A few hours and cleaning up spills and overturned chairs later, the door to our suite opened up and in walked Bxax.
"The meeting is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, sorry it took some time but with the Empire snatching up more and more of my people for something or another and these new chain code regulations being implemented we've had to move more discreetly than before. We ask that you not bring any weapons to the meeting though, it'll be neutral talks. No one else will have weapons either and if you feel better keeping them on your ship you may. We moved it into one of our inner docking platforms for safety and to keep the fact you're being here, hidden."
"Does anyone else on the planet know we're here?" Master Wamo swiveled around in her chair to face Bxax who had started walking down the stairs.
"You were noticed by quite a few bounty hunters but we made a decoy ship and spread the rumor that you were going to Mon Cala, Garel, Takodana—any other planet that would get you out of the system and have people looking for you for a while. Our spy network is thorough and will cover your tracks well."
"Thank you, Bxax," Master Wamo dipped her head towards the Ugnaught.
"Don't worry about it," he waved it off. "If we hadn't you'd have brought trouble to our doorstep so it needed to be done. Now, we've gotten news of other Jedi since the 'Purge', as they're calling it, happened. Most of it is concrete and only a few are hearsay so far. All of it, you won't like," the diminutive alien ordered a glass of water.
"Please, we must know," Shaddoc stood behind Wamo and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Almost one hundred percent of the Jedi located at the Temple on Coruscant at the time Order 66 was initiated were killed. Perhaps a dozen or so-maybe, of Masters and Padawans were able to escape. Our sources of spies and intelligence agents confirm that some of them received outside help, unconfirmed reports say it was Senator Bail Organa and Royal Guards of the Queen of Naboo among them. We'll make sure to squash those before they get out. In the rest of the galaxy, reports of Jedi Generals being gunned down are constantly coming in, on the other side some Clones have actually refused the Order too. Not enough to have been effective but it was surprising nonetheless, unfortunately they are disappearing as fast as your other Temples are. Which is the last point to make."
Here Bxax swiped his hand across the air and a galaxy map appeared slightly above us in the middle of the room. Suddenly a bunch of dots appeared on it almost covering the whole galaxy with a few in Unknown Region space.
"Every dot represents a Jedi Temple, place of practice or refueling station associated with the Jedi or controlled by them. Over the centuries our organization has tracked and marked them down, or even just places Jedi stopped at frequently. We won't say we know all of them but the ones we do know about—"
"Hey they're disappearing!" I glanced at the Kid for a moment and then really took a look at the galaxy map and sure enough the lights were going out. It must have started as soon as the lights appeared on the map at the rate they were blinking out now.
"Yes that's what I was getting to. They are already being targeted and destroyed either by the Empire itself or people who are siding with it and want the Jedi forgotten. It's happened extremely quickly which I guess would be the case with how well organized this genocide has been. I'm assuming your Order left some off the internal records in your archives so that will take them longer to find 'em but as it stands they seem to be very thorough."
"The last bit of news could be troublesome."
"What could be worse?" The Captain asked incredulously.
Bxax continued on like he didn't even hear her. "A new sect has sprouted in the Empire. Something called 'The Inquisitors'. We know next to nothing about it at this time but are digging to find out more."
"Any theories on what it could be?" Shaddoc spoke up.
"This may seem far fetched but it sounds like not every Jedi was killed although it was a very rare occurrence. Some seemed to be captured since reports about them would suddenly disappear instead of being closed out with a Termination label. If they are being captured as we think, their location is of the highest secrecy. I'm, sorry, we don't have more information."
Another wave of his hand and the map disappeared. There were barely any dots left after they had stopped winking out for a few minutes..
"This is as much as I can help you right now. If the meeting of the Higher Ups is positive then more resources will be allocated to helping you. Until then, I'll leave you all to your devices."
"May I speak with you Brother?" I asked stepping forward.
"Of course, you barely have to ask. Come, we can talk in private."
We walked away from the group and I barely registered the Jedi Masters talking with each other in low voices.
"If you don't mind me asking Bxax, I noticed you don't speak like most other Ughnaughts with the whole "I have spoken". Is there a reason for that?"
"Bah, I'm not a producer or manufacturer. My hands were made to kill and defend which isn't normal for us. Almost all of our race has been mechanically inclined and take pride in that. So I have forgone the use of the saying altogether so as not to bring shame upon it."
I nodded my head in understanding.
"Will this be a private conversation between us? Because if it is I can't take you to another floor so your room will have to do."
"That's fine, it's this way."
I led him to my room and locked the door behind us. I took a knee in front of him as he turned to face me.
"Please, tell me the truth. Has there been any word from my home? The settlement that's still on Gentes."
"No Brother, I'm afraid not. And we've already sent a scouting party to it so we'd have eyes on for confirmation of what's happened. How long did you say you were gone?"
"Months maybe? I'm not entirely sure since I was locked up the entire time."
He stroked his knuckles once. "You said you were locked up by the Jedi Masters for being a Sith Lord. Is that true?"
I nodded my head. "I took the title of Sith, the same as the man who trained me…when he made me kill my Mother as my final lesson. She made me promise to still use all I learned from him to protect the Ughnaughts and so I did. I squeezed the life out of him to cement that promise and was their protector ever since. The word Sith had meant, Monster, to me; something that enters your life and corrupts everything it touches and ruins it all. I had hoped by killing the man who had it, I would cleanse it of that definition in my mind. But I never would have thought it was anything like they are describing it as! Some kind of, Grand Schemer behind the downfall of their Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic and kills their friends and family!"
Bxax just stared at me, hands clasped behind his back. I hadn't noticed that I was pacing during my tirade until I finished.
"Do we need to separate you all into different sections? It would put a strain on the Counsel's decision on helping you."
I swallowed hard and just stared at him for a moment. Then took a knee again.
"No, there's no need. We will handle it amongst ourselves."
"Good. Now the reason I ask is you might have to prove yourself at the hearing. The Counsel has heard a great deal about your actions protecting our Brothers on Gentes and how your Mother was a staunch supporter of our labor rights. But because of your self proclaimed title and the circumstances of how you came to be with the Jedi, they want to make sure you're not part of the Emporer and his ilk. I didn't want to do this in front of them but rumors of a new Enforcer has been spreading around the Galaxy Net and we'll apparently be seeing it publicly soon. The whole government is being restructured and we're trying to keep up with the changes. If the Empire needed Ughnaughts as badly as the Republic did then any news we get of your community might not be good."
"How many others have been taken?"
"As of right now, about forty percent of our census has already been taken to black sights controlled by the Empire. From what we've pieced together there's some big project in the works that needs our expertise. Anything else is just speculation."
We stayed quiet for some time.
"So….my people really could be gone," my head dropped back and I just stared at the cieling.
"We should assume so even before we hear the news. With how often you said mercenaries and slavers would come hoping to make off with a quick credit I don't see how they'd still be there. We'll find them though. If I know the higher ups as well as I do, and I do, they already have contingencies for stuff like this."
I just nodded my head to what he said barely listening.
"If that's all then I'll be going now."
__________________________________
We all watched as Zavart and Bxax walked out of the common area together. Wamo approached Shaddoc, they gave each other a look and he just nodded his head.
"Drazad, we'll finish up by meditating and then you're free for the day."
I nodded my head at him and thanked the chef who had made more food for us after the outburst.
He led me into a more open sitting area and pushed the seats around for space.
"Today we'll be focusing on feeling the Force again and strengthening your connection to it. Just because I'll be training you to access it when in a chaotic situation doesn't mean you shouldn't take the time and connect to it in a more peaceful state of mind. That is when you'll grow the most."
"I understand. So will I always be doing this meditating thing? It hasn't felt like I've gotten the hang of it yet."
"It's a good habit to get into, yes. It helps center the mind and clear your thoughts. And sometimes the Force can provide clarity on situations you find yourself in. Either through visions or guidance on what you should do right."
"The Force can do all of that? Dank Farrik how do you not use it for everything then? I'd have freed myself from being a slave a long time ago."
"Sit down. Eyes closed."
I huffed but did what he said.
"The privilege of being able to wield the Force is a discipline that one must exercise with wisdom and caution. Even though the Force is all knowing you are not and you must trust in it even when all hope seems lost, which is why we meditate to understand its complexities. This gives us the wisdom to know when and where to apply the Force to different situations."
"How do you decide though, for those situations? I mean, I was a slave for most of my life. There were thousands of others that I had seen and no one came to save any of us. Does injustice have to be in your face for you to act?"
"No it doesn't, but Jedi haven't made good detectives in the past and we've tried to stay out of politics in the galaxy. The slave trade is connected to a lot of influential people, a lot of whom would be in hot water if caught being connected to it. A lot of organizations and possibly even governments could have collapsed if evidence had been brought forth so it was a slippery slope. The Jedi Council had taken a stance of neutrality unless we happened upon it in our travels."
"So the ones that led the Jedi had decided it was for the best to not actually defend people unless they were in your face? Even if it meant actively routing out corruption in governments?"
Shaddoc sighed heavily. "It had seemed to be the best thing to do at the time. Almost every polititician in the Senate had ties to a criminal organization that either kept them in power or got them there. Master Wamo and I have gone on plenty of missions that showed us the harsh truth of our justice system. It had seemed the best decision that could be made at the time until something better came along."
"And what do you think now that the Empire has taken control?"
Shaddoc averted his eyes from mine. His shame was evident but the years of built up memories from being a slave made my blood boil.
"We were wrong. The Jedi Council had a wool pulled over their eyes and the rest of us followed blindly. We had led the galaxy with our moral compass for so long that we stopped questioning whether or not that compass was still pointing the correct way. It…pains me to say such things, even if they are the truth."
"And are you going to train me to be like they were? Are you going to expect me to turn a blind eye to things just because of the amount of trouble that could come from it? To think I'm always right just because I can use the Force?"
Wamo spoke up then, the first time she's ever stepped into a training session with Shaddoc and I. "The Jedi Council may have been blinded by the fact that they were being manipulated by the Sith for centuries but that does not mean all of their teachings were wrong. But now that they are gone and we could possibly be all that's left it is up to us to change the mistakes of the past," here she laid a hand on Shaddoc's shoulder as she approached his back. "We don't know where our training will ultimately guide you. For now, it's mearly to help you understand the power you have and to protect yourself when the time comes."
I nodded my head, eyes still closed and then a feeling, a burst of intuition sprang forth inside of me. Without a second thought I allowed myself to be moved, giving myself over to the premonition and ducking my head just as I felt a gust of air brush against the fur of my temple. Unfortunately in my haste to dodge whatever had almost hit my head I had over balanced and had to catch myself before face planting into the floor. My eyes shot open and I saw Shaddoc with a small smile upon his lips and a comlink in his hand, the apparent object he almost whacked me in the head with.
"And it looks like you're learning already. Trust that feeling you just had, that was the Force warning you of danger. Sometimes it can be imprecise though if the danger is all around or it can cancel out a smaller danger because a bigger one is more prevailent. Always be mindful of what it tells you but also be decisive in what to tackle first."
I nodded my head at his words. I already knew all about what to prioritize first when it came to danger. Deciding to take a slap across the face rather than the whip because of neglecting to execute an order in a timely fashion had been the only thing on my mind as a slave.
"So the Force can do all these incredible things," I started and pushed myself into a sitting position. "I've seen you two and Zavart fight with it if the incredible things you've done is anything to go by. So, what do I do for it?"
"I'm sorry?" Shaddoc had a confused look on his face.
"'Nothing given freely is ever really free'," I quoted. "All of the slaves I ever met knew this creed by heart because we had seen what it entails when something given is free. Fingers are expected in the exchange, body parts, servitude; it was ingrained into us to always expect a catch to every deal we were ever given. And since the Force is so powerful in letting me do all these things what does it want in exchange?"
It looked like Shaddoc thought about this for some moments. Maybe trying to say the correct words for me to understand. This hasn't been the first time we both noticed that our world views and my lack of education was a detriment to my training.
"The Force asks nothing from you in return for use of its power. But the Jedi Order has always thought to revere it and give ourselves to it fully when seeking to deepen our connection. If your mind is unfocused or emotions are in turmoil, you'll have a hard time in making a connection to it. But it will always be there for you when you need it most. It is up to you to decide how much of yourself you want to open up to it."
My face scrunched up in obvious confusion at that contradiction what I thought. He just sighed and stood.
"I'll leave you here to ponder all this and to meditate. Try not to let your mind wonder and just focus on the Force that surrounds you. It will be a little, chaotic, for lack of better words because of the this world but stay within this room and you'll be fine."
And with that he walked away with Wamo close beside him. They disappeared towards the sleeping quarters to discuss whatever higher Jedi knowledge that would have gone over my head like usual.