Chapter 6

The two Jedi walked through the crowd, and XXXXX held the small boy as he cried. Few people in the crowd turned to look at them.

"The sooner we get back to the Temple, the better. I don't sense Deron anywhere, but I keep getting this strange feeling we're being watched," Jaron commented, looking about him nervously.

XXXXX didn't respond. The closer they got to the Yeere Spaceport in the Capital city on Reytha, the less sure she was of her next step. She kept thinking of how events had gone down back at the apartment, and although she could blame everything on the timing of the boys mother, she knew she had meant what she had said. She would never have allowed the Sith to take the boy, no matter how legal his claim had been.

And what did that mean for her? Could she now take this boy back to the Jedi? The same Jedi who would have let him fall into the hands of the Sith? But what other options did she have?

Finally they reached the Spaceport and XXXX handed the small boy to Jaron while she stepped to the ticket counter. She returned in a moment, retrieved the boy, and handed Jaron his ticket. "There was a seat open on a small planet jumper, and it leaves in an hour. Go back to the room and get your bag. And hurry," she told him, not looking in his eyes.

"Master?" Jaron questioned. "You're speaking as if you're not coming with us." He looked at the Jedi Master, holding the small child who had fallen asleep, his face buried in collar of her Jedi robes.

"I'm not. And neither is the boy." Until that moment, she hadn't been sure she was going to go through with it, but now she could never go back. Even if she changed her mind, Jaron's report would forever stain her record. She could be pretty sure she'd be relegated to doing something menial. Paperwork, or some other drudgery. Oh, it'd be important, she was sure. Something befitting her rank, but they'd keep her close where they could keep a close watch on her.

Sure, she could try to lie, tell Jaron that the flight was full and they'd catch the next one, but even if he didn't catch the falsehood, he'd suggest waiting for a flight they could all be on together, and there would be no reason to argue with his logic.

No, her path was set now. She would take the boy and leave the Jedi Order, training him the way she wished she had been trained. Embracing emotion as part of one's being, and using it, controlling it, and letting your own moral compass guide you. She wouldn't rush this boy's training. She wouldn't cram it down his throat every day of his life. She would let it come naturally, and flow easily.

She turned her attention back to Jaron. "Goodbye, Jaron. May the Force be with you." Quickly she turned and walked away. She had hoped he would do as he was told, but she could feel him following at a distance. She stepped into a cargo storage room into the spaceport and concealed her presence, hoping to lose Jaron, but he must have seen her duck into the room.

Soon he opened the door and stepped in. "I can't let you do that, Master XXXX.... I guess I shouldn't call you Master anymore, should I?" He continued, not waiting for an answer. "You don't want to come back to Coruscant? Fine, I can't stop you, but I can't let you take that kid. I have more of a right in his welfare than you do. I'm his uncle, and I'm sure you're aware that Master Trillian will never allow this either."

"Jaron, you don't want to do this," XXXX said, facing the Jedi Knight. "I'm a better swordsman than you are, and my knowledge of the Force is vastly superior as well. You know this as well as I do," she stated matter-of-factly.

"And as for Master Trillian, he's not here to voice his opinion, or to disallow me from doing anything," she said. In reality, she was confused as to why Jaron would even bring Trillian into this as he had nothing to do with bringing younglings into the Jedi Order. Why he would care completely baffled her, but she played along anyway.

Some of her confusion must have showed on her face. "You didn't know? Trillian is my father... and this child's grandfather. Look, if you won't do it for the sake of the Order, at least do it for family. Let me take the boy. I can raise him along with my son, or my wife has a sister on Corellia, I could take him there," Jaron offered.

"What's the difference? He'd end up being trained as a Jedi anyway. Look, Jaron. You've done your duty. You confronted me. Now go catch your flight. If you don't, this can only end in pain and suffering, for you, me, and maybe even the boy,"XXXX said.

Jaron stood for a moment thinking about what she was saying, and eventually his shoulders sagged a bit in resignation. He knew she was right. He could never force her to do anything, and he wasn't sure he could draw his weapon on a fellow Jedi, even one who was determined to leave the order.

"Take care of my nephew," he said, then turned and left the room.

Several hours later XXXXX left the Reythan atmosphere herself, in a ship she had purchased with Jedi funds. She knew her access to those funds would be cut off shortly and had purchased a large stockpile of gear and food and had them loaded on the ship.

Once she was out of the Reytha's gravity well and safely in hyperspace, she went back and double checked on little Gully, who was now cleaned up and wearing new, clean clothes and playing with some proper toys. She watched him for a minute, wondering if she was doing the right thing by him. She'd just have to trust in the Force to guide her decisions. Shouldn't be hard, since she'd been doing it all her life.

Chapter 5

Tarn Eorax undid the latch and opened the door, standing back and allowing the person in the hall to enter the room. The black cloaked figure stepped into the room and pulled his cowl back.

He was unusually tall, just shy of two meters, if XXXX were to guess, but was on the slender side, around 75 kilos. He appeared to be in his late thirties, although it was hard to tell. His shoulder length hair and and long pointed goatee were prematurely white. That combined with his ashen skin tone and dark colored irises gave him the appearance of not just being older, but also left one with the impression that a member of the undead were standing in front of them.

Instinctively, both Jedi drew their lightsaber hilts and took fighting stances. They could feel the Dark Side emanating from the skeletal man.

The Sith threw back his head and cackled. "Put away your weapons, Jedi. I have no intention of fighting you," he said in a high pitched voice.

"We won't let you take the child, Deron. Leave now, or we will be forced to arrest you," XXXX said. The last thing she wanted was a saber fight with a small child in the room.

The Sith laughed again. "On what grounds? You Jedi are fools. I have committed no crime, and I already have the legal paperwork to take custody of this boy. Raise your hand against me, and it will be you who will be breaking the law." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a contract. He turned back to the slovenly version of Jaron. "You have your money, I will now take what is mine," he said as he tucked the contract back into his cloak.

"You won't be taking the child with you. I won't let you." XXXX said with determination.

"Master! We can't. Slavery is legal on Reytha. With a signed contract, he has every right to take the child, and besides, the Council would never want us to take a child this way," Jaron pleaded.

"Damn Reytha law, and damn the Council. I won't stand by and let this worm twist and innocent child to his warped ways. I'm taking the child and that's all there is to it," XXXX replied vehemently. In response, the Sith slid his hand back beneath his cloak.

Suddenly the door to the other room burst open and small dark haired woman burst through, leveling two blaster pistols at Tarn. She was small with long flowing, unkept black hair that fell down over her shoulders. She may have been pretty, but it was hard to tell under the dirt and tear streaked face that showed itself through the tangled black hair.

"No one is taking my little Gully, anywhere," she screamed and began pulling the triggers. Her fist shots drilled Tarn Eorax in the face, vaporizing half his skull. Tarn's lifeless body sunk to it's knees then toppled over backwards. The woman instantly began firing randomly at the other targets in the room.

XXXX took advantage of the distraction and, igniting her blade, lept across the room toward the Sith. At the last second he drew his red bladed lightsaber and blocked her attack as he stepped backward into the hallway. XXXX followed him, driving him further back as she furiously attacked him.

The child's mother turned on the only target left in the room and began firing at Jaron. The Jedi ignited his blade and deflected the first few shot, but instinct took over and he instinctively began redirecting her shots. The second one caught the woman in the throat and she tumbled backward to the floor.

In the hall, the Sith turned and ran for the window. He dove at the transparisteel, holding his lightsaber out in front of him, and it shattered on contact, allowing the Sith to pass though the opening unimpeded.

XXXX stood at the window and watched the Sith tumble and land safely in the street below. He turned and gave her a mock salute before trotting down the street and disappearing into the throng.

Turning around, she ran back down to the small apartment and stopped upon entering. Jaron was standing still, looking down at the body of the small woman. He turned and looked at XXXX. His face was ashen as he realized what he had done. "It was an accident, Master. I just reacted. I didn't mean to kill her."

"Things happen, Jaron. Just make up for your actions. Be a good father to your own son," she replied as she walked over to the small boy. He was balled up on the mattress, holding his ears, screaming and crying. She knelt down and wrapped her arms around the small boy. She rocked the boy gently as she spoke, "It's alright. I'm here. Shhh, shhh, shhh. Everthing will be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. Ever."

Chapter 4

XXXX and Jaron arrived at the 3 story apartment building which the bartender had described. He had said the place was 'a bit run down,' but that was a huge understatement. It was in such a state of disrepair that XXXX was surprised anyone lived there. She paid the cab driver his fare before exiting the speeder.

They entered the building and climbed the dilapidated stairs to the third floor. The dingy walls were grime coated and the lights in the hall were inoperable. Faint light seeped in through a filth covered window at the far end of the hall.

They stopped in front of an old style wooden door on hinges. It was dirty, and the numbers were missing, although there was a faint outline of where the 3C used to be. Assuming the buzzer was out of order, Jaron rapped on the door.

"You're early," said a man's voice from the other side of the door. They heard him manipulate the lock and the door swung open to reveal a man who looked just like Jaron. He was several years older, unshaven, heavier, but despite that it was clear they were related. His eyes were blurry and his clothes were dirty and reeked of alcohol.

"Well what do you know," he said. "My little brother's come to pay a visit. And he brought a lady friend, too. I s'pose your a Jedi too." He stepped back to let them into the two room apartment.

They entered the dwelling and looked around. It was even filthier than the halls had been. Trash was strewn about the room and used kitchen utensils filled the single sink and overflowed across the small counter. The only furniture that occupied the room were a table which was littered with empy liquor bottles and an ashtray overflowing with cigarra butts and ashes, and a dingy mattress with a tattered blanket laying in the corner. There was a door leading to another room, but it was closed.

On the mattress was a small boy about two years of age with dark hair and a dirty face. He wore dirty, ragged clothes and was playing with some empty liquor bottles, blissfully unaware of the squalor around him. He looked up as the strangers entered, but quickly went back to playing, giggling as he knocked the bottles over, then stood them back up.

"I had no idea you were here, Teld," Jaron said calmly. He hadn't seen his brother in ten years, and couldn't care less if he never saw him again. "You've changed your name, I see, although I doubt that has changed your character."

"Well, if this ain't a social visit, then why are you here, Jedi?" he sneered the last word. He plopped himself down in a chair next to the table, dug a cigarra out of his pocket and lit it, blowing a large cloud of smoke into the air.

XXXX spoke up. "Mister Tarn Eorax, I am Jedi Master XXXXXXXXXXX. We have come to talk to you about your son."

"A Master, hunh?" Tarn said sitting up a bit. "What? You couldn't get your hands on my last son, so you thought you'd try for this one, too?"

"We know nothing of your other offspring. We are here to ask you to let us test this boy and possibly take him to Coruscant," she proposed.

Eorax threw his head back and laughed as if she had just told the funniest joke he had ever heard. "Unless you've got some credits to pay me, the answer is no. And even if you do, you'll have to beat the price I'm already being paid."

XXXX felt as if an icey cold hand had just been wrapped around her heart. They had gotten here too late. He had apparently already made his deal with the Sith.

"You are the lowest scum. How could you sell your son to the Sith?," Jaron said to his brother.

"It is not too late, Mister Eorax. Your son is still here. You can still do the right thing for your child," XXXX said with calmness she did not feel. Anger began to burn within her, she dampened it, but let it smolder.

There was a sudden knock at the door. Tarn stood up and spoke as he walked to the door, "Yes, it is too late."

Chapter 3

The transport landed on Reytha, in the capital city of Yeere. XXXX and Jaron disembarked along with the few other passengers. They joined the throng of people moving about the large spaceport, and made their way to the streets.

Once there, they found an empty side alley where they could discuss their situation without being overheard.

"According to the data our intelligence operatives uncovered, Tarn Eorax was requesting to meet his Sith contact in a cantina on the outskirts called the Blood Bucket.

"The communication betweent the two was in data form only, as far as intel could make out, and the Sith only identified him or herself as Deron," XXXX explained to Jaron.

"So we go to the Blood Bucket and track them?" Jaron asked.

"No. We need to locate Eorax before the meeting. We're not looking for a confrontation with the Sith here. We're here to try and talk the parents into letting us take the child," she reminded him.

"But Master, how are we going to find him?" Jaron asked.

"You've been a Knight for how long?" XXXX asked sarcastically. "Never mind. Eorax chose the meeting place, so it's probably an establishment which with he's familiar. We'll go there and ask a few questions. Someone is bound to know the man," she said as she put her data pad away.

"Let's not waste anytime. Intel wasn't sure when the meeting was to take place. I only hope we're not too late already," she said and stepped back out into the crowded street followed closely by Jaron.

It took no time to locate the Blood Bucket, and it was exactly the den of scum that the name implied. After entering the establishment, they made their way to the bar.

"Whaddya want," the bartender slurred.

XXXX spoke politely,"We have a few questions about a patron who frequents your canti--"

She was cut off by the bartender, "Never hearduv 'm."

XXXX casually waved her hand, "We wish you would reconsider. Answering our questions will do no harm."

"Weeell... maybe answerin yer questins won't do no harm," the bartender replied. "Whaddya wanna know?"

Chapter 2

A long time ago XXXXXX had begun to question the certain teachings of the Jedi. Foremost among those teachings were those forbidding love, and attachments. She understood the downfalls that it presented, but wasn't it essentially a persons nature to love? Wasn't a parent programmed to love her child when it was born? And what about attachments?

Each padawan she had trained had been harder to let go. She had also reached the point where she stopped learning new prospects names as well as letting them know hers. It was too hard anymore when it was time for the prospect to either go home, or to their place in the temple for training. It made it worse when they cried and called to her by name.

But if attachment was this easy and this natural, then why was it forbidden? Wouldn't love for a husband or wife, or son or daughter seem to be something encouraged by the Order? Love, in moderation, seemed to her the best course of action, and forbidding it only seemed to be asking for more trouble than you were avoiding.

And what about hate? A little controlled anger had served her well in many of her fights, and she had never fallen to the Dark Side. It seemed to her that emotion when tempered, could be used constructively. All it took was a little self control.

And how about the decision to abstain from the Mando War? She had fought hard against that one, and had almost followed Revan and Alek on their quest. Actually, she would have gone had she not been in the middle of a delicate mission on the other end of the galaxy. By the time she had returned, arrest orders had already been issued for Revan and all of the Jedi who had followed him.

Only the Force had saved her from going, or she may have ended up a Sith, just like Revan and Alek, or Malak, as he was now calling himself.

There was a growing sentiment among the Jedi Order that if the council had supported Revan, that just maybe the Republic wouldn't be in this mess they were now, fighting for their lives against Darth Malak and his Sith.

Because of her misgivings, she had nearly turned down Master when it was offered. Was there really anyway she could accept a seat on the High Council when her heart was becoming bitter toward the Order and it's stagnation? And others had turned down a seat, but could SHE turn down the seat, remain in the Order and look herself in the mirror each day? Wasn't it her duty to do as the Council requested? If she didn't, was she truely a Jedi?

She put down her bush then and sat back, sinking into her meditative trance. When she awoke, the transport should be nearing the planet of Reytha.

It seemed that a man named Tarn Eorax had been attempting to contact the Sith. Apparently he was trying to sell his Force sensitive child.

I hate scum like that.

Chapter 1

The Jedi Master sat in her quarters aboard the transport and gazed into the mottled blue of hyperspace throught her transparisteel viewport. The time had come to make a decision. In reality, it was thrust upon her by the council. She would have put this off forever if it had been up to her. She reviewed the events of the previous day.

________________

The day before, in the chambers of the Jedi High Council.

She stood in the center of the ring of seats, conscious of the 11 pairs of eyes trained on her, scrutinizing her feelings and intents. She had long ago learned to conceal those, or she wouldn't be a Jedi Master.

She never felt she deserved the rank, but she had never discussed her misgivings about it before, and had no intentions of doing so now.

"Honored Masters, I am honored that you feel I am worthy of a seat on this council, but I must take some time, to meditate and determine for myself if accepting this position is truely the destiny that the Force has in store for me."

She bowed slightly as she ended her speech.

"Go then, Master XXXXXXXXXX. When you return from your mission to Reytha, we will have your decision."

She bowed her head again, "Thank you, Master."

With that, she turned and exited the High Council Chambers, brown robes flowing behind her.

______________

XXXX brushed out her long brown hair. She found it helped her to think and relax better than meditation some times. She looked into the mirror and studied the face that looked back at her. Not all that pretty, but far from ugly. The nose was a little big and slightly crooked from battles, the lips were too thin, and the brown eyes set too close by just that much.

It had been a blessing, or so she told herself. All the pretty Jedi females constantly seemed to either have men chasing them or even dropping out of the Jedi Order. Long ago she had decided that looks were nothing but a distraction.

She had passed her tests and been granted the rank of knight at the age of 15 early by many standards, and had become a Master by the age of 26, also a surprise to the status quo. She had trained four padawans in her 20 years since passing the trials. A feat almost unheard of as most Jedi spent anywhere between six to ten years as a padawan.

During the last 20 years, her primary area of expertise had been the aquistion of candidates for the Jedi Order. Nearly all of the 74 younglings which she had brought in had stayed. Most were still younglings being trained at the Temple on Coruscant, although some had become padawans, and 2 were even knights already.

Right from the start it had been apparent that she had a calming presence on children, making her a natural choice when going to persuade parents of Force sensitive children.

But she was anything but a babysitter and negotiator. Her skill with the lightsaber and knowledge of the Force was known and respected throughout the Order, and some of the main reasons they were asking her to fill the seat on the Council despite only being 35.

She could tell that many Jedi were confused as to why she hesitated to accept the appointment. Even her partner on this mission, Jedi Knight Jaron, had asked her about it already.

But unlike Jaron, XXXXXXXXX was able to bury her secrets deep down inside of her.