( This fanfic is set 'shortly before' the Star Wars prequel series. i.e I was too lazy to read up on Star Wars lore XD )

Council

The figure dressed in splendid Judicator robes looked in comtempt.

Zeratul felt himself frown. They had the Judicator surrounded. The latter had nowhere to run. Around him, the bodies of his staunchest defenders lay motionless amidst piles of crushed and burned down weaponry. Still he remained defiant. The Khalai and their stupid pride.

Beside the dark templar, a younger warrior wearing nothing but kilts and shoulder guards, tattered and hanging loose from the fierce fighting, clenched a fist and punched his other palm in frustration. "Be reasonable, Aldaris ! Kerrigan is no longer our enemy. She no longer seeks to enslave anyone ! Do not force us to destroy you !"

At this Aldaris's gaze shot forward and he raised his brow ridges in anger. "You can no longer be so naïve, young Artanis. While you were away, I discovered that the Matriarch harbours a dark secret, she has been secretly manipulated by –"

"I have no time for this !"

Aldaris gurgled and arched his back, eyes wide in shock as a gently curved black spike burst out through the middle of his chest, a luminescent blue mist spraying into the air from the resulting wound.

Stunned, Zeratul and Artanis stood and watched as the spike seemed to withdraw into Aldaris's body. The latter swayed gently, then fell forward. His face settled into a peaceful expression as Zeratul caught his barely audible last words.

"I die free …"

Behind the body of the dying Judicator, now rapidly disintegrating and going up in blue flames, there stood the figure of a scantily dressed Terran female, covered in black scutes and a lustrous leathery covering which wrapped tightly around her waist and lower leg. Dark veins showed through her pale green skin. She had gold eyes, with slit like pupils. In place of hair, she had segmented spines protruding and bending down over her head. Two skeletal wings sprouted from her back and ended in large scyths.

Zeratul felt his book gills go dry. "Kerrigan, what have you done ?"

Kerrigan wiped the steaming, glowing blue blood from the tip of one wing with her clawed hands, and grinned wickedly. "What I've always wanted to do."

"This is our matter ! You have no right to interfere !" Zeratul trembled in anger. " Be gone …"

-

"… begone from this place, and never - "

Zeratul almost choked on his own words as he awoke abruptly from his nightmare. For a while he could see nothing, feel nothing, think nothing, the blood pushed out of his brain as if his head had been jerked violently forward. As he slowly regained his senses, he now found himself staring down past his own legs at a light brown wooden floor. The horror of dream had caused him to sit up and bend forward. The horror in it was that it was more than just a dream. It was a recollection.

Again.

Zeratul sighed and shook his head. Not over yet. Was this going to lead up to another heaven splitting, earth shattering revelation that would once more change his outlook on the universe ? He chuckled bitterly. If this were Khas's idea of premonitions, the old sage could sure use a bit more creativity.

"You are awake ?"

Zeratul looked up with a start. Standing before him, was what appeared to be an old, bald, bearded Terran male dressed in dark brown robes. In the middle of his forehead was a third, vertical, black eye.

-

A series of large eight metre long rectangular windows ran round the sides of the circular Council chamber, giving all its inhabitants a breathtaking view of the city outside. Between each window a grey three metre wide section of wall slanted up and outwards before connecting with the edge of the ceiling. From the inner face of each section a thick silvery pillar rose up into the blackness above.

The floor of the chamber was decorated with simple brown and yellow concentric circles and floral patterns. Near the outer edge of the floor, with their backs to the windows, was a ring of variously designed red cushioned sofas bearing the weights of strange humanoid creatures whose only outward similarity was that they all dressed in the brown, wheat or grey robes of the Jedi.

In one small seat opposite the entrance of the chamber there sat a diminitive figure with green, wrinkled skin, a broad round face, a balding scalp and long donkey like ears.

He appeared to be meditating intently, eyes closed, oblivious to the quarrels around him, but in truth Jedi Master Yoda was acutely aware of everything going on in the room.

He was especially aware of the power emanating from a tall figure sitting in the centre of the chamber. This being was alarmingly strong in the Force, as if not long after it was born it had touched and learned to wield this universal energy. Not unexpected though, since the Force flows through all living things. It is there from birth till death, and possibly, as Yoda suspected, beyond death.

What was truely frightening, was that the creature also possessed a second energy that he could not identify. The Dark side ? For centuries, Yoda had considered the Dark Side to be a facet of the Force itself, a corruptive aspect of the Jedi's source of power that lead the less cautious wielder down a path of destruction and sorrow. Yet this mysterious energy was beyond that. It was opposite to the Force in most ways. While the Force strengthened life, this energy promoted un-life, while the Force stood for light and substance, this energy stood for darkness and nothingness. A Void.

Yoda opened his eyes to take a good look of the creature. There it was, sitting beside Jedi Master Farid at the centre of the chamber, wrapped in red and black cloth and a great grey cape, concealing a vaguely humanoid form. Only ts large blue glowing eyes were exposed, as well as the surrounding greyish scaly skin, and a bunch of long thin segmented appendages trailing out from the back of its head.

It was looking curiously around the chamber, shifting its eyes slowly from one person to the next. Yoda could sense it silently reaching out with its mind to touch those of the others around it. In fact, Yoda could feel that this form of communication, rather than voiced speech, was the form of interaction that the creature was more used to. Another proof that it had felt the Force since an early age.

It rested its gaze upon Yoda, and seemed to settle into a more peaceful expression.

Greetings.

Yoda replied with a smile and a gentle nod. He had been identified as the oldest and most influential among the group, and the creature knew, if things turned sour, it could look to him for a peaceful resolution. Fascinating. As the two stared at each other for a while, Yoda sighed inwardly. There was always something new to learn, something to challenge his conception of the way things were. If only his age had not caught up with him so fast.

Unfortunately, the younger Jedi seated around him did not share the duo's spirit of peaceful observation.

"Do we not realise ?" scolded one bearded figure with grey pink rugged skin and a bald scalp which rose and pointed up like a small mountain. "If Master Farid's account is true, then this alien is obviously a Sith ! He cannot be trusted, he must be restrained at once !"

"If Farid's account is true, then he was fighting the Sith. He could be a valuable ally." Countered a dark-skinned human looking woman with a hood over her head.

"An important ally." Agreed another creature covered in long pale gold fur from head to toe. "Though explaining his existence to the politicians will be quite a task. The general populace think that the Sith is nothing more than a myth."

"We will not have to explain anything !" Conehead roared, now more agitated. "Who will allow a threat of this magnitude to run around the capital of the Republic unhindered ?"

"Brothers !"interjected a pale blue skinned being with a small bulbous head supported on a long thin stalk like neck. "What ever the Sith have in stall for us, fighting amongst ourselves will not protect us from it." He turned to the figure standing in the middle of the chamber. "Farid, you found the stranger. What do you suggest ?"

Farid cleared his throat addressed the council. "As you have felt, this stranger wields the Force in a manner that we are not familiar. As I have also said, I found him in a strange temple which housed technology of a sort that I dare say none of have ever seen. A technology that channels the Force in a scale and precision far greater than our light sabres or holocrons. I do not know how he is connected to that temple, but I am sure he knows something."

"Do you believe he is willing to share ?" Asked a voice from behind him.

"If we ask politely."Farid replied "What I firmly believe, is that he is more than just a rogue Sith. He was willing to spare the life of the Dark Jedi whose master stole an artifact he was trying desperately to defend. I have never seen a Sith Lord with that much sober control over the use of his powers."

"Reason you speak." Yoda nodded.

"Master Yoda." Farid bowed slightly in reverance."This stranger could possess a knowledge of the Force that would benefit as all. At the very least, he poses no immediate threat. Please allow him to be our guest."

Yoda rubbed his chin for a moment, enjoying the moment of silence as everyone stared at him, waiting for his decision, which he had in fact made a while ago. "That I will."

-

Zeratul inspected his resting quarters as he stepped in.

It was a simple room with a brown floor just like in the Council chamber, and similar smooth, grey, curved walls. One entire side was almost taken up by a large rectangular window which afforded a generous view of the glittering skyscrapers, criss-crossing streets, floating platforms and aerial highways of Coruscant, as these people called their city.

Friendly people, these Jedi. As it turned out, they were an order of people with psionic abilities trained to keep the peace among the people in their nation. They considered violence as a last resort. Even Conehead, fierce as he was, never really threatened to injure him in any way.

Judging from casual accounts by the Jedi themselves, as well as the appearance of the city, this was a highly advanced civilisation which spanned the greater part of an entire galaxy. The dominant species was human, but countless others were represented in the Republic as well.

Interestingly though, none was exactly sure about the origins of this civilisation.

Zeratul chuckled. A sense of deja vu.

The Grey Templar unwound his garments and kicked them to a far corner. Then he proceeded to place all his equipment and weapons on a simple wooden table in the centre of the room. Relieved of all his burden, he lay down on a red cushion and stretched to relax himself.

Just then, he felt a presence right outside the room. "Have you been sent to watch me ?"

A young human male with red hair tied into a small braid on his right stepped out into the middle of the doorway and smiled apologetically. "No, I was just curious."

Zeratul sat up and spread his arms. "Come in then."

The latter pulled another cushion towards himself and sat in front of Zeratul. "So, I heard you use the Dark Side as well ?"

"So they say." Zeratul laughed."Your elders consider it something very evil, yet you seem eager to learn about it."

"I have my own reasons." At this the smile faded from the boy's face for a moment, and then returned as if nothing happened. "So, what are you ? Where are you from ?"

"Perhaps we can begin by telling each other our names. I am Zeratul." Zeratul extended an arm. From what he learned, shaking hands was a gesture of goodwill among Terrans. Hopefully, the customs here were not that different.

"Kart." The boy took his hand in his own and shook it excitedly.

Kart's enthusiasm was infectious, and Zeratul soon found himself proudly telling of the epic wars that he had been through, while Kart listened eyes wide in amazement and wonder, his mind filled with dream like sceneries and fantastic creatures on distant worlds ...

And a cosmic power different from that wielded by the Jedi.

…

"You are taking this in rather well."

Zeratul smiled and closed his eyes.

In the blankness of his mind, a bright speck of light appeared before him. It grew and changed until it had molded itself into the figure of an old protoss clad in white scholarly robes. Its eyes emitted a pure white glow. It appeared benevolent yet exuded an aura of divine authority.

"Been a while, Bringer of Light." Zeratul greeted the ethereal entity. Actually, he just thought. In the realm of the spirit, outward words and gestures meant little.

"I told you. I have always been with you."

"What of Artanis and the others ?"

"You will know when you return."

A moment of silence. Then, Zeratul asked, "Why have you appeared, teacher ?"

The figure of Khas stepped forward and sat down before Zeratul. "You have called to me."

Another moment of silence, then Zeratul remembered. "Yes, my dream. What did it mean ?"

"You were angry. What were you angry about ?"

"Aldaris was killed. We were betrayed. He saw the truth. We were blind to it. And then it was too late."

"Aldaris was able to discover the Queen of Blade's treachery while the rest of you could not."

"He had stayed behind on Shaquras, and he was ever suspicious of outsiders."

"He was Judicator."

Zeratul mentally jerked back with a start. "I don't understand."

"Look beyond the illusion of material reality, and you will."

"Are you saying that certain things I have seen are not real ?"

Khas appeared to laugh. "A little at a time. Knowledge is not everything. You have seen a lot, and learned a lot, Zeratul. You are the most experienced, and the most enlightened, among the Templar, but you have yet to experience the ultimate principle of the Khala." Now the sage leaned in and spoke in a clearer tone. "The time draws near when you will cross the next threshold, and your new … friends, will play a little part in your endeavor."

With that, Khas's aura dimmed, and he faded from Zeratul's mind.

The Grey Templar opened his eyes and stared hard through the window into the orange sky. He mind raced to make sense of what the Bringer of Light had just said.

"He was Judicator." He muttered.

What was the significance of that ? He recalled that the Judicators were the first disciples of Khas. Did the Judicators know something about the Path of Ascension that members of the other castes did not ? Were the judges and scholars of Protoss society indeed more keenly aware of a greater reality than their warrior and lay brethren ?

And what did this have to do with death ? Zeratul had seen hundreds of his comrades fall in battle. In desperate times, brave templar would rush in before the enemy and sacrifice himself for the greater cause. One would hear the familiar shout of, "I die for Aiur !" before body of the selfless zealot broke down into blue mist and fire.

Yet Aldaris was no templar.

Zeratul's thoughts rested on that faint psionic whisper that accompanied the Judicator's last breath.

"I die free …"

A little at a time, he thought.

-

( Oh, mental block . I guess I should have stuck to shorter stories. haha.

Now, anyone knows how to invite a cowriter in fanfiction net ? XD XD

Have fun and see y'all another day.

Starspawn 07 )