Chapter XIX

Kali'sto was difficult for Bao to read. There were subtle nuances in humanoid expression that a Trandoshan could often miss. Even after decades of practice, Bao still struggled to some extent. The distinct scents from humanoid glands that signified emotions, which he had become well-accustomed to reading, were very different in Kali'sto's case. Riko had explained that Vie'vantae, Kali'sto's species, were more comparable to plants than mammals in genetic makeup. This meant that, while the actual structure of his body was in the range typical of humanoids, his emotions and processes didn't manifest quite the same way, making it more difficult for Bao to determine what he was thinking.

"I can tell she has been badly hurt," Kali'sto noted sadly.

"The girl's been through a lot," Val explained, "She's Tau's daughter."

"I see," Kali'sto frowned, resting his head against his hand. A faint green tear began to well up in his eye.

As Bao watched intently, Kali'sto inhaled deeply, then recomposed himself and faced the duo.

"Master Kali'sto," Bao declared, "We have many questions."

"I am no master," Kali'sto replied, "I am a traveler and historian. But," he added as Bao tilted his head in confusion, "What do you wish to know?"
"To begin," Val replied, "Where have you been all this time?"
Kali'sto glanced at Val's visor.

"I have been...investigating," Kali'sto explained.

"What exactly?" Val asked.

"The Consortium," Kali'sto replied, "Much as you have, Red Wound."

Before Val or Bao could respond, Kali'sto remarked, "You've made quite a name for yourselves. Your exploits on Taris warranted a great deal of attention."

When neither Kali'sto nor Val said anything else, Bao jumped back in.

"What were you doing on Nyr'itz?" Bao asked.
Kali'sto's eyes narrowed.

"Investigating, as I said," Kali'sto replied, "Nyr'itz has seen a great deal of history. It is an ancient place, one best left alone."

"Does that history have anything to do with Tau Skywalker?" Bao asked.

Val glanced at Bao. Kali'sto glared at the Trandoshan.

"Perhaps," Kali'sto replied, "I was driven away before I could find out."

Before anyone responded, he calmly added, "I wish to check on my son. We will talk more at a later time."
"Look," Val said, "We've been searching for you for weeks, with the entire galaxy on our tail. I think you could at least answer our questions."

Kali'sto focused his gaze on Val's visor, almost seeming to stare through his armor and his helmet.
"I've been away from my child for two years, and I have spent centuries wandering the galaxy. You are not the only exile out here, Calvin," Kali'sto commented.

Val grew silent upon the mention of his birth name. Bao continued his interrogation.

"Why?" Bao inquired, "Why have you stayed out here all this time? There were many wars where the Order could have used your aid. Now, the order is on the verge of civil war. We need your help!"

Kali'sto turned towards Bao, his ancient eyes staring into Bao's own. The Jedi Knight met the ancient wanderer's glare with an attentive, yet restrained, demeanor.

"I left the Order centuries ago," Kali'sto declared, "A Jedi and his companion have no basis to conscript me to their latest crusade."

"You don't have to be a selfish rodder about it," Val replied.

For a moment, no one said anything. Bao was paralyzed by slowly encroaching feelings of shock and disappointment. Unfortunately, his doubts had become reality.

Then Kali'sto sighed.
"I mean no offense," He explained, "But I mean to take my leave of you now."
The old man turned his back on the duo and began to walk towards the door, leaning on his staff. Bao only knew that he couldn't let Kali'sto leave.

Impulsively, Bao quickly rose to his feet, declaring, "Tau was my master."

Kali'sto halted in his tracks. As Bao watched, the old man stood still in the doorway.

"He was my mentor, and my greatest friend," Bao elaborated, "And now he has fallen. Grand Master K'Kruhk is dead, the entire council is gone, murdered at his hand. The Jedi Order is under his control, hundreds of lives are at stake. We have to stop him. And I need to know why he did what he did. We need your help, Kali'sto. However you met, whatever you taught him, I need to know."

Kali'sto stood still, his head lowered towards the floor. Bao and Val waited, the Trandoshan sighing with relief even as his manus clenched the table in anticipation. He couldn't tell if Kali'sto had already known Bao's relationship to Tau, or was surprised to learn about it for the first time. Either way, Bao's revelation seemed to startle him.

The ancient traveler turned back towards the duo.

"If you need answers," Kali'sto declared, "I will show you. I will take you to the place where Tau and I first met. I hope to teach you what I…tried to teach him."

"Thank you, Kali'sto," Bao replied eagerly.

"Now," Kali'sto declared, "I take my leave." The old man quickly left the room.

Bao silently processed every word he had just uttered, every sentence in their exchange. This had been a meal of revelations, both external and internal, and the ramifications of both left Bao...shaken.

Val turned towards the doorway, quietly indicating he wished to leave. But, as he left his seat, he paused, glanced back at Bao, and returned to the table.

"That changes our plans," Val quipped, breaking the silence.

Bao forced a chuckle, which helped to ground him back in the present.

"Oh objective and rational Jedi," Bao quoted, whispering softly.

"You okay, Bao?" Val asked.

"I'm not sure," Bao admitted, "This conversation has given me…a great deal to think about."

"I don't think you're the only one with a chip on your shoulder," Val commented.

"Something does indeed trouble him," Bao agreed.

"He's probably torn up about Tau," Val suggested.

"That's certainly a part of it," Bao responded, "But something tells me there's more. I intend to find out."

"Alright," Val replied, sighing. Bao sensed reluctance and frustration emanating from his friend.

"Let us keep an eye on Kali'sto for the time being," Bao declared, "I sense there is much to unravel before we can move ahead."

Jade's sobs had subsided, her cries of anguish quieted. In place, Riko heard only a faint snore.

Cautiously, he glanced into Jade's room.

She lay upon the floor, her cheeks and clothing stained with tears. Next to her was her lightsaber, the hilt opened to reveal an empty crystal chamber. Riko looked towards her clenched hand, and noticed a faint green glow emanating from between her fingers.

"Is she asleep?" Niner asked quietly.

Riko nodded.

"What does we do?"

Riko wasn't sure. This was yet another situation where his lack of direction worked against him. He didn't know whether he should leave or stay…

Suddenly, Jade shivered, curling up on the floor. Riko knew what he should do.

"Stay out here," Riko whispered, "Okay?"
"Okay," Niner repeated.

Watching his every step, Riko slowly entered the room, attempting to make as little noise as possible. He found his way to Jade's bunk, and eyed the standard-issue white blanket that haphazardly covered it.

Riko grabbed the blanket and rolled it up in his arms. Tiptoeing to Jade's sleeping form, he carefully draped it across her. Jade grabbed the edges of the blanket, and curled up.

Riko sat down next to her, and contemplated whether he should stay by her side or leave…

GET OUT! Jade's words echoed in his memory. With a heavy heart, Riko left the room.

"Is she okay?" Niner asked.
"I...don't know," Riko replied, "I don't think now's a good time to talk to her, though."

Niner lowered his head to the floor, as did Riko.

"What is you going to do, Riko?" Niner asked.

"I'll talk to her when she wakes up," Riko replied, "Until then…"

Riko sighed, attempting to figure out what he should do next. He needed something to do, something to clear his thoughts.

The boy glanced down at his damaged lightsaber, resting upon his belt.

"Come on, Niner," Riko said, "I'm going to try and fix my lightsaber."

One he and Niner entered their familiar domain, Riko placed his primary lightsaber on the workbench. Even from a cursory examination, he could still assess that the damage wasn't too serious, most likely only affecting the emitter matrix and some of the wiring. The only tricky element would be to find some of the parts he needed: he had used up the Nomad's store of spare SW-08 plasma-intensity regulators when he had first built this weapon…

"Are you alright, Riko?"
Riko turned to see his father in the entryway.

"Hi Dad," Riko replied.

"May I enter?" Kali'sto asked.

"Sure," Riko answered.

Kali'sto entered the room, arching his back to keep his head from hitting the ceiling. As Riko watched, the old man took a seat upon a cargo crate.

Riko turned away from the table as Kali'sto looked around, asking, "Is this your new workspace?"
"I spend a lot of time here," Riko answered, joining Kali'sto upon the crate, "Mostly training with Bao or Artoo."
"Really?" Kali'sto replied, smiling wistfully, "This is quite a small space."

"I is quite a small droid," Niner observed, "And Riko is also small and skinny."
"I've learned to make it work," Riko replied.

"Did you build that yourself?" Kali'sto asked.

Riko glanced down, not even noticing that he had put his lightsaber back upon his belt.

"I did!" Riko explained eagerly, "I worked hard on it. I even built a second blade into it."
"A second blade?" Kali'sto replied, "In a hilt that small? How did you do it?"
"I managed to move the power cell into that notch in the torquedriver's hilt, there, to make room for the second emitter matrix," Riko explained.

He imagined Jade quipping they had a lot of spare parts, with a grin on her face.

Riko's feelings of excitement began to fade.

"It looks very you," Kali'sto remarked, mustering a half-smile.

"I built it right here," Riko added, "This is my favorite place on the ship. It's really handy when you need a place to...think."

Riko grew silent, sighing. He couldn't help but glance back towards Jade's room.

"I met my first love centuries ago," Kali'sto remarked, surprising him, "When I was a young man."
"Who were they?" Riko asked.
"His name was Rays," Kali'sto smiled wistfully, "He was clever, humorous, and cared deeply for his family. He was always focused on what he saw as most important. We had three years together before…"
"What happened?" Riko asked.

"I lost him," Kali'sto replied, "He died before his time."
"I'm really sorry, dad," Riko commented, grabbing his father's hand.

"In my centuries, I have met other people," Kali'sto remarked, "A hundred years ago, I was married for twenty-nine years to a charming botanist named Dal, and I loved him. But...I never quite recaptured what I had with Rays."

"Did you and Rays ever go through any problems?" Riko asked.

"When I first met him, he was also dealing with trauma," Kali'sto remarked, "He was lost, he felt betrayed. He was reluctant to trust me. I was young, and scared, as was he. However, we worked together, and became a team. Then, eventually, we realized how we felt about each other. Neither of us knew what it meant to be in a relationship, so we decided to find out together."

"Sounds a lot like me and Jade," Riko admitted, dark memories creeping to the forefront of his mind.

"What happened to you, Riko?" Kali'sto asked.
"On...that day, back home," Riko began, "I had a pretty bad experience. It took me years to move on."
"What happened?" Kali'sto asked.

"While we were running towards Tau's ship, someone attacked Jade," Riko recollected, "And I got angry. It was the first time I ever used the Force...and I almost killed them."

As he processed Riko's words, Kali'sto's eyes widened, and his hand clenched into a fist.
"I can't believe it," Kali'sto replied, "That must have been horrible."
"It was," Riko replied, "But I've made my peace with what happened. I was trying to protect Jade, and I held back before it was too late. I...have killed, unfortunately. But I never do it if I don't have to."

"That is not a choice you should ever have to make, Riko," Kali'sto replied.

"It's not the only mistake I've made, dad," Riko added, "I lost a disk with important information because I was focused on saving Jade, info that might have been able to stop Tau, if we still had it."

"This is a heavy weight to bear," Kali'sto remarked, "Especially for one as young as you."

Riko noticed that his dad's nostrils were flaring, a slight tear was welling in his eye.

"I've learned to stop obsessing over my mistakes," the boy responded, "Now I just try to learn from them."

Kali'sto placed his hand on Riko's shoulder. Then, to Riko's surprise, he lowered his head, a tear running down his cheek.

"Are you okay, Dad?" Riko asked.

"I am so sorry," Kali'sto sobbed, "I never should have sent you away. I thought Tau would keep you safe. I shouldn't have let you face any of this alone."
"It's okay, Dad," Riko assured him, "I can handle myself. And Jade's been through much worse. She's lost her mother, her dad betrayed us, and…" Riko trailed off, struggling to put the rest into words.
"What else happened?" Kali'sto asked, wiping his eyes.

Riko recalled his duel with the agent who had possessed Jade's body, the glow of their sabers clashing amidst the darkened chasm, and the surreal experience of using his bond with Jade to help her defeat the abomination that had seized control of her body…

"When you were investigating Asharr," Riko asked, "Did you ever come across any evidence of other Force-users she used? Even Jedi?"
"Her agents?" Kali'sto replied, "Yes. It was clear that Asharr was doing something to their minds."
Suddenly, Kali'sto's eyes widened. He asked, "Did this happen to Jade?"

Riko nodded.

"How did she break free?"
"I'm still not sure exactly," Riko replied, "Jade and I have a Force-bond. It's even telepathic. Well…" Riko's head drooped, "It used to be. Somehow, we managed to break Asharr's hold on her. I can't explain it. Do you know of any others like her?"
"They've been disappearing," Kali'sto replied, "I've made no progress finding them."

"Oh," Riko sighed, "I was hoping you could help me there. Jade's struggling with a lot, and it turns out...I don't know how to help her."

He glanced up back towards his father, asking, "Do you think Jade can get through this?"

Kali'sto placed his hand on Riko's shoulder, looking straight into his son's eyes with a warm, supportive smile.
"We'll help her find her way," he assured the boy, "I promise."

Within his quarters, Bao meditated, attempting to call on the Force and sorting through his thoughts as the Nomad continued through hyperspace towards their destination. Although he was naturally a being of action – usually preferring to clear his mind by practicing sequences with his lightsaber – his recovery during the last few weeks had taught him a great deal about motionless, quiet contemplation.

Though he was a trained Jedi Knight and renowned combatant, the Force had always been a thing of mystery to him, a vast, powerful ebb and flow he had been subconsciously intimidated by as a padawan. Though he had been apprenticed to one of the most powerful masters of his age, Bao had never come close to matching his mentor's prowess, and certainly never utilized any eldritch powers like Jade had in the past with her healing abilities or mental bonds, or that Kali'sto had with the flora on Nyr'itz.

Filled with anticipation at his upcoming training, Bao wasn't sure what to expect. Kali'sto had left him with as many questions as he had answered, a few of which Bao found…troubling.

Why had Kali'sto left the Jedi Order? What had made him renounce the code? He had spoken with what Bao suspected––and worried––was disdain, even loathing.

K'Kruhk would have done nothing to change us, Tau's words echoed in Bao's memory, Vader and Palpatine did the galaxy a service by ending the Old Order, by forcing the Jedi to change. We have another chance, and I won't let us become the catalyst for the galaxy to burn, not again.

Mere hours after his successful coup, the Jedi Master had stood tall within the archives and delivered an impassioned speech describing his intentions to Bao and Thalia Fel, begging them to join his crusade before tossing Bao aside and killing his former lover.

Bao had known Tau Skywalker as a kind, questioning, adventurous philosopher, a prodigy, a hero of the Jedi Order. For all the hours he had spent meditating on the subject, he still couldn't reconcile that with the obsessed, fanatical schemer that his mentor had become.

I won't let us become the catalyst for the galaxy to burn, not again…

Bao's wrist comm began to beep, disrupting his train of thought. Opening his eyes, he answered it.

"Bao, get to the cockpit," Val's voice declared, "We're almost there."