Good evening, everyone! How are you all holding up on this cold day of Tuesday, October 24, 2023? I'm all right, as I took yesterday off from writing to rest my tired mind after a grueling shift at work and read a little of my Israel prime minister book last night. And I'm watching Schindler's List, a heartbreaking story that the world needs to remember now more than ever. Well, I can't seem to find much to say tonight. I guess the weight of the world is really taking its toll on me in several ways. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as I don't know how many I'll be able to write in the coming weeks and months, with my internship possibility growing closer, and I'll be busy with plenty of other personal projects. May the Lord be with us all in these dark times, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!
Kelona 18th, 58 ABY
Kesh, Continent of Keshtah Minor
Ragnos Lake Outskirts, Neshtovar Headquarters
Two days. There had been two days of near-ceaseless diplomatic talks between the Neshtovar and Jedi ambassadors considering an alliance between both factions. Aside from the five hours of sleep and two brief meals a day, the negotiations were proceeding further along than anyone originally believed, even with the initial arguing and accusations being hurled by both parties. Between the natural suspicion of both groups and the difficulty of establishing common ground beyond their mutual disgust for the Sith, it was a miracle the discussions hadn't been derailed by now.
Adari had to acknowledge how her people hadn't been entirely fair with the Jedi and their mercenary allies, realizing how the offworlders had been patient with the constant questioning of the rest of the galaxy and their intentions after the Tribe was destroyed. But the Jedi, in turn, had learnt much of Kesh and its intricacies from sympathetic minds among the Neshtovar, and she dared to hope that her people wouldn't trade one form of slavery for another when this war ended. She was especially impressed by the three Jedi's patience and cooperation since they arrived at this hidden fortress.
When Adari learnt that the Jedi, specifically Edaan Palpatine and Allana Djo Solo, had reached out to her contacts to discuss an alliance, she was stupefied at their boldness and courage. After the fifteen years of bad blood between the Lost Tribe and Jedi Order, she initially believed both orders would only seek the utter destruction of the other without any regard for collateral damage. And Ben Skywalker, who had once loved Vestara Khai and had pursued a vendetta against her and killed any Sith that dared interfere, he was so calm and relaxed, even as he keenly observed everything occurring around him. If he was still out for blood, he was doing quite a good job of hiding his hatred.
But from her informants within the Sith's infrastructure and the Jedi-controlled territory, she had learnt how her one time enemies were nothing like the marauders that the Keshiri were taught by their so-called betters. She was especially stunned to learn how the two Jedi Apprentices were renowned across the galaxy for their virtuous deeds and herculean efforts to heal and reunify a wounded galaxy, giving her hope that her people could reinvent themselves as a free society.
And Adari had to admit, aside from Edaan being an intelligent, strong, and charismatic human, he certainly was a handsome man. If they weren't in the middle of a war, she might have considered courting him. It certainly didn't help how he seemed to be an earnest and giving soul, spending most of his time learning whatever he could of the Neshtovar, helping tend to the wounded that trickled in from previous missions, and regale the assembled partisans with tales of his missions and greater knowledge of the galaxy. Either he was a masterful deceiver, just like his ancestor was, or he truly was the Jedi prodigy the HoloNet portrayed him as.
Unfortunately, the fight for liberation didn't stop merely for one woman's fantasies. Nor did it stop for old wounds or doubts. Remembering how she lost most of her family and home to Abeloth's destruction of Tahv, and the planet's downward spiral since then, she wondered if any others in the Lost Tribe's long history suffered from such disillusionment as she. Remembering the spiritual meeting she had a mere three years after Kestah Minor lost its capital city, how she learnt of her noble heritage and the destiny that was bestowed onto her and her commitment to destroy the Sith's hold over her people, it renewed her weary soul and allowed her to persevere after all her losses. And knowing how Kesh was now home to dozens of criminal cartels and so-called warriors that were under Vestara Khai's control, how her people and non-Force Sensitive humans suffered greater than ever before by their Sith overlords, it only helped her see how the Jedi and their friends would be key to stopping these depravations and saving their world.
But before Adari could retire for the final day of talks tomorrow morning, where she would work to convince the remaining holdouts to work with the Jedi, she felt a bright star in the Force approach her. Wondering what Edaan could want with her at this late hour, she briefly feared she was about to meet an untimely end or would try to get seduced for a one-night stand. Quickly grabbing her glass shikar dagger and ancient Lightsaber, imbued with the tainted Lingan crystal from the fateful mining mission above Phaegon III over five millennia ago, she prepared for the worst before hearing a firm knock on her doors.
"Adari, it's Jogan. Jedi Allana and Edaan and Captain Ithano wish for a few minutes to speak with you." Hearing her most trusted lieutenant's voice come through the cracks, Adari breathed a sigh of relief before opening the door.
Seeing the unharmed friend and his company, Adari rhetorically asked, "I take it this discussion can't wait until tomorrow?"
"Apologies, Miss Thayn, but it's a rather delicate topic, and we needed to speak with you in relative secrecy." Allana neutrally began. "We have certain crucial details that we've withheld from you until our delegation could assuage enough of our doubts."
"What kind of details?" Adari suspiciously asked.
"They're claiming that Vestara Khai and her followers are allies of a second Sith Order, one that's been controlling the Lost Tribe for some time after its decimation on Coruscant." Jogan anxiously elaborated, stunning Adari into silence.
"We realize this is a bold accusation, and we wouldn't present this claim to you without sufficient proof." Sidon promised, glancing around before he asked, "Is there anywhere more private in this redoubt of yours we might be able to get a modicum of privacy?"
Finding her voice, Adari carefully answered, "Not enough to host your kind of meeting." Hesitating, she quietly amended her statement, "But I have a ship housed a quarter of a kilometer away. We can talk freely there." Wearily staring down the delegates, she warned them, "For all our sakes, this intel had best be the genuine article."
"It is. And it'll convince all your remaining holdouts to agree to ally with us, just as you are strongly considering." Edaan intuitively pledged, something in his voice making Adari's heartbeat speed up a little. But for reasons she couldn't identify, he continued, and her heart sank a little, "Hesitating now will only ensure both our causes never meet common ground, and it will be that much harder to stop the Sith from further despoiling your world."
"Yes. Duty comes first, no matter how bittersweet it might be." Adari solemnly agreed, noticing the concern and sympathy creasing Edaan's entire face, and she wondered if he truly understood everything of what she was inferring.
Two Hours Later
Kelona 19th, 58 ABY
Eorm, Jedi Headquarters
"Take a few deep breaths, Knight Bhixen." Kyle humorously counseled the wheezing Togorian Jedi. "Whatever information you're delivering isn't worth acting like a raving lunatic."
After taking a few moments to gather his breath and thoughts, Bhixen slowly answered, "The Sith, General Ors and her informants working with the Neshtovar just reported that the Sith are preparing to send a strike team to the Ragnos Lakes."
"The purpose and strength of this enemy force?" Kyle asked, even as he instinctively knew what the Sith were after, or rather, who was hidden away near the large body of freshwater.
"They couldn't determine that, but they figured out how the Neshtovar were hiding in the general area, and that they were meeting with," Quieting his voice to a whisper, Bhixen added, "Three of our order and Privateer Commanders Sidon Ithano and Akku Seii II."
"How many people are aware of this?" Kyle quietly asked Bhixen, even as his mind raced to consider how quickly the Jedi and their armies could muster their own force to blunt the Lost Tribe's.
"Aside from General Ors's trusted agents and myself, only seven Neshtovar, and they've all gone to ground." Bhixen answered. "She ordered me to deliver this to you straight away."
"And you did good." Kyle commended Bhixen, gratefully patting the tall man's arm. "Come on. We need to convene an emergency meeting with our leaders and assemble a rapid-response force."
"Then it's true." Bhixen softly realized. "You sent them all to negotiate with Sith renegades." Much to Kyle's approval, there was not recrimination in the young Knight's voice, only shocked contemplation.
"I did." Kyle earnestly confirmed. "Because the last thing we need is to have a repeat of the Great Hyperspace War's horrific aftermath." Remembering from the Jedi Order's ancient records of how they and the Old Republic had all but wiped out the entire Sith Empire's population in a revenge-seeking frenzy and set in motion the chain of wars between both religions that lasted to the present day.
Eager to avoid another holocaust for a wide variety of just and moral reasons, not least among them to partially atone for the first set of atrocities, the Jedi had prepared for this invasion since its last major battle. By recruiting among many of its wide array of allies to enact a different kind of campaign against the Lost Tribe, one of wills while working to enlighten its denizens to a better path in the Light Side, it was hoped that such a tragedy could be avoided this time around.
But if the Sith could implicate their sworn enemies in decapitating its grassroots resistance movement, then their efforts to save Kesh would be all but impossible, and total would be virtually inevitable. Which was why, aside from rescuing all those in danger, Kyle needed to lead the rescue efforts and show the Neshtovar how different the Jedi Order of today was from its predecessor. He only hoped it would be in time to make a lasting difference for everyone.
Hurrying to Jan's encampment, Kyle walked past all security guards to inform the general, "We need to get word out to Jedi Skywalker and have him warn the Neshtovar."
"Already on it." The Alpha Blue commander offhandedly assured her husband. "And I've been reaching out to our commands and gathering the people and ships to reach the Ragnos Lakes in time. We'll be ready to move in thirty minutes."
Gently smiling at Jan's typical efficiency and professionalism, Kyle requested, "Then, with your permission, I'd like to join the task force."
"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Grand Master." Jan regretfully denied. "I've already assigned Masters Solo Fel and Ramis to this mission. We can't afford to put too many high-rank Jedi in this rescue effort if we want to avoid showing the Sith our hand." Showing sympathy, she encouraged Kyle, "Edaan and the others will be fine. They've faced worse than this before."
Nodding in understanding and gratitude, Kyle acquiesced, "Very well. But when they extract the targets, be sure to have them give my diplomats my regards and compliments. I have a feeling they'll deliver on all fronts."
Five Hours Later
Ragnos Lake Outskirts
Barely able to stifle a yawn, Adari knew the next few minutes would be key to ensure the Neshtovar began to build strong ties with the Jedi and free galaxy. Seeing Jogan arrive among the last few stragglers, and observing how equally exhausted he was, it renewed her anxiety over this final meeting. Suddenly, eradicating the Sith and their minions on this outlying world seemed so insignificant compared to what was out there, waiting to emerge and devastate this wounded galaxy.
After three hours of Adari and Jogan learning from their three unexpected guests of the veiled hand controlling the Lost Tribe, how the Jedi were hunting for evidence to unite the galaxy against this secret Sith Order, she realized how lacking her knowledge was of the galaxy. And according to the Jedi and the sympathetic Neshtovar elements she would have to give strong words towards, the Sith were sending their executioners to destroy them and capture the Jedi.
All this, coupled with the worries of Abeloth's eventual resurrection and the cancerous corruption seeking footholds on every world, Adari's original plan to address the Neshtovar was wiped clean off the board. Instead, she realized she would have to improvise and tread carefully here, more so than ever in her life. She was so stressed over what to do, she could barely sleep the rest of the night, let alone consider how these next few minutes would go.
Clearing her throat, signifying that the meeting was set to begin, Adari solemnly began, "Everyone here knows what the Neshtovar are for the people of Kesh. More than five thousand years ago, they were an assembly of elders that dictated the future of the Keshiri of Keshta Minor and upheld the traditions and superstitions that defined their culture. But with the arrival of the Omen and its crew, everything changed."
"After the Sith upended our entire culture and appropriated our people to serve them, a brave few saw the truth of the evil that came upon us and banded together to try and destroy it. And the leader of this heroic movement was Adari Vaal, the same woman who led Yaru Korsin and his people to their new domain. Although their rebellion failed, her will was carried on in the people of Alanciar, who, for two thousand years had prepared for the Lost Tribe's eventual invasion."
Hearing the confused murmurs throughout the crowd, Adari pressed on, "And though the planet slowly fell to the grip of the Dark Side through subtlety and intrigue, some of our people still clung to belief that their home would one day be free of Sith tyranny and we could decide our own fates once again. My own family was one such group, and we kept the embers of hope alive until this day."
Belot, a Keshiri Neshtovar captain, patiently interrupted, "I'm afraid I don't see how this passionate speech applies to our current situation and the decisions we now face."
"It applies to us in every way, my friend." Adari interrupted the elder woman before continuing, "Because I know many of you see no difference between the Jedi and Sith, and that we would all be best off without either party involved in our matters. Well, I am here to regretfully inform you that you are all wrong on both those points."
"I know most of you once believed that the Jedi are constant perpetrators of indecisiveness in governance, and bigotry against those that do not adhere to their rigid and often confusing views. But in the past three days we have been with these five brave souls," Taking a moment to gesture at Ben, Edaan, Allana, Akku, and Sidon, Adari carried on, "I have seen many here, including myself, begin to consider if our preconceptions were wrong and that our mistrust was misplaced."
Knowing this was the point of no return, but realizing what must be said, not only to flush out any potential traitors in the Neshtovar and drive the point home of the depths the Sith would go to in winning, but to decide if the insurgency deserved to function at all. If they couldn't see how the galaxy was nothing like how the Keshiri believed it to work, how there were numberless souls willing to stand up for right and that there was so much this planet could learn from its neighbors, then their planet deserved to fade away as a shameful footnote in history.
Breathing in her courage and knowing what to say, Adari earnestly admitted, "Last night, the Jedi and Captain Ithano came to me, and unveiled the truth of the Sith's shadowy hold over the galaxy." Sensing the dismayed and betrayed glares that she and the outsiders were now getting, she pressed on, "But they did not come to me out of deception or opportunism, but to warn me of the Lost Tribe now being nothing more than a puppet state of another Sith Order, one far more dangerous than those we fight."
"This One Sith, as this mysterious order calls itself, has been using our home as a distraction while building up its strength and carrying out its own designs on the galaxy. And it is for this reason, along with the realization that we cannot hope to stop them and free our home on their own, which I am ordering that we open talks with the Jedi on forming a full alliance with them once this meeting concludes and we're in safer territories."
Raising her voice to be heard over the cacophony that erupted amongst the Neshtovar's leadership, Adari bellowed, "SILENCE!" Surprising all with her booming voice, she continued, "I need you to understand this; Right now, we are not a democracy or legitimate movement, but a group of freedom fighters wanting to liberate our world. And remember, I was the one who found you all and united our disparate factions and causes into a singular unit. I was who made us the fighting force we are now, and if we hope to survive to help usher our people into a better age, we need to adapt yet again to meet the changing times. That is especially true with the Sith sending a force to capture or eliminate us all."
Seeing the flabbergasted looks plastered across everyone's faces, Adari elaborated, "A few of our contacts intercepted orders from New Tahv not eight hours ago, and they relayed the message to the Jedi's command in Eorm, who then sent the details to me. It seems we might have a few traitors in our ranks."
As soon as the accusation left her lips, Adari found herself flung away, pulled to the ground by a burst of telekinetic energy by Edaan's quick maneuver, moments before a shikar shattered against the stone walls. Seeing Belot, who hatefully threw the glass blade, and four other lieutenants draw arms against their former comrades, it broke her heart at the heinous betrayal.
Starting to cut their way through the vulnerable Neshtovar, killing or wounding anyone in their way, one of the Sith spies was gunned down by Sidon, with another losing an arm and getting knocked out by Akku and his beskar vibro-daggers. The remaining three were a nimbler and cleverer bunch, splitting up and moving deftly to avoid being trapped while looking for a way to finish whatever mission they were given. But by then, the still-able resistance fighters and the Jedi were quickly regrouping, and they were moving the wounded to relative safety while finishing off the remaining traitors and their evacuation procedures for just this sort of occasion.
One was prepared to set off a homemade explosive the Neshtovar built for this redoubt, based on a combustible formula while utilizing fertilizer and several dozen grenades as the trigger, but he found himself meeting an unceremonious end through a quick slash through the chest by Ben Skywalker. The other tried to make a break for freedom and was intercepted by Jogan and Allana, who threw him against a wall to knock him unconscious and ready for interrogation.
That just left Belot, but she was proving to be the most difficult of them all to defeat while she tried to kill Adari. Her Neshtovar training aside, she also brandished a crimson lightsaber and was making effective use of it against Edaan, revealing the full depth of her Sith allegiance.
"I was hoping to decapitate the rebels' leadership and implicate you Jedi for the deed. But I think I'll just make do for killing you all and tell whatever tale I wish afterwards." Beloth viciously snarked, pushing her blade against Edaan's, who was holding strong and protecting Adari.
"You won't be walking away from this one." Edaan heatedly rebutted, pushing Belot away and twirling his lightsaber around to taunt his opponent. "You won't be the first Sith I've killed."
"But you'll be my first Jedi." Belot animatedly smirked before she unleashed a barrage of lightning on Edaan, who caught the attack with his lightsaber. Deactivating her own lightsaber, she pulled out a hook-bladed parang and leapt at the fatigued Jedi. Barely able to dodge all the blows, he could sense the rest of her compatriots growing closer, and knew desperate measures had to be taken now before the escape window vanished.
Before Edaan could enact any daring plans, Adari came up from behind and launched herself at Belot with enough speed to bypass her defenses in time to land in several good blows before the inevitable counterattack. He was astonished to recognize a few techniques from the martial art discipline of Teräs Käsi in her maneuvers, even felt the Force enhance her movements, making him wonder exactly who this young rebel leader was. But knowing time was of the essence, he forestalled any questions and joined in on the barrage, helping to break several of the Sith's bones before landing a strong blow on her nose, making blood spill out and knocking her out cold.
"Nice hit." Adari complimented Edaan before requesting, "Help my people finish cleaning this place out, then meet me on my ship. We'll get to Eorm from there after I come around to pick you up."
"We've already gotten everything we need from the hideout." Jogan called out, coming in with Ben and Akku, "But we need to get out of here right now, while the Jedi are keeping the Sith's attention solely on them."
Hearing explosions and fighter engines a mere handful of kilometers away, Adari breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her guests, "I guess we're committed now."
"I guess so." Edaan warmly smiled back.
Glaring at Belot, Ben asked, "What do you want to do with her? Should we take her back for interrogation?"
"No time." Adari answered. "Leave her to face her masters with this failure."
"Not kill or question her?" Edaan questioned as everyone headed outside, where several transports awaited the final few stragglers. "Seems like an odd choice, considering how she rose so far in your ranks and gained your trust."
"I already have a plan to flush out whatever traitors are still in my ranks, and you're all going to help me do so." Adari promised, the angry and determined glean in her eyes unsettling Edaan more than he cared to admit.
Kelona 21st, 58 ABY
Continent of Alanciar/Keshtah Major
City of New Tahv
Seeing the ensemble of the Lost Tribe's leadership and its offworld allies, Kitai took note of the overall dispositions of those meeting within the Sith Academy and worked to temper her disappointment over many of them bearing a more annoyed mood. Among the dozens of representatives meeting to report the status of the Jedi's encroachment or their pet projects for the Lost Tribe and One Sith, she recognized how her next batch of news wouldn't do much to engender confidence in her war strategy.
Among the Dark Side orders that had fully allied with the Sith, the strongest and most high-profile among them being a clan of Dathomir Nightsisters, the elusive Mecrosa Order of assassins originating from the Tapani Sector, the elemental-wielding Shapers of Kro Var, and the destructive cult of Vahl Force Users simply known as the Ember of Vahl, they had made excellent progress in preparing the Lost Tribe for working with Darth Krayt and his more versatile order. It had been a long and arduous journey for Kitai, journeying to many of their hidden bastions and convincing them to send many of their best to aid in Kesh's recovery, but her people needed to evolve quickly before the Jedi found and destroyed them. And thanks to the Dread Lord and his many agents, the job of gathering the thousands of Force Users needed for the monumental task before her was feasible and manageable. They were certainly a livelier and more fun bunch than most of those who made up the Lost Tribe's Circle of Lords, though she would never admit that to anyone.
As for Kitai's mercenary and criminal contacts and servants, they were a more frustrating bunch to manage on account of their divided hatred of each other. It was honestly a miracle she had rallied them together this long as it was. With the Zygerrian Slave Empire and Iskalloni that had evaded interdiction by the Jedi and their foolish vassals, an army's worth of Yaka Spice smugglers and their occasional rivals in the Sith sympathizer/criminal consortium leader Raze that each suffered from the Jedi's interference, along with the Mandalorian renegades in the Neo Death Watch, keeping them focused on their shared enemies and on a subtler approach to war was a monumental task.
Coupled with her assassin failing to eliminate the Neshtovar's leader and convincing their surviving leadership to forge an alliance with the Jedi, the stress was almost too much for Kitai to bear without any kind of medication. This imminent meeting was sure to make her headaches far worse.
Taking a moment to take in the windowed view of New Tahv, Kitai appreciated her people's resilience and loyalty after the Tribe's original capital city was destroyed. After Abeloth destroyed Tahv and Coruscant was devastated by her and the Sith who were mad enough to follow her, Kesh had stagnated with precious few leaders capable of reconstructing its fractured society. Not even its handful of survivors of Darish Vol's inner circle were able to quell the doubts among their troubled populace. It was five years later that Kitai, operating as an emissary of the One Sith and Darth Krayt, that the Lost Tribe had been promised a chance to rebuild and enact vengeance on the Jedi.
It was here, in Alanciar's capital city that was once called Sus'Mintri, where they made their next capital city and renamed it in honor of the millions destroyed fourteen years ago, all while modernizing its defenses and capabilities for when they were eventually discovered. And seeing the sun start rising from the bordering forests to the east, it stiffened Kitai's resolve to protect her home and people from further Jedi encroachment.
Learning to work alongside the galaxy's many outlaws and undesirable elements had been an arduous journey for Kesh's people, but it had allowed them to grow beyond many of their outdated stigmas and be revitalized as a reborn Sith order, one worthy of eventually helping to govern this unruly galaxy. It certainly did much for the woman who was once Vestara Khai to recover from her heartbreak and reinvent herself as a far more lethal Sith Lady than she ever could be under the Lost Tribe. And through her lessons she imparted on her people and their renaissance, they would soon be ready to unleash their centuries of darkness and power on the galaxy.
But first, Kitai and her supporters needed to convince the Lost Tribe and its many allies to continue to follow her. If they fractured now, then it would only be to everyone's detriment. Seeing the last stragglers arrive and get settled in, she used the Force to dim the lights of the governor's palace, and her voice echoed throughout the halls, "Thank you all for coming at this early hour. I assume you've all heard the news from my agents in Eorm."
"Your plan completely failed, Kitai." An Iskalloni leader bluntly summed up. "The Neshtovar are preparing to ally with the Jedi and make our jobs that much more difficult. They even captured two of your agents and left one of your trusted Shadow Hands a bloody wreck."
"Then your information is lacking, Orel." One of Raze's lieutenants stiffly interrupted. "It wasn't a total loss. The rebels lost more than a third of their leadership and we managed to implicate the Jedi for kidnapping the survivors."
"That's all well and good, but if we don't take preventative measures now, we'll soon find ourselves facing steep opposition on two fronts when the Neshtovar eventually get word out to their contacts and the populace learns the truth." A lead Mecrosa assassin pointed out, proposing to Kitai, "Let me take a squad of my best to Eorm and silence the traitors now, before they compromise all our plans."
"A simple assassination will not be enough, not against the numbers you and whoever you'd take would undoubtably face." Takaris pointed out. "No, to discredit the Jedi and dismantle the Neshtovar, you'll need something far more intricate and cleverer."
"And I assume you and your fellow Sith have such a plan in the works, High Lord Yur?" Mirta Gev, supreme commander of the Neo Death Watch, insightfully guessed. Attending this meeting through hologram on account of her waging a civil war in Mandalorian space, she was participating as much to support her longtime friend in Kitai as offer aid to the Sith who had been good to her people.
"The makings of one, Commander." Kitai professionally alluded. "But I'm willing to accept all manner of constructive suggestions amongst you all in helping refine this strategy."
"Democratic leanings from a Sith? What other horrors are in store for us out here?" A female Yaka cyborg blithely joked, earning a few nervous chuckles from her rivals and a couple Sith, and even earning an amused smirk from Kitai before the spirited strategic discussion began in earnest.
Kelona 23rd, 58 ABY
Eron, Jedi Headquarters
"I take it you've been here before?" Edaan observed after he and Allana finished playing chaperone for Adari in the bustling town port. "What do you think of our activity here?"
"It's certainly not what I expected. But I'm surprised in a good way, Jedi Palpatine and Solo." Adari slowly admitted. After evacuating her surviving Neshtovar cell leaders to the Jedi's forward base of operations and seeing their conduct, she was grateful to be proven wrong in her fears.
Although the local Keshiri and human neighbors were understandably wary of the influx of offworlders, they had been treated fairly and with respect by the occupation force, at least from what Adari could see. From providing the farmers with all manner of cuisine and crops to help replenish their damaged farms or taverns, to aiding the wounded and offering to help traveling drifters contact their relatives from across the planet to assure them of their safety, the Jedi force was proving to be a true power for Kesh's freedom.
Of course, there were dissidents and Sith loyalists among the townsfolk, but most had been placated by the Neshtovar or allowed to leave and seek out other towns to ply their trade for however long the Lost Tribe remained in power. And by preparing to spread word that Vestara and her followers tried to assassinate the resistance movement and implicate the Jedi, the enemy's propaganda would soon be challenged and thereby undermine their rigid and deceitful foundations.
Truth be told, she also enjoyed spending time with Edaan and Allana, getting to know the two scions as individuals rather than distant symbols or celebrity icons. It was clear from the banter and occasional bickering that they were close friends with an almost-sibling relationship, even if it was clear that the latter held stronger affections for her friend than mere amicable ones. Along with learning more of their missions and their experiences with the greater galaxy, it began to expand her conceptions beyond a single world and appreciate the vast educational opportunities this war would provide her people.
And yet, there was something unusual and secretive about Adari's two tour guides, especially Edaan. Although both he and Allana carried their spiritual weights with dignity and honor, working hard to redeem their family names after the infamous atrocities of at least one of their relatives, there was another burden the Palpatine Jedi held and the Hapan princess knew of, one they kept secret, likely from everyone else.
What could Edaan be hiding that left such a terrible scar on his soul? Did he carry a secret shame of his own, or had he experienced such loss just like Adari and countless others throughout Kesh's bloody history? Well, one way or another, she would figure out the truth and determine if it impacted her ongoing talks with the Jedi. The last thing she wanted was to trade one treacherous occupation for another.
Reviewing her timepiece, Allana suggested, "Adari, perhaps we should head over to meet with Forward Command. We'll need your input on navigating Kesh's… treacherous minefield of Sith occupation and politics." Getting a questioning look from Adari, she acquiesced, "I probably could've phrased that better."
"Yes, you could've. But the assessment is accurate, I'll admit." Adari humorously agreed, earning a chuckle from both human young adults before they started hearing back towards the town hall that was being used as the Jedi's first makeshift base of operations.
Although Adari knew the road ahead in freeing her people had only just begun, now she realized she wouldn't have to carry that burden on her own any longer. Now, she had two new friends to help save the home and people she loved so much. And it replenished her resolve more than she could yet understand.
Well, I'd say this was a good place to end Chapter 3 of my Kesh Interlude. What did you all think, as I helped set up Edaan and Adari's first interaction with a few twists I didn't originally plan? I hope you all enjoy the elements I've added and refined in this chapter, as they'll be expanded upon in the next seven chapters of this mini story. So, how are you all doing on this warm night of Saturday, October 28, 2023? I'm all right, if a little stressed from work and a small mistake I made a couple days ago. But it's not too big a deal, I just need to learn from it and avoid making that error again. And I'll be reading more of my Israel Prime Minister book soon, so that'll be good. Oh, and in five days, I'll be going to a major concert featuring three great Christian pop artists, and that'll be a very great time. And the next day, I'll have some work-related matters to discuss, so I'll be busy in addition to my regular workload. Well, I'd best look over this chapter before I publish it in a little while. I hope you all stay safe and sane in these mad times. May the Lord be with us all in these dark days, and Long Live the Expanded Universe!