Shadow of the Jedi
Chapter 18: A Holocron, a love and DNA
Lord Vorn, along with all of his students, lowered himself into a meditative position, legs crossed and folded beneath him. Laying his lightsaber on the ground beside him, he closed his eyes and slipped into a light trance, drawing on the dark side to rejuvenate his aching muscles and refresh his tired mind after training with his Apprentices.
He let the power flow through him, let his mind drift. As it often did, it drifted back to the first time he'd touched the dark side. Not the fumbling brushes he'd had back on Apatros or during his days as a soldier, but a true recognition of the Force.
It had been six days since Angral had last called him and Vorn was waiting for either a reply of Reaper being captured or one of his scouts telling him that Angral's estate on Onderon had been breached and Angral was stupid enough not to heed his warning of underestimating Reaper.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory my chains are broken
Vorn knew all about chains. Some were obvious: an abusive, uncaring father; grueling shifts in mines; debts owed to a faceless, ruthless Master. Others were more subtle: the Republic and its idealistic promises of a better life that never materialized; the Jedi and their vow to rid the galaxy of injustice.
He heard the sounds of movement around him; the soft shuffle of robes as the Apprentices rose from their meditations, bowed toward his sitting form and made their way toward the challenge ring. He grabbed his lightsaber with one hand and sprang to his feet to join them.
Before he could leave the meditative area to witness the duels a small Sith Pureblood came running up to him, nearly running into him.
"My Lord, My Lord," He kept chanting frantically causing Vorn to roll his eyes underneath the hood he was wearing, the Pureblood was one of those rare cases where they aren't Force sensitive, so instead they have different qualities, this one in particular was a really rubbish suck up that works for Angral, basically a mission control.
"What is it boy?" Vorn sneered.
"Something terrible has happened!" The boy exclaimed, gaining some looks from Apprentices and Knights that were walking through the room.
Vorn clenched his teeth, he couldn't do anything against the boy, he couldn't even choke him, the boy was part of a very rich family of Sith and for some reason they thought that they could put a none-Force using Pureblood in his academy and hope he someday gains the powers of the Force.
"I will ask again then, what happened boy?" Vorn questioned with a growl as he continued on toward the challenge ring.
The boy gulped, he may be protected by his family, but it was still better not to piss a Sith Lord off, "Its Angral, the scouts have reported back and his mansion on Onderon has been destroyed."
Vorn paused at this, but after a couple of seconds he continued walking, "Have the scouts cleared up any evidence of Angral being there?" He questioned calmly.
The young Pureblood nodded his head hesitantly, "Yes, but there is a problem."
Vorn stopped walking and turned his head to the boy, "What problem?"
"They couldn't find Angral's holocron."
Vorn's eyes widened and he started shaking in rage, he couldn't kill the Pureblood standing in front of him, so instead he reached out with the Force and grabbed a random Apprentice, that was just innocently walking by to go to his next lesson, and snapped his neck in complete and utter rage.
A Sith Holocron, an indestructible piece of Sith equipment, you couldn't destroy it, the Holocron that Angral had held all of the information that involved this academy, it wouldn't really be that much of a problem because only Sith could open the Holocron, hence the name Sith Holocron, but if Reaper had gained that Holocron and figured out how to open it, he could gain the coordinates of the planet that this Temple was on and the Temple schematics.
The Pureblood boy watched in horror as the Apprentice fell to the floor, Vorn turned to the young Pureblood and the boy flinched under the intense gaze of the Sith Master.
"How much of a fool could Angral be!?" He roared, his body was trembling slightly in complete and utter rage, there was absolutely nothing he could do, unless he mounted a full frontal assault on the Jedi Temple, but the Jedi think that there are only two Sith in the entire galaxy, they didn't know about the Temples scattered all around the unknown regions, and so it will stay that way.
Vorn was breathing heavily when an idea came to him, he turned to the terrified Sith Pureblood, "Do we still have the picture of Reaper and the Togruta Jedi."
The young Pureblood swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded his head, "Y-yes Lord Vorn,"
Vorn nodded, "Good, I want you to download it onto my personal datapad, I've got some editing to do."
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"Are you sure your okay?"
Ahsoka rolled her eyes at her best friends concern, "For the thirteenth time Zhia, I'm fine."
Ahsoka had just come out of the med bay where the Jedi Healers were finally finished patching her up and now she was walking down the halls of the Temple. She was debriefed in the med bay by a Jedi Councillor and Nico was in the central spire itself being debriefed by the rest of the Council, but that had been four hours ago and Ahsoka wanted to find her new boyfriend (Was it her or did that sound really weird for a Jedi to think?).
Zhia sighed, "As long as your okay."
Zhia Phantox. The best friend of Ahsoka Tano and Padawan of Aayla Secura. She was a sixteen year old human girl, an independent sort of person but she was always ready to protect her friends or Master. She was a sort of cool standoffish sort of person so it was really hard for Ahsoka to befriend her at first but she eventually got through that cold exterior, but one thing you should never do is ask her about her past, Ahsoka had asked about it once and Zhia didn't talk to her for at least a week.
She had shoulder length ink black hair. She wore the usual attire of a Jedi Padawan, brown robes. Her skin is tanned and her facial structure is asian. Her species have this weird power, something like controlling the elements or something like that, she can apparently control lightning just like Nico, but it tires her out very quickly and she doesn't use the Fore to use it like Nico does.
Ahsoka smiled as she lay her hand on Zhia's shoulder, "I'm fine, don't worry, Nico saved me and patched me up."
Zhia sighed, "Fine," But then a mischievous smile played on her face, "Did he do anything else but patch you up?" She questioned in a playful tone.
Ahsoka's eyes widened as her mind immediately flashed to the kiss that they shared and she blushed heavily and glared at the smirking Padawan, "Shut up Zhia." She growled, but the darker shade of orange on her cheeks made her look less threatening.
The human girl raised her hands up but she still held a smirk, "Alright, alright," She said with a roll of her eyes, "No need to get so defensive."
"I am not being defensive!" She said a little too loudly and some of the Jedi in the corridor gave her curious looks, making her blush even more in embarrassment.
Zhia merely raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, okay," She said sceptically, she had lost her smirk and was now looking at Ahsoka with open suspicion.
By the Force, Ahsoka thought, I've really got to learn to keep my mouth shut.
Suddenly, Zhia's eyes widened in realization and surprise, before they narrowed and she grabbed Ahsoka's hand and dragged her into some random empty room in the corridor.
Once they were in the room, Zhia quickly turned the lights on, sat Ahsoka down on a chair and she stared the Togruta Padawan in the eye with utmost seriuosness.
"Ahsoka," She started in a cautious tone, "What is Nico to you?"
Okay, now I feel panicky, She thought to herself as she stared up at her best friend since they were nine with wide eyes, I am so dead!
"Umm," Not the best start, "He's just a friend." She said in a mild tone of voice, she didn't like lying to Zhia it made her feel highly uncomfortable, Master Skywalker she could definitely lie to, by the Force, Ahsoka could even lie to Master Windu without blinking an eye, but she most definitely does not like lying to her best friend.
Zhia's eyes narrowed, "Your lying."
"No, I'm no-"
Zhia held up a hand, interrupting Ahsoka, "Don't even try it Ahsoka, I've known you long enough to know the hints of when your lying, you get over defensive, you start to twiddle your thumbs and you start to blush...to be honest you really need to be taught on how to lie." She added the last part with a roll of her eyes.
"I-well yes, he's just a friend." Ahsoka stuttered, and as she looked up to her best friend, she saw that Zhia merely had a deadpan look with a single eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, there's that, now how about the truth." She said in an irritated tone of voice, "Come on Ahsoka, you and I are best friends, you can tell me anything."
Ahsoka bit her lip, but then she her shoulders sagged in defeat as she looked at her best friend, "I may or may not be in a relationship with Nico." She said so quietly that Zhia could barely hear her, but she still heard it.
Zhia just stood there staring at Ahsoka with wide eyes and Ahsoka shifted in her seat uncomfortably, finding the silence incredibly awkward, after a couple more seconds Zhia finally found her voice.
"Well, umm," She started kind of awkwardly, "Have you been, you know, using protection?"
Ahsoka's eyes widened as a massive blush covered her entire face, even the white marks on her face turned red, She thinks that me and Nico-? By the Force no!
"No! Zhia, Seriously!?" Ahsoka exclaimed making Zhia's eyes widen.
"So you haven't been using protection!?" Zhia exclaimed with a rage in her eyes that said, 'I'm going to murder the Ghost King.'
Ahsoka glared at her, "We haven't done...that." She said through clenched teeth, she couldn't believe her friend would even think that.
Zhia let out a sigh of relief, "Oh thank the Force."
Ahsoka blinked, "Wait a minute, your okay with this?"
Zhia shrugged, "Yeah, why shouldn't I be?"
Ahsoka stared at her incredulously, "Because I'm a Jedi."
Zhia rolled her eyes, "Ahsoka, your my best friend, whatever choice you make I'll support it, just like how you would with me." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world...which it kind of was. "I think its kind of interesting, seeing how your able to keep it hidden from the Council."
Ahsoka's eyes widened, "Please don't tell the Council Zhia." She pleaded.
Zhia rolled her eyes, "Relax Ahsoka, your secret is safe with me. I won't say a word to anyone." She said as she smiled at Ahsoka, the Togruta Padawan smiled back, "So...what is Nico to you? A boyfriend or a friend with benefits?"
Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "I would like to think of him as a boyfriend."
"How are you keeping it a secret from the Council?"
Ahsoka shrugged, "I have no idea." She said as she stood up, "Anyway, I've got some things I've got to do, so I'll see you later, okay?" What she didn't say was that she was going to go find Nico, but Zhia had already guessed that.
"Make sure you use protection!" The human girl called just as the Togruta exited the room, drawing weird looks from the Jedi outside the room, Ahsoka growled angrily with a massive blush as she closed the door and walked through the corridor, focusing on Nico's Force signature.
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It took her fifteen minutes to find the Ghost King, she found him on the roof of the Temple and just seeing him standing there was a sight. His back was facing her as he stared out at the Coruscant traffic, the moon shining down upon his figure and the slight breeze made his cloak sway slightly, simply put, it was quite a sight.
Nico hadn't seen her come through the spire door leading up to the roof and neither does he see her sneaking up to him, he was busy in his own thoughts to notice anything really.
It had been at least a full day since he and Ahsoka got back to Coruscant and since then he hasn't been allowed to go into the same room as his new girlfriend as the Jedi healers immediately whisked her away and the Jedi Council immediately whisked him away.
Once Nico was in the central spire with the Council he was debriefed on what happened, he told them everything, well, almost everything, he didn't feel like telling them he went on a rage and used incredibly dark Force powers to get Ahsoka. When he was finished the Council asked him the most obvious question, his use of Umbrakinesis. They had asked him (Well, Yoda asked him) if he was willing to tell them where he was taught it and who taught it to him and he gave a blunt 'no', he wasn't about to tell the Jedi about his inherited powers, and, surprisingly, Yoda didn't bother to question him about it again, Windu on the other hand looked slightly irritated that they weren't going to interrogate the Ghost King.
When Nico had told the Council about the Sith Pureblood they had dismissed the claim very quickly, they definitely didn't believe Nico on that, the original Sith Pureblood's were extinct before the Sith that they fight today, Yoda and Windu had been the only ones that didn't seem slightly amused by this news. Nico didn't have any evidence on the Pureblood other than the Holocron that he had hidden in his robes, but knowing the Jedi and there prejudices over dark artefacts they would probably try and destroy it as soon as they saw it, that was one of the things Nico didn't really like about the Jedi, it doesn't matter if it could be an advantage or not, if its dark it must be destroyed.
Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder making him tense and quickly turn around out of instinct, but before he could grab the person who tried to 'attack' him, said person grabbed the front part of his robes turned them both around and pushed him to the ground, the person landing on top of him.
Nico tried to struggle until he heard the laughter coming from above him, making him look at the person who was on top of him.
"Damn it Ahsoka," Nico growled out though he had a slight smirk on his face, she was definitely getting better with her stealth.
Ahsoka was still laughing, "Oh come on, I couldn't resist! whenever I come up behind you you always have some sort of reflex, I can't help it if your becoming predictable." She said between laughs as she started to calm down until there were only small snickers coming from her.
Nico raised an eyebrow, Was it really that funny? "I'm glad that my pain amuses you Princess." He said dryly, making her snort in amusement as she rolled off of him and onto his side.
They were both now lying on the floor of the roof of the Jedi Temple looking up into the night sky, watching as the many stars, despite the amount of pollution the city world gave out you could still see a lot of stars in the night sky, either they were stars or just starships staying stationary.
"What are you doing out here Nico?" The Togruta Padawan questioned, still staring up at the sky.
The Ghost King shrugged, "I'm just thinking about the amount of changes that's happened in the last five months, I also like seeing one of the few natural things about this world." He said as he gestured toward the stars, he glanced over to her and noticed that she was shivering in the slight breeze, Nico smiled as he sat up and held his cloak out, "Come on," He said, at the questioning look that she gave him he gestured toward the cloak, "I can tell your cold, now come on." He said and she smiled at him as she sat up and let him wrap his cloak around her. She found herself in a surprisingly comfortable position as they both lied back down, with the left side of his cloak wrapped around her like a blanket and her face against his left arm, she was very comfortable and didn't want to move at all.
"Thanks." She said as she unconsciously snuggled up closer to Nico and wrapped his cloak tighter around her body, staring at the stars.
Nico turned to his left to see the Padawans Lekku next to him as Ahsoka pressed her face against his arm. He felt himself blush.
"What do you like about the stars Angel boy?" She questioned.
Nico smiled, "The constellations." He said as if it was the simplest thing.
Ahsoka smiled, "Which ones do you know? I only know a couple, and those are Togruta constellations."
Nico smiled as he pointed up at the sky with his right hand, (Alright, I know these constellations aren't meant to exist in this galaxy but just roll with it, okay?) "Well, there's Heracles, the son of Zeus and one of the most powerful demigods in history, but my cousin knew him as a stupid, pompous, stuck-up, greedy and rude dude. I don't know why but my cousin never really liked Heracles." He said making Ahsoka snort in amusement, he then pointed to another part of the sky, "Then there's the big bear thing-I think it's called Ursa Major- then there's Ursa Minor. And then there's Artemis' boyfriend, Orion-" Nico suddenly interrupted himself as he flinched in slight pain as he suddenly got a small headache, Alright! Not your boyfriend! Geez! The pain stopped.
Ahsoka looked at him in slight concern, "Nico, what's wrong?" She asked as she stared at his pain-pinched face.
Nico shook his head, clearing it, "Nothing, its alright. What about you? What constellations do you know?"
Ahsoka shrugged, "Well, I only know one that you can see from Coruscant," She said as she pointed into the sky, "Burning Snake, also known as Eryon, it stands for dangerous and feisty."
Nico chuckled, "I can see why you like it."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes but didn't say anything as she lowered her arm down and snuggled back into Nico's arm.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence. With the combination of the night sky, the warmth from his cloak, the firmness from his muscles in his arms, and her little verbal fight with Zhia, Ahsoka fell asleep.
Nico sighed, "So Princess, how has the day been for you?" He asked. Nico turned his head and found Ahsoka with her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling in sync with her deep and even breathing. Nico couldn't help but stare at Ahsoka, her smooth orange skin, perfect and flawless lips, looking so peaceful and beautiful in her sleep. As Nico looked at her, he felt something stir inside him.
Nico froze as he realised with a deep shock that the feeling was love. After the second battle of Geonosis when Ahsoka had kissed him he had been reading about it vigorously, researching all about it, he couldn't find any real explanation on what love was, all he could find was that love was an enigma, that only you could no if you loved someone. And he was in love with Ahsoka. He, Nico Di Angelo the former Sith Lord, Prince of Death and Ghost King, had fallen deeply in love with Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan of the Chosen One. Emphasis on Jedi and Chosen One.
All in all it really shouldn't have been that much of a massive surprise toward Nico, if it wasn't for Ahsoka Nico was pretty sure he would still be with the Separatists, she was the one that brought out those memories after all, and she was the one that brought the doubt of working with the Separatists. She was the only Jedi that he couldn't kill, he didn't know why but he felt something inside him whenever he was going to try and kill her, a stirring, it was like if he killed her his life would become a living hell. Nico now saw what that meant, if he had killed Ahsoka he would still be a Sith, the Separatists would still have an incredibly powerful ally and Nico would have lost the one thing that he would have been able to care about.
Despite all of these thoughts going on in his head he decided to try and wake her up, since he was pretty sure that no matter how much of a friend Skywalker was, he'd rip him apart if he found out Ahsoka was sleeping with him.
"Princess, um, are you alright?" Nico asked, tapping her shoulder. Ahsoka gave a moan and slapped his hand away. As much as Nico would love to have Ahsoka stay in his cloak, he knew he really had to wake her up. Nico sighed as he turned toward her slightly, shaking her by her shoulder. Ahsoka gave a growl and her fist came up, punching him square on the nose. Nico fell backwards, clutching his face and giving a low groan.
"Seriously Ahsoka, if waking you up is like that, then I'm not going to wake you up at all." Nico groaned.
"Then don't wake me up! I'm comfortable, so let me sleep!" Ahsoka growled, wrapping Nico's cloak tighter around herself and snuggling her face into Nico's arm.
"Look Princess, as much as I love having you sleeping right next to me, I don't think its a good idea to do this outside on the Temple roof." Nico said as he cautiously glanced at the roof door.
Ahsoka's eyes flew open and she blushed furiously as she realised that she had fallen asleep in Nico's cloak, her face squashed against his left arm. Then she noticed Nico's bleeding nose.
"Nico, what happened to your nose?" Ahsoka said, her hand reaching forward.
Nico gently pushed her hand aside, his face a burning red. "Well, I was trying to wake you up and um, you didn't want to be woken..." Nico muttered, trailing off at the end.
Ahsoka blushed again as she started to untangle herself from Nico's cloak. She hastily sat up, even though she really didn't want to leave and pulled Nico up, giving him a sheepish look.
"Sorry about that." She said, and then an idea came to her head, "Here, I hope you can accept my apology." She said as she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
Nico smiled as she pulled away, "I think that'll work," He said as he pulled a cloth from one of his robes pockets and wiped his nose with it. "Come on, lets head back to our quarters." He said as he grabbed her hand and they both headed toward the roofs entrance.
"Oh, and one more thing Nico." Ahsoka said as she bit her lips nervously.
Nico raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"
"My friend Zhia figured out we're in a relationship."
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"His power is too dark, he must be executed!"
"That is not the Jedi way!"
"We cannot take any chances with this boy, he has proven that he cannot control the darkness within him!"
"That doesn't mean we should kill him!"
Up in the highest spier of the Jedi Temple, twelve powerful robed figures were sitting in a circle on their red seats, a hologram of the Ghost King was in the middle, it's from the security footage that was caught in the mission room when Nico lost his cool. Right now, Master Kenobi and Master Oppo Rancisis were having an argument about what to do with the Prince of Death.
Oppo Rancisis was a Thisspiasian male, his upper body was humanoid but instead of legs, he had a long snake tale. He had a large white beard, with brown eyes, his skin colour was a dark yellow. He was the greatest strategist within the Jedi Order.
Rancisis shook his head at Obi-Wan's statement. "This hologram proves that he cannot control whatever power he wields," The Jedi Master said, gesturing toward the hologram in the middle of the room. "The power that he bares-I mean-It's just too much, it's too dark, he should not be a Jedi."
Before Obi-Wan could open his mouth to argue, Master Windu finally intervened. "Enough." He said calmly, yet firmly. Kenobi closed his mouth and leans back in his chair. Windu nodded before looking to his right, and staring down at the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, who, during the entire argument, had his head down, deep in thought. "Master, what do you think we should do about this problem?" He asked, he didn't want to admit it, but he was getting slightly apprehensive as the hologram of the Ghost King continued to stare at him with emotionless eyes, it was just his luck that the hologram was facing him.
The diminutive Jedi Master murmured under his breath, then looked back up. "Asked him we have where his powers come from, and he did not wish to tell us, respect his privacy, we should."
That sent Rancisis off again. "That is what concerns me, we all know what this boy is like. He is conserved and doesn't trust anyone other than Padawan Tano, the only way we will get the information we want is if we order Skywalker's Padawan to tell us."
Kenobi shot up from his seat. "We will do no such thing!"
"Enough!" Windu exclaimed and that shut the two Jedi Masters up straight away, Windu hardly ever loses his patience or raises his voice, but when he does, its best if you listen to him, Mace nodded, "Now, what do we already know about Di Angelo? We know that he bares powers that belong to incredibly powerful ancient Sith..." He trailed off as he looked at Ki-Adi-Mundi.
The Jedi Master nodded toward Windu, "During the battle of Geonosis as you all know I had his midichlorian count checked and it came up as zero," This gained several nods from the masters around the room, "Well, I have found something else about his blood that is just as extraordinary."
Luminara raised an eyebrow, "And what could be just as extraordinary as a Force sensitive having no midichlorians?"
Ki-Adi looked at her calmly, "He does not have a father."
Kenobi blinked, "What?"
"He doesn't have a father," The Jedi Master repeated, "His DNA has X chromosomes in them but that's it, he doesn't have any Y chromosomes." (Don't understand it? Look it up on the internet)
"But he said that his fathers name is Hades." Shaak Ti argued.
"Yes, and we believed him," Windu said as he brought out a datapad, "But we have run Di Angelo's DNA trough the galactic scan but there appears to be no relations toward him, no mother, father or siblings, no deceased or living relatives, its like he came out of nowhere."
Master Eeth Koth cleared his throat, "As interesting as this information is, what good would it do us, he keeps turning down the questions that we ask him."
Windu looked at the Jedi Master calmly, "Then we will have someone that Di Angelo trusts to get the information that we need."
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Jedi Master Fay walked through the quiet hallways of the Jedi Temple, her eyes half-closed as she basked in the peace of the Temple she had grown up in. After a century of service to the Jedi Order as a Knight and Master, Fay felt compelled by the Force to wander in a self-imposed exile on the Outer Rim, spending decades simply viewing the life those on the Rim lived in comparison to the Core.
She'd seen things that were horrifying as well as things that were so magnificent they took her breath away, but she had never seen whatever it was the Force was trying to warn her of, never saw the threat looming beyond the edge of the galaxy that had festered for thousands of years in silent rage.
After centuries of wandering, Fay had returned to the Temple and was well recieved, her return due mainly to the presence of a former Sith that she found to be...compelling, if not a little bizarre.
Nico was power, there was no other way she could describe him. His body was at the peak of physical fitness for a teenager, his charisma, his intelligence and his skill all told of a boy who's life had been spent training and learning, at such an advanced rate that it made the Jedi training seem lacking. Though...he had some serious character flaws because of it, one of those character flaws being he would kill someone and carry on with his life as if it was just a small hassle.
Suddenly, a voice from behind her spoke, "Master Fay, the Council is asking to see you."
Fay turned her attention to a young female Iridonian with pale grey skin and shoulder length brown hair, a strand of the hair tied in the traditional braid of a Jedi Padawan.
The girl looked to be ten years old and Fay frowned mentally, knowing most Padawans were not chosen until their twelfth or thirteenth year by Masters. Obviously times were changing and there was a need for more Jedi Knights. Many of the older Padawans had been Knighted, the battles they fought in acting as their trials and Fay was concerned for what that meant for the younger Jedi. Soon the Jedi Order would be made up of old Masters and younglings barely able to leave the creche.
Pushing aside the grief that took her heart at such thoughts, Fay thanked the young Padawan before making her way towards the Council Chambers, her robes pale white in the dimmed lighting of the Temple as the morning sun started coming up over Coruscant. Fay was the picture of calm, her face serene despite her sorrows over the war engulfing the galaxy and her worries over Nico. She wanted to talk to him, Fay could see that she was slowly but surely gaining his full trust.
"All in good time. Trust is earned."
Fay's internal musings stopped abruptly as she stepped from the lift and entered the Council Chambers. As she entered the chambers she noticed two things in the middle, one of those things was of a pretty weird hologram of Nico and the second thing was a Mon Calamari that was standing beside Obi-Wan and she rose a brow as she studied Bant, the Jedi Healer's salmon-coloured features seemed troubled and Fay felt a sudden dread rise up inside her.
"Masters." Fay stated calmly, bowing her head in deference to the Jedi High Council.
The Councillors all exchanged brief pleasantries with her, inclining their head before Mace Windu started talking.
"We've asked you here for two reasons, Fay. The first is that the Jedi Council is in need of more members and you are...quite frankly the most qualified Jedi the field that is not on this Council. We should like to ask you to join our ranks and become a member of the High Council." Mace kept his tone formal, though there was an edge to his voice that caused Fay to frown slightly. The Korun Jedi Master seemed unhappy with something and she doubted it was a Council appointment.
Pausing to consider the offer, Fay weighed her options. She had chosen exile over the Council centuries before and now the choice was again set out before her. Thinking of the young Padawan that had been sent for her for this very meeting, Fay inclined her head respectfully, turning her eyes to each of the eleven Jedi Master that were on the Council, Master Yaddle having died during a peace treaty.
"I would be honoured to accept this position, Masters."
Mace looked relieved for a moment, though his features grew stern, a gleam of unease flickering in his dark eyes for a moment before he passed on the assignment that the Council had voted on before Fay's arrival.
"The second reason we have summoned you here, Master Fay, is that we've become concerned with Di Angelo."
Mace stared at Fay for a moment as she silently frowned while the other Jedi Masters looked on uneasily. They were asking Fay to spy on Nico in a way, to repeat the precautions they had taken five months earlier with Anakin and Ahsoka when Nico had first sided with the Republic.
"A sample of Di Angelo's blood was tested at the order of the Council..." Mace paused, turning his eyes to Bant as the Jedi Healer tensed, her posture straightening though an unhappy look had crossed her features. Obi-Wan gently took the Jedi Healer's hand, squeezing it reassuringly before letting go and turning to the newly appointed Master at the centre of the room.
Fay's subtle frown had lost its subtlety and she was staring at the floor in silent thought, and then she spoke. "Nico did not wish his blood to be tested. It has been nearly half a year and no harmful contagions have come to our attention...Master Skywalker and Padawan Tano have been in almost daily contact with the boy for the past five months and neither of them have seen any signs of illness, from themselves or him...Are-are you saying the Council tested his blood against his will?"
Maces expression was calm, collected and lacking of any emotion, though he exchanged a glance with Yoda before looking back at Fay and nodding an affirmation.
Fay's expression was troubled for a moment before she nodded to herself and looked up into Yoda's eyes, knowing the diminutive Jedi was the Order's Grandmaster and that his voice carried the weight of the Council's decision. Mace was simply the spokesperson and Fay decided then and there the reason she had decided to leave the Order for a time was a correct one. She'd seen enough on the Rim to know the Republic was ignorant of many things and even the Jedi had a thing or two to learn.
"I must respectfully decline my appointment to the High Council, then. As I am morally opposed to this development that was done with the Council's consent."
Mace's eyes lowered to the ground a moment before he looked up and into Fay's determined, ethereal features, respect in his eyes.
"That is precisely the reason we need someone like you in this Council, Master Fay." Maces voice was uncharacteristically soft, but it carried its message clearly. War was changing the Order and Fay recalled Nico's warnings to her about being careful who she should trust. When it came down to it, Fay knew she really had no choice in the matter, none that her conscience would abide and the Jedi General accepted the Council seat gracefully, without a single word, knowing the future of the Jedi Order was partially in her hands.
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Nico was sitting in his quarters in the Jedi Temple, staring at the salvaged Sith Holocron intently.
He had been taught by both Dooku and Sidious on how to open a Sith Holocron, you had to absorb the power of the dark side for it though and Nico didn't want to do that in a Temple full of Jedi.
Nico looked at his watch, another thing that he had found in his magical chest full of wonders, and noticed that it was nearly ten am.
Knock, knock, knock.
Nico quickly used the Force to grab the Holocron and put in a pouch in his robes as he heard someone knock on the door of his quarters.
"Come in." He called.
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Fay was walking toward Nico's quarters with a datapad in her hand, her blue eyes dimmed slightly be the task she had to attend to and she had spent most of her time in the Archives and the Medical wing of the Temple, going over Nico's blood and the records the ancient archives held and she had gained no new knowledge that involved the Di Angelo family, apart from the fact that Nico Di Angelo meant either Angel of Victory or Angel of Death in some old long forgotten language...a suiting name.
The records in the medical archives only held DNA profiles, lacking any information or references to Midiclorians, they had remained untouched by thousands of years of war and political change and it was no difficult task for a Jedi Councillor to gain access and do a comparison of Nico's DNA for similarities with other strands within their records. But she found absolutely nothing, no mother, no father, no siblings, if Nico wanted to he could just disappear right now and change his name, and if the DNA sample is correct, then that means that Nico should technically be a girl seeing how he doesn't have any of the chromosome of the father, none of the genes.
Once Fay reached the Ghost Kings quarters she knocked on the door three times before she heard a faint, 'come in' and she opened the door to see the very messy room of the powerful Jedi.
Nico did his best to look apologetic as Fay eyed him in bemusement, pointedly looking down at a small trail of sand that goes all over his room.
"Sorry, I haven't had time to clean this place up." He said while smiling sheepishly.
Fay shook her head, suppressing the urge to laugh as she closed the door, locking it after a moment's thought and went to sit on the cot in his room and she beckoned Nico over to sit next to her. She had no idea how Nico would react when she told him what the Council had ordered done to his blood but she was under no illusions that his response would not be anger and it would likely draw the attention of any nearby Jedi. She did not want to be disturbed, she needed Nico to understand the importance of his blood and what it meant for the Jedi Order, for the Force itself.
"Much as I would prefer it...this is not a social call, Nico. I...was appointed to the Jedi Council and certain...information was brought to my attention with the increased clearance I gained. I swear to you I did not know of this until this morning, Nico."
The former Dark Lord of the Sith rose a brow silently in question, his feature looking concerned, a concern that Fay noted was for her and not himself. Feeling angry at the Council for a moment, Fay calmed her mind, allowing the Jedi Code to occupy her rebellious mind as she motioned for Nico to sit and she lifted the datapad in her deceptively delicate-looking hands.
Nico's frown grew troubled as he noticed the datapad and he joined Fay on the couch, turning his attention fully to Fay, Nico glanced briefly at the datapad, his blood running cold at the galactic basic numeral sequence for zero. Blood, the word stuck at the forefront of his mind and Nico spoke before Fay could.
"They tested my blood..."
Fay nodded slowly, her body tense, though she forced herself to remain non-threatening. She would not fight Nico, if he chose to strike out at her, she would not defend herself, she would not raise her hand against him in battle, she respected him too much for that and she wanted him to know that she was not his enemy. She had thought them to be friends, but if he was a danger to the Order and to the Republic she would do what was needed, but Fay knew Nico was a danger only to those who tried to attack him or control him. The Sith had tried to control him and that ended badly and now the Jedi are trying to control him, though passively and Fay knew Nico well enough to know he loathed it.
Fay's eyes fixed with Nico's before the deposed Dark Lord looked to a random point on the wall, his face lacking any expression as he cooly considered his reaction. Impulsiveness would get you killed or maimed in battle so the initial response of rage had been separated from Nico's body, the Force filling with a dark anger that rivalled the Fanged God of Dathomir before it slowly cleared and Nico gave a disgusted snort of bitter laughter.
"Geonosis. That's why the Councillors have stopped asking me for a blood sample. It was Bant and Mundi wasn't it?"
Fay's lips pressed together a moment before she locked them unconsciously, her mouth feeling dry at the fires of rage she saw behind Nico's black eyes. The air was potent, filled with a darkness that only righteous anger could bring and Fay closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath as she waited for Nico's body to catch up to his mind.
She was fully prepared when he stood abruptly, her eyes snapping open as he reached for her face and Fay flinched as Nico's pale cold hand brushed slowly, gently over her cheek as the boy stared at her with a blank expression, though his eyes were still reflecting his anger and power, if she didn't know any better she would think that they were glowing red slightly, Fay found the detached calm and the gentle gesture far more disturbing than any tantrum he would have thrown.
Abruptly, Nico was gone, the lock on his door bypassed through the Force and Nico moved through the corridors of the Jedi Temple, using the Force to shove away curious Jedi that blocked his path.
He had business with the High Council to see to and they were delaying him.
Fay let out a shuddering breath, standing and following Nico swiftly, her blue eyes passing over Jedi that littered the floor of the hallway, unconscious or injured when they'd barred Nico's path. Running to catch up with Nico, Fay arrived at the lift as it opened and stepped inside, ignoring the stone-faced glare Nico sent towards her.
"I hadn't explained everything, Nico." The pixie-like Jedi said as she reached for the lift controls.
Nico's entire body tensed and his glare intensified as Fay reached forward, halting the lifts ascent. A ripple in the Force had Fay pinned against the wall, unable to move as the lift continued its path upward and Nico turned fully to face the sephi Jedi Master.
Her words when he'd met her at his door had replayed in his mind and quelled an enraged response in his quarters, she had a good heart, was a wholly good person, but Nico could not forgive such a blatant violation of himself. His blood was his own, a piece of him and the Jedi had tried to take it, just as the Gods of Olympus had taken away his mind and memories and his anger, his silent rage intensified, causing Fay to gasp slightly as a painful pressure, invisible to her eyes, began pressing down upon her, crushing her body for a split-second and threatening to snap bones before it withdrew instantly at her gasp and she found herself on her knees, her skin flushed as her blood rushed through her veins and she shook slightly from the surreal experience of being crushed by the Force.
Nico's face looked horrified for a moment before he wiped away his expression, allowing his features to reflect the concern he felt for Fay before she stood shakily and faced him, her eyes holding a sadness they hadn't before.
"I had nothing to do with what they did to you, Nico. Don't-don't let your anger control you. Don't be a slave to it."
The former Sith Lord closed his eyes, breathing in and letting the air out from his lungs slowly, deliberately before he opened them slowly and moved to the controls, reversing the direction of the lift. Fay stood against the side of the lift, warily eyeing the man she's thought of as a friend before what he was doing settled into her mind and she felt a fluttering of hope for him.
She wasn't begging him to spare the Council, feeling the amount of raw power that came off of him Fay had no doubt in her mind that he would have destroyed them, she was begging for him to spare himself. Too much blood had been shed in the name of Nico Di Angelo and Fay did not want to see more shed if it could be stopped.
Slowly, with all the grace and care she had developed in centuries of life, Fay approached Nico's side, slowly grasping his hand and jerked back slightly as she was assaulted by his emotions, the clarity of the depth of his anger showing in her mind as if it were her own and the fears and uncertainty Nico felt at the possibility of never being accepted echoing in the Force. A bond, a part of her mind noted, had formed between herself and Nico and she could feel he also held a bond for Anakin Skywalker and a youngling called Tracy Beach.
There was this one bond that Nico held, it held so much light and shoved away the darkness surrounding it that it awed Fay, it was probably the only things keeping the darkness away, she couldn't see who the bond belonged to but she knew that it had to be someone special to Nico, someone that keeps him on the path of the light. Tenuously studying the strange world opened up to her senses, Fay saw other bonds Nico had developed with Jedi, Sith, Gods and Demigods alike that had once followed him in the Giant War, most cold and devoid, echoing wounds in his mind that told of the deaths of close friends. One in particular was strong, a lingering darkness that had been a girl Nico considered a sister; it was all that remained of Bianca Di Angelo. Grief, rage, love and friendship burned along those thoughts, a strange combination if Fay could say so. And as she dove a little deeper into this part of his mind, Fay could see why Nico was having trust issues, deep in the recesses of his mind, he was confused, Fay could see two identities within Nico's subconscious, a blending of Nico Di Angelo and what remained of Lord Reaper, a blending of both light and darkness. It wasn't the kind of mental stability that inspired trust.
Breaking the connection, Nico ripped his hand away from Fay's, his mental shield having deteriorated significantly in his anger and he stared at the sephi Jedi with a mixture of suspician and annoyance. She had gotten into his head, into his mind and he clenched his fists, resisting the urge to call on the Force to smash the troublesome Jedi to dust. Coming back from his anger, Nico knew, logically; that it was an unintentional violation of his mind, that he was as much at fault as she and the former Dark Lord of the Sith let out a long, slow sigh as the lift doors opened and he walked out of the lift, leaving a shocked Jedi Master in his wake.
Hello my friends, and say hello to another cheesy chapter, yay!
Moving on, I know what your going to say about the DNA 'but Nico has a father, its Hades.' I know this, but if you remember correctly, Gods don't have DNA so the Jedi wont know who his father truly is. Also, did you like the little rampage Nico went on after he found out that the Jedi had taken a sample of his blood without his permission, as you can see, I'm making Nico angry with the Jedi, why? Wait and you'll find out.
Zhia is an OC that belongs to...Zhia...well, that's what she calls herself anyway.
Aww, Nico's in love, and yes people, that is what it feels like when your in love, either that or I've got some weird flu that keeps coming up whenever I'm around my girlfriend.
It seems that some of the Council members want Nico dead out of fear, looks like Nico was wrong about the Jedi, not everyone will accept him.
The next chapter will take longer for me to do, I'm moving onto the Mortis trilogy, but be warned, they will be incredibly different to the episodes, because in that chapter, Nico will be finding out his true destiny and he will be going alone.
As for the vote, it doesn't really come as that much of a surprise that the unique plot won. So, I'll soon be wrapping this story up in a bow and we'll be moving onto the next story of this trilogy, I'm thinking of simply calling it 'Chess'.
Now, onto the reviews...
HiddenHero220 chapter 17 . Jun 15
Me: FINALLY you get your butt moving Percy Jackson.
Percy: HEY! That wasn't my fault!
Me: Well then who's fault is it?
Percy: Well...ummmmmm...
Me: Exactly my point.
Percy: HEY! I wasn't finished explaining yet!
Me: Do you even have an excuse to why you didn't try and help out sooner?
Percy: *hangs head in defeat* No.
Me: *smirk*
Percy: HEY!
Me: I didn't say anything. And besides, hay is for horses.
Percy: *bangs head on table* I give up.
Yes, Percy and the seven will be coming to the galaxy, as well as the Hunters, damn things are going to get nasty.
Libby8980 chapter 17 . Jun 15
you were talking about interesting reviews? i can do that. done it before. but, i need to say before hand, lots of fluff. im okay with fluff. fluff is good. very good. cant wait for the next chapter. and dont worry, i know exactly what im picking. MUHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Mist: whats so funny?
me: ... you have no need to know.
Mist: dont get all geeky on me! i have a pen!
Me: like that will do anything.
Mist: (grabbs another pen and scribbles on Libby8980s work. then gets the origanol pen and uncapps it. it turns into a sword.)]
Me: MY WORK! oh, is that Percys sword?
Mist: yes. Me: why do you have it?
Mist : cause i want to take down Percy with his own sword.
me:(rolls eyes) what did he do this time?
Mist: he distroyed my cake! me:( face palms) ...
Mist: bye! oh, and i think you should go to percys house tomarow. i think he might need metical atention.
Me: OH MEH GOD ARE YOU CRAZY?!"?
mist: yep.
9the whole rest of the day Percy ran around camp with Mist chasing Percy didnt know what hit him.
O.O Yep, you can definitely do an interesting review that kinda hurts my head with it randomness, but it still made me chuckle. Hope you liked the fluff on this chapter.
ChristianCountryGirl chapter 17 . Jun 15
whoops! ya that was a typing mistake, ya your right, i dont really like a whole lot of romance xD any who, cool chapter! i can't wait until the seven show up, i wonder what nico will think of them now. I'll be watching for the next chapter!
Alright, I see what you mean. Alright, I wont make smutty stuff like lemons and crap like that but there will be romance, it can't be stopped.
Guest chapter 17 . Jun 16
Percy has children.? Ohh
Well I'd think so, he's been a God for over three thousand years I don't think he's going to stay a virgin while he's married to Annabeth. And no, I wasn't talking about demigod kids, I'll try and explain that they don't have them on some other chapter.
Airanger78 chapter 17 . Jun 17
I'm so excited on what u do in this story, the seven with nico and the hunters would be very interesting no doubt :) anyway nice filler- chapter
Yeah, it will be quite a sight to see these demigods kicking ass and taking names in the star wars universe.
Zhia chapter 17 . 14h ago
Great job, as always. I honestly wasn't expecting that to happen! I see you are bringing the seven back into the mix. I am interested to see what will happen when Nico sees the seven again! Will he recognise them and remember his past, or will he think, 'who the heck are these people?' I really like how are you wrote Palpatine's reaction! Wow!
You are very right in saying that I need an account. I am probably going to make one soon! :D
I vote the second plot. I really want you to finish the story, but from what you tell us, it will be really unique! I love unique!
Alright, that's my review for this chapter! Quite long, but who cares! Keep writing!
Zhia
I ain't putting the entire review here because its way too long. Anyway, thank you for clarifying a few things and I can't get this image out of my head of a bunch of Sith on a starship about to test a weapon on a planet when they are suddenly warped through a wormhole and they end up at a different planet, all the Sith just glance at each other and shrug before attacking the planet, I've got this stuck in my head and I am laughing my head off.
Oh, and don't worry about the power, she can still have lightning powers but that's it, no rain or wind powers.
I can't wait to write about Nico's reaction toward the Seven, it will most definitely be fun.
*Grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you* GET AN ACCOUNT! *Stops shaking you* Got it? *I suddenly get slapped* Ow.
Great stories I recommend are:
'Dark Phoenix'. Author: Lighningscar. Crossover: PJO x Harry Potter.
'Death's Avenger'. Author: Sinsidhe. Crossover: PJO x Avengers.
'Everlasting Promises'. Author: Starblade176. Story: PJO
Anaklusmos14 is a great author and all his stories are amazing. So is TheseusLives.
Thank you for reading and if you have any questions just ask them in the reviewers box or PM me. Please review.