Chapter Ten-The Master's War
"I am your Master."
The entire army of fifty-thousand snapped to attention and retorted in unison. "You are our Master."
"Goooooood," the Master of All put out a hoary-white and withered hand, separating the ranks so he could walk between to inspect them all. The clones were perfect in every way, so he'd been informed while on Camino. They were based upon the Emperor's favorite padawan, Anakin Skywalker, but had been stripped of the heart and soul that made Anakin who and what he was.
"General KOR-E," He called out in His thin, crackling voice, which seemed to boom throughout the enormous facility, "Front and center."
The dubbed clone ran forward and came to an abrupt halt before the Master and saluted Him dutifully, "Yes, sir!"
"Take your troops to the sanctuary moon of Endor," was the command given, "There you will find a rather expired Imperial base. You and your troops will restore it to working order and alert me when you are finished. This is of the utmost importance and the entire universe is dependant upon its timely restitution."
"Yes, sir!" the general saluted the Master again then turned and motioned for his troupe to follow him to the hangar.
"Captain TODD."
"Yes, sir!" the next selected clone stepped forward, gloved fingertips against his brow in a starched salute.
"You will take half of the armed force to the Academy on Tatooine, where you will be enforcing the law of the Order upon the gangsters of the world. Make sure to crush any rebellion into the dust," the Master ordered, "We don't want this to end up like last time."
--
"Master Lady L'anyn Oumarin, sir," Allyah presented L'anyn and Ira to Master Burke, "And her associated apprentice, Ira Solaris."
"Thank you, Allyah," Master Burke stood up from the floor and welcomed his guests warmly while motioning for Allyah to leave them. "Good it is to see you back home on Coruscant, Lady Oumarin. How went the watching of Princess Ammyla?"
"It went very well, master," L'anyn sat down on the ground beside the small, elderly Jedi's raised seat, "I believe young Ira learned that 'babysitting' isn't merely a job for local security and royal bodyguards. Isn't that right, Ira?"
He nodded simply and took a seat on one of the pads that circled around Master Burke's central cushion.
"Good this is," the Jedi nodded as well, but his smile quickly faded. "Depressing is the business which I have brought you here to discuss. A dark presence many Jedi have sensed about your padawan, Lady Oumarin. Troublesome this thought is."
"That it is," L'anyn furrowed her brows, her entire face mirroring the Jedi Master's expression, "What sort of 'dark presence', if you don't mind my asking?"
"Dabbling in the Darkside many believe he is," was the solemn reply, "And untrustworthy the both of you have proven yourselves to be in the past. Trust you I do, however, Lady Oumarin."
"Master Burke, I know there have been whispers of my disloyalty to the Council, and that I can live with," L'anyn stated, "But what I can't stand is when gossipers bring my own apprentice into the mix. He's done nothing to prove himself untrustworthy while under my supervision; and if he has, then so help me he will receive the proper discipline from me."
"Trust you, I do, Lady Oumarin," he reminded her, "But sensed the presence have I myself. Unsettling it is, and disappointing as well, after the last one especially. Good fortune you have not, Lady Oumarin."
"I understand, Master Burke," L'anyn nodded, "What would you like us to do, then? Being apparenly we've both been labeled as potential threats to the Council, where do we go? I'll not join a Hive on the Outer Rim, nor will I go to one of those slaughter houses the Sith call their 'Academies'. What are we supposed to do?"
"Master Burke!" Allyah stormed into the room, fear stricken green eyes glistening brightly, "An army of twenty-five thousand troops has just landed on Tatooine and has been enforcing some form of military rule upon the Hutts. A war has broken out between the two and many of our own Jedi have died in the crossfire. What do we do, master?"
"Calm must you be, Allyah," Master Burke raised his hand, calming Allyah's fretting mind, "Lady Oumarin, Ira Solaris, later will we discuss your predicament. A war we have on our hands, and I know not who is behind it. This must we find out before a tactical approach may be made toward the situation."
"Master, I can fight!" Ira jumped up from his seat, straightening his spine and throwing his shoulders back, his hand raising to his brow in a firm salute, "I will aid in the defense against this attack. We must do something!"
"Sit down, Ira," L'anyn set him back down with a gentle Force push, "You're much too young and inexperienced. You'll stay here with the rest of the younglings and I will go with Master Burke to Tatooine to investigate this predicament."
"But, m'lady, I want to go with you! I want to help!"
"You would be a detriment to the mission as opposed to an asset," she replied severely, "You will stay here with the younglings."
"But--!"
"No, Ira!" L'anyn's eyes flashed steel-gray for a moment, reminding Ira of her true colors, "You will stay here with the younglings."
He crossed his arms and sighed angrily, "Yes, master."
"Very good," L'anyn turned away from the padawan and knelt down to Master Burke's level, "What must we do, Master Burke?"
"To Tatooine we will go. Find out more about this army we must," he replied and began to walk toward the door, "A suspicion I have, but positive I am not."
"To Tatooine, then," L'anyn nodded curtly and followed the small Jedi master out; Allyah pursued them both.
--
"Master, the troops are in place and have begun enforcing military law," Captain TODD informed his superior's holo-image, "There has been little rebellion, however a few Jedi have gotten in the way, but we put them down where they belong."
"Good, good," the Master nodded, "We just need to be sure that the rest of the Council does not follow them. I'm sure both the Council at Coruscant and Naboo will have plenty on their hands to worry about already; this operation will pass by them unnoticed. I have foreseen it."
"Yes, sir," TODD saluted the Master then switched off the projection. He turned to the sergeant standing behind him and raised an eyebrow slightly, "Have we located the craft's point of origin, 83-22?"
"No, captain," unit 83-22 replied, "The vessel is unmarked and its trajectory and purpose are unknown. The technical units are working to figure it out, but so far as we can tell, the thing doesn't even exist. All of our instruments read it as empty space-- as though it were not even there. Light simply falls into it as do radio waves and all forms of other radiation. It just doesn't exist. It's not affected by anything. We can't even feel it. You can touch the surface, but you don't feel it, sir."
"The Master is not going to like this when he finds out," Captain TODD sighed and grabbed his red and black-striped helmet from the desk on which the holo-projector was placed, and then motioned for unit 83-22 to put on his own black helmet. "He is not going to like it at all."
"But that's only if He finds out, sir," 83-22 reminded the captain.
"He will, believe me, He will," TODD stepped swiftly out of the bunker and into the harsh Tatooine sunlight. "The only question is 'when'."
--
"Why don't they trust me?!" Ira shouted, hurling an inactive remote at the window of the training chamber. The translucent sheet of plasti-glass shattered then mended itself after the spherical training tool had exited its proximity. "I can fight! It's all because of L'anyn! Master Vorschen would have me fighting on the front-line right alongside him. He died and now no one trusts me because of L'anyn. She's got the Council targeting me as a Sith! She's the dark one… not me!"
Another remote hurtled across the room, this time smashing into the wall; decimated plasteel and sparks shot out from the point of impact. He felt better- but only slightly. Rage still burned within him. Anger. Hatred. Passion. He shook his head clear of the emotions, remembering his early lessons about the different trails to the Darkside. Any one of his emotions, if it went unchecked for too long, could lead him down the path toward the Darkside that his own master had followed. His master. She was destroying him. That woman was destroying his entire life! And he couldn't do a thing about it. Why? Because she was invisible and invincible. He couldn't stand-up against her; couldn't hold his own against her. The fury boiled up inside him once again, and this time… This time…
He welcomed it.
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