I'm really sorry that I've been so long updating, but I've been so busy of late... no matter. Enjoy!
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Tel sat and watched as members of the council strode past her, out of the main chamber, and towards the elevators. Some, such as Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi and Yaddle, nodded to her as they passed, some, such as Adi-Gallia, were too busy engrossed in animated conversation. Tel could sense great excitement radiating from them all. Masters Yoda and Windu were the last two to leave, with Jard in tow.
"Knight Tel-Aura! Good to see you again, it is." Tel bowed to the two Jedi Masters.
"Greetings Master Yoda, Master Windu. Master Yoda, how was your trip?" Yoda's brow furrowed.
"Full of danger, it was, and pain." At this, Yoda's brow furrowed, and he sighed. "But no closer, am I, to finding this powerful, evasive Sith lord.
"Masters, I couldn't help overhearing…the trials…" Tel stopped, her face turning red. Windu laughed.
"Curiosity is not a path to the Dark side, Tel, but we must practise it with caution. Yes, the boy is to face a scaled-down version of the Jedi trials, to determine whether or not he is eligible to remain a padawan." The boy beside him gulped. "Don't worry." Said Windu kindly. "I'm certain you'll pass. Remember, these aren't to be the full trials."
"I'm not afraid!" said Jard, who had straightened himself to his full height. He only came up to Windu's shoulder, but that didn't seem to perturb him. "I shall face the trials without fear."
"Good, good, this is." Said Yoda patiently, "however," here, he addressed Tel. "first, ask you a favour, I must. This boy, (he gestured to Jard), no recollection of his ordeal, he does. Hoping that you could help, we were. Regain his memories, hmm?"
Tel blinked. This wasn't what she had expected. As a rule, no Jedi delved into a fellow Jedi's consciousness unless invited. Jard obviously knew this too, because he frowned, and opened his mouth to speak. Yoda got there first.
"Remember, you must, that a padawan again, you are not yet. Therefore, do this, we must, in the interest of the Republic." Jard shut his mouth sullenly. "Now, Tel, if you would."
"Of course, Master." Tel leaned forward towards Jard, who recoiled. "I'm not going to hurt you, Jard," said Tel, making a discreet hand gesture. Jard resisted, but to his amazement, he found his will weakening. It was then he noticed Masters Yoda and Windu also moving their hands.
"For you, this is." Said Yoda, "Hurt you, we will not. This I promise you." Jard gulped, and then shut his eyes tight and let Tel place her hands on his temples.
Tel closed her own eyes, and reached out with the Force. She immediately hit a strong barrier, obviously placed there recently, presumably by the Sith lord that the order was hunting for. She concentrated, examining the wall of mentality. It was almost perfect, thick and strong, but Tel wasn't the head of meditation for nothing. She probed around with her mind, and looked for any flaws, any cracks, anything that might give her purchase on the barrier. There! A small fracture, where Jard's memories met his emotions.
Tel withdrew from Jard's mind, to see the faces of Yoda and Windu.
"How is your progress?" enquired Mace. "Have you accessed his memories?"
"Not yet Master. But I'm close. May I sit down?"
"By all means." said Yoda. Tel settled, cross-legged, on the floor of the chamber. She then guided Jard, who was complacent and docile, in to a sitting position. Using the force, Tel lifted them both a couple of inches off the floor. Then she delved into Jard's consciousness once again.
This time, she visualised the domain of the mind around her, a swirling mass of colour, and there was the barrier, a wall of black. She delved downwards, towards the rupture. As she hovered in front of it, she reached out with the force. The crack quivered, then widened, allowing the blinding light of Jard's memories to shine through. Slivers of light criss-crossed across the surface of the barrier, like a shining web. These cracks, in turn, widened and spawned more breaks. Finally, with a flash of brilliant white, the blockage around Jard's memories writhed, twisted, and blew apart, leaving the memories free to roll into the rest of Jard's mind once again. With a racing heart, Tel dived into the recollections.
Darkness…endless darkness…a sea of black…the world of the unconscious mind. Jard remembered the battle, he remembered Yoda, he vaguely remembered other padawans struggling around him, but the drug was still seeping through his system and he was drowsy. Then he remembered…
"AIDEN!" He woke himself up, his yell of anguish reverberating throughout the dank chamber he found himself in. He had a brief glimpse of the bands that shackled him to a table, before…PAIN. He writhed, screaming, his very essence on fire, and wished he could end it all right then and there. But through the pain, he sensed another presence, a presence more powerful than he had ever felt before, except maybe from Master Yoda. He saw blue fronds of lightening crackling around his torso and yelled, his face covered in tears. His eyes rolled and closed, then snapped open as another wave of lightening caught him up. He shrieked, and struggled, wanting nothing more than to end the pain, end the suffering. Then he glanced at the darkness and saw the face of his tormentor.
"Master?" Tel swayed, stunned, and her heart went out to Jard. She was about to go deeper, when her consciousness was caught up in a mental trap. She screamed soundlessly, before being hurled out of Jard's mind.
Master Yoda had been sitting in a meditative position beside Master Windu when she heard Tel speak. His head snapped up, his eyes flew open, just in time to see Tel's brow crease into a frown. Her face twitched once…and then with a flash of light, she was picked up and hurled upwards! Yoda bounded forward and slowed her fall with the Force, but if she still hit the ground at the speed she was going she would break her neck!
Yoda yelled, in genuine fear, at exactly the same moment as Mace Windu came flying through the air, caught Tel around the middle, somersaulted, and landed safely on his feet, the dazed Jedi in his arms. Yoda hurried forward.
"Sorry, I am, my friend. Stop her fall, I could not. Blocking my force perception, something was." Mace smiled, the jump having not even phased him.
"The same thing happened to me. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't. So I had to catch her instead." At that moment, Tel gave a gasp, and opened her eyes. She wailed and struggled to break free of Windu's hold. Mace put his hand on her thrashing head.
It's alright, Tel. We're here, Master Yoda and I.
Tel stopped moving and went limp. Master Windu gently lowered her to the floor. Tel's eyes fluttered open.
"Masters…" she whispered, "that boy…has…suffered great…pain! Yet…" she shuddered, but continued. "he stood…strong. Even in the clutches of…the dark side…he never…disclosed…information about…the…order!"
"Easy, Tel, easy." muttered Windu, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be right as rain in no time…" He closed his eyes. Yoda felt the force stir around Mace's hand and then pour down the master's hand into Tel, restoring her to her natural vitality. The knight shook herself, then blinked at Windu.
"Master?"
"Had a bit of an accident, you have." said Yoda soothingly. "Saved you, Master Windu did." Tel started.
"JARD!"
Yoda whirled around, as did Windu. Jard Dooku was lying on the floor, his face grey, the rise and fell of his chest just discernible. The three Jedi were at his side in an instant.
"It was a delayed defence mechanism," said Windu, "it activated when you tried to infiltrate his mind. Now…" he placed his hand on the youngling's forehead and closed his eyes. "Yes, the barrier has re-established, and I don't think it will be so easily broken this time."
"What did you see?" Yoda asked Tel. She shuddered.
"That which I hope never to see again. This boy has been tortured, Masters!"
Windu and Yoda blanched. Then both of their faces hardened.
"Still out there, our padawans are. Killed, many were, in the attack. We will retrieve them. But first…" Yoda gestured towards Jard, who awoke with a start. "…There is the matter of your trials!"
Sighing, Windu put a hand under Jard's arm.
"On your feet, Jard." He said kindly. "You know we can't train you or help you in any way for the trials, but the Archives of the Jedi are open to you. I hear from Master Ki that you are studying the old fencing style of the lightsaber? Maybe it can help you." Jard nodded, bowed to the two masters and headed towards the elevators.
"And Jard?" Jard turned. Master Yoda and Master Windu bowed to Jard Dooku. They spoke in unison.
"May the Force be with you."
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A/N: This has just occurred to me, I know that some of the Jedi Masters (Adi Gallia, and possibly Ki-Adi-Mundi) are supposed to be younger than Dooku, but please go with me on this. Nobody's perfect, right?
