Chapter 11
The tension in the shuttle was almost unbearable; Killian stood silently next to Alexander and Aola. Around them were a dozen other members of their clan, each wearing their armor which had been scrubbed until it shone as bright as possible could. Lec stood at the front of the shuttle beside Argyle and Terra, all three of them looking imposing in their armor and helmets; each clan had been told that they were allowed to bring only a dozen warriors and no weapons, much to the chagrin of Lec, this was so that there would be no violence as this was supposed to be a peaceful gathering. Compared to the rest of the shuttle, the three children looked out of place; they were wearing a simple black tunic and similar pants, and the only color that could be seen from them was the red pin attached to their shirts bearing the Farr insignia.
"How come you never told me you have been in battle already?" Alexander said suddenly, making Killian frown at the memory,
"Because it's not something I wanted to remember…." Killian said softly after a moment,
"Why?" Alexander asked in bemusement,
"I had never killed anyone before then," Killian replied, his eyes downcast, "To be honest, my body was on auto-pilot, and when the battle was over, I felt sick to my stomach for having killed those people."
"You shouldn't feel that way," Alexander replied quickly, "They would have killed you all and then probably sold poor Aola into slavery; they were scum who deserved to die as such,"
"But who decides that?" Killian asked, looking Alexander in the eye, "We're not gods; we don't get to decide who lives or dies."
"We get to decide that, cousin," Alexander replied thoughtfully, "Because we have the strength to do so, strength is all that matters in this life, and if you are too weak to fight, then you die; if you wish to be one of us someday then you need to remember that."
"This is the way," Killian said softly, making Alexander nod his head in agreement as Aola gently placed her hand on Killian's shoulder,
"You did nothing wrong, Killian," Aola said softly, "You fought and protected your family. That's what our people do; we fight for our clan and our people."
Killian nodded at her words and gave her a quick hug before pulling away and turning back to Alexander,
"Do you envy me for what I did, cousin?" Killian asked,
"No, Killian, I do not envy you; my time will come," Alexander replied evenly, "I was just surprised that a scrawny beanpole like yourself managed to do something like that."
Killian smiled at the insult and stuck his tongue out, making Alexander grin back at him; Killian was happy to see Alexander slowly coming out of his shell. When they had first met, Alexander had been cold and distant, but over time he had begun to become more friendly toward Killian and Aola. Even his father had started to notice the change and seemed happy about it.
"Approaching landing platform, prepare yourselves!" Lec called out in a thunderous voice. Instantly Killian felt nervous but stood as straight as he could beside his sister and cousin, Argyle and Terra had told him not to show fear, and he swore that this day he would not.
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Killian had seen many wondrous things since his arrival in this galaxy, but as he stood with his family in front of the building where the gathering was to take place, his jaw dropped in amazement, and he found he had no voice to describe how awesome it was.
The building looked like the senate building that Killian had seen in the Star Wars movies, except this building was clad in silver and seemed to glow white hot under the gaze of Mandalore's sun.
As they approached, Killian saw hundreds of Mandalorian warriors gathered around the building, each wearing their intimidating set of armor in a myriad of different colors, and suddenly Killian felt very nervous about being there; Terra must have sensed his trepidation, for she promptly placed a warm hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze before dropping her hand away, the feeling seemed to help. Killian followed closely behind his uncle Lec who walked at the front of their group.
As they approached the building entrance, they found their way suddenly blocked by a group of Mandalorians wearing silver armor, and Killian silently stared at them as they seemed to size up Lec's group.
"This gathering is for Mandalorians," the one that Killian supposed was the leader said in an angry voice as he indicated at Argyle and Terra, "Why do you pollute this place by bringing alien scum here?"
"It would be wise of you to refrain from further insults towards my family," Lec said in a dangerous voice, "They ARE Mandalorians and have earned their place here amongst us many times over."
"They are aliens!" The warrior in silver sneered, "Aliens have no place amongst our people, and certainly no place at this gathering, send them away at once!"
Argyle and Terra both tensed in barely controlled rage at the words, but before they could respond, Lec took a step towards the silver warrior,
"You do not dictate to me who I am allowed to bring to this gathering!" Lec snarled, "They are members of Clan Farr and entitled to stand here today amongst their people!"
"Clan Farr…." The warrior breathed contemptuously, "A clan unworthy of honor or respect, betrayers of the way,"
"Clan Daegus once thought as you do, you should remember what happened to them due to their ignorance," Lec said in a cold voice.
The silver warriors all froze for a moment, and Killian wondered who the Daegus clan was to elicit such a reaction,
"Clan Daegus was far more worthy of honor than your clan. They died following the way; there is no greater honor," the leader spat angrily, making Lec laugh softly,
"And yet, there are none of them left to honor; perhaps you would like your clan to join them."
The silver warrior stood stock still for a moment at the threat before Lec continued in a voice as cold as ice,
"Step aside; I will not ask again."
For a moment, Killian thought that Lec's demand would be ignored when suddenly the silver warriors took a step back and opened a path for Lec's group, who quickly walked past them without offering a second glance.
Once inside, Killian felt his jaw drop in awe; the building was immense, far more extensive on the inside than it looked on the outside, with the roof seated far above their heads; each clan was given its own section to sit in, and as Killian took his seat next to the rest of his family, he suddenly felt strange, he couldn't describe the feeling, but it was as though he was being probed.
Taking a quick breath, Killian focused on the strange feeling and tried to trace it back to its source. After several moments of concentration, Killian was surprised to discover that it originated from a pale woman with pitch black hair, whose gaze was fixed on him with a strange expression on her face; she was seated across from him next to a prominent imposing figure who had its hood up, both were wearing black robes, and Killian's breath caught as he realized who they were.
"Sith…." Killian thought in fear as he began to pull back from the connection that seemed to amuse the pale woman, and Killian suddenly felt as though the link was being held in a firm grip. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't seem to break away, and the woman's expression grew more amused with each attempt.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the grip released. Killian hurriedly pulled back from the connection before withdrawing into himself, his expression fearful as he looked at the woman across from him, who promptly winked at him as though they were both sharing a private joke.
"Killian?" Aola said softly from next to him, "Are you okay? You look pale,"
"I'm fine," Killian lied, "Just nerves, I guess,"
Aola nodded in understanding before replying in a soft voice,
"Yeah, I understand; this is incredible. I've never seen so many of our people in one spot before,
"No one has," Argyle replied, "Not for a long time,"
Argyle opened his mouth to say more, but suddenly a loud gong went off, and the room went silent. A moment later, a large imposing warrior in a blood red suit of armor stepped onto a platform in the center of the room and said in a deep voice that echoed effortlessly,
"We all know why we are here; the galaxy is at war, and our people are warriors. It is time for us to decide which side of this war we wish to ally ourselves."
Silence followed this announcement, and the warrior continued,
"We have representatives from both the Sith Empire and the Republic with us today who wish to plead their case why we should choose one side over the other. However, the final decision will fall to us, and I hope that our people will come together in their decision."
A voice suddenly sounded from a set of speakers in Killian's section as a warrior that he could not see spoke in a high voice,
"Only the Mandalore can unite our people, and there hasn't been one for three centuries; whatever decision is made today will have to be made by each clan chieftain."
Lec suddenly stood and pressed a button in front of him that would activate the other speakers in the different sections; before speaking,
"Our people may have no Mandalore at the moment, but that doesn't mean that we should divide ourselves. Our people can ill afford a civil war, after all."
Grunts of approval and disagreement filled the chamber as Killian watched before silence once again resumed, and the red warrior spoke again,
"The chieftain of clan Farr is correct; our people cannot afford a civil war, especially now. Therefore, I now open the floor to the representatives of the Sith Empire so that they may plead their case."
The red warrior took his place as the two Sith rose and slowly made their way to the podium; a moment later, the woman spoke in a voice as cold as ice,
"First, I would like to note that we are not here to plead our case; Sith do not plead for anything from anyone, a trait shared by the noble warriors of Mandalore, I'm sure."
Grunts of approval followed her words before she continued,
"My name is Darth Faeth, and this is my companion, Darth Malgus, and we are here today to-"
whatever else she said was lost as Killian's eyes widened in fear and awe at the large figure next to Darth Faeth; Killian had read every comic of the 'Old Republic,' and if there was one name he knew above all others, it was Darth Malgus. Here was the man who would one day lead the attack on the Jedi temple on Coruscant and be responsible for its ultimate destruction, but he wasn't that man yet as far as Killian could see. Malgus was still too young. He was missing his breathing apparatus and had the appearance of a young man, but still, Killian could sense the power that Malgus held; it was like trying to look into the sun, and quickly Killian had to tear his eyes away.
Darth Faeth finished what she was saying and quickly made her way off the stage and back to her seat, Malgus right behind her as the red warrior stepped back up to speak,
"I now open the floor to the representatives from the Republic to plead their case," he said simply before retaking his seat as two humans rose and made their way to the podium; they were both male and tall, and both were wearing rich black clothing showing that they came from money, for a moment Killian curled his lip in disgust at the arrogance that the two men were exuding as they seemed to sneer at the Mandalorians assembled before them.
"Warriors of Mandalore," one of the men began deeply, "My name is Albert Ross, and I am here to tell you why it is in your best interest to ally yourselves with the Republic. As we all know, the Republic and your people have never gotten along, and I doubt we ever will,"
"Not a good way to start," Argyle sneered softly,
"Only three centuries ago, our two people were locked in a bloody war that cost the lives of countless people," Albert continued, "And as we all know, the Republic won that war, just as we have won every war that we have been forced to take part in; not even the Sith have been able to defeat the Republic, they have come very close I'll grant you, but they have never been able to achieve the final victory, this war will be the same as all the others. In the end, the Republic will defeat the Sith Empire, and this time we will wipe their filth from the face of the galaxy to ensure that they never threaten the Republic again! So you need to ask yourself, do you wish to join the Sith in their destruction or the Republic in victory? I advise you to choose wisely."
Albert and his companion quickly retook their seats as hisses of anger filled the chamber, and Killian winced slightly,
"Are they trying to piss off all of Mandalore, or is the man just an idiot?" Killian whispered louder than he intended, making the warriors around him chuckle slightly before Lec replied in a soft voice,
"He is of the Republic, nephew; their arrogance makes them believe they can say whatever they want without repercussion. Let us hope his companion is more intelligent, or this will be a forgone conclusion."
After several moments of tense silence, the red warrior again rose to take the podium before opening the floor to anyone who wished to speak. Several Mandalorians rose to their feet at once.
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Several hours later, it was becoming apparent that almost every clan was in agreement that the warriors of Mandalore should side with the Sith Empire; the Republic representatives had repeatedly risen to speak and had offered ever increasing belligerent threats and invectives to the clans, warning them that if they sided with the Sith, they would be shown no mercy, which just seemed to piss the warriors off more.
"I don't understand. Shouldn't they try to win us over to their side instead of insulting us and alienating our people?" Killian asked as Albert Ross sat down after another long antagonizing speech.
"The man is an idiot," Lec retorted, "His arrogant belief that we should just shut up and do as we're told will be what loses him Mandalorian support; no doubt his masters will make him pay for today's foolishness."
The warriors of clan Farr nodded their agreement at Lec's words, and Killian rose to his feet suddenly,
"Where are you going?" Terra asked quickly,
"Just going to the bathroom, mom," Killian replied softly,
"Take Alexander and Aola with you; I don't want you going alone," Terra said, making Killian wince slightly at the idea that he needed an escort to use the bathroom.
"He'll be fine, Terra," Argyle said quickly, seeing Killian's expression,
"But what if…." Terra began before being cut off,
"I doubt anything will happen to him between here and the bathroom, leave him be," Lec added sharply.
Terra nodded slowly before turning back to Killian,
"Don't take too long, and don't take any detours, understand?"
"I understand, mom," Killian replied quickly before making his way out of the section and into the hallway; once he was alone, Killian breathed a sigh of relief; he had almost fallen asleep several times during the talks, despite his attempts to stay awake. He was worried that if he had to wait much longer, he would have embarrassed his clan by dozing off.
As he made his way down the hall looking for the bathroom, he felt the familiar sensation of someone probing him, and he quickly turned around to see Darth Faeth standing behind him and staring at him intently.
"Hello, Killian," Faeth said softly,
"How do you know my name?" Killian asked nervously, taking a step back,
"I read your mind, of course," Faeth said with a smile,
"Oh," Killian replied, unable to think of anything else to say,
"Why do you hide what you are?" Faeth asked as she took a step closer,
"I…. I don't know what you mean, ma'am," Killian said quickly, which made Faeth grin at him,
"Yes, you do, boy; you're far too untrained to hide it; I can sense your power and your fear of being discovered."
Killian turned pale at the words and stuttered to find something to say as Faeth took another step towards him and continued,
"You have suffered abuse at the hands of those you depended on, and now you have found a family and are afraid to lose it, so you hide your abilities for fear of losing your new family."
"Please…." Killian said in a small voice,
"Relax, child," Faeth said soothingly, "I have no intention of outing you; rather, I wish to help you,"
"Help me?" Killian asked in bemusement, "How?"
"By offering you this," Faeth replied as she pulled a glowing red triangle from her robe and held it for Killian to take,
"A Sith Holocron…." Killian breathed in awe,
"Yes," Faeth said softly, smiling at Killian's expression,
"You would give this to me?" Killian asked, mystified, "Why? I thought these were priceless. Why would you give it to me?"
"Because I no longer need it," Faeth replied, "It holds no secrets of note; rather, it is just a training device that will teach you to hone your abilities and master them; with this, you will no longer have to hide your abilities but rather learn how to use them, perhaps what you learn will even come in useful one day."
Killian stared at the Holocron for a moment longer before he shook his head and backed away from it, making Faeth frown slightly,
"Thank you, ma'am, but I cannot accept it."
"Why?" Faeth asked,
"Because if I take it, I will be learning the dark side, and the dark side is evil,
Faeth laughed at that for a moment before she regained her composure,
"Who told you that, child?" She asked with a smile, "The dark side is not evil. How you use it determines whether it is good or evil; do you think all Sith are evil? Are all Jedi good?"
"Well, no, but…." Killian replied as he remembered the comics he had read where not all Jedi were good nor all Sith bad.
"But nothing, Killian!" Faeth said quickly, cutting him off, "The force exists to be used by the select few that can do so; you have that ability and to not learn how to is to refuse a great gift that many would kill for, do you understand?"
Killian was stared silently at the Holocron as he considered Darth Faeth's words; they made sense the more he thought about them, and he did want to learn how to use his new abilities in case another incident like that of the pirates occurred; slowly, he reached out and took the Holocron as Faeth watched with a smile.
"It feels warm," Killian said softly,
"That's because it is filled with power, child," Faeth replied, "It will teach you how to properly control your abilities and if the day comes when you wish to learn more, it will lead you to my location."
Killian looked up from the Holocron in amazement at the words,
"You wish for me to become your apprentice?" He asked,
"That is for you to decide, Killian," Faeth replied as she turned to leave, "All your life, you have been like a bird trapped in a cage; I hope you will take this opportunity to finally break free and see just how high your wings can take you."
Without another word, Darth Faeth walked down the hall and rounded the corner, leaving Killian alone to stare at the Holocron in his hand in awe and think about what she had said; so consumed was he at looking at the glowing red triangle that he failed to see Faeth peek back around the corner at him with a smile,
"I hope you make good use of it, my son," Darth Faeth thought happily before she ducked back around the corner and made her way back into the chamber to rejoin Malgus.
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Killian stood staring at the Holocron for what seemed like an eternity before Killian regained his composure and quickly tucked the Holocron away into his pocket before making his way to the bathroom.
Once he had finished his business, Killian stared at his reflection for several moments as he replayed his decision to take the Holocron from Darth Faeth,
"You said you didn't want to be a Sith, and yet you accepted a Holocron from one almost without question," the dark voice whispered in Killian's ear, "Quite hypocritical when you think about it, wouldn't you say?"
"I will NEVER be a Sith," Killian said to his reflection angrily, "I took the Holocron because I need to learn how to control my powers, to protect my family and my clan.
"How very altruistic of you," the voice replied silkily, "But what happens when what you've learned is no longer enough? What happens when you want more? The path you're starting down is a slippery one, boy."
"I can handle it," Killian replied quickly, "I won't be one of them,"
"We shall see how long that oath lasts for, little one," the voice replied softly before Killian was left alone with his reflection; slowly, he breathed a sigh and turned to leave when he heard voices arguing and seemed to be getting closer.
Quickly, Killian dove into one of the empty stalls and jumped onto one of the toilets as the door to the bathroom banged open, and an angry voice growled out,
"Check that we are alone,"
Killian's heart seemed to race as someone kneeled down and looked under the stalls. A moment later, a softer voice replied,
"We're alone now; what are we going to do?"
"There's nothing to do; there's no chance of bringing these battle junkies to our side now," the angry voice retorted,
"Perhaps if I had been allowed to speak instead of you, that might not be such a foregone conclusion," the softer voice replied quickly,
"You think you could have done better than I?!" The angry voice snarled,
"All you have done since we've arrived is antagonize these people, we had a real chance here, Albert, and you squandered it with your ignorant hatred of these people," the soft voice said coolly.
Killian's eyes widened as he realized who was speaking, it was the representatives from the Republic, and he tried his best to stay quiet as the two began to argue in louder tones until, at last, the voice of Albert Ross snarled out,
"It doesn't matter anymore!"
"What do you mean, 'it doesn't matter'?" The softer voice asked in bemusement,
"I was given precise orders from the Chancellor; if we cannot bring them over to our side, we must ensure that they cannot join the Sith either, and I have taken steps to ensure just that."
"What have you done, Albert?" The voice breathed,
"The leaders of all the clans are in this building, Charles," Albert sneered, "And if take out the leaders, then the rest of these scum will be too focused on fighting amongst themselves to concern themselves with fighting the Republic."
Killian felt the blood drain from his face at the words, and he almost fell from the toilet he was standing on before he managed to catch himself,
"You cannot be serious," Charles replied in a horrified whisper, "The chancellor authorized this?!"
"He did," Albert replied quickly, "I had some of the Republic's best commandos infiltrate this building weeks ago and place hundreds of bombs both inside and out, and as I have just activated them, I suggest we make our egress as this entire building will be a smoking ruin in less than ten minutes."
The door banged open a moment later, and the bathroom grew silent again; slowly, Killian lowered himself to the floor and peeked out the door. Then, once he was sure he was alone, he burst out of the stall and ripped the bathroom door open as he began to race back to his clan's section."
"MOM! DAD!" Killian yelled breathlessly as he entered the section a moment later, making the warriors turn to him suddenly, "WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!"
"Killian, what's wrong?" Terra asked, worry evident in her voice,
"WE NEED TO LEAVE! NOW!" Killian yelled as he tried to catch his breath,
"What are you talking about, boy?" Lec demanded as he stared down at the child,
"I was in the bathroom, and the two Republic representatives came in, and I hid because they seemed like they were really angry, and they started arguing, and I heard one of them say that they had bombs placed in the building and that they're all going to go off in less than ten minutes!"
Silence followed Killian's words before Lec finally responded quickly,
"Are you sure, Killian? There cannot be any doubt!"
"I'm positive, uncle," Killian responded just as quick,
"Lec, the representatives for the Republic are gone!" Argyle said as he turned to stare at their empty chairs.
"I believe my son; we should leave immediately!" Terra replied quickly,
Lec nodded his head in agreement before he promptly hit the button to activate the speakers in the other sections,
"MANDALORIANS!" Lec roared over the speaker, making the noise end in an instant, "WE HAVE BEEN BETRAYED! MY NEPHEW HEARD THE REPUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES SAY THAT THEY HAVE PLANTED BOMBS IN CASE WE CHOSE NOT TO SIDE WITH THEM; EVERYONE OUT! NOW!"
Without another word, Lec turned and began to run for the exit, the rest of clan Farr right behind him; Killian grabbed Aola's hand and pulled her after him as he ran as fast as he could; behind him, Killian could hear the chamber echo with chaos as the other sections likewise tried to run for the exit.
"DON'T STOP!" Lec roared over his shoulder as they neared the exit, "RUN!"
A moment later, just as clan Farr ran out of the doors into the bright sunshine, Killian felt as if an earthquake suddenly began as the building suddenly exploded into a ball of fire; the explosion seemed to pick Killian up, and Aola's hand was wrenched from his grasp as he was thrown into the air, a moment later Killian hit something unseen and his world went black.
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Author's Note:
I apologize for how long this chapter has taken me to write; I suffered some major writer's block and began working on another FanFic to try and relieve it, which seemed to help a little bit. I will try to get the next chapter out asap but don't be discouraged if it takes a while. I fully intend to finish this work, no matter how long it takes.