AN: This chapter and the next were originally one whole chapter before I realized that it was over two times the size of my typical chapter, so I split it. But they are essentially to halves of a chapter, so enjoy this part now and look forward to the second half this weekend.
Chapter 8
Kieran Horn shifted uncomfortably in his bed. His internal clock had been thrown off by the trip, as it often was. Then again, it wasn't his sleeping schedule that was making him uncomfortable—nor was it the bed, as rigid as it was. No, it was where he was.
Empire
Somehow, Kieran and Nastra had both ended up in quarter with the Imperials. Right in the mouth of the rancor…then again, thought Kieran, it wasn't as if they could stay at the Jedi Temple. Officially, the two young Knights were still on Ossus, pursuing one task or another. Truthfully, Kieran would prefer to be back on Ossus. He still had a date with Ismene Ytri waiting for him on his home planet. But it was crucial he stay low, for now. The Jedi Council had become increasingly overbearing, and Kieran knew he would be in deep poodoo if the Council found out he was on Coruscant—let alone with the Imps.
It was the Imperials that bothered Kieran so deeply. Yes, their leader was a Skywalker—but they were in league with the Empire! The same Empire that aligned itself with the Sith two hundred years ago to wipe out the Jedi Order. It was all so wrong. Then again—Kieran rolled around in his bed once more so he was facing the ceiling—were the Jedi on Ossus pure servants either? Kieran thoughts swirled, caught between two sides of the same credit.
Kieran hurled himself out of bed, grabbing his spectacles as he rose. He clumsily began putting on his robes and after several embarrassing minutes actually succeeded in dressing himself. Kieran wiped his eyes to clear away the sleep, and with a walk a Jedi would never allow the public to see, walked out into the hallway.
"Okay, fine. What led to their downfall?"
Kieran recognized the voice; it was the young Skywalker, Cam. He was walking down the hall just out of sight, talking to someone, and Kieran could hear him approaching. The word "downfall" set off immediate alarms in Kieran's head. Kieran quickly understood that this could be an opportunity to get a closer look into the Empire's motives. Counting on Skywalker's hopeful ignorance of the rooming details, Kieran reached into the Force and drew what he thought was an apt disguise.
The very next moment, Skywalker rounded the corner and was talking to…um…no one? Kieran examined Skywalker's face and arms, searching for any type of communicator. But Skywalker seemed to be looking to his left, as if someone was there walking bedside him. As far as Kieran could see, there was no one else in the hallway, nor any active comm device on Skywalker, other than the one embedded in his armor which was clearly not in use. Skywalker was laughing. It seemed strange to hear him laugh because—well, it just seemed so normal. It wasn't the laugh of a malevolent force, or even a morally dubious force. He just sounded like a kid.
"Who are you talking to, Skywalker?" asked Kieran, withdrawing his disguise.
Cam jumped back, shocked. Kieran appeared in the space where a second ago Cam could have sworn sat a potted shrub. "Weren't you just a plant?"
Kieran knew it would be better to slowly lead into his question, but he couldn't restrain himself when he burst out, "Who were you talking to, Jedi Skywalker?" He realized what he had said, and tried to soften the question, "I mean, I don't see any comm or anything…and you were laughing?"
Cam smiled knowingly, as if he had a secret that everyone else was just dying to know. "I heard a funny joke."
"But from who?"
Cam looked around, as if wondering whether or not he was at liberty to divulge news that no one else had heard yet. "Well, it's a bit of a family secret…"
"You asked how I was just a plant?"
"What?" Cam raised an intrigued eyebrow.
"When you came in, you saw a plant one moment, and then the next moment I was there?"
"Right! What about it?"
"My family is unable to use telekinesis, Jedi Skywalker." Kieran said, "It's a pretty big deficiency for Jedi, but all male Horns can't use it at all. To make up for it, I took high-level Force classes at the Academy. But more than that, my parents hired a Fallanassi to tutor me. Not technically allowed by the Jedi Council, but the Horn family has never been on great terms with the other Council families. Besides, I learned some powerful illusion techniques. Call it compensating, call it exploring other options, just don't tell the Jedi Council."
"Yeah, okay…oh, and you really don't have to keep calling my 'Jedi Skywalker.' Cam will do just fine." Cam said, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
"All right…Cam, your turn."
"My turn?"
"I told you a family secret. Now yours." Kieran smiled at the Imperial.
Cam smiled back, catching on to the Jedi Knight's gambit, "Fair one. All right, come with me. I need to head down to meet my mother soon, she'll be coming out of her meeting with Chief Tam."
The two walked down the corridor. Kieran walked calmly, more awake now and taking upon the walk of a Jedi, if not necessarily the path. "So, tell me."
"Well, when I was a baby, I found out that I had a sort of special Force power. I can talk to Force Ghosts."
Kieran looked up curiously, then shrugged. "Uncommon, but not unique."
"But for a baby?" said Cam, slightly defensively. "And besides, it's different. I can talk to spirits at will, whoever I wish to talk to. And sometimes, they seek me out to talk to me. It was really bad when I was young. I would hear the voices of long dead Sith Lords whispering in my ear; nearly drove me mad. But I had a lot of help from our Order's greatest, and eventually learned to control the power. Now I can summon the old voices whenever I want though."
Kieran stopped dead in place. He'd never heard of such an ability. The legend of the Skywalkers was more than just affirmed, it was increased. "You sound so…causal about it."
"Meh," Cam shrugged with the apathy of adolescence. "I'm kind of used to it at this point. It's just my life."
The pair continued to walk, approaching the turbolift. "You still didn't answer my original question."
"Right…" Cam searched for what exactly that original question was.
"I took down the illusion I was holding—"
"Oh! Who was I talking to?" Cam remembered.
"Yup, that one. You were laughing?"
"It was an old member of the family—lived a long time before me. He was quite the jokester, before he turned all evil and stuff." Cam checked the chrono around his wrist. "All right, I really should get going."
"Wait!" Cam was pressing the button on the turbolift, ready to head out, when Kieran called after him, "What was the joke?"
"Oh! What led to the downfall of the Empire of the Hand?" Cam waited a minute, to give the setup the proper effect. "The Noghri betrayal had Thrawn them off-balance"
"Um…what?"
The turbolift had reached their floor. Cam stepped in and remarked, "Guess you had to be there."
Kieran smiled at Cam. For an Imperial, he was all right. Kieran suddenly realized he no longer felt so uncomfortable. "All right, I'll see you later. I could use a Force-nap."
"I'll see you later, Jedi-scum."
"You too, Imperial-rat."
"And again, I am so sorry about keeping you waiting for so long earlier." said Chief Tam, for about the eleventh time since the beginning of their meeting. "Really, just incredibly sorry for the inconvenience. But I'm head of the Alliance, see, and—"
"Please, Chief," Empress Ciera Fel extended a carefully manicured hand out to stop Tam's apology. "I know the stress of running a galactic government."
"Ah, yes, thank you."
Tam drew a cloth from within his breast and started dabbing the beads of sweat accumulating under his second chin. The company was in the Chief's office, complete with a carpet like an ocean, and a wall like an intelligence agency. Standing behind Tam and off to the side was Grand Master Jogrum Katarn, eyes emotionless and face as full of passion as a stone. Katarn's arms were folded, and although he hadn't made a single move since the meeting convened, he seemed ready to pounce at a moment's notice on the person he had been staring at the entire meeting: Grand Master Sallara Skywalker.
Sallara Skywalker was the head of the Skywalker clan, or what remained of it. Her husband and one of her sons had died many years ago on a mission to stop a system-wide civil war in Imperial space. They successfully ended the way, but at the devastating cost of their lives. Sallara Skywalker was the Grand Master of her Jedi Order and senior member of the Skywalker family, followed only by her son Cam, and their relative, Empress Ciera Fel. Sallara had golden hair cropped short at the sides, with the back tied tightly together, falling down to her waist. She wore the red armor of the Imperial Jedi Order upon her torso, covered over in her pure white Jedi robes. He face was rounded, but lined with her years. One line told of her husband's death; another of her son's. The close observer might have even noticed the new line that had been forming ever since the Empire decided to reenter Alliance space.
Next to Sallara was the Empress, ever regal and pointed. They had been meeting with Tam on and off for a larger portion of the day, constantly interrupted by Chief Tam's various meetings and obligations. Each time Chief Tam had to temporarily exit, Dirtak Onpaar, the Yuuzhan Vong Head of Security for the Chief had taken over to inform the visiting dignitaries of certain going-ons in Alliance space.
"I notice you carry a lightsaber." Master Skywalker had remarked earlier.
"One of my many curiosities as a Yuuzhan Vong, I'm afraid."
Sallara eyed the weapon with intense fascination. "Most non-Jedi cannot wield one properly."
"Most non-Jedi are not me." Onpaar smiled, his eye-sacks seeming to gain a little extra color as he did so.
"And were you trained by a Jedi?" Sallara inquired with zeal.
"Yes, Master Manuush—one of the best." As Onpaar said so, he shot a look of near-anger towards Master Katarn. Katarn stared back with deep hatred. No one felt like talking much after that.
Once the meeting had resumed upon Chief Tam's return, Onpaar went to tinkering with the equipment on the wall, checking security cams, while constantly keeping an eye to the group at Tam's desk.
"We won't be able to keep the lid on your return for long. We're having enough trouble now as it is. There are already rumblings around the planet, it won't be long before it spreads beyond the Core." Chief Tam said, putting his handkerchief back where it came from. "Now, I've kept you here long enough. Let's just arrive at an agreement, and move on from there. How best to reveal your reappearance to the galaxy?"
"Simple," the Empress stated, "as I've been saying all day, Chief. You have a press conference with the Holonetworks, I come on and say a couple of words, and we're done."
"But it isn't just that simple!" Tam screeched, "How will we explain this to the Core Worlds?"
"Well, I wouldn't worry about the Core Worlds," replied Master Skywalker, without any kindness, "we'll be in the Outer Rim."
Fel continued, "We will simply inform the Alliance that we are not returning to fight; that we are here for cooperation with the Galactic Alliance. Although, Chief Tam, I should tell you that we will be using the former Imperial worlds in the Outer Rim as a base of operations. Including Bastion, the old capital."
Tam's eyes lit up with anger. "You didn't say anything about taking your old worlds! You think I am going to accept that? You think that the people of the Alliance on those worlds you're requesting will just accept it?"
"They will have no choice; you're their leader." Empress Fel responded.
"Well what about you?" Tam's eyes narrowed considerably. Master Skywalker couldn't help but notice that as Tam said it, his eyes dropped to the Imperial crest emblazoned across the Empress's chest. Then again, perhaps he was just looking at her chest for another reason. Either way, it set off a twinge of annoyance in Sallara's head.
"My citizens know their place in this. A good portion of the Empire is staying in Imperial space, anyways. The citizens that do come know their role. Our move is only temporary, and we'll return home once our mission is complete."
"And if they don't listen?" Within a minute, Tam seemed to have grown a backside. It was a refreshing change of pace, if only it wasn't working against them this time. He rose and leaned in to the Empress "You forget that your kind has a history of warlords and conquerors. Who is to say that after you have finished what you came here to do, youf citizens won't decide to rise up and conquer Alliance systems?"
"I'll remind you Chief Tam that my citizens live in an Empire," the Empress rose to meet the Chief, staring coldly into his eyes, "And in this Empire, my word is law.
Fel and Tam stared into each other's eyes, reflecting pure distrust of each other. They bore into each other, waiting for one to give in to the other. But Tam had nowhere near the nerve the Empress had. Without showing the ground he was giving openly, Tam retreated from his lean, standing up at full height.
"I accept your conditions." Tam's backbone was clearly waning, "General Onpaar, could you please lay down the conditions of our agreement."
"Yes sir," Onpaar bowed his head before Chief Tam, and faced the two Imperials. "All of the worlds will continue their local planetary government with Imperial supervision. The citizens will be temporarily displaced for your Empire to settle there as your capital until the end of your operation. Intelligence and security officers from the Alliance will be placed on every world the Empire will be operating on. I'll have Director Virmon in touch as soon as this meeting ends."
Katarn broke his silence for the first time in hours. "And I have an additional request. If I may, Chief Tam?" Tam nodded wearily. "There will be a squad of Jedi on each Imperial world, reporting directly to me and the Jedi Council."
"We already have our own Jedi, thank you very much." Master Skywalker rejected flatly.
"Yes, your so called 'Jedi'" Katarn moved closer to his side of the Chief's desk. "I'm sure you've handled your heretical organization—"
"Heretical?!" Sallara rose immediately to meet Katarn challenge.
Katarn clasped his hands behind his back and walked around the desk to meet the other Master. "Your organization has no right to call themselves Jedi, Grand Master. You are clearly a threat to the Galactic Alliance, and I find it extremely suspect that the Chief is just letting you Imperial scumbags walk all over the laws of the Alliance!"
"We are only here to help," Sallara said, passion rising in her voice, "My organization felt a monstrous disturbance in the Force—why didn't yours feel it too?"
Katarn's body was almost glowing. It was clear to everyone in the room, even those without access to the Force that a battle was brewing between the two Master Jedi. "My Jedi don't listen to the nonsense of Dark Jedi and long-dead Sith Lords." Katarn turned his angry head towards his superior and said, "Chief Tam, permission to treat these assassins as enemies of the Alliance?"
Snap-hiss!
Sallara's long yellow blade was pointed directly at Katarn's forehead. She had moved in a blur, aided by the Force and drawn her lightsaber to full length. Katarn, his rage turning into a smirk, raised his arms in surrender. As soon as the Empress realized what had happened, she rushed to Chief Tam's side. Instinctively, she put her hand on the Chief's shoulder, ready to defend him from the clash of the master of the Force.
As Sallara's blade hissed to life, so did General Onpaar's. Perceiving Katarn as the greatest threat, he too extended his blade towards Master Katarn, but at the same time keeping a sharp eye on Sallara.
"Ah, as I might have suspected." Muttered Katarn. "Is this how the Grand Master of your Order acts? Irrationally, in anger? If you profess to be Jedi, why do you act like this?"
"Master Skywalker," Ciera Fel intervened before the situation worsened, speaking with all of the power the Empress holds, "stand down."
Sallara drilled her eyes into Katarn once more and, sighing, shut off her blade. "Yes, my Empress."
"I believe we've worked out most of the details about our reoccupation." Shooting a look at Katarn, Fel added. "We'll revisit Master Katarn's request at a later time. I believe we decided on a public announcement over the Holonet in, let's say, a standard weeks' time? May I recommend using the Senate chambers as our meeting point, to give the Alliance government the appearance of controlling the situation?"
Tam waved down Onpaar, whose saber was still lit and pointed towards Master Katarn. He then turned back to the Empress and spoke weakly, clearly worn from the near-battle that took place inside his office. "Bring it down to five days…I can't afford for the lid to blow on this situation. I'll make sure the governments of the systems you require will begin preparations."
The Empress bowed deeply before her Alliance counterpart, "Thank you for your time Chief. Come, Master Skywalker."
The two women of the Empire began to retreat from the room. Behind them, they heard another futile call of "Sorry to keep you waiting before."
As Empress Fel and Grand Master Skywalker walked away from the meeting, they spoke in hushed tones.
"Sallara, what the kark happened in there?"
Sallara rubbed her temples with her fingers. Something had gone seriously wrong in her head, and it wasn't like any other sensation Sallara had ever felt. "I am so sorry Ciera…I have no idea what happened."
"I've never seen you act that way before, 'Lara. You're normally some calm and together."
"I know, I know, I don't know how to explain it! It was almost as if…" As soon as the thought had entered her head, she realized it was true. "Master Katarn was using the Force on me."
Worry lines furrowed in Ciera's forehead as she considered Sallara's accusation. "As in he was controlling your actions with the Force?"
"No, more subtle than that. It was like a whispering in my ear, suggesting what I should do. Just like a mind trick, but less overt." Sallara shook her head, "I apologize Ciera, this exposure to the Alliance has really shaken me. I'm not the Master here that I am in the Empire."
"I don't understand why the Alliance Jedi are acting like this. Since when do the Jedi act as politicians in the Alliance? And why would Katarn want you to attack him?"
Sallara Skywalker remained silent, as the questions piled higher and higher.