Chapter 11: The Forgotten Jedi

Star Wars viewing guide: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, specifically the Order 66 scene

So, there I was, laying on my bed and facing the ceiling, all by myself in my little prison cell. No visitors, no news, no nothing. Only droids to keep me company, and they were not very talkative. The isolation was for the sake of security. No one was going to take a chance that I would escape.

Initially, I remained calm. I patiently waited for my captors to relax and let down their guard. After several days, I began to search for ways out of my cell. But I couldn't find any. I tried to keep my spirits up. I exercised as best I could, utilizing body weight lifts and running in place. Above all, I continued my Cloak of the Sith meditation. I wasn't so much hiding myself as I was summoning my angers and my hatred. It was all that kept me going.

How many days was I there? I didn't know. My only time keeping mechanism was the meals brought to me on a regular basis by the droids. At first, I tried to keep track of the days, but I had nothing with which to keep a record. Once I lost count there was no way to recall what day it was.

Every day was exactly the same. The monotony was beginning to get to me. But then, one day was different. It was a day unlike any other.

It was the day the Jedi died!

Clone Captain Turq hid behind a piece of debris that lay on the sandy beach of Kashyyyk. Clone troopers outfitted in scout equipment were similarly taking cover as were the very large and powerful Wookie natives. The droid army kept coming out right out of the water.

A droid Persuader tank approached Turq's position, but it was hit by a rocket. Out of the smoke came a multitude of super battle droids. Turq tried to hit them, but their blaster fire came too close.

A green blade appeared in front of Turq, as Jedi General Luminara Unduli cut down several droids. With the droids distracted, Turq was able to regain fire superiority. In a matter of minutes, the droids were just more pieces of beach rubble.

"Captain Turq, are you alright?"

"I am now, General. How's the battle? It's a little hard to see from down here."

"I agree," said General Luminara. "Master Yoda and Commander Gree had ordered our reinforcements." Just as she said it, Turq saw a number of Republic Juggernaut transports rolling in on their ten wheels, firing missiles and rockets. "We will wait here until they arrive, then we press our attack against the droids."

"There's a plan I can get behind," said Turq. Turq's comm beeped. "Excuse me, General," said Turq as he retreated from the General to answer the call. He expected the hologram to display a clone trooper from one of his units or maybe Commander Gree. Instead, it displayed a man in a hooded cloak.

"Captain Turq, executed Order 66."

"It will be done." Turq faced General Unduli. He noted the various clones in the area. The order was going out to all of them via their helmet comms. Several of them looked at him. They nodded in agreement and slowly surrounded the General. Turq was careful not to point his weapon directly at the Jedi, afraid of setting off whatever advanced warning system the Jedi had using the Force.

Just as he was about to fire, General Unduli's head shifted ever so slightly, as if she had just heard an unidentified sound. Turq had been around Jedi long enough to know what that meant. "Fire now! Take her down! Take her down!"

The clones opened fire. General Unduli's lightsaber danced in front of them, blocking all the blaster bolts. But she seemed too occupied to redirect the bolts back at the clones. This was good. It would only be a matter of time before the Jedi fell. "Fire! Fire! Fire!"

A blur of motion caught Turq's attention. A clone trooper was flying through the air. Did the General use the Force on him? She couldn't have possibly found the focus to do that amidst all the blaster fire. But what had thrown that trooper? It didn't take Turq long to find out the truth.

Turq felt a powerful pair of paws, one on his waist and one on his thigh. He felt himself lifted high in the air. "No! No! No! Ahhhh!" He screamed as he was violently thrown down onto the knee of some monstrous creature. He was then dumped unceremoniously on the sandy beach. He was unable to move his legs, but he managed to turn himself over.

The Wookiees were tossing his squad around like rag dolls. The massive creatures of fur and muscle had surrounded General Unduli. Captain Turq knew that he had failed. He had to call it in. "All alert! General Unduli is alive. All units, General Unduli is alive. She is under the protection of the Wookiees."

Turq heard other reports. "General Vos has escaped."

Another clone reported, "No one's heard from Commander Gree or Captain Jek. No one knows where General Yoda is."

One of the Wookiees noticed that Turq was alive. He turned towards Turq issued his trilling howl, then fired his bowcaster.

Turq died knowing that he had failed his Emperor.

There was no mistaking it. In the course of just a couple of hours the Jedi were nearly entirely wiped out. I received no news about it, but I could sense it. Anyone with any compacity in the Force could sense it. The screams, the fear, the betrayal, the death, and then the deafening silence in the Force. I imagine that across the galaxy Force sensitive babies were crying uncontrollably with their mothers not knowing how to comfort them.

How did this happen? I did not know. Who could have done it? The Separatists? Possibly, but somehow, I doubted it.

The other question came to my mind quickly. Why was I spared? I was helpless in my prison cell. It would have been easy for someone to come in and strike me down. If they could kill the Jedi in the Temple, they could certainly kill me here. So why didn't they?

Was it the Cloak of the Sith? Was it possible that they could not sense me? Or maybe, they had forgotten about me. Or maybe they would yet kill me in an easier way. They could cut off my water or stop the droids from feeding me. They could have me sit here until I died of dehydration or starvation. That would be worse than dying in that tank on Geonosis.

But the food and water continued to come. There was no interruption in the droids' routine. It was as if nothing had even happened. Days went by, as did weeks. I searched in the Force, but I could sense nothing.

Then one day, I sensed her. Luminara Unduli, my former master! I could sense her, or could I? The moment was so brief. Was my old master still alive? Or was this a part of my mind playing tricks on me? I had been alone for so long, was I beginning to hallucinate in the Force?

I continued my search in the Force for days, but it drove me mad. I began screaming in rage. I threw my food across the cell. Then the droids pumped a gas into my cell to knock me out. I welcomed it. For at least someone noticed me, even if it was just a droid or an automated security system.

I spent weeks like this, months even. Even my Cloak of the Sith meditation failed me. All I had was rage.

My hallucinations must have gotten worse, because one day I thought I heard the sound of a lightsaber. Then I thought I heard blaster bolts being fired. It wasn't until I heard the crash of a droid falling to pieces on the ground that I began to consider the possibility that this wasn't a hallucination.

Someone was standing outside my door. Not a droid, but a real person. A spot on the door glowed red. The spot moved in an arc until there was a circle of glowing red metal. Then the person left.

I walked up to my cell door and put my finger to the red metal. I burnt the tip of my finger. Someone had nearly cut through the door. The metal was weak, weak enough for me to…

I summoned my rage and pushed with the Force letting out a small scream as I did. The circular cut out broke off and went flying into the hallway. For the first time in perhaps over a year, I stepped out of my cell.

There were two droids laying in pieces near my cell. They had been cut, as if by a lightsaber. The droids had built-in blasters, but these had been destroyed and were useless to me. I moved down the hallway. The remains of what looked to be two more droids were before me. However, two very active and intact droids came around the corner.

With a singular effort, I lashed out in the Force. Both droids slammed into the wall. I had hit them hard enough that they wouldn't be responding back. I continued to make my way through the prison facility until I heard another familiar sound.

"Ah, a couple of the droids didn't report," said one voice.

"If those clankers are malfunctioning I'm going to tear them apart," replied another voice just like the first.

Clones! They'd been here the whole time?! And they just ignored me! They just pretended I didn't exist! They didn't even give me the basic dignity of sentient interaction!

The two clones came around the corner. When one of them saw me, he shouted, "What the…? Prisoner two-two-five-eight has escape!"

"Blast her!" shouted the other one.

All my rage and madness from the past months came at once. I reached out in the Force and grabbed both clones. I lifted them up off the ground. I coiled the Force around their throats, and I squeezed. Both clones kicked helplessly with their feet as the Force Choke took hold. I could sense their panic. But there was no part of me that wanted to stop. Just as they were about to pass out, I closed my fists and crushed their throats with the Force. I murdered them. And in my anger, I enjoyed it.

"Impressive," said a voice from behind me. I turned around and lashed out with the Force again. I knocked down the tall figure behind me, but he managed to partially block my blow in the Force. He sat on the ground with his arm forward begging not to be attacked again. "Please, I have no desire to fight you. It is I who has come to rescue you from this place."

"Why?" I asked, aware that this was my first conversation with a real person in a very long time.

"Because, I owe you everything," said the man. "And because I need your help." The man stood up. He was a tall male of a species I couldn't identify. He wore grey pants and a pinstriped shirt. He had a belt at the waist and armor on his thighs, chest, back, and shoulders. He also had armored boots and forearm gauntlets. Over his head was a black helmet with a slide down guard over his mouth and chin. It also had a dark visor hiding his eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"There will be time to explain, but first we must get out of here." He turned to lead the way. As he did so, I spotted on his back a lightsaber, or at least what I thought was a lightsaber. But it was not like any I had seen before. Its hilt was augmented by a circular guard. I didn't know what purpose it could possibly serve. But holding back my questions for now, I followed my rescuer.

We managed to escape the prison with little incident. My mysterious helper had a speeder waiting. I jumped in and he piloted the speeder deep into Coruscant's underworld where we could escape pursuit for a time.

I stared at the side of the man's helmet and searched him in the Force. Apart from learning that he was a Force wielder, I learn very little. What did he mean that he owed me everything? I don't recall ever meeting him. And what help did he require of me?

"My lord," reported the clone trooper speaking to his commander over hologram. "Prisoner two-two-five-eight has escaped from her holding cell. Her and an unknown rescuer have eluded pursuit and disappeared into the underworld on a speeder."

The hologram of a man in black armor, a black cape, and a black helmet stood still with his arms on his hips. He said nothing. All that the clone trooper could hear was the sound of mechanical breathing: out and in, out and in, out and in. Then the image just disappeared. The clone trooper breathed a sigh of relief. It was never safe reporting bad news to such a dangerous superior. The clone was happy to still be breathing.

We flew in a small Koro-2 airspeeder at a high rate of speed, dodging traffic, and diving downward. Reaching the main portal into the underworld, my rescuer plunged the speeder into a straight dive. The pursuing clones were in patrol gunships which were meant to transport troops and police, not for this style pursuit. They were certainly not designed for a dive maneuver like we were doing. The speeder bikes kept up the pursuit for a while longer, but my rescuer began weaving through the buildings and even alley ways of the underworld. I could sense him using the Force to anticipate obstacles, but I could also tell that he had previously planned his escape route. After a while, we had lost all pursuit.

My rescuer reduced his speed and flew casually through the underworld traffic to avoid attention. At one point we swapped transportation for an EasyRide taxi. In the taxi was a cloak that I was given to cover over my prison uniform. This was clearly a well-planned rescue. And I appreciated good planning.

After much time, we arrived at a rundown apartment area. Parking the taxi, we entered one of the apartments. I took in the shabby apartment. "This is where you live?"

"No," said the man. "But I have been here for several weeks while planning your rescue. Unfortunately, we cannot stay here long. I have arranged for transport off world." He took off his helmet. With his face exposed I could identify him as a male Pau'an. I could tell by the furrowed skin on his face. In addition, on his forehead he had two sets of red markings. which may have been tattoos. The sets mirrored each other. They were a pair of slightly obtuse angles with a small triangle inside. Another pair of tattoos came from under his eyes, down his cheeks, to near the corners of his mouth. Like most Pau'ans his ears were covered by black metal coverings. But most striking were his unnaturally yellow eyes.

I watched as he set down his helmet. I was waiting for him to let down his guard. Once I deemed that his attention had wavered, I used the Force to pin my rescuer to the wall. With his back against the wall, he couldn't reach his lightsaber. Having the advantage, I questioned him. "Who are you? And why are you helping me?"

My rescuer made no effort to resist me. "I told you; I owe you everything."

"I do not know you," I said.

"You might not, but we have met in a manner of speaking. If you would let me down, I will explain."

I released him. He landed securely on his feet. "Now answer my questions. How is it that you owe me? What is it that I have done for you?"

"You saved me from the fate of the Jedi," said my rescuer.

"The fate of the Jedi?" I asked. "I felt their deaths while in prison. What happened to the Jedi?"

"The short answer, they were all killed. Almost all of them."

"And the long answer?"

My rescuer began to pace with his hands behind his back. "You already know the beginning of that story. You knew how the Jedi had fallen from their ideals."

"Yes," I said. "The Jedi were supposed to be compassionate keepers of the peace. Instead, they had become warmongers. Fighting for an arbitrary good at the expense of everyone; Prioritizing the Republic at the expense of its citizens. They had become heartless."

"More than that," said my rescuer. "They had become filled with fear. They were afraid of losing their power. And they were afraid of the Sith. Their irrational fear caused them to destroy themselves."

"How?" I asked. "And can the fear be irrational if the Sith were real?"

"The Sith were very real," said my rescuer. "But that doesn't mean the Jedi couldn't exaggerate the problem. The Jedi pursued Count Dooku relentlessly. But even as they did, they feared the hidden Sith. You see, the Jedi believed Count Dooku to be the Sith Apprentice, and that he had a shadowy master pulling the strings from some dark place of hiding."

"Was that not true?" I asked. I knew that was the prevailing theory, but I too had my doubts about it.

"No, I do not believe it was," answered my rescuer. "It was Count Dooku himself who told the Jedi of this shadowy Sith Master when he was trying to persuade Master Kenobi during his capture on Geonosis at the very beginning of the war. I believe it was his intention to keep the Jedi jumping at shadows and undermining their trust in their allies and in one another."

"But what about the Sith Rule of Two? There should always be a master and an apprentice."

"Indeed. In the beginning of Dooku's plans he had Darth Maul for an apprentice. Then later, Dooku hid his apprentices in plain sight, calling them assassins. I believe you met one of them, Asajj Ventress. Later he trained Savage Oppress and tried to recruit Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos. But the Jedi believed his lies about the existence of a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. His lies triumphed even after his death."

"Cooku Dooku is dead?"

"Yes. He was killed by Anakin Skywalker in the last days of the Clone Wars. Ventress too is dead, as is Savage Oppress. And Quinlan Vos is presumed executed with the Jedi. The Sith were dead, but the Jedi didn't believe it."

"How were the Jedi killed? And if it wasn't the Sith, who did it?"

"In many ways, the Jedi did it to themselves. After the death of Count Dooku, the Jedi became increasingly paranoid. General Grievous was cornered on my home world of Utapau. The location of the rest of the Separatist leaders was known to the Republic. But the Jedi were not satisfied. They suspected this rumored Darth Sidious to be in control of the Senate. The Jedi Council made a move against the Senate and attempted to subdue the Supreme Chancellor. Many of the Council members were killed in the attempt. Chancellor Palpatine in response ordered the clones to march on the Jedi Temple and execute the Jedi serving throughout the galaxy."

I sat down on a chair near a shabby table. "Betrayed by their own loyal soldiers. That is not something that most Jedi would see coming."

"Indeed not," said my rescuer. "While I do not approve of what the Chancellor did, it was nonetheless the Jedi would put themselves in such a position."

"I agree," I said.

"Unfortunately, the Jedi's damage is not yet done. The war has scared the galaxy. In fear the Republic has turned to the Chancellor for security. He has reformed the Republic into the Galactic Empire. Emperor Palpatine now rules as its permanent leader."

"The Galactic Empire?!" I said in amazement. But the more I thought of it, the more I believed it. The Republic was failing, that much I already knew. And when a democracy fails, it always leads to a totalitarian regime. This should not have been so surprising.

"How did you survive?" I asked my rescuer. "Did not the clones seek to attack you as well?"

"Yes, I believe now is the time for me to explain how I survived and why I owe you my life," said my rescuer. "I was not only one of the Jedi; I was a member of the Temple Guard."

"You were a Temple Guard?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes. I dedicated myself to the Temple Guard and to the Jedi as a whole. I trained myself in utter detachment, forgoing the entire galaxy to become one with the Force. And I believed in that philosophy until the day I met you."

"What day?"

"The day of your arrest, of course. I was one of the guards that brought you before the Senate Courts. I heard your speech, and I was moved by it. I began to doubt that the Jedi had the galaxy's best interest in mind. The more I thought of it, the more disturbed I became. And the more disturbed I became, the more the Temple Guard insisted I meditate in my room. I was relieved of guard duty and more or less confided to my quarters."

I nodded in understanding. It was the very thing that I feared the Jedi would do to me if they had discovered my misgivings. It was why I turned to the Cloak of the Sith.

My rescuer continued, "The Jedi's solution was to further cut me off from the galaxy, further from the very people we were supposed to serve. I came to realize it was foolishness. So, I left the Temple Guard, and I left the Jedi Order. If I had remained, I would have been killed in the purge of the Jedi Temple with the rest of my former companions. It was you who opened my eyes to the reality of the Jedi. Because of you, Barriss Offee, I now live."

I stood up and looked at him. "You see clearly," I said. "You were able to see the Jedi for what they really were, dark masquerading as the light. And because of that, you survived. I too have survived. I didn't know it at the time, but I see now that my imprisonment, my willingness to challenge the Jedi, is what saved me from the purge. I believe it is the will of the Force, that we both live."

"As do I," said my rescuer.

"Forgive me, but I do not yet know your name," I said in sudden realization.

"My name?" said my rescuer in a troubled voice. "My name," he repeated. "My parents gave me a name when I was born on Utapau. It was that name that I brought with me into the Jedi Order. However, when I joined the Temple Guard, I forsook all attachments even to my own identity. I hide my face behind a mask, and I forfeited my name." He looked down. "I am not sure that name fits me anymore. And I am not yet ready to take on a new one." He looked up at me. "For now, why don't you call me, 'Brother'? Is that not how it should be? Not a Jedi who abandons the individual, but one who embraces him or her as family."

"Yes, a compassionate family," I said. "Very well, Brother. I thank you for your rescue of me."

"As I said, I owed it to you. It is I who should be thanking you."

"Is that why you rescued me? Was it gratitude?"

"Yes, in part," replied Brother. "But I will confess that I have another motive."

"And that is?"

"With the Jedi and the Sith both gone, we have an opportunity, an opportunity to start again."

"Yes," I said. "To form a new Jedi Order. One of compassion."

"One free of the external pressures of governments or of war," added Brother.

"Free of the Republic and the Empire," I agreed. "But I have a question for you," I asked. Then I waited for him to respond for dramatic effect.

"And what question would that be?" prompted Brother.

"The Dark Side," I said. "What are your feelings on the Dark Side?"

"The Dark Side," repeated Brother. "Obviously it is a path that could lead one to doom. But we have also seen firsthand how avoidance of the Dark Side can also lead to doom. The Jedi always taught us that fear is the path to the Dark Side. Yet the Jedi themselves had a great fear of the Dark Side, whether in the form of the Sith or even in the form of anger within themselves. This led to a policy of radical detachment and an insistence on hunting down the Sith; the combination of which led the galaxy into a war and brought about the doom of the Jedi. So, my feelings on the Dark Side are a bit complicated."

"And if I told you that I had embraced elements of the Dark Side, how would you react?"

Brother reached behind his back and pulled out his strange looking lightsaber. I was able to get a closer look this time. As I noted earlier, it had a central hilt, but it was surrounded by a circle hilt guard of sorts. Unlike before, I could now see clearly that it had two blade emitters, one on each end. Brother held it before me with the hilt horizontal. He spoke, "I would answer that I too have embraced some elements of the Dark Side." Then he activated his lightsaber, and two red blades projected out. "I believe that our new Jedi Order should not live in fear of the dark. Anger is meant to motivate us to do the right thing, to correct injustices, and to do the good. Why should we fear that?"

"I agree," I said. "Our new Order will be one of the Light, but one that does not fear the Dark." Brother deactivated his lightsaber and returned it to his back. I took the opportunity to ask another question. "Do you have a plan for starting this new Jedi Order?"

"Yes," replied Brother. "Or at least the start of one. But I am afraid that we should be leaving. The longer we stay in Coruscant, the longer we risk being discovered. The Jedi are not very popular with the citizens. The people of Coruscant would not hesitate to turn us in."

"It doesn't help that I am wearing prison fatigues," I said pointing to my garb.

"Indeed," replied Brother. "There is a change of clothing in that bedroom. I hope that it fits alright. I was only able to guess at your size."

"I will find out." I entered the bedroom alone. It was as shabby as the rest of the apartment. I stripped off my orange prison garb and put on the outfit lying on the bed. It was similar to the outfit I used to wear when I spied on the Coruscant underworld, the same outfit I was wearing when I attacked Ahsoka in the warehouse. I pulled on the pants and the shirt. They fit very well. I bulked a belt across my waist. I noticed that the belt had a pair of clips on it. For a pair of combat knives? Or perhaps for a pair of lightsabers.

There were a few things missing from a desired full outfit. Most especially I desired a hair band to prevent my hair from falling into my face. I looked into a mirror for the first time in months, and I was shocked at the face staring back at me. When I was a Jedi, I always kept my hair in check, never much longer than the back of my neck. But in prison, I had few opportunities to cut it. Now it was down past my shoulders.

But the most shocking was my face. There wasn't anything different about it physically. I still had my diamond shaped tattoos on my cheeks and across my nose. Perhaps my yellow skin was a bit more pale due to lack of sunlight in prison. But it was my expression that was different. Before there had always been a serene joy and confidence. I always knew who I was. Even in my last days in the Temple I had maintained that face, hiding my true self behind a façade. But months of prison with no one but my anger as company had hardened my face. My brow was strained in a perpetual scowl and my eyes looked haunted. I looked tired, weary, and defeated. Anger rose in my heart. Look at what the Jedi had done to me!

I lashed out in the Force. The mirror shattered to pieces. Then I clenched my fists. The worse part of it was that there were no more Jedi to lash out at. They had thrown me in prison, and then gotten themselves killed in the meantime. I would never have a chance to confront them for what they did to me, never a chance at revenge.

"Are you ready, Barriss?" asked Brother from the other room. He had probably heard the shattering mirror. I appreciated that he didn't mention it.

"Yes, I am ready," I told him. I exited the bedroom. Brother was waiting for me. "How are we getting off planet?"

"I have acquired a lighter freighter. It is in bad condition, but it will get us where we need to go."

The two of us left the apartment. We stopped at a clothing vendor before leaving the neighborhood. With some credits that Brother gave me, I bought a few more things to complete my outfit, such as some accessories to hold my hair and a pair of black knee-high boots fit for combat. Then we walked to a public transit station. After a short train ride, we arrived at a hanger facility near the major portal to the upper city.

And there was parked Brother's freighter. "That is your freighter?" I asked.

"It's not much to look at, and even less to fly," said Brother. "But it will do for now."

"It's a G9 Rigger-class, isn't it?" I said, recognizing the style. The freighter had a main hull which included a large cockpit, a small rear cargo bay/hanger, and other storage and living areas. Its main wing was off its starboard side, with no matching wing on the port side. There was another wing on the bottom. It was currently folded up next to the main wing, but I knew that it would fold down in flight mode. There were three blaster cannons on the ship, a fixed cannon on the bottom wing, a rotating cannon on the starboard wing, and one more on the top of the main hull. But I don't know how far I would trust those cannons.

"Yes, that is right," said Brother, confirming my identification of the ship. "Do you know the class?"

"Not really," I said. "But Anakin Skywalker had one, the Twilight I believe he called it. I think he commandeered it from Separatists during one of his missions. At first, he used it as his personal shuttle. Then he held onto it as for uncover missions. I really think he kept it so that he could had a broken-down ship to tinker with." I laughed as a memory came to me. "He had Ahsoka work on it too. One time I ran into her as she was just finishing repairing it. She needed to test fly it, and she invited me to join. At one point something in the engine housing blew up. I thought we were going to crash and die. But Ahsoka was able to fix it, and we brought it for a safe landing back at the Temple."

As the joy of the memory faded, a sadness came over me. "They're dead, aren't they, Anakin and Ahsoka?"

"I am not sure," said Brother. "Anakin Skywalker was on Coruscant when the Emperor gave the kill order. He might have been in the Temple at the time of the purge. Ahsoka's fate is harder to determine. After she was cleared of the charges against her, she was invited back into the Jedi Order. However, she refused and left the Order."

"Ahsoka left the Jedi?!" I had done it. I had severed Ahsoka's ties to the Jedi Order, and in so doing I might have saved her life. "Where did she go? If she was not with the Jedi, she might have survived. We have to find her."

"She might have left the Jedi Order, but she seemed to have signed up as part of the Mandalorian militia. She fought alongside both Mandalorians and clones at the end of the war. After the war she was never heard from again. It could be that the clones did not make the subtle distinction between Jedi and former Jedi."

"So, Ahsoka died anyway," I said defeated.

"Likely, but possibly not. Searching for Ahsoka Tano is on my list of things I wish for us to do together. But there is one more pressing matter."

"What it that?"

"Come on board the ship, and we will discuss it." I followed Brother up the rear cargo ramp into the ship. He led me to the cockpit area. There he took off his outer cloak and laid it on the co-pilot's chair.

I similarly took off my outer cloak. "What is this more pressing matter?"

Brother started. "You and I have agreed that now is the time to restart the Jedi Order, a new Jedi Order. But there are those who would like to recreate the Order in its former image."

"Other surviving Jedi?"

"Yes," said Brother. "Some like Ahsoka Tano may be persuaded to see our point of view, but others will not agree. They may even appose us."

"Like whom? Are their surviving members of the Jedi Council?"

"The Jedi are nearly all dead. Those that may still be alive are being hunted by the Empire, especially surviving Council members. I, however, am more concerned about other Jedi Masters who were not on the Council. One in particular I know to have survived, and I fear that she will attempt to spread her destructive dogma amongst the next generation of Jedi."

"Who?" I asked, yet somehow, I knew the answer.

Brother said the name ominously, "Luminara Unduli."

I looked to the side. "Master Luminara. How did she survive?"

"She was on Kashyyyk when the Emperor issued the kill order. I suspect that she had the aid of the Wookiees in her survival and escape."

"Is she still on Kashyyyk?"

"No, but I may have an idea of where she is. However, I cannot be sure, not without confirmation. That is why, I need you."

"You want me to sense if she is in a location or not?"

"Yes. The bond between Master and Padawan is strong even when the relationship has been shattered. I believe that you may still be able to sense your old master."

"I believe you are right," I said. "And what will you do once we find Master Unduli?"

"The real question is, what will you do?"

I paused. Luminara Unduli had taught me most of what I knew as a Jedi. And yet so much was what she taught had led me astray. I was conflicted. I gave a noncommittal answer. "I will stop her."

Brother gave me a half smile. Then he turned around and grabbed two small metal cases. "If you are going to confront your old master, then you will need to be properly equipped." He set the two cases down with the latches facing me. He released the latches and lifted up the covers.

Inside the left case sat a lightsaber, my lightsaber. It was the same one I had constructed as a Jedi youngling, the one I had wielded throughout my years as a padawan learner and into my knighthood.

But in the right case was a pair of curved-hilt lightsabers. These were the lightsabers I had taken from Asajj Ventress. These were the lightsabers that I had used to fight Ahsoka Tano and later Anakin Skywalker. These were the lightsabers I told Anakin suited me.

I recognized that Brother was offering me a choice. A choice between who I was and who I was becoming. A choice between the Jedi that Luminara Unduli wanted me to be and the Jedi I knew I needed to be.

I reached out to my old lightsaber both with my hand and the Force. But its crystal felt like a stranger to me, like an old friend with whom I had severed connection with. I withdrew my hand and then reached out to the other two lightsabers. There I felt a connection. These two weapons were no longer Asajj Ventress' lightsabers. They were mine.

I took them in my hand and ignited the two red blades vertically in front of me. It was then that I remembered my Jedi Trials, and my fight against my dark-side self. She had wielded two red blades just like these, exactly like these. I didn't know it then, but I could see now that it was a prophetic vision. My opponent wasn't some dark version of me, but a future version of me. I also remembered what she had told me I needed to do.

Now I understood. I understood what I needed to do. I looked up at Brother between the red blades. He smiled, clearly pleased at my choice. He spoke, "I ask you again: What will you do?" And this time I knew the answer.

"Master Unduli cannot be allowed to spread her poisonous teachings. She cannot be allowed to influence any more Jedi. I will do what has to be done…

"I will kill Luminara Unduli."