Chapter XXV
Riko's influence on the Wild Nomad was nowhere more apparent than in this room. What started as a simple cargo bay had become a Jedi dojo. The once bare metal floors were now padded, the boxes neatly arranged in the corner, all unneeded parts or items either sold to provide additional operating capital or tucked away in the lockers and shelves built into the wall. Everything else was gone, now it was a place to train, to meditate.
Even everyday objects within this place brought memories of the Temple to Bao's mind. The small workbench that occupied one corner was now a lightsaber forge. The components in the locker that were usually meant for repairs were now often analyzed for their potential value in constructing lightsabers, even down to a small number of stygium crystals Val kept for sentimental value. It looked as much like a Temple training room as a space on an old transport like this could. Bao felt there was no better visual representation of his apprentice's ingenuity than this place.
But now was not the time to muse over such things.
He removed his cloak and took the lightsaber from his belt, examining it again. The hilt was functional, yet elegant, with an alloy crossguard built across the emitter and a synthleather handgrip. While the weapon appeared to have been frequently polished and cleaned, there were fresh scuff marks and faded fingerprints on the metal and the handgrip. Reflecting on its history, Bao silently wondered how many Jedi had fallen to this weapon.
Bao moved his clawed finger to the activation switch and pressed it. The blade ignited, bathing the room in azure light. He lightly swung it a few times, its hum almost hypnotic. This saber felt blunt and durable, built more for strength than precision. This made sense, the wielder had favored the Outer Ring and Djem So in his fighting style. While less precise than Bao's lost weapon, it was close enough that he could adjust his technique to accommodate the new hilt's heft and shape.
Bao took a deep breath. He assumed the opening stance of the Middle Ring: holding the blade upward, parallel to his body.
He began with a few tentative swings, but then his speed increased as he gave into decades of sparring and dueling honed into instinct, his blade a whirlwind of azure light.
Yet, as his body executed the maneuvers and sequences, his mind focused intently on another task. With the adrenaline of his bladework came the Force, energy flowing through his body and reverating all around him. The mundane world receded, the hum of the blade becoming white noise, as he once again made his mind into a cave, searching for the echoes emanating from the lightsaber.
Bao felt the hilt resting upon the belt of a Jedi Shadow, one of several gathered within one of the hangar bays built into the caves in the mountains of Atarashi'ie, awaiting Master Yanas' return from her meditation. Emotions, thoughts, and other details echoed into the Force, including the Shadow's name: K'yan Makarr.
In the mundane realm, the only sounds were tidbits of small conversation and the ambience of Atarashi'ie: the flow of the waterfall, the whistling of Bra'dlii birds as they soared outward through the evening in search of food, the faint howl of the wind.
To K'yan, the Force felt roiled and tormented, the energy of this sacred temple wounded by the recent assasination of the Jedi council and the subsequent attack the mysterious Lord Asharr had delivered upon it mere weeks earlier. Having hunted down and destroyed dozens of Sith artifacts in his time, he was extremely sensitive to the Force, meaning that the shade of the recent massacre was plain for him to see.
The stone structure had been pummeled with heavy turbolasers from above, impacting the ground like giant hammers and shaking the mountain to its core. Dozens of Jedi had died, and the remainder had been evacuated. Though the bodies had been cleared, the echoes of the battle still permeated through the Force, haunting the ruins of the mountain-built structure…
He ceased his musings as Master Yanas returned from her meditations, revealing the location of the rogue Jedi Master they were hunting: a lonely world on the edge of the unknown.
Their ship landed leagues away from their Jedi targets to avoid suspicion. Accompanied by Mandalorian warriors, they steadily approached the valley. With the power of the dark side, they cloaked themselves in the Force, hiding from their quarry in the white noise of the planet's ecosystem. The sun was setting, the Jedi all gathered in the valley below. All they had to do was strike.
And so they did. With the Mandalorians capturing the Jedi's attention with their opening salvo, the Shadows drifted through the Jedi's ranks, invisible to the senses, until Master Illa signaled them to attack.
K'yan ignited his lightsaber, dispelling the illusion as he solemnly attacked a Jedi Knight, the strength and surprise of K'yan's technique quickly overwhelming his opponent's moderate swordsmanship. Within seconds, K'yan's lightsaber dealt him a mortal wound.
In the thick of the battle, he had no time to mull this over, turning his attention to a human padawan who was charging towards Master Yanas.
Rushing to his master's defense, K'yan interposed himself, blocking the padawan's golden blade. She met him with fury, her golden blade a storm as it clashed against his, her stamina and determination a surprising match for his skill. The two were evenly matched, until suddenly, she began to choke. K'yan turned to see Master Yanas, her hand extended as the Padawan collapsed on her knees, gasping for air.
K'yan had been trained to always be active in the thick of battle, to be watchful for anything and never stop for even a milisecond. Yet seeing this left him paralyzed, rooted to the ground in shock.
Master Yanas released her grip, unleashing a brief storm of lightning upon the padawan. She screamed in anguish before dropping to the ground, stunned. Before she passed out, K'yan heard her whisper one word, her voice pained as much by grief as the lightning,
"Master."
He followed the direction of her gaze and saw the body of a middle-aged togruta woman in emerald robes – whom he recognized as Jedi Master Sab'io – lying on the ground at Master Yanas' feet.
The skirmish quickly turned into a rout. The rogue Jedi Master the Shadows had been tasked with neutralizing had surrendered, he and the other surviving Adherents here were arrested.
Per Grand Master Skywalker's instructions, they were taken across the galaxy to the Shadows' new headquarters. It was a ruined palace, vast and ominous. It had once been once a place of knowledge, study, and meditation, a bastion of light. Now, the light of the temple was an illusion, a shield created by the Jedi years ago to protect the planet from the nexus' true nature.
It was saturated with darkness, with the taint of the Sith. They had turned this sacred temple into a dark beacon in the heart of the galaxy.
Tau explained that they were following the practices of the ancients on Tython. Here, in this nexus of the dark side, their prisoners – these disciples of the light – would meditate until they found the path of true balance and finally cast off the shackles of the old ways.
The Grand Master's plan hadn't sat well with K'yan, and he spent the following three hours meditating in a tower that overlooked the planet's cityscape. His lightsaber floated in the air beside him as he silently contemplated his actions, seeking to clear his doubts…
"You seem troubled, K'yan," Illa's voice caused him to open his eyes. He turned to see the Jedi Master in the doorway.
"I am, Master," he replied, moving to his feet and grabbing his lightsaber. The normally polished hilt was marred by grime and sweat, highlighted by the light of the planet's sunset.
"As Jedi, we are meant to keep the peace," he explained, "To preserve justice in the galaxy. But, now we're secretly kidnapping our own."
"There is no chaos, there is harmony," Illa quoted the fourth line of the Jedi Code, "What that means is that a Jedi must maintain the balance not just in the galaxy, but within oneself. We must be the fulcrum that keeps the galaxy from sliding into stagnation or chaos. To do that, we will sometimes have to use solutions that aren't ethically pleasing. You know what will happen to them if they stay on that path."
"Yes, I know Master," K'yan explained, "But…are you certain that this is the right thing to do?
"It may be a necessary evil," Illa lamented, "I'm not eager to use these methods either. I wish there were a more peaceful way to resolve this schism. But the simple truth is, there isn't. The Adherents are a threat to the balance, and if we do nothing, the imbalance they cause will unleash something far worse back into the galaxy.
We are Jedi Shadows," she continued, "We've tracked down a hundred artifacts of the dark side, we've seen the damage even those tiny amulets can cause. This temple we stand in was sealed to protect the planet from the dark side's influence. These are all pale vestiges of the horrors that will be unleashed if we fail to act."
"I understand, Master Illa," K'yan sighed, "I just...wish there were another way."
"So do I, K'yan," she sympathized, placing her hand on K'yan's shoulder, "But in times of crisis, we must be willing to take action. When all choices require moral sacrifice, choosing the lesser evil is our best option. Your compassion is admirable, but do not forget that the fate of the galaxy is at stake."
K'yan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting her words sink in.
"I know my duty, Master," K'yan declared, "And I shall do whatever I must to keep the galaxy safe."
Illa smiled, "You have become a wise knight, K'yan Makarr. I am so proud of you."
"I owe it all to your teachings, Master…"
Bao returned to the present. He found himself holding the lightsaber in a neutral stance: the completion of a dueling sequence. His breathing was heavy, his muscles aching. He had just finished his sparring session.
He stared at the weapon in his hand. Bao couldn't help but see traces of himself in K'yan Makarr, wondering if the Jedi Shadow reflected what Bao would have become had he agreed to Tau's plea to join his cause.
He took a minute to mourn, closing his eyes and lowering his head as he deactivated the blade.
Attaching the lightsaber to his belt, he made his way to the cockpit, finding Artoo at the controls. Detecting his arrival, the astromech turned to face his crewmate.
"Breet-Deet-Beet?" The droid asked eagerly.
"I've uncovered Tau's plans, Artoo," Bao declared, "I know what our next step is."
"Deet-Breet-Deet-Beep?" Artoo himself sounded somber as he spoke, his emotions mirroring Bao's own.
"The Shadows have been hunting Adherents across the galaxy," Bao explained, "They've captured several knights and padawans. And I know where they've imprisoned them."
"Dreet-Deet?"
"They've taken them to our ancestral home, on Coruscant. The Old Jedi Temple has been reopened."