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Phase 15: Of Masters and Apprentices

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Part 3

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Hope Eternal Hospital

Kuat

There was a single redeeming feature of the room – its small window overlooked one of the parks within the hospital complex. It certainly beat staring at a bunch of aricars and space-scrapers or watching the propaganda rampant in the holonet channels available to the room's sparse entertainment suite.

Denii lost count of how long she had been stuck in the hospital. They told her that she had been in a coma for weeks after she assisted her master in seizing one of Kuat's prized battle cruisers. Fortunately, no one around knew what could be achieved with the Force as your ally and her condition was written off as a weird brain aneurysm – which was the reason why she was still stuck in the hospital. At least her cover held so far or the young Jedi would have ended up into a much less comfortable accommodations. Those were the good news.

She looked down at her trembling hands – a little reminder of how close she came to dying. Only the exemplary service of the ship's medic kept her alive long enough to reach a proper operating room, where they told her she spent over a day getting her brain patched up. It certainly felt that way – her head was still tender and any attempt to use the Force ended up with blinding headaches. The first time Denii tried, she nearly ended up back under the tender mercies of the Kuati surgeons, something she hoped to avoid in the future. After that episode, they decided to keep her under observation for much longer than the original two weeks they intended to.

Those unfortunate circumstances left her bored out of her mind. If she could safely use the Force, Denii would have released herself already, swiped a hyperspace capable vessel and made her way to friendly space, but that wasn't in the cards for the time being.

She hated being helpless and worse, useless. The war was still going strong, the Sith began to show their true colours, yet this new Republic just had to prove how rotten it was – it seemed that a great many systems were going to support the monsters no matter what. It was extremely vexing! Denii wanted to go out grab random people on the street and shake them out of their insanity! What was wrong with them?! Couldn't they figure out that everything the Sith touched got twisted in something monstrous?!

The Jedi bit the inside of her cheek. She had to keep herself calm and not just because unchecked emotions led to the Dark Side. Every time her temper rose, the headache that was constant companion ever since she awoke at the hospital got worse. Meditation wasn't of much help – when she tried it, it worked a bit too well and Denii found herself subconsciously touching the Force and that currently wasn't good for her. She sighed dejectedly and turned her attention to the entertainment suite. Perhaps there was something relaxing besides all the propaganda.

News of the war, music that made her want to burn out her eardrums with her lightsaber, more propaganda, Kira...

Wait, what?!

Denii jumped up and put back the previous channel as fast as she could. She paid no attention to the pounding headache that only increased along with frantic heartbeat.

A news report showed Onara Kuat, the traitor who led her world right into the clutches of the Sith along with one of the new era Jedi – a Togruta youth and finally... yes that was Kira, or at least her body. The way the woman moved, the way she spoke... That wasn't her master, but the monster who wore her body as a glove. Denii didn't pay any attention to what the news anchor was saying – something about a tragic murder-suicide of a Kuat... Of course there was a tragedy happening – one of the worst Sith of the Empire was on the planet doing the Force only knew what!

Denii glowered at the holo-image of her former Master and vowed to herself that even if it was the last thing she would do, she would release Kira from the clutches of that Sith!

The world tilted to its side and the Jedi could taste red. There was a loud thumping sound that was the only thing she could hear and the last thing she saw was the door sliding open and a nurse rushing in.

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ORR Base

The Valley of the Jedi

Location classified

Denii Strum wasn't the only Old Republic Jedi watching that particular news transmission from Kuat. Jerod Perrion sat in his quarters and glared murderously at the holo-projector showing Darth Zash using his wife's body as if it was her own. He didn't fail to take note of who was with her – traitors all, who facilitated the Sith's slaughter of billions. He didn't need any of his agents or the daily CIS delivered intelligence briefings to figure out what was happening at Kuat. The news was a clue enough – the Sith was cleaning house. All those suicides, accidents and arrests that Onara Kuat announced – those were the few reasonable Kuati people, the ones who weren't on board with being pawns of the Sith. Before all was said and done, Jerod was going to give them justice and see both Zash and the corrupt members of House Kuat pay for their crimes.

Soon he would be able to do something about it. The Republic was almost in position to launch its own offensive in the Core and that was going to cause chaos and thus opportunities. His Jedi didn't have the numbers yet to make a difference if he threw them into the larger war. However, they could still cause no end of problem for the Sith. Perrion knew what was his next step – Kuat. His apprentice was still there and wounded. He could barely feel her presence through their Force Bond. And when he went to retrieve her, he would cause no end of problem for Onara Kuat and her slippery sycophants who were so eager to sell themselves to the Sith.

Now, he had to just plan things through so his actions could have the best possible effect.

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Historical Notes

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"Why the Republic struggled so much in the first years of the war? Why did the hits just keep coming, both military and political alike?

Those aren't new questions. Countless people across the galaxy asked themselves precisely that ever since the first shots of the Clone Wars sounded on Geonosis. Many of them wanted a singular, simple answer...

To put it simply, when the war began, the Republic lacked a military it could call upon. If we absolutely have to chose one single reason – that would be it... however when you think about it, its anything but simple. The Republic came perilously close to losing the war multiple times during the first two years of the conflict not just because it lacked a military before the secret Clone Army was revealed but of the reasons for not having standing armed forces in the first place. Unfortunately, many of those reasons were still relevant until the day Chancellor Satine Kenobi came to power and beyond, which many argued was when the Republic as we knew it ceased to exist.

A proper expeditionary military force, one that could be deployed all across Republic space with a moment's notice is expensive. Very expensive in fact and that was critically important fact. You see, the biggest contributors to the Republic's budged, the star systems with the largest industry and those situated at hubs of the trade lanes, all of them had significant militaries of their own – both ground and space based. Simply put, those governments saw little point of paying for military twice and for good reason they didn't wish to disband their own or fold them up in the Republic's own armed forces.

In fact there was no one overreaching decision that neutered the Republic military. Year after year, its budged saw gradual decreases until one fine day there was no more money to pay for anything but the Judicial Forces, which in the end were what was left for over a century by the time the Clone Wars began.

Another related reason was the fact that the Core was safe from an outside invasion – there were multiple heavily industrialized and protected systems upon the hyperlanes leading into it, all with their own military, all who wouldn't just let a battle fleet pass unmolested. At least that was the case up until the Naboo Accident, though it could be argued then that the Trade Federation's blockade was done merely by armed merchantmen, ships which needed their armaments in order to safely do business outside Republic space.

And the third reason... All those systems in the Core, their governments claimed that they needed their fleets to protect the Core itself. After all it was the industrial heart of the Republic. What was left unsaid was that precious few were ready to risk ships and lives to fight in the Rim. What happened there – no matter if it was Republic or Separatist victory, didn't concern them. The Core itself was safe. In fact many saw the war as nothing more than an opportunity for profit... It wasn't until the Separatists took Corellia that people and more importantly governments saw the war for what it was – a struggle for the control of the galaxy and not just a fight with those who no longer wished to be a part of the Republic, but by that time in many respects it was far too late...

When the war began the CIS had an overwhelming numerical advantage. The newly formed GAR could do little but try to stop the enemy onslaught. Post war studies postulate that the Republic could have held its ground even if the Separatists didn't waste precious time and resources going after a great many targets of little to no strategic importance. That is in fact correct, technically. For the Republic to have done so, it would require that all local governments seconded their naval forces under GAR command and released them for deployment where they were needed all across the galaxy. That however was a political impossibility. If Chancellor Palpatine actually tried to enforce such an order, he would have seen the Republic go down in flames around him in a series of destructive civil wars at worst and at best – the largest and wealthiest systems, which accidentally had the largest and most modern navies, would have simply seceded the and there and left a crippled Republic lose the war without their support.

Simply put, the Republic was too large, too divided and it lacked the military assets to protect its member states. That was never more obvious than in the months between Second Geonosis and the Confederate grand offensive in the Core. GAR High Command knew what was coming. They knew that they didn't have the numbers to protect everything they had to so they did the only military decision they could – to consolidate the navy, abandon what they have and defend, to the death if necessary what they couldn't afford to lose.

Arguably, that decision both saved and doomed the Republic..."

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"Another dirty little secret, one that most people in the Republic knew but many failed to see the implications of was the obvious fact that the Republic was not a nation nor a single political entity.

Once upon a time, what we call the Old Republic, which was in fact a multiple successor states that arose after the previous one fell to either political instability, outside invasion or both, the Republic used to be much more centralized. Both the Chancellor and Senate wielded significantly more real power.

However, there are just a handful of people who were alive when such a state existed and controlled a significant part of the galaxy. The Republic we all knew and some of us loved, was a different beast. At its heart, it was an alliance of convenience between the major powers in the Core and despite the best efforts of the then Chancellor and Jedi, after the end of the New Sith Wars, the alliance that emerged from the fires of that conflict was significantly weaker than any of the previous iterations of the Republic by design. With the Jedi taking a back-seat and retreating from the political scene for the first time in centuries after declaring the Sith gone for good, there was no outside opponent left to threaten the systems in the Core. As far as they were concerned, the galaxy was reset to an earlier era, when the greatest threat and rivalry came from their neighbours.

That was the political climate that gave birth to the Republic we knew. Governments all across the Core no longer looked at Coruscant, the Republic government, the office of the Chancellor and the Senate as something vital for their protection and perhaps very survival. They became merely convenient institutions that no one dared give too much power less it would be turned upon them in the fullness of time. Instead, for centuries, while the Republic enjoyed its greatest and longest Golden Age, the local governments that reaped the benefits of that prosperity used their economic and political power to weaken the Republic institutions.

We all saw the consequences. For the last few centuries we had a string of Chancellors who were little more than figureheads. Even those like Valorum, who did their best for the Republic, saw their efforts tied up by bureaucrats and had to spent precious political capital just to keep the Republic running... and that was when their opponents were content to merely stymie them legally. When people like Valorum didn't get the hint, their power evaporated due to false charges – corruption in his case, something that was never proven.

By the time of the Naboo Crisis, the Republic was a shiny beacon of civilization, which had a glittering cover that hid the simple fact it was rotten from the inside. It needed one solid kick for the whole structure to begin to unravel. We all know how the collapse began – with the Trade Federation's blockade of Naboo. One Republic member used military force upon another and all the Chancellor could legally do was to ask, nicely mind you, that the Federation cased their actions. We know that Valorum did what he could, even if technically it was illegal for him to dispatch two Jedi ambassadors as he did...

When Queen Amidala came to Coruscant and faced the Senate, begging them to help – as it was their duty towards a member state, well, the records of that session are public knowledge.

Valorum's power evaporated when the bureaucrats spoke and the invasion of Naboo was left unchallenged. The greatest dirty secret about that accident was one no one really dared say in the most respectable holonet channels. The Republic, the Chancellor's hands were tied and that was by design. The powers of the Core didn't want the person who was supposed to run the Republic to be able to wield real power without their say so... and when all was said and done, Naboo was a small if rich Rim world that wasn't worth it wasting resources and potentially lives to liberate. Many voices condemned the Trade Federation yet, until the Jedi, Naboo and Gungans defeated their occupation army, no one lifted a finger to help...

That very inaction sowed the seeds of the Separatist movement and eventually gave birth to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. It proved to the whole galaxy that the systems of the Core were reluctant to act, to spent their treasure and the lives of their people to protect the rest of the Republic – something that was proven again and again when the Clone Wars began and the vast system defence fleets of worlds like Kuat, Corellia, Alsakan to name just a few, stayed largely at home. Even as the Corellian system itself was invaded, the Kuati navy refused to come to the rescue after they crushed an attack upon their own system... It was everyone looking out for their own best interest, just as they have been doing for the past thousand years. Was it so surprising that once Chancellor Palpatine was murdered and unable to keep the Republic together only due to his incredible political skills and personal charisma, that the cracks showed for everyone to see?"

"The Dirty Secrets of the Clone Wars"

New Corellian Publishing House

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Part 4

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Location unknown

A blanket of fog covered everything. Aria couldn't hear a thing and even the Force was no help in figuring out what happened. All she knew was that she was surrounded by the Force as if the very air was made of it. One would think that she would be able to find her way in such a place, however the truth was quite different. The Force blanketed everything with its energy making it impossible to navigate using it.

The young woman didn't know how long she walked aimlessly through this endless expanse. All she could hear was her own heartbeat, breaths and voice, when she shouted for someone to give her direction. It was maddening and the worst was that she had no idea how she got here. One moment she was fighting in Sundari, then she felt pain, she thought so anyway, and then she awoke here. Whatever here was.

Even her anger at being taken away from the fight and her friends did little to help her – while the raw emotions fed the Dark Side, nothing she could do with that power did a thing to that weird fog nor did it help her figure a way out. It was immensely frustrating. Aria was pretty sure that this damned place was slowly driving her insane. She didn't even know if she had spent mere hours in here or days. Perhaps longer, though she doubted it – she didn't feel thirst, nor hunger so she couldn't have spent too much time here, yet.

All she could do as trudge in a random direction and hopefully find a way out.

Eventually, Aria felt a tugging sensation through her bond with her Master and just like that she was somewhere else. The new location was a grass covered plain laying under blue sky. A sun shone from high above – so it must have been noon local time. Most importantly, she was no longer alone. Aria would be cheering if it wasn't for what else she saw.

Her master was nearby and he looked different – he appeared much older, complete with steel grey hair and a lot of wrinkles covering his face. He wore an unfamiliar armoured robes and was facing off against a Togruta woman clad in Jedi Master's robes. Both of them had lightsabers in hand – azure and crimson one.

"I won't let you murder another world!" The female Jedi shouted.

Shaak Ti, that was her name, right? And what was that about murdering worlds? What has her master been up to lately? Was this about Kamino or perhaps the moons of Sullust?

"You will try." Veil spoke in a gravel like voice. "Some things were not meant to be. What a pity." He sighed then blurred towards the Jedi.

Ti met him with a defensive Soresu stance and Aria found it hard to follow their clashes. She thought about interfering, however jumping in a duel of such speed and ferocity – she might as well get her Master killed instead of helping him. For what felt like an eternity she watched the most impressive display of blade-work she had ever seen. It fluidly switched from dance like feints and deft fencing into ferocious exchange of deadly blows that got barely parried or dodged. It looked like that they were equally matched, something that the combatants noticed too.

"Enough!" Her Master snapped and released a massive telekinetic pulse that pushed them away from each other.

What was he doing!? Aria stared incredulously at her Master. Veil let his lightsaber go and it simply dissolved in thin air.

"We are in my mind." He said. Was he smiling? "For what's worth it I'm sorry it gets to be this way."

The Jedi threw her lightsaber like a spear and then immediately followed through with a telekinetic push and began to gather a ball of pure Force energy between her hands. Veil met Ti's attacks with another Force wave then pointed a finger at his opponent. The Jedi let go of her technique before she could complete it and clutched her head.

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We were in body, my mind. There was a good reason why usually a bound spirit, like Ti's couldn't take control. The ritual that bound her to me ensured it. The only way for her to really harm me would be if I did the same with more Force Ghosts, thus allowing them to overpower the binding and begin driving me insane.

That was the theory anyway. I had no idea what could happen to me now that I got my body fried from inside by the all the energy I consumed at Bothawui. All I could recall was that I instinctively searched for a way to relieve the pressure and split the ocean of power burning me through any Force Bond I could access. I believe that was the only reason why what I did didn't shatter my mind, much less my body, but it was a close call.

When there was no one else to consume, I found myself drifting through the desolated depths of my mind – not a dissimilar experience to what happened during the ritual to deal with the multiple Force Ghosts I had to bind to myself years ago in order to gain enough power to deal with a certain Dark Council Member. At that time it took me what felt like a lot of time to find them, even though they wanted to be found and confront me for the control of my body. This time around, Ti tried to evade me. I had no idea how much time passed until I located her – neither in here, nor outside in the real world, but that was a concern for later. If there was later.

It made sense why it took me so long. I've been avoiding this place – it was made of my memories of the Togruta's homeworld, more importantly, one of Ashara's favourite places.

We met upon a memory of Shili and I granted her what I believed she deserved – a proper fight. Unfortunately, we never got to have it after all. While exhilarating and painful reminder of what could have been, the confrontation was not what it should have been. I've forgotten that our minds were connected. We both could perceive what the other would do even better than our combat precognition could account for. To put it simply, we were equally matched and could spend the rest of eternity locked into a lightsaber duel without a victor emerging. Sometime during our fight, a familiar presence brushed over the edge of my awareness. I didn't sense a threat and let it go for later.

A pity. Some things were truly not meant to be.

"Enough." It was time for this to end. I pushed away Ti's ghost and let go of my lightsaber. It wasn't like it was real here.

"We are in my mind." I smiled or was it a frown? "For what's worth it, I'm sorry it gets to be this way." I told her the truth.

Ti knew she just ran out of time and threw all the Force she could gather at a moments notice at me on the heels of her lightsaber. I battered them away with a thought that manifested a pulse of telekinetic energy and concentrated on the connection binding us together. My mind brushed the energy chains of the ritual that kept Ti tied to me and followed them right into her mind until I reached her mental shields. Then I smashed with the full force of my power. Ti's form stumbled and took hold of her head as she began to scream due to the onslaught.

The way to deal with Force Ghosts for good – if you could pull it off was deceptively simple – you had to shatter their minds until they had nothing left to held them together. Once that was done, you had a brief amount of time to use their energy for something constructive, like healing your ravaged body, before they became one with the Force, literally.

Ti put a formidable fight, yet she never had a chance. I knew she had the potential to be an incredibly powerful Force Adept, she had the natural power, an extensive training as a Jedi Master, yet... that wasn't enough. I knew it from her own memories – the Jedi of this era did have the knowledge to rival those I faced in the past, yet it was forbidden to learn for the Council deemed it dangerous a long time ago... and at our level, knowledge was literal power.

She fought, valiantly, however it was all for naught – merely a holding action. Her fury was delicious and in those final moments, Ti was more beautiful and magnificent than ever before. She threw all the Force she could gather, her very mind at me, nevertheless her attacks and defences were unfocused and unrefined. They lacked the edge to be truly dangerous to a Dark Lord of the Sith. If I was thirty years younger, she might have won this confrontation.

Today? I brushed away a wild push, dived under a lance of mental energy and slammed a rapier with a blade made of pure rage through her last shield then slashed it open.

Ti threw everything she had left at me in this final moment, yet her attack slammed into my protections and couldn't break through. And it was over – I stood behind her defences and her mind was laid bare for me. Before Ti could do anything, I unleashed the full fury of the Dark Side upon her very soul. She screamed once and her mind simply shattered under the onslaught.

Now for the tricky part – using Ti's energy to heal myself but first...

I turned my attention to the presence I felt earlier and frowned. "Apprentice, how in the name of the Force did you get in here?!"