The yellow sun of the unnamed star system in which the living world of Zonama Sekot currently lived shined brightly upon the Yuuzhan Vong village of La'okio. Thus, nearly everyone within one particular road of that village was able to witness Jedi Knight Tahiri Veila use the Force to blow a gust of wind to knock a member of the Extolled caste down to his back; an armful of vegetables clattered out of his grasp upon his landing.
Mere seconds later, a member of the former warrior caste caught up, not even out of breath, and growled upon looking down at the Extolled.
"You dare steal from me, Shamed One?!" he exclaimed.
The Extolled grimaced as he looked between the approaching Tahiri and the former warrior.
"In case you forgot, Mekvah Lah," the Jedi addressed the standing Yuuzhan Vong as she stopped near the downed one's feet, "they are no longer Shamed. The Extolled are-"
"I do not care what these vermin are called, Jeedai!" Mekvah Lah interrupted harshly. "Anything that steals what is rightfully mine should not be granted the dignity of such a lofty title!"
"Be that as it may," Tahiri said calmly, "this man's theft will not go unpunished."
"Oh, please, Jeedai-Who-Was-Shaped!" the Extolled cried as he pushed himself to his knees. "I only wanted to feed my family and myself! Our crops haven't borne fruit this past season, and Mekvah Lah's own harvest-"
"That is no excuse to steal, you filth!" Mekvah Lah shouted. "It is not my fault that your incompetence has led your individual family unit to ruin!" He snorted. "I imagine if you had the help of your domain, you would no doubt be leeching off their own labor!"
"Enough!" Tahiri decreed. She looked down to the Extolled. "Havel Carr, you will return Mekvah Lah's vegetables personally and then you will come with me."
"Ah, yes!" Mekvah Lah announced sarcastically as Havel Carr stood up and started to gather the scattered herbs. "The legendary punishment of the Jeedai-Who-Was-Shaped! Especially to her oh-so precious Extolled! Make them return what they stole and then put them in a cage for a few days! How terrifying!"
"You know that the death penalty has been outlawed here on Zonama Sekot, Mekvah Lah," Tahiri reminded him as Havel Carr finished gathering the vegetables.
"Oh, yes, how merciful for all of us!" Mekvah Lah declared. "So even when a Shamed One would kill a warrior, the Shamed would not suffer the fate that would have been rightfully granted when we served the gods!"
"If you really believed that the gods were real, why did you not take your own life after Shimrra died?" Tahiri asked.
Mekvah Lah sneered. "I need not answer your questions, Jeedai-Who-Was-Shaped."
"Perhaps not," Tahiri replied. "But what you will need to do is keep away from myself and Havel Carr so that your harvest will be returned to you and he will face justice for his crime."
The former warrior snorted. "The infallible Jeedai. Always the image of a perfect and righteous hero of your infidel empire. I could only imagine how even in your private moments, you remain this stoic." He took a few paces towards Tahiri and lowered his voice. "But we both know that is not true, Jeedai-Who-Was-Shaped. I can see the Yuuzhan Vong in you. Deep within you. Wanting to rip off your monastic facade like an old ooglith masquer and show the galaxy what you really are."
"I warn you, Mekvah Lah," Tahiri intoned, "you are not entirely innocent yourself. Even since you started living here."
"Those vermin deserved the beatings I gave them!" the former warrior growled.
"I can have you brought in this moment for obstruction of justice," Tahiri continued as if he hadn't spoken.
"Bah! One of your meager treatments for us, as if we were weak children!"
"It is supposed to help you. You cannot continue to cling to your old ways. It is folly, and this tantrum of yours-"
"It is folly," Mekvah Lah mocked. "Oh, my tantrum! Again, as if I were little one in a creche! Do not talk to me of what is folly, abomination! What is truly folly is you believing that I could ever stand to live with these Shamed Ones for one more of your days than I already have! Just give me one reason, one good reason, why I should continue to follow your commands or the decrees of those infidel Ferroans when my caste brought death to so much of your galaxy! We killed so many of you Jeedai, it was glorious! Just like with that mate of yours, the one that your Order revered so much! Anakin So-"
Mekvah Lah's tirade was cut off by Tahiri stomping a boot into his solar plexus; he flew back several meters before crashing to the ground on his back and skidding to a stop. Before he could return to his feet, Tahiri had set upon him and started to pummel him with her fists; her abilities with the Force anchored her in place so that Mekvah Lah's much larger size was unable to dismount her.
This went on for nearly a solid minute; the Yuuzhan Vong who were present, former Elite and Extolled alike, watched on in stunned disbelief. When the beating was over, and Mekvah Lah bled from his mouth and nostrils, Tahiri stood up and away from him. She looked out to the witnesses of her rampage; she could tell from her Vongsense that none of them would offer any testimony of her assault to Magister Hal or any other Ferroan; even Tahiri's fellow Jedi on this planet would not be informed.
And why would any of the Yuuzhan Vong here do so, Tahiri thought. Every one of the Extolled practically worshipped her like a god for her role in their salvation from the Elites. And those who were part of the ruling castes felt chafed being looked after by the Ferroans and Jedi; for whatever resentment they held toward Tahiri for attacking those like Mekvah Lah, it was highly unlikely that any of them would report her abuse of power to the Ferroans.
After all, it hadn't been the first time that something like this had happened.
"Who here will help Mekvah Lah back to his home?" Tahiri asked the dispersed crowd.
After several seconds, two Yuuzhan Vong—former Elites, Tahiri deduced—raised their hands hesitantly and silently. She nodded her head at Mekvah Lah and the two volunteers hurried over to the downed former warrior. They carefully picked him up and supported him as they started walking him back to his hut. Tahiri returned her attention to Havel Carr, said, "Let's go," and escorted him after Mekvah Lah and his helpers.
When that was all done minutes later, Tahiri, standing outside Mekvah Lah's hut next to Havel Carr, brought out her commlink from her belt to call in a transport. She stopped, though, when the sound of a Sekotan vessel reverberated through the air, prompting her to look up and see the transport heading in her and her charge's direction.
Once the transport settled down and opened up to discharge two Ferroan police officers, Tahiri said, "How'd you guys know I was gonna... Um, is this about something else?" The idea that someone among the Yuuzhan Vong—namely, from one of the former Elites—would have reported her beating of Mekvah Lah gave Tahiri a brief moment of fear.
"Jedi Veila," the Ferroan to her left said, "Magister Hal wishes to see you."
"It's about the Widowmaker," his partner supplied.
"The Widowmaker?" Tahiri asked. Then her face dropped in recognition. "Oh, yeah."
"That mean anything to you?" the left Ferroan asked.
"Yes, it does." She grabbed Havel Carr's elbow. "But let's take this man in; he was caught stealing vegetables. They've been returned, but, you know."
"Of course," the right Ferroan said as he brought out a pair of cuffs to place around the wrists of the compliant Extolled.
Less than half an hour later, with Havel Carr having been placed in jail for the remainder of the week, Tahiri was brought to Magister Jabitha Hal's hut. The police officers left the Jedi Knight there, and upon entering, she found that the elderly Ferroan-human hybrid was accompanied by two burly guards and the only other two Jedi on the planet, Danni Quee and Tekli, in the hut's living space. While the guards remained standing behind Jabitha, she, Danni, and Tekli sat around the table where a holoprojector was placed.
Tahiri bowed respectfully to Jabitha and said politely, "Good day, Magister Hal."
Jabitha nodded respectfully. "Good day to you, Jedi Veila. Please, have a seat."
As Tahiri took the only vacant seat around the table, she spared Danni and Tekli a warm grin for each of them, which they reciprocated; that was all they could spare in terms of pleasantries given the cordial circumstances.
Once she was seated, Tahiri asked, "So what's this I hear about the Widowmaker?"
Jabitha said, "We received a relay message from Esfandia this morning. It's been verified as being legitimate. Here it is." She pressed a button that activated the projector, which showed the face of an aged but hard-looking human woman.
"This is Captain Arien Yage of the Imperial frigate Widowmaker," the woman said in a crisp, calm tone. "I am broadcasting this message to all known Imperial frequencies. I hope this message reaches someone in our glorious Empire.
"Over two years ago, we were assigned to help Luke Skywalker and his party of Jedi on a search for the mythical living planet of Zonama Sekot as repayment for the Jedi's help in repelling the Yuuzhan Vong's invasion upon the Empire. The planet, as it turned out, was very real. Unfortunately, when it decided to depart from the star system in which it inhabited by using its incredibly massive hyperdrive system, its hyperspace wake pulled my ship after it. We had lost control of our course, and during the lightspeed trek, we had lost track of Sekot itself. Desperately, we had tried to break out of hyperspace.
"After several days, we succeeded, but with irreparable damage to our hyperdrives. And when we emerged into realspace, we had found ourselves in a system consisting of an icy planet with several moons; nothing in our database suggests this system even has a Chiss-given numerical designation, much less an actual name. But before we could find that out, we were set upon by a numerically superior pirate force that the Chiss had identified as the Vagaari.
"We fought back against the Vagaari, but this all but destroyed our weapons and sublight drive systems, and we were forced to make an emergency landing on the ice planet. Those of us who survived the crash were forced to flee into the bitter cold as the remaining pirates above us sought after us for slave labor and possibly other unspeakable things.
"Until now, our communications systems were also heavily damaged, but thankfully, not irreparably. But now that we have had our communications systems repaired, I can now tell whoever is listening that for the past two years, my remaining crew, which now consists of ninety-seven subordinate officers, have not only been trying to survive the Vagaari raiding parties, but also the hostile natives of this world, who, I must note, look remarkably same as the Chiss. Whether they're an offshoot of that species or something else entirely, I don't know. But now that we've repaired our comm systems, we've also been able to triangulate our galactic position and now have coordinates, which will be displayed at the end of this recording.
"On behalf of my crew, and myself, of course, we hope that a rescue party will come along to save us. We wish desperately to come home to our friends and families, and we hope that the war with the Yuuzhan Vong is not only over, but that we have won. It would also be nice to know if Zonama Sekot had any role in their downfall; we would hate for this search to have come to nothing. This is Captain Yage signing off. Long live the Empire."
Captain Yage's image winked out and was replaced by a string of numbers that signified coordinates. Jabitha paused the recording so that Tahiri could retrieve her datapad from her belt, plug it into one of the projector's ports, and copy the coordinates. When she pulled the 'pad out, Jabitha shut the recording down.
"I will leave first thing tomorrow morning, after my ship's been prepped," Tahiri said curtly. She stood up and bowed again. "Farewell, Magister Hal. Danni. Tekli."
"If we don't see you tomorrow for whatever reason, Jedi Veila, have a safe trip," Jabitha said.
Tahiri nodded, turned, and left the hut.
Moments later, however, she was stopped on her course through the tampasi when she heard Danni's call her name from behind.
"Yes, Danni?"
Once the older woman stopped about a meter from Tahiri, Danni asked, "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean. I can sense your frustration through the Force long before you stepped into that hut. Neither Jabitha or Tekli will say anything, but I can tell you're upset about something."
Tahiri shrugged nonchalantly. "I was just anxious, is all. Not every day I get to see the Magister of Zonama Sekot. Musta been really important, I figured."
Danni shook her head. "Don't feed me that poodoo, Tahiri. You'd beaten up another former Elite, haven't you?"
Tahiri's eyes widened.
"Oh, yeah," Danni said with a knowing nod. "Don't think we haven't heard anything from outside the Yuuzhan Vong villages. Now none of them may be willing to say anything openly about your conduct, and the Ferroans are willing to look the other way because of how important you are to corralling the Vo- Sorry, Yuuzhan Vong. And I was even willing to believe that that's all those were: rumors. But with what I'm feeling from you right now, Tahiri-"
"And what is it that you're feeling from me, Danni?" Tahiri intoned. "C'mon, tell me... What's the matter? What? Nexu got your tongue? C'mon, tell me what I'm feeling right now. It's all you can do, right? You're not even nearly as powerful as Tekli, never mind me. It's a wonder you can even be called a Jedi when I've seen children do better than you."
Danni's lips thinned. "What's wrong with you, Tahiri?"
"You a therapist now? 'Cause if you are, you oughtta do a better job than that if you wanna know why I'm feeling what you think I'm feeling."
"Tahiri, please, calm down."
"I am calm, Danni," the younger woman said with slight mockery. "I'm as calm as an experienced Jedi Knight could possibly be. After all, what's there to be so stressful about on this paradise of a planet? Oh, yeah, the Vong, they can be a bit troublesome, but-"
"Wait, wait, wait. You said Vong. Not Yuuzhan Vong."
"Yeah. So?"
After a second's hesitation, Danni said, "I thought you-"
"Would feel offended? Oh, no, I'm past that. I'm past a lotta things from the war."
"I don't think you are, Tahiri."
"Yes, I am," the Jedi Knight growled. "Now can you just butt out, Danni? You're really testing my Jedi patience right now."
"Tahiri, I'm really not sure you should be going on this mission."
"And what, you think you should? You think Tekli should?" Tahiri scoffed. "Neither of you are even close to warriors, Jedi or Yuuzhan Vong."
"No, but we can contact some other Jedi who could take on this mission."
"Master Skywalker assigned me this mission," Tahiri insisted impatiently. "I'm not just gonna pass this off to someone else because you say I may or may not be... irked."
"This is more than being irked. This is unhealthy for you. You're angry about something, Tahiri, I don't know what. But I think it's best that if even if you don't wanna talk to me, you should talk to someone who can-"
"In case you forgot, Danni, the lives of the Widowmaker's remaining crew are in jeopardy. And contacting someone else in the Order who can take my place, who can reach that frigate's last known coordinates in a longer time than I can reach them, risks those lives being lost. Now if you're fine with letting Captain Yage and the last of her crew to die, that's your business. But me? I don't quite like sitting on my ass and letting some other Jedi correct a mistake that was made before this war ended. Because in case you forgot, it was Nom Anor who caused Sekot to jump into hyperspace when he tried to kill her, which pulled the Widowmaker after this planet. And it's because I failed to stop that bastard, after he killed Nen Yim, after I brought him here so he could find a way to curry favor back with Shimrra, that Yage and her crew are now stuck in the Unknown Regions with little hope for rescue. So if you think I'm just gonna sit this one out, oh, boy, sister, have you got somethin' else comin'."
After Danni's mouth hung open for several speechless moments, Tahiri concluded with, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll have to make those preparations to my ship for tomorrow." She turned and resumed her course.
Danni let her continue on before saying, "It's more than just that guilt, isn't it?"
Tahiri faltered in her step and paused. But she didn't turn back before walking on; Danni didn't stop her then.