Alright Ficsters. The response was to take Nik along for the ride and that's what's gonna happen! Enjoy the chapter!
She sighed. With all this turmoil happening around them, all they really needed was another mouth to feed and another kid to keep track of. Still, she couldn't deny her Jedi ideals. This kid was in trouble and she had the power to get him out of it…there was actually little choice in the matter when all was said and done.
"Alright, kid. Pack a bag and let's get off this rock." She said.
"Thank you." He said, simply.
"Don't thank me. This is kind of what we do." She said, taking another drink of the liquor. Without another word he disappeared around a corner and into a room that she hadn't even noticed was there. No more than five minutes later, he reemerged with a pack slung over his shoulder.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"I live in the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. We're headed there." She explained gathering her own pack.
"Are you sure they'd let me stay?" he asked. She knew why he asked this question. Given the Yuuzhan Vong's previous reputation with the Jedi, the rebellion and the New Republic, she thought that his staying in a Jedi enclave would be questionable at best. The Yuuzhan Vong were a commonly brutal race who saw their gods as the only guidance and those gods often guided them to cause pain and turmoil beyond previous belief. Taking one of them in after their legacy in the galaxy and the scar they left behind would be an odd proposition. They were also devoid of the Force. Only a handful of YVs in the history of the galaxy had possessed Force affinity. That was perhaps another reason she saw promise in him.
Where there should have been a numbing silence, there was a whisper. Where there should have been total blackness, there was a spark of light. Nik was not the vacuum of the Force that he should have been and she could tell that he had no desire to be. He wasn't like the others of his race and likely grew up in a place where he was very different from those around him…just as she had been.
"Well, if they don't we'll find a place for you." She said, reassuringly. Though she could not be sure, she thought she saw a smile come to his face through the bandana he wore. He looked more human than any Yuuzhan Vong she had ever seen before. He had a head thick with black hair which he had cut into what looked like a Mandalorian military cut; short and clean. His arms were slightly smoother than any Vong she'd seen and were blatantly absent of the hundreds of grafts that covered his brethren. Perhaps, she thought, this was why he was cast out. Not being able to accept the grafting was often reason to exile one of their own. However, such a thing was almost certainly a touchy subject and she thought it best not to bring it up…at least not until they knew each other better.
They piled onto the tiny Jedi shuttle in the middle of the night and blasted away for Dantooine where Mady would certainly have quite a bit of convincing to do.
"What do you mean you're bringing him here?" Axol said on the other line.
"Just like I said. I'm bringing him back there and I need you to work on Ben. I just don't want him to be surprised." She said, into the communicator. The ship was in autopilot and it would be morning before they got to the planet. This being the case, she wandered the ship
"Kid, do you have any idea what his kind can do to us? I'm all for second chances, but they can't feel the Force like we can. I'm not even saying I have anything against him, but he can't change what he is. They siphon the Force without even trying." He said.
"He's not like the others, Axol. I can tell. He can feel the Force, I know he can. It's just a little, but it's there. And Axol…he's got no place else to go." She said, quietly glancing into the bunkroom where he slept. She could hear Axol's frustrated sigh through the comm. She knew that Axol loved her like a daughter, but he was a realist. He knew that Mady's heart had gotten her into trouble more than once and he couldn't help but feel like this would be one of those times. It hit him though that she was a grown woman and he couldn't protect her forever.
"Alright, kid. Do what you have to do. I'll work on Benny boy." He said.
"Thanks, Axol. We'll be there tomorrow morning. See you soon. Out." She replied.
"Out." Axol finished. With a sigh of her own, she dropped the communicator to her side.
"You are going to get me into so much trouble." She said at the sleeping figure in the room. Yawning herself, she found her way back to the cockpit to snag some sleep.
Seemingly just as she began to drift away, the obnoxious buzz of the range alarm alerted her to the fact that she had to switch to manual now. They were within range of Dantooine.
"Hidden Hero to Jedi Enclave. Requesting permission to land." She said into the communicator on the control panel.
"Permission granted, Hidden Hero. You are to report to Master Katarn in the Master's Hall upon landing. He's requested and audience with you." Said the unwitting knight in the control room.
"I'll bet he has." She said under her breath as she flicked a few switches and continued the landing procedure.
"Say again, Hidden Hero. I didn't read." He said.
"I said I'll see him when I set down. Hidden Hero out." She replied, switching off the comm. In her exhaustion she had completely forgotten to make a plan of what to say to Ben. She would most certainly need a game plan of some kind to convince Ben of something this…odd. For the time being, she thought it best to at least wake him up and fill him in.
As she walked toward the bunkroom, she rubbed her neck tenderly as the odd sleeping situation had left her somewhat stiff. Suddenly, though a sound made her stop altogether. As she neared the room ever more slowly and quietly, the sound of a swishing lightsaber became more and more unmistakable. Carefully, she peeked around the corner to find him running through the Shii-Cho practice motions with a yellow blade. She leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms and he never noticed her as she watched him. A smile grew slowly on her lips. She knew there was something different about him. When he finished, she finally spoke.
"Not bad." She said prompting him to whirl around startled.
"Very clean motions. Sharp transitions, too. Your feet could use some work." She said. His eyes still showed only shock that she had caught him.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
"Because I'm not that good. I didn't want you to see it unless you had to." Nik explained, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You need to have more confidence, Nik. Hell, where's your pride?" she asked.
"I guess once you're a Vong you're not left with much of that." He said. Her eyes grew sad then. So much of what he said reminded her of herself years ago when she had walked the exile's path. Everything she had was taken from her on that day so long ago and when the Jedi had sent her away she was naked of pride and power and everything else. This kid would not feel this way for another second.
"Well, no more thoughts like that. You're somebody now. You matter. You don't have to be ashamed of who you are and you don't have to hide who you are from anyone. Not from anyone! That reminds me. Why don't you take that bandana off." She said. He took a half step back.
"I'd rather not." He said.
"Why? Are you hurt or something?" she asked.
"N-no. Nothing like that. It's just…sometimes the way…well, the way we look…it can make some people uncomfortable." Nik said. It was then that she noticed he could barely look her in the eye. She approached him and his eyes became more and more intensely focused on the floor. He even shied away slightly as if afraid of being hit. Her gaze at him was intense, but not angry or upset. If he would have been looking at her, he would have perhaps seen sympathy in her icy gaze. Too bad he was focused so on his boots.
She reached forward and put her first two fingers under his chin and gently raised his head up so he looked her in the eye. Just as gently she pulled the bandana down revealing his face. To her great lack of surprise, he looked as Yuuzhan Vong do. His nose was snub and his skin was rough. Something about the way his face was structured though, made him look more human than any Vong she had ever seen. The cheeks were not as severely slanted and creased. His eyes were not so angry and his mouth was not so sinister and animal-like.
His eyes searched her face now for some type of reaction. Some clue or hint to give him a window into what she thought of him. He expected her to cringe or show repulsion on her face, but nothing met his search, but that steely stare he had seen before the bandana came down. All this had transpired in only a few seconds, but to them both it had been a long journey.
"Not from anyone." She said, patting him on the shoulder.
"I'll try." He said, finally finding the courage to return her gaze.
"Good. Now come on. Ben hates it when people are late." She said, beginning to walk from the room.
"Who?" he asked, following her.
"Uh…Master Katarn." She replied, trying to make up for the slip. He was silent for a moment as he followed her from the ship and toward the enclave. With his newfound moxy, he decided to just ask.
"Not a whole lot of people on a first name basis with Masters. How do you know him?" Nik asked.
"He and I served on several missions together during the Great Usurp. We became friends." She replied, not wanting to let Nik in on how deep their relationship actually was. Remembering at the last instant, she put her hood up so that her identity would be hidden.
"Why do you where a hood? I thought you said you lived here." he queried.
"I do. There's not a whole lot of people who know that, however. I'd like to keep it that way." She explained.
"Ah. So if you and Master Katarn are friends then why aren't you a Master?" he asked.
"Didn't want to be." She replied simply.
"Why wouldn't you want to be?" he asked, astonished by the response. She stopped and turned to face him. He nearly ran into her as the stop was so sudden.
"Because then I couldn't spend my time in bars rescuing nosey kids." She said shooting him one last quick smile. She turned around and continued toward the Master's chambers. Obediently, he followed, cracking a smile of his own.
The grand doors of the Master's Hall opened and revealed Dantooine's Masters. She did her best not to embrace them all as friends would. The great doors closed behind them and she pulled her hood back.
"Morning boys." She said, with a grin.
"Morning Mady, how did Tatooine treat you?" Ben asked.
"Who says I was on Tatooine?" she asked, smirking at her husband. He simply pointed at something behind her. She turned to find she had tracked a trail of sand all the way into this room with her.
"Ah. Very perceptive, Master Katarn. " she said, sarcastically.
"So, kid, are you going to introduce us to your friend?" Axol asked.
"Oh yeah, sorry. Masters of Dantooine, meet Nik Ren Dib. Nik for short." She said, walking over and plopping down nonchalantly in her chair.
"It's very nice to meet you, Nik." Ben said to the boy, standing and walking over to him.
"It's nice to meet you, Master." He replied, bowing.
"Mady has informed us that you might be interested in joining up. Is this true?" Ben asked.
"It is, Master." He answered.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you how rare it is for one of your species to be accepted into our Order." Ben stated.
"You don't, Master." Nik said, simply, lowering his eyes. It hadn't been Ben's intention to hurt the young Vong's feelings, but Mady knew him well enough to know that he had.
"And I'm sure you know, Master, that he would not be the first Jedi to make something of himself having had an…unconventional upbringing." Mady offered. Ben glanced over his shoulder at her sitting in her seat, legs kicked up over the arm. She raised her eyebrows at him and he knew her point. He smiled first at his wife, then back at the Vong.
"You seem to have a fan." He said. Nik stood a little straighter at that moment and a small smile grew on his face.
"Well then, there must be a reason for it. Show me what you can do." Ben said offering Nik his lightsaber.
"Thank you, Master. I have my own." Nik replied. Ben raised an eyebrow at the boy. Never had he heard of a Vong being a Jedi, but especially had he never heard of one having his own lightsaber.
"Very well, Nik. Are you ready?" Ben asked, pulling a sensor drone from his robe pocket. Nik ignited his blade.
"Ready." Nik said. Ben tossed the thing into the air and it began to hover and gravitate around the young Vong. The Master before him, flung the little sphere into the air where it hovered and orbited the poised alien. Nik rotated his stance facing the thing wherever it went. When finally the thing fired, he was ready. Ten bolts that were barely distinguishable from each other rattled off at him and he blocked all of them expertly. As if realizing that it was beaten on this front the droid made a kamikaze jolt toward Nik. Normally these practice drones didn't do this, but Ben had been tinkering with them and thought this to be a good way to test young Jedi hopefuls. If they could deal with this surprise they could very likely handle someone pulling a blaster on them. This test ended up being one that Nik passed as his sliced the thing in half. The broken thing felt onto the floor in two halves where it rocked back and for the like a melon. He breathed deeply and stared at the two halves for a moment. Then with one last breath, he disengaged his lightsaber and strapped it back to his belt. Ben smiled politely.
"Very good, Nik." Ben said.
"Thank you, Master." Nik said.
"Nik would you mind if I confer with the other Masters in private?" Ben asked.
"Not at all, Master." Nik replied.
"Thank you. P4, would you please show Nik to his room?" Ben requested.
"Of course, Master Katarn. This way please, Nik." The droid said, leading Nik away. For the first time, Mady leaned forward as if she was nervous.
"Well?" she asked simply.
"He has a lot of anger in him." Ben said, scratching his scruffy beard.
"So did I when I first came to the Jedi." She said.
"But that was different. You were Mandalorian. You were part of something and they accepted you. This kid…this kid seems like he's been rejected his entire life. It's all he knows. He resents life itself." Ben explained.
"He does seem to respect the Jedi, though kid." Axol pointed out.
"He also seems to appreciate the chance were giving him. I could feel that he was hopeful." Jared added.
"He is powerful with no training at all. With a daily regimen he could be proficient very quickly." Lakaar said.
"And maybe all that rejection is all the more reason not to turn him away. Maybe we shouldn't be like everyone else he's ever known. Maybe we should be the ones to turn things around for him." She said, walking over to him. She looked into his eyes and took his arm affectionately.
"Maybe we should be the first ones to give him a chance." She said. Ben smiled down at her and remembered the path she had taken to him. In her world there had been that one Master who gave a little Mandalorian girl a shot at being a Jedi. While her adventure had not been without its share of pain, he knew that her true path in life had been set in motion that day. Perhaps, he could be the one to pay it forward to this young and unlikely Jedi.
Then he looked at her and smiled wider. She had always had this power over him. She had always been able to convince him of things that he wasn't sure of. He had been ready to turn this Vong away…until she got to him. This was what he loved about her, but for the abrupt change of heart, he laughed.
"Do you want to go tell him?" he asked. Mady knew what she would be telling Nik although Ben hadn't actually verbalized it. To her knowledge, it would be the first time a Vong had been accepted for Jedi training. She was proud of her husband for the decision he had made.
"I do." She replied. She had just pulled her hood up and turned to leave when a young knight rushed into the room.
"Master Katarn, Master –" he was cut off by the odd sight of the Dark Guardian standing in the chamber as if nothing was amiss.
"Yes, Knight. What is it?" Ben replied.
"Master, we've received a message from Ord Cantrell. They-They've been attacked." The young man relayed.
"Attacked by what?" Jared asked.
"I am not sure, Master. Should I transfer the message?" the knight asked.
"Yes, of course. Put it on the main holopad." Ben ordered. With a few pushed buttons and turned knobs a panicked looking man appeared flickering before them.
"—Don't know how many of them there are…humans…hundreds…maybe mercenaries… Mandalori—rmor…markings…Just trying to keep them out—main chamber. Not sure how long—please help! De-Purteen! AAAHHHH!" the transmission cut in and out and finally went all to black as explosions were heard in the background.
"Knight, reverse the transmission and pause when I say." Mady ordered. He did as he was told.
"Now!" she said.
"That's the current chancellor of the sector, Dol Kentik." Jared noticed.
"If he's calling for help, it's quite likely they genuinely need it." Lakaar said.
"Knight, thank you for being so prompt with bringing me this information. You are dismissed." Ben said. The knight bowed and left the room.
"Mady, d-did you-?" Ben began.
"Yeah, I heard." She said, frustrated as she flipped her hood back. While every part of her mind wished she hadn't, she knew she had heard the frightened man in the transmission mention Mandalorians. Damn this flawed-honor driven culture of hers. Her clan had really only battled when there was a purpose or something to defend. She knew there were other clans who attacked just for the fun of it and there were disbanded clans whose lost children were the best mercenaries money could buy. No one outside the culture would understand that however. They simply saw the Jaing Head on the armor and that was the end of it. Mandalorians are all the same…bloodthirsty, warmongering, merciless, beasts. That is, except for a few. But they were so few in number they weren't even worth mention…at least, that's how the galaxy saw it.
"So what's the plan?" Axol asked.
"Well, we have to go." Mady said.
"What about Nik?" Jared asked.
"At least one of us must stay here and train him." Mady said as if it were obvious.
"Well…who should stay?" Lakaar asked.
"And who should go?" Ben added. Mady put her hand on her hips and paced the room. It was very important that Nik got the best guidance in his first weeks at the academy. That time period could make or break a kid like that. However, it was also very important that the best knights and masters be dispatched to deal with the situation on Ord Cantrell. That planet had become integral to the New Republic and even if it wasn't it was their duty to lend aid to anyone in danger. So who should go where? The options were nearly too many for Mady to comprehend. She just continued to pace the room as her decision seemed to grow more difficult by the second.
Alright FicFreaks! Who goes where? Let me know and help me write the next chapter of "Choices from a Dark Past: Part II"!