The Trials of Mand'alor

Chapter 10

The Jedi High Council

Xerxes gazed out one of the bulkhead windows of Tai's Defender class ship into the churning energy of hyperspace. They had been traveling to the Jedi planet of Tython, which was in the Deep Core, for almost three days. After having Tai give him a crash course on the Jedi Code just hours ago, Xerxes began reflecting upon all he had done before leaving Mandalore for his first real trip into the Galactic Core.

Leaving L'gann in charge of things while he was gone had been a clear choice since he had already been in charge for the past eight years. Xerxes had decided to leave all of his designs for ships, weaponry, and other inventions with Taggart knowing he would not only take care of them but that he'd also try to improve upon them and maybe attempt to build some of them. Saying goodbye to Akiza had been the hardest part, mostly because he had no idea what would happen between them after this. She had decided to give him some of the Krayt Dragon leather she had leftover from her hunt on Tatooine as a keepsake, but leaving her after becoming extremely close still left an incredible aching in his chest.

Xerxes decided to turn away from the window and made his way towards the bridge of the ship knowing that they would be arriving at Tython soon and to the next part of whatever life had in store for him.

…

Tython was a particularly verdant world with several continents separated by oceans and seas. Covering the land were low plains, rolling hills, deep canyons, and mountains that appeared to reach up towards the two moons that orbited the planet. Upon stepping down off the ship, Xerxes immediately felt how rich the planet was in the presence of the Force. It felt so different from Mandalore that it was almost staggering and it was no wonder that so much life could be found growing on the planet's surface. Xerxes observed his new surroundings in awe. He was so captivated by it that he didn't notice the burly looking man approaching him and Tai from the Jedi Temple's gate.

"Well, you've been gone for a while, Master Zhan. How's everything going in the Mandalore sector?"

"About the same as it's always been with a few small changes here and there." Tai casually responded and handed the man a datapad. "Here's the passenger and cargo manifest."

The man took the datapad from Tai. He was a fairly tall man of dark complexion and a bald head. Xerxes guessed he may have been middle-aged. He glanced at Xerxes briefly before letting his eyes scour over the datapad. "I see you've found another one to bring along." He said.

Xerxes couldn't help but respond automatically. "Excuse me?"

The man looked up at Xerxes and stared at his helmet's visor in contempt. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I offend you, little man? You got a problem with me?"

Xerxes briefly was taken aback. He'd forgotten that he might not be accepted among the Jedi. He wanted to make a good impression. He chose his next words carefully. "No, of course not." He said while adopting a more casual stance. "I just didn't understand what you meant by another one?"

"Another Mandalorian." The man said gruffly. "Not sure if Tai here mentioned it to you, but he used to pal around with another one of you back in the day."

"I know. He was my father."

The man paused, folding his arms while seriously inspecting Xerxes more intently. "So, you're the son of Mand'alor?" His gaze began scanning Xerxes up and down. He eyed the visor as if he could see through Xerxes' helmet. Xerxes suddenly became aware that the man was feeling him through the Force. He wasn't sure he liked it. "You got any weapons you've brought with you?" He asked Xerxes.

"A few things. My shotgun, some basic Mandalorian armaments. Nothing fancy."

"Well, I'm gonna have to ask that you leave any firearms you have with you here at my security station during your visit." Xerxes couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated with how he was being treated. "Now don't give me that look boy, I'm not singling you out. I just take my job as head of security very seriously." His gaze shifted over to Tai. "Even if no asked me if I wanted to do it."

Tai's calm voice reverberated through his mask. "Are you saying you don't want the job?"

"It's not that. The whole thing just feels like 'Hey, he's a big, scary, black guy. Let's make him in charge of security. No one will want to mess with him.' You know what I'm saying?"

Tai's smile could be heard through his voice. "And so far, no has messed with you yet."

"Damn right they haven't." The man said placing his fists on his hips as he turned back to Xerxes. "Your weapons, boy."

Xerxes removed his shotgun holster, jetpack, and rockets and handed them to the head of security albeit reluctantly. "Thank you." The man handed Tai back his datapad. "Everything looks to be in order. You're cleared to go in." He once again turned to Xerxes. "Just go about your business and don't cause any problems for me, got it?"

"Yeah, alright."

"Good," Tai said while guiding Xerxes towards the gates. "We'll see you later, Farell."

As they left Farell, passed through the gates, and began walking the twisting paths up the hills towards the Jedi Temple Tai explained to Xerxes, "You'll have to forgive Master Durron. He's always been wary of unexpected visitors. I guarantee that not everyone here will greet you as coldly." Xerxes certainly hoped not.

Once inside the Jedi Temple, Xerxes stared in great awe at the splendor of the Temple itself. It was a great and spacious building made of what appeared to be a marble type stone, with many large statues depicting Jedi of the past with a fairly large, but simple fountain in the middle of the atrium. Xerxes was so distracted by it all that he, once again, didn't notice the people around him until he was tripping over one of them.

"Hey! Watch it kid!" came a voice from near his waist area. Xerxes spun around, catching his footing, as he almost toppled over a Bimm, a short, furry, bipedal canine-like species. This particular Bimm had brown fur, with long pointed. He also wore the robes of a Jedi. The look on his face was one of frustration as Xerxes had bumped into him. "Geez, you'd think being as tall as you are, you'd be more aware of your surroundings."

"Sorry," Xerxes said. "I didn't see you there."

The Bimm looked up at Xerxes. His frustration turned to a look of confusion as he took in Xerxes' appearance. "Hmph. Not very focused, are you?" The Bimm's gaze landed on Tai. "Hey, Tai. Who's the kid?"

Tai Zhan stepped forward placing his hand on Xerxes' shoulder. "Ah, allow me to introduce the new Mand'alor, Xerxes Fett. Xerxes, this is Jedi Master Cayot Tori. He is in charge of training the younglings and Initiates."

Cayot crossed his arms and harrumphed. "Little young to be Mand'alor, don't you think?"

Xerxes matched Cayot's stance. "Little short to be a Jedi Master, don't you think?"

"Hey, I'm taller than my students!"

"At least until they hit puberty."

Cayot stood silently cocking an eyebrow at Xerxes. Then a large grin spread across his face as he began chuckling. "Well, you're not wrong." Cayot hummed as he took a more serious look at Xerxes. "So, you're the new Mand'alor, huh." He mused while scratching his chin. Cayot turned his attention again to Tai Zhan. "And that's the reason you brought him here?" Tai merely nodded in response. "I see." He continued eyeing Xerxes with what seemed to be… interest.

"Alright. Guess that means we need to go see the Jedi Council." Cayot spoke while turning and gesturing for them to follow him. "They'll want to hear about what happened." Xerxes and Tai followed Cayot at a leisurely pace, seeing as the diminutive Jedi did not have as long a stride as they did.

As the small group reached a set of turbolifts, Cayot walked over to another Jedi and a droid. At first, Xerxes did not think anything of it. The Jedi was a female Cathar, a tall cat-like species. She wore a red-orange robe with no cloak, an untraditional color for a Jedi to wear. Her hair was dark, short, and flared and her eyes held a wild nature about them, yet she only exuded a benevolence. The droid however gave Xerxes pause. The droid was a copper-colored protocol unit with a head that had swooped back plating, giving it a feeling of elegance and efficiency. What caught Xerxes off guard was that it too wore the robes of a Jedi. Cayot addressed to the two, "Latasha'r, JK. Tai Zhan has returned from his mission to Mandalore and wishes to debrief the Jedi High Council on what has happened." He then turned to gesture to Xerxes, "And he has also brought…" he paused, "This. A young Mandalorian named Xerxes Fett. Also, he is the new Mand'alor… among other things." Had Xerxes not been wearing his helmet, he would not have picked up the last thing that Cayot had said under his breath.

The two Jedi took Xerxes in.

"Musing: How peculiar." The droid said.

The Cathar named Latasha'r spoke in a velvety fashion. "It would seem that you have had a verrry interesting jourrrney, Tai. I must inform the Council immediately." She turned away depressing a button on the turbolifts. She then turned back to Xerxes. "Congratulations on becoming the new Mand'alorrr. We shall probably meet again." The turbolift opened with a ding and she disappeared behind the doors.

"Statement: Greetings are in order. My designation number is JK-17 formerly of the Empire and the Jedi Order's longest-standing member of over 400 years. Query: How do you do?" JK-17 extended a hand towards Xerxes to shake. Xerxes took his hand in mild confusion. "Um, yeah. Nice to meet you. So, are you a Jedi?"

"Wearied recitation: (Sigh) Yes, I am indeed a Jedi. I realize it is somewhat difficult to fathom given my make and model, but I assure you that my rank and ability is without question."

Xerxes and JK-17 let go of each other's hands. Xerxes couldn't help but doubt. A droid being Force-sensitive? Yeah right. "Not that I don't believe you," he said, "but can you prove that you're Force-sensitive?"

"Deceptive enthusiasm:" JK-17 clapped his hands together. "Ooh, yes! I would be delighted to give you a demonstration."

JK quickly rotated one of his hands and gripped it in a claw-like motion as he began hoisting Xerxes in the air by his throat with the Force and choking the air out of him. "Mocking query: Do you believe me now, young Fett?"

Xerxes quickly choked out a response, "Yup, I'm good. No doubts here." JK quickly released him and adopted a neutral stance. Xerxes coughed and gasped for breath.

"Underlying threat: I do hope that this demonstration has been enough to satiate your curiosity, Fett. I would, however, advise against such blunders in the future. As you should be well aware, the Force can manifest itself in the most unlikely of places, and not everyone chooses to be as forgiving with it."

Xerxes suddenly felt a sense of shame bubble up inside him. Had he not come here with the expectation that the Jedi Order would question his own Force-sensitivity? And yet here he was doing the same thing to someone he had just met. Xerxes felt somewhat hypocritical at that moment. He stood up, still rubbing his neck as he spoke. "I understand, JK-17. And I'm sorry."

"Acknowledgment: Very well. Your apology is accepted." Just then the same tubolift Latasha'r had left in returned dinging open. "Query: Shall we away then? The council is waiting for us."

JK-17, Cayot, and Tai all stepped into the turbolift. Xerxes quickly followed suit before the doors could close. As the turbolift ascended, Cayot began to laugh. "Haha. That never gets old."

Xerxes looked at Cayot appallingly. "You mean he's done this to people before?"

"Do you really think you're the first person to ever ask JK to prove he's Force-sensitive in the past 400 years?" Cayot asked with a wry smile of amusement. "Personally, I think he gets a kick out of it."

…

After a few minutes, the turbolift slowly came to a stop and opened up to a long empty hallway. The Jedi silently exited and walked towards a large set of doors at the end of the hall. Xerxes followed, apprehension slowly forming in his stomach with each step the closer they got to the doors. Surely this is where the Jedi Council was held, Xerxes thought to himself. JK-17 entered a code into the door panel and the doors parted before them, allowing them to walk in.

The council chamber was a circular room with large windows overlooking the valley allowing the mid-day sun to filter in. At the far side of the chamber from Xerxes, on a raised platform, sat a somewhat rotund man with large sideburns and a topknot on the crown of his balding grey head. He must be the guy in charge, Xerxes thought. Beside him on either side was a seat. On the right sat a Wookie, the seat to the left was empty. Along the floor there were six seats on either side forming a circular pattern, totaling in fifteen seats, most filled with a Jedi Master, some empty or occupied with someone communicating via holo. Cayot and JK-17 both walked forward and took a seat. Xerxes noticed that Latasha'r was also seated among the council. Xerxes scanned the council. Some of them were humans, some alien. Among them, he noted that there was a Trandoshian, a Tusken Raider, a Selkath, and a handful of species Xerxes had never seen before. Suddenly, someone pushed past Xerxes in a hurry.
"Sorry I'm late.", the Jedi said in a hurried bow towards the main master. The Jedi was a man with dark hair that was styled in a fashion similar to the shape of JK-17's head. He looked to be in his late 30's and seemed to be rather energetic as he took his seat on the council. One of the older men admonished him, "Xander, you should have been here five minutes ago. As the chosen one, you should be more responsible."

Xander waved a hand dismissively, "As the chosen one, I think I'm allowed to be a couple of minutes late, Master Nickoli. Besides, it doesn't seem like I missed anything so, chill, old man."

"Tch. Unbelievable."

The Jedi Master at the front spoke up in a calming manner. "It is fine, Master Nickoli. We are all here now." He then turned to address the whole chamber. "Welcome. I call for this meeting of the Jedi High Council to begin. I, Grand Master Eli, will be presiding."

He then gestured towards Tai. "Master Tai Zhan. If you will please step forward and give us your report on the proceedings of the Mandalore Competition. Jedi Knight Ru-benn Jinn had some…interesting, if not concerning things to say about it in your absence." Tai Zhan stepped into the center of the chamber and addressed the council.

"My fellow Jedi." Tai began, speaking to no one in particular, "I have made contact with my friends and associates on Mandalore and for the most part it is business as usual. Upon my arrival in the city of Keldabe, I met the representatives from the Empire. They were all Sith, led by Darth Verror himself."

Master Eli stroked his small chin goatee. "Most troubling. Continue."

"During my time on Mandalore, it became clear during the competition that the title of Mand'alor would go to one of two brothers, Xerxes and Galbon Fett. And it is young Xerxes here…," Tai turned to gesture to Xerxes, "who has become the new Mand'alor. However, …" Tai Zhan's tone became more serious. "after the competition was finished, young Galbon stole the lightsaber of Darth Avarus and murdered him with it. Xerxes was forced and, in my opinion, manipulated by Darth Verror to banish his brother off-world and into the Empire to serve out his crime."

"And what concern is this to us?" Master Nickoli had asked. "So, the Empire is no longer interested in allying itself with Mandalore. Surely this is good news."

Tai continued to speak to the entirety of the Council. "The concern is that both Fett brothers are not only the sons of the late Mand'alor, Abram Merrel, but they both displayed an aptitude of Force abilities and openly fought one another with those abilities in the final confrontation." Everyone on the council was now leaning forward in their seats.

"What?!"

"How is that possible?"

"Force-sensitive Mandalorians?!"

"Impossible!"

JK-17 raised his opinion. "Statement: The boy's presence in the Force is unmistakable. Anyone who says otherwise is clearly in denial."

Cayot raised his hand, "I second that."

"Same." Xander's voice boomed out.

Latasha'r turned to Master Eli saying, "Clearrrly, anyone who has come into contact with Xerxes Fett has felt of the Forrrce within him. Surely you can sense it in him too."

"And yet," Nickoli countered, "one of those brothers has already murdered someone with it and is now with the Empire! A clear sign that we are better off not associating with them."

Master Eli continued to stroke his beard, a look of grave concern on his face. "This is most distressing news, Master Zhan. But I sense that this is not the reason you have brought the young Mand'alor to stand before us. What more do you wish to tell us?"

Tai took a deep breath. "During my time on Mandalore, I had the chance to get to know Xerxes, teach him about what the Force is, and watch him make decisions for the sake of his people… as well as feel the unmistakable signs of a Force bond between us." The members of the council began to shift in their seats uncomfortably. "And it is my wish and request that Xerxes Fett, be admitted for Jedi Training among the Order and to become my apprentice."

The council chamber suddenly became very animated. Some rose to their feet. Master Nickoli being the most vocal among them. "Are you insane?! Signs of Dark-side corruption already exist within his own family! And yet you wish to train one of these war-mongering heathens in the ways of the Jedi? Why the very act of such a request should be considered heresy!"

"It is true!" the amphibious Selkath agreed in a raised voice. "The Mandalorians have a proclivity for violence, conquest, and destruction throughout history. Who's to say that this one will turn out any differently?"

"Aw, come on guys!" Xander raised his voice in equal volume. "Give the kid a chance. I don't sense the Dark-side in him."

The cacophony of shouting voices was reverberating unpleasantly inside of Xerxes' helmet. The fact that the Wookie had begun roaring for people to quiet down was certainly not helping.

The council continued arguing as Xerxes watched Grand Master Eli for any reaction. He simply continued stroking his beard as he sat in deep contemplation. Then he raised his hand and the room went silent. No one spoke as they all took their seats again. Master Eli leaned forward, hands clasped together, as he addressed Tai Zhan. "This request is not one the council takes lightly, Master Zhan. Nor do I feel it is one that should be made without first hearing from the person in question." Eli slowly turned his eyes and gazed directly at Xerxes. "Xerxes Fett. If you would please step forward and remove your helmet for us. I wish to know you better."

The timber in Master Eli's voice was calming. Without question, Xerxes stepped forward as Tai took his seat next to the Grand Master. So, Tai was also a member of the Jedi High Council. Xerxes removed his helmet. As he held it against his hip, Xerxes began to feel the eyes of the Jedi Masters bore into him. The immediate eye contact with Master Eli was uncomfortable. Xerxes was suddenly acutely aware that the fifteen most powerful Jedi in the galaxy now surrounded him and were gauging him through the Force. Even with Master Eli's warm smile, Xerxes had never felt more exposed in his life. He wished he had not handed over his weapons so easily.