring inquistivly at him, "Well...tell me Bastila, Master Hestra says you have proven very well versed in the Jedi history, have you ever heard of Battle Meditation?"
"Battle Meditation? Um, I might have come across it"
"Hm, I don't blame you for not knowing, it's something that rarely crops up in the Jedi Archives. Battle Meditation, is when a Jedi is able to channel the Force into another either encouraging them to fight on or to flee, so to speak. It takes years of practice to perfect, as most things do in life"
"Master why are you telling me this?"
"Well Bastila, you have that ability"
Bastila stopped walkingabruptly, "I – I have that ability?"
"That's right. The High Council sensed it in you since you were a small girl"
"So – then why hasn't anyone told me?"
Zez let out a deep sigh, and shook his head, "We should have done a long time ago. However, the High Council thought it would be best if you didn't know, afraid that the power might go to your head"
"But – did Hestra - "
"Don't you remember those lessons in the Meditation Chamber on Dantooine? Have you never wondered why you were the only Padawan allowed inside?"
Suddenly Bastila was overcome by a mix of emotions, confusion and anger, as the realisation of it hit home.Why hadn't they told me this before? Bastila thought, There must be more to this than his telling me.
"There's something else isn't there? Something you're not...the War? You didn't tell me, because you knew that there would be nothing stopping me going with Revan"
"Listen, Bastila it's not like that - "
"But you couldn't have known events were going to turn out that way? Unless you made sure Revan bumped into me in that corridor. Those other younglings that were expelled because they threatened me...they weren't Jedi. They didn't even know how to use a lightsaber. I knew I never saw them before...the Force was but a speck in them"
Zez took a step back. This is what the Jedi Council had feared would happen, but they knew the Padawan had to find out sooner or later.
Bastila was fuming, all the anger she had bottled up, the anger surpressed by her feeling of loneliness, came erupting to the surface. She could have gone with Revan if he knew, only if he knew that she had this power, but the Jedi had made sure he didn't. Her hand crept towards her lightsaber
"Bastila, we were frightened that the idea of power might go toyour head. We had already lost Exar Kun, we didn't want the same to happen to you. We promised your father, it wouldn't happen to you" muttered Zez
Her hand stopped, just above the hilt, "My – my father?"
"Yes Bastila. Your father knew you were special, but he was also scared that you would turn into another Exar Kun. So we had to stop you from knowing, we thought you might understand if it was your fathers last wish for you before you left" Zez placed a hand upon her shoulder and turned her to face a training room, "You see those two Padawans in there. Try it. Try your Battle Meditation. The Padawan on the right is losing, you maybe able to tip the scale, Bastila. Try it"
The thought of her father begging that the High Council made sure she didn't turn to the Darkside, made her well up inside and her anger dissapated. Bastila took a deep breath and sat down to meditate, like she had been taught by Hestra in the Meditation Chambers on Dantooine.
Bastila could feel a sense of peace washing over her, and reached out with her feelings. The Temple around her, suddenly came alive with activity, the Force felt like an explosion within her. She concentrated and bore her bearings down to the Training Chamber. She could see the two Padwans fighting, and how strongly the Force flowed within the Padwan that was winning. Bastila reached out to the weaker, and was suddenly pulled away as if the Force was tugging her in another direction.
Suddenly, she was within the Council Chamber, she could feel her Master's presence. Hestra was standing in the corner, but something wasn't right. She could feel the strong Force aura emitting from the other four Masters, but they were channeling their Force into combat and standing before them – Kreia. Bastila had remembered her presence when she used to be with Revan. Revan. His name once againopened a floodgate of emotions, and Bastila fought to regain control of her meditation. Kreia, like Hestra, was the only other person that looked after her and understood what she was going through when Revan had left, and now for some unknown reason the High Council was going to kill her. She couldn't allow it,especially after what had just happened.Not caringwhether any of the Masters would ever able tofind out,Bastila concentrated even harder, channeling her Force power into Kreia.
- - -
Kreia was backed up against the wall. She had put up a valiant fight, considering there were four of them against her. The four Jedi Masters circled.
"You can't win Kreia. Hand over your lightsaber, you are already expelled we won't kill you" reasoned Kavar, not lowering his defense.
Kreia smiled in response.
"Forget it Kavar. You can feel the tint of the Darkside running through her, as well as I can" said Atris, moving forward
"I am afraid, my fellow Masters, I can't stay around to chat. I have to have a word with Revan, before he leaves the Norad System" said Kreia, and she swung her lightsaber to block Kavars strike to her waist. Spinning to the right she blocked Lonna, as her lightsaber came crashing down. Kreia knocked Lonna back, parried Kavar's blow and Force Pushed Atris into the Council seats. She leapt over Kavar, blocking his strike upwards, and landed next to the large Council window, facing out to the passing traffic. As Kreia spun round to face the Masters, her lightsaber struck the glass, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The wind rushed through the room, Kreia's words barely audible over the sound, "I'll tell Revan you said hi" and like an after-thought she said, "Goodbye Bastila"
- - -
Kreia leapt out the window and into the traffic.If she survived or not Bastila would never find out, as Kreiadisappeared from Bastila's vision. Bastila sighed deeply and opened her eyes. Zez-Kai Ell looked down towards her, a grin on his face, "I'm afraid Bastila, the Padawan lost. Ah well never mind ey, maybe next time you'll be better". Bastila smiled back and nodded.