TITLE: Dark Sacrifice 36/36
AUTHOR: Cara & Quintus
E-MAIL: [email protected]
RATING: PG-13
CATEGORY: Pre-TPM, Jedi Apprentice, Original Characters
ARCHIVE: Yes. Please keep headers intact.
DISCLAIMER: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. No copyright infringement intended, no profit is being made from this fiction. All original characters and story belong to the authors.
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback appreciated.
TIME FRAME: Pre-TPM @ 1-2 years
SUMMARY: When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan join a diplomatic mission to the planet Sahmly II, they uncover a strange vergence in the Force, centered around a young padawan whose actions may determine far-reaching changes in the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan’s decisions about the padawan could save the boy's life, or drive him to the power of the Dark Side.
DARK SACRIFICE
By Cara & Quintus
Chapter 36
Council Tower of First Knowledge,
Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Adin sighed softly in frustration, and opened his eyes. He rocked from side-to-side in his sitting position on the hard Caamasi alabaster pavers to relieve his aching knees. He’d lost track of how much time he’d spent trying – and failing - to meditate.
Adin turned to look behind him; he was alone. Good. I’d hate anyone else to notice how much it disturbs me even being here, a place I called home as a padawan. He placed an elbow against a knee, and rested his chin and lips against a curled fist. Coruscant is home no more – it has changed for the worst. I feel it, yet I do not know why. How has it changed?
The meditative shroud that eluded him previously swam dreamily before his eyes, answers adrift in the currant.
Desperation, bordering on fatalism was the thought that flashed into Adin’s mind. All Jedi know the Order is weak, but the element of desperation soaks everything here. Desperation was the rationale behind the volatile pairing of Remii Hajradurama and Ak’ra Dushiko, disguised by only the thinnest veil of hope that the headstrong youngster and swordmaster would bond and exchange knowledge that would strengthen both. The mission on Sahmly Two was ultimately successful, but things did not go as planned in one of the most important master-padawan pairings in centuries; it was for the latter that explanations had been made to the Jedi Council.
Adin realized, while watching thousands of speeders zoom around the perimeter of the Jedi Temple, that the thought of young Remii – and even of Ak'ra Dushiko – was strangely comforting. Adin only knew Remii from Sahmly Two; the youngster was now recovering in the Healers Temple, and Adin tried to keep him company as much as possible, but Jedi business kept pulling him away. Ak’ra Dushiko refused to leave the boy’s side, and after some initial awkwardness, the two men came to an understanding. Remii woud never be left alone until his recovery was complete. Even as Adin walked the Temple grounds on other business, part of his mind was attuned to the padawan as their bond grew and strengthened.
Adin had been certain the strong connection he felt to the boy would vanish after the healers worked their magic and resuscitated Remii. It hadn't. Instead, he felt Remii lodge even more deeply within his heart, a curious emotion. That the boy could still offer his love, after all he'd been through, humbled the Explorer.
Dushiko, however, was someone that Adin had to acknowledge he’d misjudged. Ak'ra Dushiko was not a tyrant, but rather, a human with human weaknesses and strengths.
Remii and Dushiko possess different strengths but the same weakness, and therefore the same need. Remii embraced the need to bond with someone but learned that Dushiko did not bond freely to those he did not understand. It was not as simple as Remii being a poor student or Dushiko being a poor master. Adin’s bond with the boy would not displace Dushiko’s, rather it would compliment it, Adin could see that now.
“Adin-Duanath?” a soft female voice asked.
Adin knew the speaker very well. “Hello Master Billaba,” he replied without standing. He looked at his former Master pensively. “Was I called?” he asked sheepishly. “I’ve been preoccupied.”
The golden Marks of Illumination on Depa Billaba’s forehead and bridge of her nose glinted in the overcast daylight as she shook her head, crossed her legs and sat next to Adin. “No, you were not called. I received your messages. I apologize for not contacting you since your interview with the Council. We have been busy; the conclave just broke for the evening. ”
“No apology is necessary. I presumed that you were occupied yourself. I suppose that Master Yoda has talked to you?”
“He has, and I agree with the decision. He was not happy about how events transpired on Sahmly Two, but you managed to impressed him with the defense you mustered.”
Adin rubbed his chin skeptically. “I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say that, but our discussion after the interview a few days ago produced a meeting of minds. From Master Yoda, I am content with that.”
“Understandable,” Billaba said with a wry smile. “The Council of First Knowledge was impressed by your report of the Dark Side vergence on Sahmly Two, and by your actions regarding Remii Hajradurama and Ak’ra Dushiko. Dushiko testified, and more statements were taken from Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Remii will talk when he is capable, but your report sufficed. Instead, I am talking to you here, now. ”
Adin closed his eyes. He’d forgotten how soothing the presence of his old Master could be. Billaba, like Dushiko, could be stern and demanding, but she had the insight that Dushiko lacked. He heard her voice in his head.
He smiled.
“That is better, Adin-Duanath,” Billaba said. “I felt your ‘pre-occupation’ on the other side of the Temple.”
“I’m sure you did,” Adin replied, unable to suppress a rueful grin, “my ‘preoccupation’ could probably power a small town.”
“Do you regret your involvement in this matter between Remii and Dushiko?” Billaba asked.
“No,” Adin replied firmly, eyes still closed. “I regret that the boy was injured. But he lived, and I think Remii has the character to become stronger for it.”
“What of Ak'ra Dushiko?”
“He is mortified,” Adin said, feeling shadow lift as sunlight streamed through the clouds to bathe the Temple portico, “and hurt. He believes he failed his padawan because of the injuries inflicted by the Dark Jedi. He thinks if he’d listened sooner to concerns voiced by Master Jinn that perhaps Remii could have been spared pain.”
“Could Remii have been spared pain? Or Dushiko?”
“No. Life is pain, but this does not mean that great things cannot be achieved in spite of it.” Adin intoned the old Chalactan saying that Billaba drilled into him throughout his apprenticeship. It was one of his favorites. He could feel her amusement. It gradually faded to be replaced by curious thoughtfulness.
“And what of yourself, Adin-Duanath Yeriamman?” Billaba asked softly.
“The stars for me, always the stars,” Adin replied, inhaling and exhaling loudly. “But they look different to me now. I have seen the Force through the eyes of a padawan again. It astounds me, Master. I'd forgotten…" Adin smiled slightly. "I think that I have informally touched upon what it means to be a Master. I was only ever interested in the stars: standing upon a newly discovered world or exploring a ruin. Now I better understand what you once said to me about the heart and the mind being the most challenging place to explore. You were quite correct, my Master. I did not expect that it would occur as it did, or that it would be as rewarding as it was despite the travails.”
“It can be rewarding,” Billaba replied, “and it can be heartbreaking, and the experience finds you; you do not necessarily find it. Remember the saying: ‘When the padawan is ready, the master will appear.’ So it was with us, so it is with you. There is a conundrum to being a Jedi Master: you train your charges with love and dedication, with full knowledge that they will perpetuate the Jedi Order and will enter harms-way to do so. Love always has an element of risk, my former student; otherwise, it is not love.”
Adin concentrated on the sunlight on his face. “There is no passion: only the Force,” he said, repeating the last stanza of the Jedi Code. “The universe changes. I have felt it for some time. I feel it now.”
“Yes,” Billaba agreed. “We all have, those of us who are sensitive enough.”
“The turning point is behind us,” Adin said, daring to realize openly. He opened his eyes to look at his Master.
Billaba nodded. “The future is increasingly clouded, and our councils see no obvious way to retrieve the situation. The Jedi are few in numbers now, and our enemies know this. There appears to be little that we can do except prepare for the unknown as best we can.”
Adin slid his hands inside the sleeves of his robe. “What is it that the Council would have us do?”
“Your success in recovering the Sith Holocron of Exar Kun on your previous mission stifled most dissent on your techniques and qualifications. This recent matter on Sahmly Two and your response has resulted in that dissent completely evaporating as far as I can tell. In fact, you probably have friends where you least expect were you going to remain on Coruscant,” Billaba said, wry smile widening into a grin. She shrugged and her humor faded. “The Jedi Council was advised in the matter of Hajradurama and Dushiko, they ignored the advice, and here we are." She leaned over, tipped Adin's chin up with one finger, and stared into his eyes. "You will not be sanctioned, Adin-Duanath. In fact, you will be rewarded.”
Adin raised an eyebrow. “Rewarded? For what?”
Billaba shook her head. “Not like that,” she replied, reaching into a robe pocket and producing a small metallic starburst device. She handed it to Adin, who looked at the small pin, dumbfounded.
“On behalf of the Galactic Republic, with the full support of the Jedi Council, you are hereby designated a Nova Scout,” Billaba said, grin returning. “Congratulations, Adin. I don’t believe Jedi should belong in memberships external to the Order, but this is something that I think you deserve, and it is commensurate to your dedication to public service. The Council waived the restriction on membership in external organizations for your case. It should also help you in your future... endeavors.” Billaba took a breath, then looked at her former student.
"You have been authorized another ship, a larger scout with room for all of you, the droids, and a few years worth of supplies. The ship in question is being modified as we speak, incorporating the changes you’ve made to your previous ship. Your orders from the Jedi Council designate you Explorer Commander. The Council openly acknowledges your competency there,” Billaba commented dryly.
Nova Scout! The Nova Scouts were the most elite explorers and scouts among the Republic Scout Corps. Adin was too stunned to fashion a witty reply. "Remii and a new ship?"
"And Ak'ra Dushiko. You can learn much from him, my young student, if you keep an open mind. You both stand to learn much from each other. That is why I insisted you start on equal footing, master to master." Billaba handed a datacard to Adin. “Your orders, including a Council briefing. Apart from the three of you and the Jedi Council, these orders are to be kept secret.”
“I am honored by the Council’s collective faith in me, Master Billaba.” Adin replied, accepting the datacard, and slipping it into an inner pocket in his robes.
“I am pleased that you will be a Master, but I am also truly sorry about the timing and conditions, Adin,” Billaba said.
Adin felt a pang of sorrow from his old Master. “I do not entirely follow.”
“The Jedi position on Coruscant will become increasingly untenable. After Remii completes his medical care and your new ship is ready for flight, the three of you are hereby instructed to leave Coruscant, not to return. The Jedi Library will entrust artifacts to your protection and use, ensuring that some measure of ancient Jedi knowledge will be preserved, should the worst befall the Order. Go to the Outer Rim, and remain as anonymous and unobtrusive as possible. Act as clandestinely as necessary, and train Dushiko and Hajradurama to act accordingly. You will probably have to stay there for some length of time to escape a larger, hostile universe. Keep contact with other Jedi as best you can and use your resources to shelter and assist their presence on the Rim whenever and wherever you can. You and Dushiko are authorized to train new apprentices if opportunities arise, as can Remii should he become qualified to do so after attaining his Knighthood.”
“Are you quite certain about this?” Adin asked.
“Yes,” Billaba replied, sorrow replaced by grim determination. “You proved to be unexpectedly resourceful in the matter of the failed bonding between master and apprentice, and the Council believes this is a skill that can and should be put to use in this late hour. Other Jedi have received similar orders, and you will have Remii and Ak'ra Dushiko, so you will not be completely alone. Events are too far-gone, and because it is the will of the Force that these events occur, our Councils agree that these events should be allowed to transpire. Perhaps as events unfold we will discover an alternate path. If we do, you will be contacted by secure means and recalled; if you are not contacted, then the three of you will know the fate of the Order. The Council has informed Dushiko and Hajradurama that they will travel with you, but they do not know why. In your capacity as Explorer Commander, it will be left to you to decide when and how to tell them.”
“I understand,” Adin whispered. “Master Yoda said as much after the interview. This is a powerful vergence that the Council has detected then. Does it have anything to do with the prophecy about the One who will bring balance to the Force?”
“Yes,” Billaba replied, “and unfortunately, the Jedi Order has been found wanting. We initially thought that this vergence might be centered on Remii. There have been no new healers for a generation and we believed that Remii’s considerable potential signified a positive vergence in the Force - and it does - but his is not the vergence we believed it was. There is another, more powerful vergence whose source is still unknown. Its power, taken with the fact that it defies identification makes this other vergence portentous for both the Jedi Order and the galaxy.”
“What about you?” Adin asked, looking at his Master. “What are you going to do?”
“Do not concern yourself with me, Adin-Duanath. You are my best student, and I foresee that you will be a great Master. Despite your misgivings, I have nothing further to teach you,” Billaba replied with a wry smile, allowing her eyes to float about the portico, and onto the planet-city beyond. “This Temple is my home, and I will defend it with the knowledge that, for us – the Jedi Council – time is running out.” She came to her feet in a graceful move, and waited impatiently for Adin to do the same.
Adin stood, mind reeling. So, this is what it comes to…
"If nothing else, perhaps we can purchase time for you and other Jedi to go to ground," Billaba said softly. "Rank and file Jedi will be informed of circumstances when appropriate - when you and similar missions are far away from here. Take care of my nephew, Adin. Teach him well." She gave him a loving smile, then reached up to cup his cheek with a hand as she had when he was a padawan. "May the Force be with you, Adin-Duanath Yeriamman, Nova Scout." She kissed both his cheeks, then whirled and walked away with a purposeful stride.
"And you, my Master," Adin called after her. His voice became a whisper. "Always."
THE END
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Our thanks to Lady Grace, intrepid beta reader, always ready to peruse the latest version of Dark Sacrifice, even if she’d read it just an hour before. Her grammar picking and plot insights were invaluable in the formation of this story. For never flinching in the face of sheer volume, we salute you.
There is a short piece that is a companion to Dark Sacrifice, entitled ‘A Century Later’ that lightly details what happened to Remii, Adin, and Master Dushiko after the Clone Wars. Email us for it.
Thanks for reading!
Cara deMedici
Quintus