The Devourer
They left Dantooine's orbit and made the jump to hyperspace as soon as the last carrier came onboard.
Judecca spoke not a single word to anyone she passed on her way to her chamber other than to order the ship back to Obroa-skai. Entering her chamber, she leaned back against the wall, sinking into a sitting position on the floor.
Everything was wrong. This had meant to be her greatest day; to destroy the Temple that had betrayed her, kill her master who had failed her, claim the artifacts (There's two now?!) that would've given her all she needed to achieve ultimate control.
All ruined by Uriel. Damn Uriel.
She was taken out of her thoughts by the chime of the comm. Getting to her feet, she trudged over to the console.
Phagos's channel. Her heart dropped as her breathing quickened. How? How could he possibly have known? The Gravehound and Lamia were dust in Dantooine's orbit now, and surely no one onboard the Devourer would've dared defy—
Judecca hissed. Damn Mandalorian honor.
Left with nowhere to go, she reluctantly answered the call; her master's visage came into focus.
"Master," Judecca began meekly, fighting back her disdain at her tone, "The Devourer is en route back to Obroa-skai as we speak—"
"The Devourer should not have ever left Obroa-skai," Phagos interrupted, "Need I remind you that Thavid answers to you only insofar as you speak and act on my behalf."
"Yes, master, I understand." Her self-loathing rose further.
"You will bring the Devourer to Dromund Kaas immediately. Seeing as how too weak and unfocused you seem to be, I'm personally taking command of the Obroa-skai invasion. You are relieved of your command and will likewise fall in line, Lord Judecca."
Phagos's image flickered away. Immediately, Judecca let out a wail and slammed her fist into the monitor on the closest wall, the strength of her blow shattering the screen. Her cries of rage grew ragged as she watched the blood stream down her wrist and forearm and trickle off her elbow, taking a twisted serenity from the sight and feeling.
Damn Phagos. Damn Thavid.
Damn Uriel.
Dantooine
As soon as she saw the light, Adrielle shut her eyes again, before relaxing her lids, allowing the light to brighten the darkness behind them. Finally, when she felt accustomed to it, she opened her eyes slowly.
"Welcome back," a gentle voice said.
Orrickos, Uriel, Reena, and a Mirialan Adrielle could only assume was the Jedi doctor stood around her.
A few seconds passed before it all came rushing back to her. She sat up abruptly before sinking back down, immediately regretting it.
"Easy," Orrickos said, "Don't force it."
"Wh… T-Temple… Is it…"
"Safe," Orrickos assured her, "We fought them off. You've been out for close to two days. What's the last thing you remember?"
Adrielle racked her memory. "An explosion. While Reena and I were trying to get to the Temple." She turned her gaze to the Twi'lek pilot. "You okay?"
The concern on Reena's face quickly gave way to a smile as she nodded. "Just a scratch," she said, pointing to the bandage that diagonally crossed over her left brow.
Adrielle looked at Uriel. "And… the Harbinger? Still safe?"
"Oh yeah, definitely," he replied, tapping his chest.
Adrielle's eyes widened, which she immediately regretted as she grimaced and let out a small pained moan before continuing. "How? When?"
"During the battle. Guess the Force decided that I needed the extra help." He steered the topic back to her. "But you. You remember absolutely nothing after that explosion?" Uriel asked.
Adrielle shook her head slowly to avoid the nausea returning.
Uriel and Orrickos exchanged glances.
"I've been around the two of you long enough to know there's something else," Adrielle said, "What happened?"
"We'll explain more once you're out of that bed," Orrickos promised, "But first, Uriel and I will need to discuss something"
. . .
Once Master Senra (the Mirialan healer) had deemed her well enough to discharge her, Adrielle joined the others in one of the communications rooms.
"I don't even know where to start, Lieutenant," Orrickos began, "We owe you and your father everything. For warning us, for sending aid. This Temple would've fallen if we'd had to fight alone."
"You don't owe us a thing," Karm said, "Just doing our duty as soldiers, and as friends."
Uriel bowed his head appreciatively. "Still, first rounds are on Reena next time we meet."
"Hey!" Reena interjected.
"I can hold you to that," Karm conceded with a laugh.
"And trust me," Orrickos said, "We'll be having a chance to repay the favor real soon."
"Yeah, Uriel told me. Well it'll be good to have three Jedi and a pilot out here with us."
Adrielle's focus immediately turned to Karm. "Wait wh—"
"And it'll be like old times!" Uriel said loudly, cutting her off. "Just be expecting us. We'll be there soon."
Orrickos ended the transmission. Adrielle immediately turned to him.
"What did he mean?"
"Yeah, that's what we need to talk about," Uriel began. "Master Orrickos and I discussed it, and we decided…" He glanced back at his master and sighed. As with all things, as the Force wills it, he resigned to himself, as he continued: "We've decided it would be for the best if we began formally teaching you the Jedi ways."
A silence. Then…
"No."
"I'm sorry, Adrielle, but there really is no other cho—"
"Yes there is I just chose it, no."
"Listen to me," Uriel cut in, "You're in this for the long haul. I know this sucks, you didn't ask for any of it, trust me I sure as hell didn't ask for any of this either, but this isn't just about you."
"But you guys already have a Harbinger of your own!" Adrielle pointed at Uriel. "You know where the third one is, you two would be more than capable of getting it."
"Adrielle—"
"You told me," she continued, cutting off Orrickos, "You said the plan was for me to learn to control my senses and suppress my power so I can go back home and live my life under your protection but relatively normal."
"Things have changed!" Uriel shouted, cowing her.
Adrielle looked at him accusingly. "What's changed?"
"Look, near the end of the battle you…" Uriel thought out his words before continuing. "You were fighting. You were fighting like I'd never seen you fight before, fighting in ways you had no business being able to fight… You were fighting like a Jedi." He took a couple steps toward her. "When I fought Judecca, she nearly killed me before the Harbinger gave me the boost I needed. Ever since then, I've felt my powers grown stronger, more refined. But you… Your Harbinger affected you far more radically than any of us thought. This goes way beyond being able to sense thoughts and feelings. You have real power. And power like that untrained, unrefined, or worse, refined by the wrong hands, can leave terrible things in its wake. Trust me… I've seen it."
Adrielle knew he had. "I'm… I'm nineteen years old. You guys only take infants. Trust me I know, I had a classmate who wasn't really a big fan of you guys."
"Normally yes," Orrickos answered, "But in light of what we've seen, this is the only real safe choice I can see."
Adrielle sighed. She knew a losing battle when she saw one. She looked up at Orrickos again.
"So how will this work?"
"Same as it's been, no need in unnecessary changes" Orrickos said, "But now it'll be official."
Wait. But that would mean…
Adrielle looked at Uriel, who had a resigned look on his face. "You're okay with this?"
"Okay or not okay is irrelevant," he answered simply, trying his best to conceal his true feelings on the matter. "The Force wills it, so it'll be done."
"But… you're sure? Even after what happened with…" She left it at that just in case.
"Janiah failed me, nothing will change that reality," Uriel said, his voice hard, "But you won't. You can't. This is too important for failure. We'll find the Harbingers, protect them, and we'll stop Phagos. There is no alternative. Do you understand?"
Adrielle took a breath, spreading her feet apart to stay standing as she felt everything spinning out of control. No; everything was spinning out of control. She looked at the two Jedi.
"What about my family?"
Uriel nodded. "Don't worry. We won't separate you from them forever. But you probably won't be seeing them for a while, both for your protection and for theirs."
"And if you have any doubts about doing this, just think of them," Orrickos advised, "Normally we Jedi are taught to prevent any attachments, but that ship has long since launched for you. All you can do is turn it into a driving force for the light. Uriel will be there to help and guide you, you have our word."
Her objections answered, Adrielle sighed and looked at the people around her.
"I'm in."
The path of the Jedi was renowned or notorious (depending on who you asked) for being so centered on personal sacrifice and embracing the pains that the rest of the galaxy would fight, suffer, even kill to avoid.
And for Adrielle, the first sacrifice she would have to endure was having to subject her hair—one of her definite prides—to the atrocious "Padawan braid" as part of the induction ceremony, which she was almost certain was done by the Jedi with the full knowledge of how hideous it was, either as a lesson in humility or against vanity, or maybe a really elaborate hazing that ended up taking off beyond expectation. But the fact remained, that it was a style she would never have considered on her own free will.
Many things these past few weeks had been things she would never have chosen, had she had a say. But as she'd come to learn, as she glanced up at the Master who was showing her how to do the braid, there really are so few things where anyone truly has a say in.
She looked at herself in the mirror. This definitely wasn't where she ever thought—or wished—she'd find herself in life. But she'd also come to realize over recent time that sometimes, in fact many times, control was just a comfortable fantasy people took refuge in to make life easier, and that the only true control any of us have is in how we control ourselves and what we decide to do in this uncontrollable universe.
But that unfortunately was a reality and a discussion that too many people in the galaxy were not yet prepared for. And so until then, it would fall to them—to the Jedi—to do all they could within the Force's will, to uphold that peace to allow them to carry on their necessary self-delusion. And now, she too had been chosen to aid in that mission. And the first task of that mission had already presented itself. She would return to the place it all began and begin her life as a guardian of peace and justice.
Giving one last glance at herself in the mirror, Adrielle Lunan stood and made her way out of her chambers, to where her master was waiting.
Star Wars: The Harbinger Quest
To Be Continued...
