Convergence/Chapter 13

13
               “What exactly did you find?” Doctor Ostrada asked as she held up the holocron.

             “A holocron,” Jhiranae told her. “Some kind of Jedi memory unit. There was a hologram that appeared when I touched it.”

             “Still functional?” Doctor Ostrada continued.

             “Yes,” she said. “And two lightsabers. Also working.”

             “Oooh, really? I want to try them!” Plaspek said excitedly, scrambling over to the case.

             “Absolutely not,” Corian answered quickly, stepping in the way.

             “Awww,” Plaspek complained. “I’ve never seen a working lightsaber before, much less held one.”

             “And they’re very dangerous,” Corian reminded her.

             “Lieutenant Gonnard is correct,” Jhiranae told the disappointed Twi’lek. “Still, I understand your excitement.”

             They were sitting in the ruins of a dormitory at the military base where they’d set up camp for the night. Despite an initial burst of excitement upon their return and the revelation of the artifacts, Corian had insisted that setting up shelter for the night took precedence and Jhiranae had backed him. Kanjai and Corian had identified a room on the ground floor with intact walls, windows and ceiling, affording them shelter. The speeder was parked nearby, in what had once been an expansive sleeping area, but was now open to the elements with the collapse of that section of the wall and roof. A set of stairs outside their room led to an upstairs floor for a vantage point—though they were worn and scuffed. Doctor Ostrada guessed the room they were in had once been a briefing room judging by the remains of the furniture left there and mountings on the wall for holomaps or schematics. The floor sloped up from the front of the room in several small terraces, which caused Corian to agree with her assessment.

 Now, with shelter arranged and a much-needed meal eaten, they were all eager to sit around the warm glow of their portable heater/generator unit and examine the contents of the box that Jhiranae had retrieved from the Hall of Remembrance.

 “You said this thing spoke to you when you touched it?” Doctor Ostrada asked.

 “It did,” Jhiranae told her. “The hologram introduced himself as Jedi Master Selu Kraen. Does that name sound familiar?”

 Doctor Ostrada frowned, searching her memory.

 “I’ve never heard of him,” she replied after a moment, then sighed. “There have been countless Jedi Masters over the years. . . I know of at least seventy-six by name, but that is but a handful of stars in a galaxy.”

 “He was human,” Jhiranae said. “Fairly old.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “That doesn’t tell us much. You said the holocron no longer responds?” Doctor Ostrada asked. “I can’t seem to activate it either.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I’m afraid not,” Jhiranae admitted. “While it was talking, the hologram said that only those with Force-sensitivity could access it.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian stepped forward, arms crossed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Let’s stress that’s what the hologram said,” he pointed out. “There’s no guarantee it was truthful.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Can we guarantee you two weren’t hallucinating this hologram?” Kanjai asked. “There’s nothing on the scanner that indicates a holoprojector inside this artifact.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Corian scowled.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Hallucinations typically aren’t shared,” Jhiranae pointed out. “Also, we didn’t hallucinate the lightsabers. Or the Hall of Remembrance.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Doctor Ostrada sighed again and handed the holocron to Plaspek.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I have heard similar reports about holocrons, that they only activate for those who can touch the Force.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Her lip twisted in a wry smile.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Until now, I’ve never given the matter much thought as there was no way to tell nor any way to make use of Force-sensitivity even if someone had it.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It doesn’t work for me, either,” Plaspek put in, after turning the holocron over several times and tapping the exterior.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> The device was passed around to each of the team members in turn, but none of them were able to achieve any results with it.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Is there any clue as to why the holocron stopped working?” Doctor Ostrada asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> Jhiranae’s head dropped.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “The hologram told us that it was intended for students of the Force, and when we said that’s not what we were, it said we were not worthy of instruction.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Are you saying this thing has a will?” Kanjai asked.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I’m not sure. . .” Jhiranae started slowly. “It described itself as a living memory.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “An annoying one,” Corian added.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “What if this holocron was the key to understanding the Force?” Jhiranae asked. “Possibly even to reviving the Jedi?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Whoa there,” Corian told her. “My imagination isn’t nearly that wild.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Mine is,” Jhiranae said, picking up the holocron again. “If there was ever one force that could topple the Grasp, it was the Jedi Order.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “At the height of its existence,” Corian argued. “Even if this box contained the knowledge needed to train a Jedi, one Jedi isn’t going to affect the Grasp.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Not necessarily true,” Doctor Ostrada interjected. “While not many records from that era survive, it’s fairly well-known that a very small number of Jedi overthrew Palpatine’s Empire.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Sorry, Doc,” Corian replied. “I’m no expert, but I remember learning about fleets and battles at the academy. Not a handful of mystics with lightsabers.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “It was the Jedi who overthrew Palpatine himself,” Jhiranae said. “They didn’t single-handedly bring down the Empire, but they did play a role. I’ve seen the Skywalker Foundation’s records.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Jhiranae is correct. If nothing else, they were a symbol,” Doctor Ostrada added. “For people to rally around.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “A symbol of what?” Corian asked. “That people who can use lightsabers without maiming themselves exist?”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “A symbol of hope,” Jhiranae answered. “Being a Jedi isn’t about wielding power. It’s about standing for freedom and peace.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “And having the power to affect that change,” Corian countered. “Having power definitely seems important to that. Otherwise every halfway-decent person in the galaxy would be a Jedi. That’s not a lot of people, but it’s more than the number of Jedi currently.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “At last check, that number is zero,” Plaspek offered.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Exactly.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I wish I could explain it,” Jhiranae told them. “Maybe this holocron would do a better job, but it’s not working. If it holds the key to bringing back the Jedi, then there is reason for hope, and reason to keep trying.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “Jhiranae, this sounds absurd,” Kanjai replied. “Maybe we should check the holocron for hallucinogens.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “I think that’s enough for one night,” Doctor Ostrada said diplomatically. “It’s late, and we’re all tired. We can resume this in the morning.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> “All right, fine,” Plaspek grumbled. “But I at least want to see one of the lightsabers activated tomorrow. Assuming they’re working.”

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent: .5in"> There were no further arguments, so they all busied themselves in preparation for sleep, wrapping themselves in whatever blankets and garments they could. Clustered in a circle around the generator, they drifted off to sleep—all except Corian, who volunteered to take the first watch. It took Jhiranae a long time to fall asleep as she lay on her side, watching the dark silhouette of the soldier outlined against the glow of the generator, sitting silent vigil.