Chapter 8
Danny
Danny was the only one who could watch Jazz's training, Tucker had been caught spying on the Girl's Locker Room again and was grounded while Sam's parents had dragged her, literally, to a big fancy 'Luncheon' with some big wig. This was Jazz's second week of training, and she was now trying to move things with her mind. He had brought a bunch of rocks into the front lobby of the abandoned Hotel for her to use. Jof Favrem was meditating on the floor while Jazz was standing in the middle of the rocks, trying to make them move. This feels kind of stupid, Danny thought to himself, they had been like this for an hour and nothing had happened yet. He was about to call Sam when he thought he saw movement.
He watched in amazement as all twenty of the rocks shakily rose up. Jazz was sweating and starting to breath heavy when she finally couldn't do anymore and all the rocks fell. "I can't do it…it's too much," Jazz said and sat down. Jof Favrem's eyes opened and she looked at her, "You are doing too much for your level. You are a prodigy, Jazz, but lifting so many objects at once is not a skill for a padawan to do. Lifting them up to ankle height like that is impressive, but you overextended yourself. Focus on one for now." "I'll try," Jazz said. "Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try, as Master Yoda used to say," Jof said. "Ummm, how can she do it if she doesn't try?" Danny asked, confused. Jof's lekku twitched a little and she said, sounding embarrassed, "Actually, I've never been sure about that myself. That is what Master Yoda used to tell all the younglings who had yet to receive training with their own personal Master, heh heh."
Danny could swear it looked like the alien Jedi was blushing! "Alright, now Jazz focus on one rock at first, then try more," Jof said, then lifted up her hand. One of the rocks moved up to her hand, then spun around in circles above it before she returned it to exactly where it was before. Jazz nodded and lifted up her hand like Jof had. A rock in front of her slowly rose up, eventually reaching to the same height as Jazz's eyes. "Very good, now try to move another while keeping the first up as well," Jof told her. Jazz took a deep breath and another rock rose up, a little slower this time.
"Yes Jazz that's it. Feel the Force around you, in the air, in the rocks, and lift them with your mind," Jof encouraged, and a third rock shakily rose up to the same height. A fourth one started to rise but then Jazz started breathing hard and they all fell to the ground. Jazz fell to her hands and knees and Danny ran to her. "Are you alright Sis?" Danny asked her. "I can't, I can't do it. It's too much," Jazz said and angrily hit the ground. "Jazz, calm yourself, a Jedi cannot let their passions control them! Anger, fear, aggression, passion, all of them are quick and easy paths, but it is a path that leads inevitably to destruction and despair," Jof told her. "But Master, in my vision I saw the Empire, they were destroying everything! I saw people dying in the streets!" Jazz yelled back at her.
"And you think you can fight fire with another fire?" Jof questioned, "Many a Jedi has thought as you do throughout the centuries, and all of them paid dearly for it." "Give me one example, just one. You keep talking about all these things, but you never go into details. How can I trust you?" Jazz said as she stood up. Jof looked at her sadly and said, "Very well, I will. Danny, go to my room and retrieve the holocron. It will give Jazz the example she wants." Danny was confused but went Ghost and flew up to the room Jof was assigned. He found the holocron on her mattress and picked it up. He turned it over and thought, how can this teach anything? Danny went back to the front lobby and handed it to Jof.
"Thank you, now, stand over there. Jazz, sit next to me, we need to be together," Jof said. Jazz sat next to her then Jof put the holocron down and bowed her head. The sides of the holocron opened up and a holographic image of a human woman in a white robe with rusty-brown hair and bluish-green eyes appeared. "Greetings young Jedi, I am Nomi Sunrider, I was once the head of the Jedi Order after the Great Sith War," the image of Nomi Sunrider said. "Master Sunrider," Jof bowed her head and Jazz did the same, "I am Jof Favrem. I wish to teach my apprentice about the dangers of the Dark Side. Can you tell her about the tragedy of Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma?" The image of Nomi Sunrider nodded and said, "I can. Listen well young padawan lest you suffer the Qel-Droma's fates."
"I first met Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma at the Jedi Temple on Onderon. They were already close as two brothers could be, and both strong in the Force. We became fast friends. They were sent to Ossus to investigate claims of the royal family was dabbling in the Dark Side. It was several years before I was sent to relieve their mission to bring peace to the planet Ossus. Its royal family was indeed tainted by the Dark Side and threatened the larger galaxy. After a great battle; myself, the Qel-Droma's along with Oss Wilum, Tott Doneeta, Dace Diath, Prince Qrrrl Toq, and Shoaneb Culu made it to King Ommin's hidden lair. Ommin was powerful in the Dark Side, and it had corrupted his body to the point that he needed a mechanical exoskeleton to survive. Ommin attacked us with the full power of the Dark Side, and we joined our power together, allowing Ulic to sever Ommin's exoskeleton's spine and defeat him. There was peace on Ossus, but after several years a coup by a cult of Dark Side worshippers called the Krath had taken over the Empress Teta Solar System.
"Master Jeth decided our team was not ready yet, as I had yet to master Battle Meditation to help us coordinate the battles ahead. While I trained Ulic and Cay investigated some of the Sith artifacts Ommin had collected. One of these was an amulet once used by the Dark Lord Freedon Nadd. Nadd's spirit appeared to Ulic and told him that he would help the Sith rise once more and that he would be one of the 'great ones'. A month later our team was sent to the Empress Teta System and defeated the usurpers. But the cost was high, and Master Jeth fell during the battle.
"Ulic vowed to avenge Master Jeth and declared that he would infiltrate the Krath from the inside and destroy them. It was a fool's errand, and we all knew it, yet Ulic was determined. He was tortured by the Krath and then given a Sith poison that ravaged his mind and spirit. In time he became the ruler of the Krath, and with the help of the fallen Jedi, Exar Kun, they planned to betray the Republic and bring about a new Age of the Sith. Ulic attacked the shipyards on Foerost, claiming a fleet of 300 warships while Exar Kun set out to teach his heresy to other Jedi, bringing 20 students under his wing. As Kun corrupted these Jedi at his Temple on the Fourth moon of Yavin, Ulic attacked Coruscant, the capital planet of the Republic.
"I was among the Jedi that captured Ulic after his Krath ally Aleema Keto betrayed him. But Exar Kun led his own forces and attacked at his trial. Exar Kun's old Jedi Master, Master Vodo Siosk-Baas tried to stop him and was killed in the ensuing struggle. I went back to my own Master, Thon, along with my good friend Sylvar to protect my daughter Vima and to train for the coming battles while the Jedi planned our next move. There we were attacked by the now corrupted Oss Wilum and Sylvar's mate Crado. We defeated them and captured Oss while Crado ran away. We weren't the only Jedi attacked as the other corrupted students murdered their Masters across the Galaxy.
"Even that was not enough to satisfy their blood lust. Exar Kun and Ulic tricked Aleema Keto into using powerful ancient Sith sorcery to launch an attack that caused ten stars of the Cron Cluster to go supernova, killing Aleema Keto and Crado in the blast and forcing the Jedi to abandon our Great Library on Ossus. During the evacuation Ulic and Kun's forces attacked, wanting to steal all the knowledge they could. Cay got on his starship and went after Ulic, who shot him down. Ulic and Cay's battle continued on the ground. Cay fought valiantly to save his brother, but Ulic had fallen too far into the Dark Side, and slew him just as I arrived to aid Cay. Words cannot describe the shock I felt as I saw the man whom I had fought side by side with…whom I had come to love, so fully betray the Republic, the Jedi Order, and finally his own brother.
"I delved deep into the Force and I severed his connection to the Force, forever, stripping him of his powers. Even in that dark time, some good came of it. Losing his powers and his brother opened Ulic's eyes and he led the Jedi to the Fourth moon of Yavin and Exar Kun's hidden temple. In a final desperate bid to win, Exar Kun unleashed the full power of his Sith sorcery to try to become a wandering spirit in the Force, yet the combined might of the Jedi stopped him and sealed his disembodied spirit on his temple forevermore. Ulic was pardoned for his help, but went into exile to mourn for all he had done. Years later my daughter Vima grew and needed a new master. I had become the head of the Order and was unable to train her myself due to my responsibilities. Vima was a headstrong girl, and ran away to search for Ulic Qel-Droma to be her Master.
"She found him on the frozen planet Rhen Var with the help of a spacer named Hoggon and became his student. Ulic had not forgotten his training, and had taught her much by the time I tracked her down. Sylvar had enlisted Hoggon to take her to him as well; she was enraged that Ulic was unpunished for the death of Crado. Ulic refused to fight her, and we helped release her from her anger before she too fell to the Dark Side. Tragically, Hoggon was not as merciful and shot him with his blaster in the back, wanting the glory of being the man to kill a Sith Lord. In the end though, Ulic's body became one with the Force, he had earned his redemption.
"Remember this lesson young ones, the Dark Side is a path to quick and easy power, but it is also a path to loss, death, and suffering, as we learn from the tragedy of Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma," Nomi Sunrider's hologram told the tale. "Thank you, Master Sunrider. That is all I need for today," Jof told the hologram, and the image nodded them disappeared back into the holocron. Danny gulped as the story ended, man, this Force stuff is dangerous! Jof unwrapped the bandages on her leg and said, "Finally, I am healed. I can now be a more proactive teacher." Jof then lifted her right hand and made all the stones on the floor rise over their heads and fly around in a figure eight pattern. "Jazz, do not despair, you too will learn to do this, and more, in time. I can feel how powerful with the Force you are. The only question now is, will you let that power be wasted?" Jazz nodded and stood up, and made several rocks rise up to her head.
Vlad
Vlad's copy watched from above as Thal's police car drove through the poorer parts on the northern edges of Amity Park. He did this for an hour then Thal's car left and headed back to Vlad's Mansion. Vlad called his copy back then returned to his Human form. Thal entered the Mansion then pulled out a device from his pocket, "Thal to Decimation, how have your scans gone?" Vlad stayed silent as he heard a voice say from the device, "Lord Thal it is as you expected. This planet has only the most primitive of spacefaring technology and most of her armies use slugthrowers as their primary weapons." "Hah, our troopers will have no bother from such poor weapons," Thal said. "However, we have detected high levels of radiation that suggest that many nations on the planet have access to nuclear weapons, bombs most likely. Should we invade they may try to use them," the voice from the device said. "That is of no concern. My friend assures me that the nation I am on now values their citizen's lives, its leaders would not try the nuclear option and risk the fallout," Thal said then pressed a button on the device and put it back in his pocket.
"Calling home?" Vlad asked as Thal sat next to him. "Just ensuring that my forces can take over this planet for you; we have been having difficulty reaching the Empire. Unless you're willing to wait, you only have my Star Destroyer crew and me to take over this planet," Thal told him. "I see. And how goes the search?" Vlad asked. "Nothing yet, she wasn't near the riffraff," Thal said, then hit his arm chair. "Patience my friend," Vlad assured him, "after all it is the crocodile that lays in wait that grabs the zebra." Thal looked at him in confusion, but nodded none the less. This had all better be worth it, Vlad thought as he had a servant make dinner.
I did not make up the above story about Nomi Sunrider, Exar Kun, or the Qel-Droma brothers. Their adventures were written in the Tales of the Jedi comic series during the 90's. Great series.