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Chapter Thirteen
Aedan had been walking through the lower city for over an hour now. He discarded his tan jacket and snagged a black one from a vendor, as well as a hat and a scarf. The weather was cool, so he fit in with the crowd.
He had run through a multitude of ideas on how to get inside, but none were plausible. The temple by now was crawling with clones, so there'd be no easy way getting in.
An aerial assault could work. Hop in a speeder, get off on top of the temple and enter in that way, but again there's too many troopers inside. But the biggest problem was once he was in the archives, there was nothing he could do. Only a council member or an archive elder could alter the archives, so any plan he came up with was pointless. His only hope was that the rumor was Dooku had been able to access and change them to erase Kamino, but Aedan wasn't sure that was before or after he left the order.
One thing was for sure, he had to try. He had to erase all record of Kyra Dawnstar from the database. He started heading in the direction of the temple, he come up from the lower city, and make his way in.
Then he felt something behind him. Instantly, he reached out with the force, but sensed nothing nefarious. He turned around but saw nothing. Felt nothing. He continued on, and after a few dozen steps he felt it again. This time, he was sure. Someone was following him.
He turned down an alley, and then ducked behind a smelly pile of trash.
He heard footsteps approaching and readied his lightsaber. A figure stepped into view and Aedan exploded forward, igniting his saber and bringing it up to this suspects neck. The person, whose gray cloak and hood covered his face merely stared at Aedan.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Aedan Kahl," a female voice said. A voice Aedan knew all too well.
He stepped back, and deactivated his saber, then watched as she removed her hood. And there standing before him, gray hair and wrinkled skin was Jocasta Nu. Aedan lunged forward wrapping his arms around the old Jedi Master.
Master Nu hugged him back. "It appears Knight Dawnstar has rubbed off on you. I don't remember you being a hugger."
"Yea, I'm all kinds of transformed," he said, still hugging her tightly. "Is it true, are they all dead?"
Nu sighed, "Yes," she whispered. "It's true. Everyone at the temple died."
Aedan's stomach sank. His heart clinched violently. "How?"
She stepped back, out of Aedan's arms. Her eyes dark and despairing. She shook her head. "I-I can't even fathom it, much less say it."
Aedan grabbed her elbow, "What do you mean? What happened?"
"The Five-oh-first legion marched up the temple steps and killed everyone inside."
Aedan had to sit down. "Was Rex commanding?"
"No, it wasn't Rex."
"Who was it?"
Master Nu stared down at the ground. Aedan could see her body start to tremble, and then heard her near silent sobs.
"Who was it, Jocasta?"
She shook her head violently, like trying to shake the image out of her head. "He marched up those steps in shadow, like the dark was his servant and wouldn't leave his side, and behind him was a host of white armored demons. They entered the temple and opened fire."
"Who, Jocasta?"
"Skywalker," she whispered.
"What, he was killed?"
She shook her head.
And then he got it but couldn't believe it. "No. That can't be. That's absurd."
"Anakin Skywalker led the attack on the temple," she said, choking up. "He slaughtered everyone."
"Anakin?" Aedan said, stopping in his tracks. "No, that's impossible."
"It was him."
"That can't be true. I know Anakin. Force, I know his padawan even better, and there's no way a darksider could train her the way he did."
Jocasta shook her head, "We thought we knew him. But deep within him there was a darkness. At least there must have been for him to be able to do what he did that night."
This revelation was too much for Aedan. He tried to protest, to offer alternatives as he walked back and forth in front of Jocasta. Finally, he stopped, shoulders slumping. "H-how could this happen?"
"I don't know," she said. "I couldn't believe it as it was happening. I can't even believe it now. But I was there. I witnessed it, and barely escaped."
Aedan buried his head in his hands. How? How could this be? He was supposed to be the chosen one. Skywalker who had not only been a respected ally, but a friend. Hell, he's the one that taught Ahsoka, and ended up saving her.
Aedan wanted to rage, to scream, and tear his surroundings apart, but he was too tired. This information took the juice out of his hyperdrive.
"You're sure it was him?" he asked.
"It was him. I was close enough to see his yellow eyes. He was covered in darkness, Aedan. Somehow, we lost Skywalker to the darkside."
"The Chancellor, he has to be behind this."
Master Nu nodded, "You think?"
"Apparently he's the one that sent out Order Sixty-Six."
"What is order sixty-six?"
"The chancellor's command to have all clones turn on the Jedi and kill them."
"No," she whispered.
"Yes. Kyra and I barely made it out alive."
"Sh-she's alive?"
Aedan nodded.
"Where is she?"
Aedan shrugged, the fatigue growing heavier by the moment. This was a nightmare. "It's all been for nothing. Everything we worked so hard for, for so long, it's all been obliterated in an instant."
"We can't give up," Master Nu said.
"Give up?" Aedan sneered. "The order is destroyed. The Jedi are finished. What can we possibly do?"
She obviously had no answer to that, and merely sat there in silence for minutes. "Why did you come back then? Why are you here? Did you not see Obi-Wan's message?"
"I saw it."
"So, why return?"
Aedan sighed. "I need to erase Kyra from the Archives."
Jocasta Nu's eyebrows rose at that, and deep down in her eyes he saw a small glimmer of light. A slight smile appeared on her lips. "Well, maybe the Force is still with us then."
"What do you mean?"
Jocasta brought her fingers to her lips, contemplating her next words. Then she turned towards him, eyes now brimming with something else. "I think we can help each other. It appears we both need to get into the archives. I need to go in and erase all the force sensitive younglings from the database."
Aedan's jaw dropped, "You're trying to get in there?" And then it finally dawned on him. "You can alter the archives!" he yelled and stood up.
"Well of course I can."
They might be able to pull this off. He could get in there and clear her name and they could live out their days in peace. They only had to get inside. His hope left him, and he sank back down.
"Even if you can change them, there's just no way we can get into the temple. There are too many clones."
Jocasta Nu smirked. "Now look here, young man. I was a Master before you were even born, and I know that temple better than anyone."
"What are you saying?"
"How do you think I got out of there?"
Aedan dared himself to hope but stayed silent.
"I know of a secret passageway into the temple, and into the archives."
Aedan shook his head, "You're serious."
Master Nu nodded, "I can get us in there undetected."
"I don't think we can pull this off with just two of us, though."
Master Nu smirked again, "I think I can help with that as well."
"What?"
"Come on," she said, standing up. "I have something to show you." And then she started walking away at a brisk pace. There was a liveliness in her step.
Aedan jogged forward catching up with the fast-moving Jocasta Nu as she deftly navigated the decrepit undercity of Coruscant.
We might be able to do this.
They made their way into an abandoned apartment complex. They passed by one apartment where an explosion must have gone off as the ceiling was caved in. The next door had dozens of blaster bolt holes in it. The third had its door split in half. So, Aedan was even more surprised when Jocasta grabbed half of the splintered door and moved it to the side, and then made her way inside.
As Aedan crossed the threshold, he could hear someone speaking.
"…all gone. The last one left. Besides a kriffing librarian."
The speech was slurred, but Aedan felt he knew the voice.
"What do I do now? I could flip burgers somewhere, maybe be a bartender," a loud burp echoed down the hall as Jocasta and Aedan drew closer. "Would let me have all the booze I could want."
"He's been like this for a full day."
"Who is it?"
Now the voice turned into a shout, "All frakking gone! The entire order gone in one night."
Jocasta pushed open a partially open door, and showed Aedan in.
There laying in the refresher tub, bottle of whiskey in his hand, was a clearly drunk Jax Pavan.
"Jax!" Aedan said, so happy to see someone else that made it through this nightmare. "You're alive."
Glazed eyes turned up to him, clearly having trouble focusing and holding no recognition. "Who the hell are you?" Jax asked.
Aedan glanced back at Jocasta who shrugged, then looked back to the drunken Jedi. Jax looked terrible, his hair was dirty and greasy, He had black smudges on his face, and his clothes were tattered. He could even smell the man from here.
"It's me, Aedan."
Jax squinted at him, "Aedan? Aedan Kahl?"
"Yes."
"Never heard of him," he said, a cheesy smirk on his lips as he took another swig from the bottle. And this is what comes of drinking the wrong way and for the wrong reason.
Aedan stepped forward, swiping the bottle from him.
"Hey! Give that back."
"Come and get it, drunk ass."
Jax looked at Aedan for a second, and then started to climb out of the tub, feet searching for the ground beneath, left arm trying to support him, but it gave out, and he collapsed back into the tub.
"Fine, you can have it."
"Pavan, this is serious, I need your help."
Jax held his hands up in the air, as if to say, "Does it look like I'm in any shape to help."
"Let him sleep it off, tomorrow he'll be ready to help."
"I highly doubt that," Aedan said as he watched the young Jedi Knight sink further into the tub, eyes drooping closed.
"He'll be better."
"We'll see."
They exited the refresher, but both could hear his low mumble. "There's nothing left. Nothing left in the entire galaxy for me."
