Force Exile III: Liberator/Part 3

5
The Observant shot from hyperspace like an arrow from a bow with a flicker of pseudomotion, the sleek scout vessel dropping back into realspace several billion kilometers from the Erediss system. The craft swung into a smooth elliptical orbit designed to take it by all four planets in the system. Thankfully for the Observant’s bored crew, the worlds all had orbits that took them fairly close to Erediss, the system’s sun, meaning that their survey would be swift. As the ship approached, its long-range scanners could already tell that the system was barren and deserted, with no major settlements or technology here.

Three of the planets were too close to Erediss for anything short of a superhardened shelter to last there. Though Erediss was not nearly as bright as even Coruscant’s sun, their proximity to the star was such that they were constantly baked in its heat and fried with heavy doses of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. As the Observant swung around Erediss for a gravitational assist to its propulsion systems, the ship kept the ray shields at full strength to ward off the radiation catapulted into space from the star. Even the most lackadaisical crewmember knew the dangers of a radiation leak on a vessel that only measured sixty-three meters from prow to stern. Quick scans of the three planets revealed nothing of interest there- they and their moons were completely uninhabitable. Two of the moons were nothing but burning balls of magma, their unstable geology shaped by the gravitational and radiation effects of Erediss. If nothing else, they made for excellent astrophotography for the crew as spectacular plumes of magma soared hundreds of meters into an airless sky. However, it was the outermost planet that had the only possibility of any life signs on it. That was the true purpose of the Observant’s journey into the Erediss system, and as it was their best chance of finding anything in the desolate system, the captain had saved it for last.

The fourth world, Eredenn Prime, was a cold and icy world during much of the year. Two short warm seasons each Eredenn year saw the ice give rise to fertile land, but the planet had never been colonized by settlers, abandoned as too cold. However, it had once been the site of a Republic base during the Clone Wars, and an important weapons development site. Not long into the war, Confederate General Sev’rance Tann had attacked the installation with her droid army. She had slaughtered all of the defenders- mostly clone troopers, but also the technicians and Jedi stationed on the frigid world- and seized the weapons vehicles that the Republic had stationed there. With her prizes, she had later gone on a brief reign of terror around the Republic until she had been defeated by Republic forces. With no strategic value remaining on Eredenn Prime, the Republic and the Empire that had succeeded it quietly forgot about the world- until now. The Observant had been given the mission to snoop around various systems in search of hideaways for fugitive Jedi Knights, a nefarious group of traitors to the Empire if there ever was one, and Eredenn Prime had been listed a possible, albeit unlikely, location for a Jedi refuge.

Stalking the rather cramped bridge of the Observant like a caged animal, Lieutenant Almos Terthbak listlessly looked over the shoulder of each of the other crewmembers as the Observant flew towards Eredenn Prime. Weeks of negative survey results and utter inactivity had worn on him. Terthbak was new to scouting, and therefore unaware of the typical monotony on many of the missions. The rest of the crew, who all had specialized duties onboard the vessel, were completely engrossed in their tasks, if for no other reason than to have something to do. Terthbak, the commander of the vessel, had found himself frequently without any specific task, and it was maddening. The other crewmembers were experienced and adept at their tasks, requiring little supervision or instruction. The first several systems they had visited, Terthbak had shouted orders at them, only to find out that they had already been carried out. Humiliated, he had since refrained from doing much and almost openly longed for either this trip to be over, or for them to find something, anything of interest. Until there were important command decisions to be made, Almos Terthbak was about as useful on the Observant as a potted plant, and considerable less aesthetically pleasing.
 * “Approaching fourth planet,” reported Warrant Officer Terena Jasnan, the ship’s pilot and the only female on the crew.
 * “Commencing scan,” came Sandy Neach’s voice, the sensor officer and also a warrant officer.

As the Observant rocketed towards Eredenn Prime on a trail of ion exhaust, the various scanners, detectors, electrotelescopes, and other sensors oriented themselves towards the volume of space enclosing the world. For all her small size, the Observant was a top of the line scouting vessel and had been specially outfitted for this mission.
 * “Whenever the scans are complete, take us out of the system, Warrant Officer Jasnan. You know what to do,” said Terthbak, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.
 * “Aye sir,” Jasnan replied.
 * “Wait, I’ve got something,” reported Neach.
 * “This better not be a joke, Warrant Officer Neach,” snapped Terthbak, putting an edge on his voice. “It was not humorous the first time, and it is even less so now.”

On the third system they had visited, the Observant had been flying by a sizable gas giant when Neach had called out that there was a massive Jedi settlement on the scopes, located right at the surface. Terthbak, caught up in momentary excitement, had practically jumped all over the sensor station trying to gather more information on the settlement, when he had realized that it was truly impossible for a gas giant to have a surface settlement. While the rest of the crew had thought Neach’s prank was hilarious, Terthbak had not shared the sentiment. As punishment, Neach had had to clean the entire bridge, top-to-bottom, but he had accepted his fate calmly. More likely than not, the rest of the crew had helped him clean it when their commander wasn’t looking. Terthbak suspected that the rest of the crew would never let him forget that moment, and it wore on him that they saw him as a buffoon. The image clearly did not fit with the one in Terthbak’s own mind, the one of him as a bright young officer in the Imperial Navy, on rapid track to advancement.
 * “No, sir. No joke. There’s a blip on scanners. It’s not on the surface though.”
 * “Let me see,” said Terthbak, walking over to stare intently at the sensor screens.
 * “I checked the surface thoroughly, but the only things there were abandoned Confederate bases- nothing there at all- and the wreckage of the old Republic facility. Then I found this in orbit with the magnetic scanner,” said Neach, pointing to a small but distinct blip on the old but serviceable display.
 * “I see,” said Terthbak, engrossed, his gray eyes poring over the screen as if to find more information. “Take us in closer, Warrant Officer. I want to check this out.”
 * “Aye sir,” Jasnan acknowledged as she altered the ship’s course.

The Observant swung towards Eredenn Prime, and the icy, light grayish world filled the forward viewport. Soon, the crew could see the jagged lines of crevices caused by shifting glaciers and the wrinkles of mountain ranges. All stations on the scout craft were at full alert.
 * “Here we go,” said Neach, adjusting the resolution on a visual electrotelescope.
 * “It’s a ship,” Terthbak said. “Can’t be much larger than a starfighter. Do you detect any life signs, Warrant Officer?”
 * “No, sir. Whatever it is, it appears to be abandoned.”
 * “Very well, bring us in, Warrant Officer Jasnan. But carefully, please. I have no desire to fall victim to some four year old Confederate booby trap.”
 * “Understood, Lieutenant,” said Jasnan as she eased the ship closer.

As they approached the unknown contact, Jasnan was the first to spot the tiny dot floating in orbit around Eredenn Prime. Terthbak had, for once, been correct. The vessel was indeed a starfighter.
 * “What is it?” asked Neach to no one in particular.
 * “That, Warrant Officer, is a Delta-7 starfighter. It appears to also be fitted with a hyperdrive ring. These fighters were used by the Republic during the Clone Wars, typically by Jedi,” put in Terthbak, leaning over Neach’s shoulder.

Neach nearly jumped in surprise, and not just because Terthbak’s mouth was rather close to his ear. The lieutenant was not known for his propensity to make intelligent or accurate statements. Two in a row was unheard of.
 * “Aye, sir. It appears to be derelict. No indications of traps or mines around the ship, sir.”
 * “Bring us alongside the vessel,” Terthbak said. “Warrant Officer Neach, if you’ll accompany me to the airlock.”
 * “Yes, sir. What are we doing?”
 * “I’m going extravehicular, Warrant Officer, and I need you to cycle the airlock. I want a closer look at the ship.”

Neach toggled his ship’s comlink.
 * “Ensign Gillam, report to the starboard airlock and prepare for extravehicular maneuvering.”

Gillam, the reclusive engineer, was one of only two bridge crewmembers not usually stationed on the bridge. The other, the gunner Marsden Royner, occupied a weapons turret only a single hatch away from the bridge, but Gillam practically resided in the engine room in the stern of the ship. Whenever he did speak, the engineer’s speech was so infused with technical jargon and slang that few could understand him. However, he was competent, dutiful, and knowledgeable, so Terthbak had afforded him a small amount of leeway in the area of his perpetually wrinkled uniform and somewhat unkempt appearance.

Moments later, Gillam and Terthbak were floating through space towards the Delta-7, clad in two of the ship’s vacsuits. Soon, they discovered that Terthbak’s analysis had been correct- the ship still bore Republic markings. As they approached the ship, Terthbak suddenly gasped in horror and drew back. Inside the cockpit, staring lifelessly, at him was a corpse in advanced stages of decomposition. Terthbak heard a retching sound through the helmet comlink and knew that Gillam had just emptied the contents of his stomach, and he struggled not to do the same. The skull of the body, peeking through tattered remnants of rotting flesh, was staring at him and it seemed the exposed teeth grinned at him in a highly unsettling manner. The body was dressed in threadbare and tattered robes, and Terthbak could see that the atmospheric seals on the fighter were still intact, although the inertial compensator had failed long ago.
 * “Gillam, help me get the fighter back to the ship,” Terthbak said, mustering up the strength to speak despite the hideousness in front of them.

The two managed to haul the fighter back towards the Observant and Terthbak signaled Jasnan to bring the scout ship closer to them. Goosing the thrusters at a fraction of their power, the warrant officer deftly maneuvered the larger vessel closer to where the two humans were dragging the starfighter forward. Despite the zero gravity, the fighter still had mass, and they had to be careful not to push it too far, for fear of sending the small craft careening away. Finally, they were close enough. After two tries, Terthbak managed to grab a tether deployed from the Observant and attach it to the Delta-7. After securely lashing another pair of tethers to the fighter to hold it in place, he and Gillam returned to the airlock.
 * “Let us in,” Terthbak said. “I need to contact High Command immediately.”

Neach promptly cycled the airlock, and the two crewmembers returned to the ship.
 * “You okay, Lieutenant?” Neach asked upon seeing Terthbak’s ashen face.
 * “I’m fine, Warrant Officer,” Terthbak replied, not really meaning it. “Activate the communications node. I need to send a message to High Command.”
 * “Aye, sir” Neach said, and bustled off to carry out the order.

Terthbak swallowed hard as he walked back to the bridge, trying to blot out the gruesome image of the rotting corpse, trapped inside that cockpit for all eternity. Finally, he was able to walk forward and seat himself at the communications console, preparing himself for a conversation with his superiors. He discussed the situation for the better part of a standard hour, and the rest of the crew watched him discreetly.
 * “Wonder what he’s found?” said Neach.
 * “No lie, that body was the red light for me. It’s beyond the threshold,” said Gillam, whose face was still green.

The engineer had barely said anything since coming back in, and as usual the others had not bothered to question him, but all of them had noticed the distinct smell of his vacsuit helmet, which Gillam was now trying to clean.
 * “He means that was the limit for him to see that body. It was unlike anything else,” Royner translated.
 * “Thanks,” said Jasnan. “Not all of us speak techie.”
 * “Whatever it is, Terthbak and the people he’s talking to seem to think it’s important,” Neach noted.
 * “I’ll give him credit for this,” said Royner. “At least Terthbak didn’t spray rations everywhere. Maybe because the rations didn’t want to experience the joys of revisiting his mouth again.”

The others had a fairly good laugh at that, except for Jasnan.
 * “You know, I didn’t see you volunteering to go out there and handle the dead body,” she said.
 * “Hey Jas, it’s just a bit of fun,” said Royner. “Lower the grav some. Relax.”
 * “Well, it’s not that funny,” she said. “I bet you couldn’t do any better than Gillam over there.”
 * “Hey-,” said Royner, but Neach cut him off.
 * “She’s right. Terthbak may not be the shiniest ship in the fleet, but none of us are anything to write home about either.”

A moody silence fell over the crew as they waited for Terthbak to finish his conversation. Finally, he saluted, shut off the communications console, and walked back to them.
 * “Ah good, you’re all gathered,” he said with forced cheeriness. “I’ve just spoken with High Command. They want us to bring the body into the cargo bay and store it in one of the sample containers. When we return to Sluis Van in eight months if all goes well, we’ll offload the remains and turn them over to a fleet forensic anthropologist.”
 * “What about the starfighter, sir?” Neach asked.
 * “Unfortunately, we’ll have to drag it along with us. I’m sure we can find a way to secure it to the ship without expanding our sensor profile in. However, the first order of business is to secure the body.”

The crew stared at Terthbak as he explained the orders to them. Each of them dreaded being ordered to handle the body, and hoped that their silence would preclude them from such an order.
 * “For a matter of this magnitude, I will handle this personally. I expect the second cargo bay to be cleared and one of the sterile sample compartments prepared for when I bring the body into the port cargo hatch. Also, I want the chamber depressurized until I have secured the body. Fleet Command doesn’t want the body to come in contact with oxygen again, so we’ll need the cargo bay evacuated.”
 * “How are you going to get the body in here without having to worry about the decompression effects, uh, sir?” asked Royner.
 * “I have assurances that there is no pressure inside that body, Crewman,” said Terthbak. “The body will not decompress because there’s nothing inside that will expand. The expert I talked to said that the body is sufficiently decomposed that brief exposure to space will only flash-freeze the remains, which will work for our purposes well enough.”

With that, Terthbak started strapping his vacsuit back on. In another minute, he was back outside handling the starfighter. The rest of the crew watched him through the external holocams with morbid fascination, except for Jasnan, who went to the cargo bay to don her own vacsuit and prepare the cargo bay.
 * “Eww,” said Royner as Terthbak popped the canopy and the corpse floated out. “I’m glad I don’t have to handle that.”
 * “I think I’ve had enough,” said Neach, turning away from the holocam as Terthbak pulled the corpse along in a fireman’s carry, his suit thrusters propelling him and his frozen cargo back towards the ship.
 * “Oh, don’t be such a wet nerf,” said Royner. “It’s just a corpsicle.”

Neach turned back to shake his head hopelessly at the gunner and walked back to his quarters. Terthbak, clutching the frozen remains, was extremely glad that he couldn’t smell anything through the suit. The wispy, desiccated strands of hair from the body were blown into his helmet visor as the airlock for the port cargo hatch opened. He stepped back into the Observant and waited as the airlock cycled closed again. Walking into the cargo bay, he dragged the corpse towards the specially prepared chamber, grunting with exertion as the door closed behind him. The body, so weightless in null gee, was still surprisingly heavy once it experienced the ship’s artificial gravity. To his surprise, Jasnan was in there waiting for him in a vacsuit of her own.
 * “Can I help you, sir?” she asked.
 * “Uh, certainly, Warrant Officer,” he replied.

Carefully, they lifted the body and placed it into the cargo compartment, where it settled with an audible thud.
 * “I wonder who he was,” Jasnan said.
 * “That will be a matter for—how did you know it was a he?” Terthbak asked, surprise evident in his tone.
 * “The upper body is broader, and the jaw is too square for a female,” Jasnan replied, forgetting to use the sir honorific. “This was a human male, fully grown judging by the skeleton, probably dead for about two to three years. He was muscular.”
 * “That’s fascinating, Warrant Officer,” said Terthbak, ignoring her lapse in protocol. :“How do you know all this?”
 * “Before I entered the navy, I wanted to be a doctor, but I couldn’t pay for the schooling, sir.”
 * “I see,” Terthbak noted. “I’ll be sure to pass along your observations to the anthropologist. Any other statements that you’d like to make before I seal the container?”
 * “He wasn’t a clone, sir” she said. “The hair is too long and—what’s this?”

Reaching down, Jasnan pulled something from a fragmented belt. It was cylindrical and metal, about fifty centimeters long, studded with a single activation button.
 * “Careful, Warrant Officer,” said Terthbak. “That looks like it might be a Jedi lightsaber.”
 * “That makes sense,” said Jasnan, hefting the weapon. “It fits with the robes and the starfighter too, doesn’t it? Didn’t Jedi fly this sort of craft, sir?”
 * “They might have,” said Terthbak evasively. “I don’t think we should continue along this line of conversation. I think you should put that weapon down and we should seal this container.”
 * “Yes, sir,” said Jasnan.

Placing the lightsaber back in the chamber, she took one last look at the corpse before Terthbak closed the container and resealed it. Inside the controlled atmosphere and temperature of the sample compartment, the corpse would be preserved for further study.
 * “How about the ship? Did you find anything interesting about it, sir?” she asked.
 * “I did,” Terthbak admitted. “I tried to access the computer and the records on the astromech, but they were both wiped. Judging by the scorch marks on some of the electronics, the starfighter was disabled by ion cannon, probably during the Battle of Eredenn Prime.”
 * “Why didn’t the pilot restart his craft then, sir?” Jasnan asked.
 * “I’m not sure,” said Terthbak. “Perhaps he was unable to, or he was unconscious. In any case, there are no electronic records on the vessel.”
 * “That makes sense,” said Jasnan. “From what I could tell, there was no major trauma to the body, even with all the soft tissue degradation. He probably died of carbon dioxide poisoning, sir.”
 * “Quite possible,” Terthbak said. “Thank you for your assistance, Warrant Officer.”
 * “You’re welcome,” said Jasnan, as she walked back to the control panel to repressurize the cargo bay. “It was my pleasure.”

As she walked past, Terthbak stared after her, examining her words for any hidden meanings or insults. He was surprised to find none, and that led to him again ignoring her failure to add “sir” to the end of her last statement. They were the first truly pleasant words he had heard from a member of the Observant’s crew, and while he tried to hide the small smile that creased his face, he wasn’t quite successful. Inwardly, his heart had just done a little flutter, and there was a new vigor in his step for quite some time afterward.
 * Somewhere in Wild Space

Selu Kraen sat quietly in a dimly lit side room within the tower they had walked into. There was little else in the room aside from a glowing crystal and a stone bench, but the room was warm and well-heated. Much like the rest of the tower, how the heating was contrived was a mystery to him, but it meant that he had no longer needed to wear the bulky enviro-suit.

The little droid T3-M4 had shown them to a carefully prepared suite of rooms, including a sleeping area with five beds, an old but still serviceable refresher station, a kitchen, a storage room, and a large common area with chairs and a table. The rooms had been sparsely decorated with a few mostly abstract sculptures, and dimly lit, but other than, had been serviceable. Sarth, Spectre, and the others were still exploring the suite’s furnishings, though Selu had heard that Milya and Cassi were rather more interested in cleaning themselves up some from the grime and sweat of the grueling climb down here. However, Selu wanted to get some answers before he became too comfortable here. Closing eyes, he opened himself to the Force, focusing on a certain individual and waiting for other presences to manifest themselves. Soon enough, the spirit of Revan shimmered into existence.
 * “Greetings again, Selusda,” Revan said. “I sensed you wanted to talk to me?”
 * “Correct, Master Revan,” Selu said. “I wanted to get some answers.”
 * “That is not surprising,” Revan said. “The young are always asking questions.”
 * “Be that as it may,” Selu said. “I need to know some things.”
 * “Ask as you will,” Revan replied.
 * “What is this place?”
 * “This tower was constructed for me many millennia ago. You may recall that after the destruction of the Star Forge, I came out to this region to do battle against the True Sith- Bastila later told me that such an account was recorded in the Jedi Archives. With the help of Srynassa, who came later, I defeated them, Selusda, though at great cost to myself. In gratitude, a local species constructed this tower for me, as a private refuge after this world was broken, attacked by one of my many foes, but I never used it until the end of my life.”

Selu had an image flash before his eyes, and he knew it was from the Force. He saw a younger Revan, lightsaber blazing, doing battle against the powers of darkness, protecting those who could not defend themselves. Years passed by, but to Selu it happened in a flash, his mind somehow comprehending the multitude of events in a split second. Srynassa was there, often fighting at Revan’s side. Like thunder and lightning, those two champions faced off against overwhelming odds and overcame them. He saw battles and pain, destruction and desperation, but in the midst of that, hope. He saw two armies gathered on an ancient plain, with Revan addressing his troops grimly from the top of a hill marked by three pillars as a larger force bore down on them. It was dark and stormy, and soldiers fell by the hundred on both sides. And then, there was sacrifice and loss, and then a huge ball of light grew from the center of the conflict, until it consumed the whole vision. Then there was gratitude, and veneration, but also sacrifice and loss.
 * “You saved them, didn’t you? Those other people who fought in your army in that battle on the plain? ”
 * “My army-how did you know that?”
 * “The Force told me.”
 * “You indeed saw into my past then. That battle was the Battle of Narokgar, fought on this world, which once was not as barren as it is now. We are standing on the very site.”
 * “What happened? I saw a great light.”
 * “That was the end of the battle,” Revan said. “But not the end of the war.”
 * “Why not?”
 * “A Jedi’s work is never done. I had many labors to fulfill, for the evil harbored here was great, and afterwards many other matters appeared that I had to attend to.”
 * “And you never returned to the Republic?”
 * “They wouldn’t have trusted me, and my battles out here told on me; I had no desire to return. My destiny was to work beyond their borders, dealing with threats that they were unaware of. I saw many horrible things, Selusda, and I trod strange paths to defeat them.”
 * “Wait. So you fell back into darkness?” Selu said, suddenly wary.
 * “No, Selusda,” Revan said, his voice tired. “I would not repeat the mistake I made in the Mandalorian Wars for the whole galaxy. Sense my presence- do I feel like a creature of the dark side?”
 * “No. Though the darkness can be subtle and hidden. But tell me, so how does this tower work? It’s been over three thousand years, and it still has power, heat, and running water.”
 * “The Force, Selusda, is not bound by time. The people who built this place taught me many disciplines that might be considered unnatural by Jedi. These devices you speak of are preserved, powered, and maintained by the Force. For many years, I had kept them silent and dormant, until now. Until your ship touched down, and they were needed again.”
 * “About that,” said Selu. “You mentioned that you had been waiting for us to arrive. What do you mean?”
 * “Your arrival was prophesied centuries ago, Selusda.”
 * “What?”
 * “I first heard of it when I was well advanced in years and no longer as active as I once was. This is the prophecy: ‘Five from the sky, five from five places. Five there will be: A leader, warrior, healer, thinker, seer. Reluctant to hear the truth, they will learn from twelve old to fill new spaces. They must take up the light, and save those of the Force from the long night of fear.’ It doesn’t really rhyme, but the person I heard it from had only a rudimentary grasp of what we call Basic.”
 * “Yes, but aside from that there’s five of us, how do you know that we’re the ones referred to in the prophecy, assuming it’s not a fake.”
 * “I know it’s not a fake,” Revan said.
 * “And how is that?”
 * “Because we all heard it,” said the apparition of the Jedi exile Srynassa Valaris as she appeared and moved to stand beside Revan. “Every one of us heard the prophecy as we passed into the netherworld of the Force.”
 * “What?” Selu said.
 * “When each of us died, our presences endured, Selu. We were not allowed to fully leave this universe. No, every spirit of a Jedi who had journeyed on the Ebon Hawk was bound to it, and, by extension, this place. And why? As the spirits of my friends and of Srynassa’s companions accumulated on the Hawk one by one, all speaking of the same prophecy, I had to find out. Only when I was very old did I find out the truth: We are here to prepare the five for their destiny,” said Revan.
 * “What does that mean?” Selu asked.
 * “You will find out, in due time,” said Srynassa.
 * “I understand, Masters,” said Selu. “You wouldn’t be forthcoming as to when exactly this would be, would you?”
 * “When you are ready to hear it,” said Srynassa.
 * “For now, rest and eat. Then gather your companions,” said Revan. “Bring them to the Room of the Crystal Heart in an hour from now, and we will discuss these matters further.”

The Force ghosts of the two Jedi Masters faded, leaving Selu with little other option but to gather the others. He tried not to process what all they had said; there was so much to think about, even putting aside his vision. Most of the glimpses that the Force passed on to him of the past or future were fleeting and not typically retained by his excellent memory, but this one was seared into his mind forever. He could almost picture himself on that plain, a dedicated foe of darkness, inspired by the sight of two paladins of the light standing at their forefront against the legions of darkness.

Selu walked back into the common room to find Spectre checking his weapon while Sarth took some readings on the chamber wall with his datapad. Selu noted that Spectre had yet to remove his armor other than his helmet; he suspected that the ARC was still on his guard against any possible danger in this new environment.
 * “Where are the women?” Selu asked.
 * “They were in the refresher,” Sarth said.

Then the door to the refresher opened and Milya and Cassi emerged, their hair damp. They were free of the grime that coated the other members of the party. Most astonishing though, were their clothes. Neither were wearing the utilitarian coveralls that they had worn under their enviro-suits. Instead, both women were wearing old-fashioned robes that were certainly out of style, but apparently fit them well. Milya was wearing a silvery gray robe with just a hint of shimmer in the threadwork, while Cassi’s attire was light blue, the color of Commenor’s sky, and set off her blue eyes. Both garments were detailed, with intricate tracery and threading evident woven throughout the fabric.
 * “It’s the strangest thing,” said Cassi. “But there were clothes in our size in a shelf carved into the rock wall. Whoever built this place did everything in fives; there are five sinks and five tubs in there, all carved out of rock. I checked the other tubs, and there were sets of clothes in a shelf by each tub.”
 * “It’s not exactly just an old-fashioned refresher,” said Milya. “Especially the tub.”
 * “What about the tub?” asked Selu.
 * “Well, I didn’t expect there to be much in the way of hot water anyway, but there was, and it was as if the temperature of the water was governed by how comfortable you thought it was,” Milya said. “That doesn’t make much sense, I know.”
 * “She’s right,” Cassi said. “I’ve never had such a refreshing bath before, but there weren’t any controls to the tub. The amount of water, whether it came from outlets in the sides or from overhead, the temperature, none of it had any controls.”
 * “So how did you know to get into the tub?” Sarth asked.
 * “The water just started running when we walked over to them,” said Milya.
 * “That doesn’t make sense,” Spectre noted. “And how did you know which tub to pick- you two don’t wear the same size clothing.”
 * “I can’t explain it,” Cassi said. “I just knew which one was right for me.”
 * “Everything else in there works the same way,” said Milya.
 * “That lines up with what I heard,” said Selu.
 * “What was that?” Milya inquired.
 * “Well, it’s a long story, but apparently a lot of this place is powered by the Force. You won’t understand it, and I don’t explain it as well as who I heard it from, but we’re supposed to meet in the Room of the Crystal Heart in a little under an hour.”
 * “So what do we do until then?” Sarth asked.
 * “I’m going to check out this refresher,” said Selu. “I suggest that you two-,” here he indicated Sarth and Spectre-“do likewise. Then, Revan mentioned something about food, though I don’t know how that will work either.”

Nodding to the others, Selu walked into the refresher, followed by Sarth and Spectre. The air was still steamy and moist from the hot water that the women had been bathing in. As he looked around, Selu noted that the women were right; every fixture in the refresher, from the sinks to the tubs to the toilets to the sanitizer units was built in fives and carved out of the rock, save for a few fabric items such as the privacy screens and the three bundles of clothes and towels remaining in the alcoves. He stretched out with the Force, and didn’t sense any sentient power guiding the tubs or sinks, or any particular vigilance.
 * “Do you see any cameras or observation devices?” he asked Sarth, who had brought his datapad.

“:None,” said Sarth. “Aside from the glowing crystals lighting this place, there is not a single powered system in this room. And I suspect the crystals are naturally luminescent.”
 * “Interesting,” said Selu. “Well, I for one, want to see how this mystery bath works out.”

The others concurred, and they quickly stripped out of their clothes, placing them in the sanitizer units. Then, they each headed for a different tub, with each man knowing instinctively which tub belonged to them. Selu, more attuned to subtle Force influences, felt a subtle tug on his subconscious that drew his feet towards one particular tub, and traced it back to its source. To his surprise, he found that the very stone of the tub was generating the tug. Stepping into the tub, several jets of water started pouring down around him from the otherwise smooth side of the tub. He could see Sarth enjoying a similar experience, but Spectre’s tub had water raining from holes in the wall placed over the tub and angled to create a shower. Selu felt the water temperature in his tub, and it was indeed just the way he would describe an ideal bath.
 * “What do I do for soap or astringent?” he thought.

Suddenly, the water changed composition, and Selu could see small bubbles on the surface. Without knowing how, he knew it was soap. It smelled just like the almost scentless soap used at the Jedi Temple, with just that barest hint of fragrance that brought new leather and scented wood to mind. Relaxing, he let the soothing water flow over his body as its warmth worked into his tired muscles. The trek down here had been harder on him than he had thought it was, but now he had a chance to release all the tension that had accumulated in his body for some time.

Sarth experienced a similar change as the water changed color and the bubbles formed. But for him, the smell was that of the flower-scented variety that his mother had always used to keep their home stocked with. As he finished up washing his skin and hair with the liquid, he saw the water slowly revert back to its clear, scentless state. Interesting, he thought. If I was building a system like this, how would I do it? He spent much of the rest of his bath theorizing.

Spectre went through the cleaning and scrubbing routine rather quickly, as the military had never encouraged the wastefulness of a long shower. However, he noted that the liquid he used to wash himself smelled like the Grand Army of the Republic issue soap, that sharp stinging fragrance he was had been familiar with from his abbreviated childhood and lengthy military career. The water from the shower nozzles hit him hard, the pressure and heat enough to turn his skin bright red, just the way he liked it. Taking a blistering hot shower had been one of his favorite ways to finish off a hard day on patrol, he recalled.

They all finished somewhat faster than Milya or Cassi had, and reached into their respective alcoves to find matching towels and clothes, each of a different cut and color. Drying off quickly, they each donned the clothing that had been laid out for them. Selu’s clothes were a deep green and brown, styled after older versions of Jedi robes, except with a smoother texture and more comfortable than he had recalled the homespun Jedi robes being. Spectre had garments of a dark golden color that mixed in hints of browns and tans, cut along lines of a military tunic. Sarth, on the other hand, wore black pants and a purple shirt, not garishly loud, but darkened and subdued into something much more serious, with a black vest set with threads of the same purple hue in it.
 * “That’s funny,” said Sarth. “My uniform back in primary school had a jacket this color.”
 * “My lightsaber has a green blade,” said Selu.
 * “I was in Gold Group during several training exercises on Kamino,” said Spectre.
 * “Just like the tubs,” Selu said. “Whoever is doing is either an accomplished illusionist who knows what they’re doing and a lot about our pasts, or we were destined to be here and we were expected.”
 * “Which do you think it is, Selu?” asked Sarth.
 * “I don’t know,” Selu said. “But I intend to find out.”

By the time they rejoined the others in the kitchen by the food preparation unit, Selu found that Milya and Cassi had already explored the unit and were setting the table-unsurprisingly set with five chairs and five place settings-with a fairly decent meal.
 * “We found fruit, flatbread, and some kind of sweetener syrup in one of the food prep units,” Cassi said. “I hope that’s enough.”
 * “It’ll be fine,” Selu said. “Better than rations from four thousand years ago.”
 * “Is that how old this place is?” Cassi asked.
 * “Quite possibly,” Selu said. “Give or take a few dozen years.”

They all tore into the food eagerly, finding that the golden fruit was firm but not hard, and held a significant amount of juice in its interior. The bread was still warm and chewy, though with crispy edges, and most of them found that drizzling sweetener on it made it taste even better.
 * “This is good,” said Sarth.
 * “If it’s not a trick,” put in Spectre.
 * “What do you mean?” Cassi asked.
 * “This whole tower is just a little too convenient. I don’t trust it,” said Spectre.
 * “I think it’s great,” Cassi replied. “The location could be better, but whoever designed this place did a great job.”
 * “That’s because you don’t consider that this whole thing is a trap for us, and we’ve been lulled into a false sense of security. For all we know, these clothes contain hypnotic drugs, as does the food,” Spectre replied evenly.
 * “It’s not a trap,” Cassi said hotly.
 * “How do you know that? Been talking to transparent people?” Spectre answered coldly.
 * “He has a point,” Sarth said. “None of us knows anything about this place.”
 * “It just . . . it feels right,” said Cassi. “Despite how alien it is, it feels like a second home.”
 * “Well, that’s helpful,” said Milya. “It feels right.”
 * “Enough,” put in Selu calmly. “I did talk to Revan and Srynassa again, and they asked us to meet them in the Room of the Crystal Heart soon. What do you think?”
 * “What are your orders, Captain?” asked Spectre.
 * “It’s not about what I order, old friend. When I was talking to Revan and Srynassa-I . . . I saw things. Visions of the past. It’s up to each of you whether you decide to come or stay here. The only thing I know is that Revan promised to provide some more answers.”
 * “I’m in,” Cassi said. “I want to hear what they have to say.”
 * “In that case, I will come also,” said Sarth.

Milya and Spectre looked uncomfortable, but neither said anything.
 * “What are you doing, Selu?” asked Spectre.
 * “Does it really matter?” Selu replied.
 * “No,” said Milya. “I already know what you’re going to do.”
 * “I think I do too,” said Spectre. “And that means I’m going. Someone has to watch your back, Jedi brat.”
 * “And someone has to watch yours, tin man,” replied Selu jokingly.

It was an old joke between them dating back to the first time they met, back on Boz Pity during the Clone Wars.
 * “I’m not sure about this,” said Milya. “However, I want to come. If nothing else, then to have some things explained.”
 * “Well, that settles it,” said Selu. “Let’s go.”

Right on time, T3-M4 arrived at their doorstep, whistling and beeping. The five companions followed the droid down a series of winding passageways deeper into the tower. Aside from the dull stamp of their boots on the stone floors and the subtle rolling sound of T3-M4’s wheels on the stone floor, they made no sound as they walked. The only illumination in the passages were the same glowing crystals that had been the only source of light for the entire tower, save that these were dimmer than the ones in their suite had been. Sarth silently theorized that they had adjustable settings, but he could not find an obvious control that would do so and visualizing them as being brighter had no effect.

When they walked into the Room of the Crystal Heart, each person knew that was what it was even before the droid stopped moving. The room was circular, and about twenty meters in diameter. There were five stone chairs in a semicircle in the center of the room, but floating in the middle of the room above a circular wall of rocks about half a meter high was a sizable crystal heart. It was not composed of one crystal; they could all see the boundary lines between the different crystals, but it was certainly heart shaped and it glowed with its own internal blue light, a brighter version of the glowing stones of the other passages. It was the only source of light in the room, but its radiance was enough for them to easily read and see each other by, yet without making the heart unbearable to look upon.
 * “I guess we should take a seat,” Selu said, so they did.

Sitting around in the chairs, the five wondered what secrets they would hear divulged in this room, and a knot of apprehension worked through each one of them, even Cassi. Their earlier encounter with the Jedi spirits had been startling enough, and the prospect of another meeting was unsettling. It wasn’t every day that people communicated with the spirits of dead people; indeed, most of them, except possibly Milya and Selu, did not believe in such things. However, there was nothing for it now; they were already here.

6
Selusda, Sarth, Cassi, Spectre, and Milya sat around in the circle in silence for several minutes before they appeared. One by the one, the hazy bluish apparitions materialized out of the wall and walked over to stand at the other end of the semicircle of stone chairs the Hawk-bat crew was sitting in. All eleven of them were there, but Revan was, as before, the speaker. He bade them hold their questions and then spoke of what he had discussed with Selu earlier, of the origin of the tower, and of his labors in this region in an earlier age. He spoke of the prophecy, and recited it for them. When he had finished his recitation, he stepped back.
 * “Now, ask your questions, and we will answer,” he said.
 * “First,” Spectre said, his eyes glittering. “How does this tower work? How do the sinks know the water temperature we each like and the shelves become stocked with clothes that fit each of us perfectly?”
 * “Such suspicion is natural from one ripped from a band of brothers,” Revan replied. “This is no trick or scam, Spectre, operating number Alpha-28. This tower is alive with the power of the Force, as Selusda may have told you. Its very rocks are imbued with its power and the creators made them for a specific purpose. Some of them, such as the fixtures you speak of, were made to provide their users with a maximum of comfort and refreshment. As for the food and clothes, those are perhaps more conventional. T3-M4, under our instructions, made the garments and has tended the hydroponics gardens that brought you food. The seeds and fabrics were preserved by the Force that permeates this place. Nothing has died here since the creation of this tower, and if we have any say in it, nothing ever will. My companions and I have each seen you before, in our visions, at many points in your life, and we knew when you would arrive. The Force brought each of you here.”
 * “You say you’ve seen us before,” replied Spectre skeptically. “Convince me.”
 * “Why do you doubt, Spectre?” Juhani, the Cathar, asked. “You are a warrior. Do you not sense that Revan is telling you truthfully?”
 * “We will show you a sign,” said Srynassa. “But it would be better if you simply believed us.”
 * “Right. Sure,” said Spectre sardonically, not letting Juhani see how her words had struck a chord in him.

Deep inside, Spectre felt that the Jedi were trustworthy, but his ingrained suspicion of anything supernatural would not let him believe what they were saying and accept it at face value. All of the Jedi spirits closed their eyes and each human felt as if some of the Jedi spirits were speaking to them directly. Selu saw Revan, Bastila, and Srynassa standing before him, their shimmering glows blocking everything else out.
 * “You’ll be all right, Master Jedi. Help is on the way,” Bastila said, but it was not her voice, nor her face that Selu saw.

He was transported to another time, another place. It was Coruscant, three years earlier, in the midst of a battle. He remembered being injured in combat, and being rescued by a woman, pretty and young, but very pregnant. Her name, he recalled, had been Amidala, and she had been an Imperial senator. She had saved him, and he’d never even gotten a chance to thank her despite his best efforts.
 * “You fought valiantly to defend Coruscant, well befitting the actions of a true Jedi Knight,” said Revan, but Selu knew that the words had been spoken by Plo Koon after the Battle of Coruscant.
 * “Don’t be sorry. Selu, I don’t have much longer, but I’ve wanted to tell you something for a good while now,” Srynassa said to Selu.

Selu felt his chest swell up with emotion as he recalled the original speaker of those words. Serra Keto, his first and so far only love, had said those words to him as she lay dying on the floor of the Jedi Temple, on one of two horrible days that Selu would never be able to blot out of his mind, not even if he lived to be a thousand years old.
 * “We have faith in you,” Bastila said, but again Selu saw someone else; the face and voice of Milya appeared in his mind’s eye, and Selu couldn’t help but acknowledge that he felt a stirring in his heart as the words were spoken again.
 * “I know,” he said.

Sarth saw Bao-Dur and Mira standing before him and heard them speak to him, and somehow he knew that what they said was only between the three of them.
 * “We all have to start somewhere. Don’t put yourself down just because your cousin is better at something than you are. And don’t be nervous,” Mira said, but Sarth knew well that it had been his love, Cassi, who had said that to him.

For a moment, he was back on Bespin, dancing for the first time, enraptured by her sweet presence.
 * “Don’t leave me now, brother. We’re just getting started,” Bao-Dur said.

Sarth was reminded of how he had encouraged Selu to find something to live for after the horror of Emberlene, and now the same words were being returned to him.
 * “Let’s go then,” he said, his voice thick with emotion and the contraction foreign to him as it slipped off his tongue.

Milya saw Brianna and Visas Marr, and then she was no longer in the Room of the Crystal Heart. She was back on Thrysus, back in the home of her adopted parents years ago. There was a little auburn haired girl of about eleven, her clothes torn and tattered and her hair askance crying in the corner of a room. Milya remembered it well; it had been her.
 * “It hurts, Milya,” said Visas Marr soothingly, but Milya saw it differently; the first time it had been her adopted mother Fini. “I know it does, sunblossom. There’s so much pain, but sometimes, that’s the only way we know we’re alive. And as long as we’re still alive, we’re still in the fight.”

The woman bent down and wiped the little girl’s tears away, smoothing back the tangled snarl of hair away from her bedraggled face.
 * “Uyad ganoriél yaledhi nostori tasparde minrienna. Alarii testraen pwallan sithrye il ablada tesil sithryste tuviabada,” said Brianna in the Echani tongue.

Milya knew the language well, as it had been the language of her youth. The words Brianna had spoken, “The desires hidden within your heart will come true. Find joy in this place, and in all your life,” had been the last words Fini had left her in her will after she had died.
 * “I will,” she breathed.

Cassi saw Mical and Jolee Bindo.
 * “You already believe, don’t you?” said Jolee. “You don’t require any proof.”
 * “No,” Cassi whispered softly. “This place-I can’t explain it, but it just feels right. I know I’m supposed to be here, and I don’t know why.”

Mical smiled at her.
 * “You believe without seeing. That comes with great reward. The others have seen their pasts, but you, you will see one branch that your future might lead to,” he said.

Cassi blinked, and suddenly a window had appeared that gave her a glimpse into another world. She saw herself, standing at a large, elegant balcony overlooking a forest. Sarth was standing next to her, his arm around her, and her head was resting on his shoulder. They were both smiling and happy, and Cassi’s other self looked down and rubbed a hand across her belly. Cassi saw that there was a ring on her finger, and that her future self’s belly was swollen with child. Her child, with Sarth. She stifled a sob of joy and clapped a hand to her mouth as the vision faded.
 * “Thank you,” she said as tears fell down her cheeks. “Thank you so much.”

Mical merely nodded, while Jolee muttered something about overly sentimental young people. Spectre saw Juhani and Atton Rand walk towards him and he stiffened, ready for action.
 * “Well, Captain Spectre, it looks like we’ll be spending some time together. So, you don’t call me Commander,” said Atton Rand.

Spectre froze. Those were the exact words that Selusda Kraen had spoken to him the first time they had met, on Boz Pity.
 * “Spectre, we wouldn’t be future co-workers if I hadn’t. Anyway, it convinced them. Well, are you interested?” Rand continued, the clipped inflections strange on his voice.

Spectre knew why. The words had been spoken by Twone, a fellow ARC comrade of his who had died defending the Kraen family, slain by Mistryl. None of the Hawk-bat’s crew had been present at the time. Only himself and Twone. There was no way any of the others could have known about that.
 * “So you should think twice before you assume the worst,” Juhani finished. “You spoke those very words to Sarth Kraen, back on Commenor. We are not twisting your mind, Spectre. We want to help you and your companions. Take your hand off the blaster. You have struggled to keep your honor all your life. We offer you a choice that will give you the honor and service you have always desired.”
 * “You speak truth,” Spectre finally admitted. “It’s not a trick.”

As each one spoke to the apparitions after experiencing their respective visions, they returned back to the realm of reality from the otherworldly sights and places they had just been to. They were all still sitting in the Room of the Circle Heart and, save for the emotions running through their minds, it was as if nothing had happened and it had all been an elaborate sleight of hand, except for one thing. Two tears were rolling down Cassi’s face.
 * “What’s wrong, Cassi?” asked Sarth concernedly.

She turned to smile at him blissfully.
 * “Nothing at all, Sarth,” said Cassi. “I just had the most wonderful vision.”
 * “Okay,” said Selu, swallowing hard and trying to regain his own voice. “I think you’ve convinced us that you are who you say you are. I’m pretty sure we all agree that this isn’t a trick, right?”

Selu looked around, and the others nodded their agreement.
 * “You’ve told us about why we’re here, but how did you come to be in this place?” asked Selu. “Why here?”
 * “This place is strong in the Force,” said Revan. “Because of what happened here, in that battle you saw earlier. The Battle of Narokgar, on this very site, before this world was broken.”
 * “And what did happen?” asked Milya, still a little shaken.
 * “That is something that is better experienced,” Revan replied. “Selusda, would you mind sharing your experience?”
 * “Well, I was standing on a plain-,” Selu started, but stopped when he realized that Jolee was laughing at him.
 * “What’s so funny?” Selu asked.
 * “Forgive my companion,” said Revan. “Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough. Share your vision with us, Selusda.”
 * “The vision? But how? Not even Yoda ever did that,” Selu said, somewhat flummoxed.
 * “Reach out and touch the crystal,” said Visas Marr. “And it will be clear.”

Selu stood up and walked up to the floating crystal. He hesitated for a brief moment, then reached out with both hands and grabbed hold of it. It was surprisingly warm in his hands. Then, as he held it, the whole room and all the Jedi spirits disappeared in a swirl of color.

The next thing he knew, he and the rest of his companions were standing in an open plain besides three pillars on a hill. It was cold and windy, and billowing gray storm clouds loomed ominously over them. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled across as Selu and his companions looked at their new appearances. They were wearing battle armor and brandishing rather primitive looking swords and spears, and Selu realized that they were experiencing the Battle of Narokgar firsthand. He could see Revan at the head of the ranks, hear his voice inspiring them to fight and defeat the army of Sith opposing them. He could see Syrnassa standing at his side, her hair blowing in the wind as she held the standard of their army. The Sith army charged towards them, a dark tide surging across the plain towards them, intent on destroying them. The others around him, mostly aliens of species he didn’t recognize, gave a loud shout and Selu heard his voice unconsciously joining the battle cry. Then they charged and the two armies met with a titanic clash. Sword met spear, lunge met parry, and volleys of arrows and fireballs were exchanged between the two armies, until their ranks were too intermingled for ranged weaponry. Rain poured down and the wind whipped through both sides.

Milya stood in the lead of the Hawk-bat crew, scything through ranks of Sith as if they weren’t even fighting her. She smiled a grim smile as her Echani battlemind came into focus, the intensity of her concentration and training such that she could anticipate the moves of her opponents. Of all the crew, she was the most at home with bladed melee weapons. Running through a large alien Sith twice her size, she shouted her victory as she continued to cleave through her opponents with cold efficiency. Behind her, her companions followed in her wake, Selu and Spectre keeping watch over Sarth and Cassi as they waded into the fray.

The battle seemed to drag on forever, and the rain poured down on them. Hours indeterminable passed, yet fueled by the Force, they continued on fighting, always outnumbered. The Force crackled as light was pitted against dark. Slowly, though, the ferocity of the conflict began wearing on them. For every Sith they slew, three more appeared and Revan’s army was slowly being beaten back, giving ground slowly as they withdrew to the pillars. Even Revan and Srynassa, fighting far ahead of the others, no weapon able to touch them thanks to their mastery of both lightsabers and the Force, were gradually driven back. Eventually, the assault had completely encircled them, and ravaging hordes of fierce Sith were advancing up the hill towards the defenders. All of the Hawk-bat’s crew had survived, but each of them had been wounded. Though one part of him knew this was a vision, the pain was surprisingly real to Selu.

As the Sith thundered towards them, as the tired defenders prepared for a last, futile stand, Srynassa leaped to the top of the central pillar, her lightsaber raised high. Every arrow and dart in the Sith arsenal was aimed at her, and she must have known they would be. However, that didn’t stop her. First her eyes, and then her body began to glow red, and Selu could sense that she was intensely focusing on the Force, drawing upon it in a way that he had never done. Even as the arrows and darts pierced her body, she did not use the Force to shield herself save for the crackling ball of light in front of her face that nothing could pierce, but continued to summon the energy to herself until the whole plain was aglow in a faint red field of energy. Lightning bolts from the thunderstorm struck the orb, funneling down her lightsaber, but she shunted the energy into the vast sphere of hazy red she was creating. Then, she looked down and saw the dozen arrows that had pierced while she had been focusing. Revan had tried to leap up to her aid, but he had been pinned down by a hail of arrows. Selu saw her look down at Revan, a trickle of blood coming from her mouth, and give him a small smile. She extended her arms and gave a loud cry, and Selu knew that he had heard that cry before, the first time. Then the giant red orb of Force energy imploded into Srynassa, filling her body with an inhuman crimson and black aura, and then the smaller ball of light detonated in that flash of blue light that Selu had seen the first time he had envisioned the battle. When the light faded, Selu could see that all of the Sith were gone, their bodies lying scorched and seared on the field of battle.
 * “What happened?” asked Milya.
 * “She sacrificed herself,” said Revan, gently lifting Srynassa’s pierced and lifeless body down from the top of the pillar. “She drew in all the darkness that she could, sucking the dark side into herself out of the Sith, until there was nothing left to take. Then she released all the light in her body to purge the darkness, becoming one with the Force.”
 * “I don’t understand,” Spectre said. “What did that do?”
 * “The Sith we were fighting, they were fueled by the dark side. The battle only made them stronger. Without it, they were nothing. In order to win, we had to stop fighting, and Srynassa did that for us. She took away their darkness by willingly going to her death,” Revan explained.
 * “Wow,” said Cassi.
 * “So what will happen here now?” asked Sarth.
 * “The battle is over,” said Revan. “The light side energy that Srynassa released will stay here, imbuing this place with its energy.”

Then the colors of the battle swirled again, and the five humans were again standing in the Room of the Crystal Heart. Selu slowly released the crystal heart, noting as he did so that his hands were trembling uncontrollably.
 * “Did you really do that?” Milya asked Srynassa.
 * “I did,” she said. “It was my destiny.”
 * “And that is how we defeated the True Sith,” said Revan. “With sacrifice and loss.”

All five of them stood in quiet silence, the memory of the battle still fresh in their mind. Such a sacrifice was incomprehensible to them, even to Selu. To willingly turn oneself into a creature of the dark side, and then obliterate oneself with the light was beyond his comprehensions of the Force.
 * “So why are you still here?” asked Cassi. “The Sith were defeated. Shouldn’t all of you have rested in peace, or something?”
 * “We have already spoken of the prophecy,” said Bastila. “We’ve studied it for centuries, and we’re certain that we are bound here at least until it is fulfilled.”
 * “I think I understand,” said Sarth. “You are supposed to be the twelve old that the five learn from.”
 * “But there’s only eleven of you,” said Milya. “Only eleven of you journeyed on the Ebon Hawk.”

Revan and Srynassa exchanged glances.
 * “No. There was a twelfth,” said Revan.
 * “Her name was Kreia,” said Mical, stepping forward. “She was a Jedi Master who helped us learn the ways of the Force. She gave Srynassa a way to reconnect to its presence when she had lost it. And yet, in the end, Kreia betrayed us and reclaimed her mantle as the Sith Lord, Darth Traya, and it led to her fall.”
 * “She was the twelfth old,” said Srynassa. “And yet she still has lessons of her own to teach. Her spirit is not here, obviously, but from her, we learn the dangers of betrayal.”
 * “I’m sorry for my ignorance,” said Selu. “But perhaps you could get back to the prophecy. You think that we are the five?”
 * “Indeed,” Bastila said. “You are all from different places, correct?”
 * “No,” said Cassi. “Selu and Sarth are both from Commenor.”
 * “Actually, that’s not true,” said Selu. “I was born on Commenor, but I grew up on Coruscant. I’m more from there than from Commenor.”
 * “His accent is more Coruscanti than Commenorian,” said Sarth, who had a Commenorian accent.
 * “Well, assuming the prophecy is referring to us, who fits each of those roles?” asked Sarth. “There was one for each member of the five.”
 * “I think I’m the warrior,” said Spectre.
 * “I believe you, but then what does that make me?” Milya asked.
 * “I’m the thinker,” said Sarth. “My parents always said I liked to think things through.”
 * “Well, I’m no healer, and I’m no leader. Am I a seer?” Milya asked.
 * “Does that not please you?” asked Visas.
 * “I don’t know,” said Milya. “I’m not sure what that means.”
 * “Are you willing to find out?” Visas replied.
 * “If that’s what I’m destined for,” said Milya.
 * “You are the seer, Milya Tayrce, and that is your destiny,” said Revan gravely.
 * “Then I must be the healer,” said Cassi, a smile on her face. “I always liked seeing sick things become better.”
 * “Yes, and yours will be the greatest joy,” said Mical. “You have a tender heart, and it will serve you well in trials to come. Compassion can often be a hidden strength.”
 * “Wait,” said Selu. “That would make me the leader.”
 * “Yes,” said Revan.
 * “That’s just not going to cut it,” Selu replied. “I am no leader.”
 * “Is that so true?” Srynassa countered. “Who led the clones at Outpost Krill-39? Who guided the crew off of New Holstice? Who took charge of the situation on Commenor?”
 * “No,” said Selu firmly. “That’s not me. Ever since I condemned millions to die, I cannot, will not take up my lightsaber in anything other than defense of my crew ever again. I cannot do this.”
 * “The past is not your concern,” Revan said.
 * “Oh, but it is,” Selu replied vehemently. “I’d rather never touch the Force again than lead to the death of more innocents.”

The Jedi spirits fell silent at Selu’s stubborn refusal. An awkward silence fell over the group. Each of the crew of the Hawk-bat knew what a sore subject this was with Selu, and they rarely if ever discussed it. Finally, Milya spoke up.
 * “Before that last response, what were the twelve old going to teach the five?” she asked.
 * “The prophecy spoke of taking up the light, and that is a choice each of you must make. The twelve old must help pass the light along,” Revan said cryptically.
 * “What do you mean, ‘take up the light’?” Sarth asked. “Is the light the Force?”
 * “Yes,” said Srynassa.
 * “This place is very strong in the Force,” Bastila said. “And most of all, in this room. This is the heart of crystal, and the heart of the Force on this world. In here does its presence most loudly speak to us. That is why you were able to experience the visions with such clarity.”
 * “We have labored for hundreds of years to fully refine this crystal,” said Mical.
 * “In it contains power of the Force, and talents and skills from each of us,” said Jolee.
 * “We all contributed what we could to it, in preparation for the five,” added Mical.
 * “So you mean that this crystal is a key to unlocking the Force, and you all worked on it for a thousand years for us,” said Spectre, a hint of his old dubiousness returning.
 * “Yes,” said Juhani. “This prophecy is of vital importance, and its fulfillment is the only way we can find rest.”
 * “What exactly does that mean?” Sarth asked.
 * “When accessed properly, this will grant each of you permanent sensitivity to the Force, and strengths in various ways to suit you. Except for Selusda,”
 * “What about me?” asked Selu, who had been standing off by himself.
 * “You already can touch the Force and have developed your strengths somewhat. For you, this crystal will amplify your abilities and connection, like a focusing array focuses a lightsaber beam into coherency,” said Revan.
 * “Then this crystal is a capacitor for the Force,” Sarth said. “And you’ve been building up charge in this for centuries for us to touch off.”
 * “That is certainly one accurate way to think of it,” affirmed Bao-Dur.
 * “Will we know what to do with these powers?” asked Cassi. “I’m not sure if I really want this.”
 * “You are correct to question, Cassi,” said Mical. “Power does not come lightly, and you will not immediately know how to use it, aside from a basic instinctual level.”
 * “So what good is it?” asked Milya. “A tool or a weapon is useless if you do not know how to use it.”
 * “The Force is far more than a mere weapon or tool,” corrected Brianna. “If it was, it would not be so highly sought after.”
 * “We will help where we can, but you already have one teacher,” said Revan.
 * “Who?” asked Sarth.
 * “He’s talking about me,” said Selu sourly. “I’ve been trained in the ways of the Force. I was a Jedi Knight, judged ready by the Council to teach Padawans.”
 * “So how does the crystal work?” Sarth asked.
 * “You must all join hands; each one of you connected; and place your hands on the crystal. Only when all five of you are touching will it respond. Otherwise, it will break and shatter.”
 * “I see,” said Spectre.
 * “Nothing personal, but could we have a little time to think about this?” Milya said. “Alone?”
 * “As you wish,” said Revan. “All you have to do is call us back when you’ve made your decision. Remember, all five of you must decide together. There is no half way.”

With that, all eleven Force ghosts vanished into thin air, leaving the five crewmembers to stand around the chamber in stunned silence as they tried to sort out all that they had heard.
 * “Wow,” said Cassi. “I don’t think I was ready for that.”
 * “Like anyone could ever be,” said Spectre.
 * “At least we know that it is not a trick,” Sarth pointed out. “These people are genuine. What do you think, Selu?”
 * “It doesn’t matter what I think,” said Selu.

Turning abruptly, Selu turned and stormed out of the room, to the surprise of the others. Sarth and Spectre both started after him, but Milya stopped them both.
 * “Let him go, guys,” she said. “I’ll talk to him.”
 * “Why you?” Sarth asked. “I am his brother.”
 * “Trust me,” she said.
 * “You’re not getting into that seer routine already, are you?” said Spectre, mostly serious.
 * “No, not yet,” Milya answered with a wry smile. “But I just have a hunch.”
 * “Have it your way,” said Sarth. “Before you go, what do you think about Revan’s offer? To be able to touch the Force?”
 * “I’ve talked to Selu about the matter, and he seems to think of it as a curse and a blessing,” said Spectre.
 * “It seems like such a big thing,” said Cassi. “I don’t know if I could handle it, though.”
 * “Let’s not forget one thing, though,” said Milya. “That last bit of the prophecy- about saving those of the Force from the long night of fear. I’ve had my share of long nights of fear, and they’re no fun. To think about what would instill fear in a Jedi sends a shiver through my bones. If that prophecy is true, then we’re the only ones who can save those of the Force, whoever they are.”
 * “Probably fugitive Jedi,” said Sarth.
 * “We all know the prophecy is true,” said Cassi.
 * “That’s it, then,” said Spectre. “We have to do this. People are depending on us.”
 * “I’m in,” said Cassi earnestly.
 * “It truly does seem to be our destiny,” said Sarth. “I just hope we can handle it.”
 * “You have me all the way,” said Spectre with a slight nod of his head. “One hundred ten percent.”
 * “I wouldn’t miss it,” said Milya. “Seeing the future might be fun.”
 * “Great,” said Sarth. “We all agree.”
 * “That just leaves one thing,” said Cassi.

They all said it together.
 * “Selu.”
 * “I’ll go talk to him,” said Milya.

Milya quickly discovered that the tower was sizable, and full of winding passages lit only by the glowstones. They all started to look the same after awhile, and she nearly lost her way on more than one occasion. It took her nearly an hour to find Selu in a small tucked away room, sitting on a stone bench gazing into one of the glowstones. His head was down, and he didn’t seem to notice her, so she stood in the doorway awkwardly for a moment until she mustered the words she needed to say.
 * “Selu?” she said softly.

Selu looked up to regard her dolefully.
 * “What are you doing here?” he asked.
 * “Are you okay?”
 * “I’m fine; why do you ask?”
 * “You’re Force sensitive. I would imagine that those visions felt differently to you than they did to us.”
 * “Like I said, I’m fine.”
 * “I know you better than that, Selusda Kraen. What’s wrong? It’s not like you to snap back at people like you did to Revan,” said Milya, walking forward to sit next to him on the bench.
 * “He’s wrong, that’s all.”
 * “Are you sure?”
 * “Great. Now you’re on his side too.”
 * “I’m not on his side. I’m on your side, Selusda. I want to help you.”
 * “You wouldn’t if you knew. If you understood . . .,” said Selu.
 * “Help me understand,” she said.
 * “Not possible,” he said. “Not if I had a thousand years to explain it to you.”
 * “Ah, but you’re wrong here,” she said. “The Force is strong in this place, isn’t it?”
 * “Yes it is. Very much so,” said Selu.
 * “Well, then why don’t you try to show me what it’s like to you using it?”
 * “I do know how to use a Force meld, but it’s not supposed to be used on non-Jedi. It might damage your mind.”
 * “Are you certain?”
 * “I’m not sure what it will do, but I won’t do anything that will hurt you.”
 * “There is another way.”
 * “No! I’m not going to help you activate that crystal,” Selu said angrily.
 * “Then what are you going to do?” she asked.
 * “I don’t know. I’ve only known on rare occasions.”
 * “Selu, I want to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone. From the moment I first met you, I felt a connection between us. Like we had known each other once, but that was impossible, so I ignored it. But it’s still there, but I know that I can help you, if you want me to.”
 * “I-I . . .” Selu stammered, caught a loss for words.

He, too, had sensed a bond between him and Milya, but had refused to acknowledge it. She was too much of a mystery to him, her past a closely guarded secret, and he had been in no hurry to grow any deep friendship with such a person. In fact, while they had become friends, even comrades, Selu had purposefully kept her at arm’s length, and he suspected that she kept most of the other crew at bay as well, never letting anyone too close to her.
 * “I think you’re afraid of letting others see how much you’re hurting,” said Milya, leaning in close to Selu to gaze directly into his eyes.
 * “What makes you say that?” Selu said.
 * “Because I know how you think. I’m the same way.”
 * “Really?” said Selu. “I doubt that.”
 * “I’ll prove it to you,” she intoned quietly. “Deep down, you really want this.”

Slipping an arm around his head, she pulled him close and kissed him. Selu, having shut himself off from the Force in his frustration in order to avoid doing something rash, was caught off guard. However, unable to help it, he relaxed into the her as Milya prolonged the kiss, and he pulled her closer to him, one part of his mind finally accepting the kiss fully. He could taste the spicy flavor of her mouth, scent her fragrance, and feel her slim body against his. In spite of himself, Selu wished the moment would never cease, and he felt like he was on top of the Jedi Temple gazing over a magnificent Coruscant vista, and that none of the tragedies in his young life had ever happened. After a long moment, they released each other, and Selu felt regret burning across him as his rational part caught up with what he had just done.
 * “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, not really meaning it.
 * “Are you really?” she asked pointedly.
 * “No,” he said. “But there is no passion, there is serenity. That’s the Jedi Code.”
 * “Then it’s a good thing you’ve turned your back on being a Jedi for now,” Milya said, leaning in for another kiss and Selu couldn’t resist.

Again, Selu felt like he had left all his problems behind, and any resolve he might have had against her arguments was being washed away by the experience of kissing her.
 * “I give,” said Selu after they broke off again. “You’re right.”
 * “About?”
 * “I did enjoy that- both times,” said Selu.
 * “I know,” she said. “Just like the first time on New Holstice. You better be careful though. I don’t just kiss someone three times for the fun of it.”

Selu could have pointed out that he had never kissed anyone three times before, but decided not to. Part of him felt like he was betraying Serra’s memory by allowing such feelings for Milya to cloud his mind, even briefly. With a large exertion of effort, he buried those feelings deep, where Milya would not be able to sense them in the meld.
 * “I’ll keep that in mind.”
 * “And?”
 * “If you’re willing to do this, I’ll use the Force-meld,” said Selu. “But you have to look me in the eyes and tell me that you want to do this. Without training in the Force, you’ll be stripped, vulnerable. I’ll be able to see everything you’ve ever seen, know every thought you’ve ever had. Even though I’ll be trying to limit what I see to your conscious mind, what you want me to see, I may not be able to control that flow. Are you willing to accept that?”
 * “All my life, I’ve been afraid that someone will find me out, be able to see right through me,” she said slowly. “I’ve kept myself hidden and armored. Perhaps it’s time to let that go. I’m ready.”
 * “Okay,” said Selu.

Closing his eyes, Selu reached out with his fingers to touch her temples, his fingers encountering her smooth skin, and then their minds made contact. He stretched out with the Force, visualizing the bond between his mind and hers. The process was delicate, and he had never actually been the one to initiate the meld before, but the Force flowed through him like a rushing current of water. The trick was not to destroy the mental barriers that each one had erected over time, but to find ways to slip through them. Selu also had to lower his own mental barriers to allow her mind into his, for otherwise his unconscious mind would throw her out with possibly violent repercussions. Complicating matters further was that Milya was not Force-sensitive, so she could not control her own perceptions and barriers the way a Jedi could. Selu released her head as his fingers tightened and a bead of sweat rolled down his face from the concentration. Then, finally, he had it. Like a mental thunderclap, his mind and hers were temporarily joined, their barriers not destroyed, but opened, and the opening was like releasing the floodgates on a giant dam.

They were like one then, each other experiencing the other’s ups and down, joys and pains, memories and thoughts. It was a sacred trust between Jedi to read another’s mind, and both Selu and Milya knew that, even if they wanted to, they would never reveal what the other had seen. To do so would be a blasphemy of the highest order. With the mental barriers loosed, they plunged into each other’s subconscious mind. Then, as a meld often did when its initiator was losing control, the shared thoughts turned to darkness, and the unconscious mind. Each person experienced the others fears, hurts, and angers, full and unleashed without the barriers of external civility or discipline to blunt their fury. Selu, his mind conditioned to deal with such emotions, was able to see into Milya’s mind while keeping the pain from affecting his own mind, though he knew her experience was far different.

He saw tears and pain, hatred and bitterness, and then suddenly his mind’s eye resolved everything into a dark haze. He was standing there, clad in white all of a sudden, and Milya was in front of him, also dressed in white. There was tremendous noise and he could still sense her emotions as they flowed through him. Suddenly, Milya cried out and fell to her knees, clutching her head.
 * “What’s happening?” she cried.
 * “You must be experiencing pain and grief,” Selu said.
 * “It hurts!” she screamed.
 * “I know,” Selu said. “Let me take us out of the meld.”
 * “No,” she said, regaining her voice somewhat. “I can’t run from this now. Just hold my hand, Selu. I need to see this, to feel this. But don’t leave me alone.”
 * “Okay,” said Selu, and it seemed to him that he knelt down and took her hands.

For several minutes, Milya said nothing and lay in the tunnel, now almost black, with her eyes closed, though her body convulsed and she shook terribly. Selu could not imagine what sort of mental anguish she was going through, particularly without the benefits of Jedi discipline, and his heart was rived as he saw the pain written across her face. He had to force himself to remember that this was not actually her, just a perception. It was the only thing that kept him from breaking off the meld. Finally, she gave a bloodcurdling scream and her eyes shot open. She sat up abruptly, gasping for breath.
 * “Are you hurt?” Selu said.

Drawing on the Force, Selu channeled some of his own power into healing and sent it to her mind. The effects of dark memories could often cause trauma on minds, even Jedi minds, and Selu had no desire to inflict that torture on Milya, even if it had been her idea. The perception of the tunnel slowly turned to a golden color.
 * “I’m fine,” she said shakily. “Take us out of the meld.”

Selu complied, gradually pulling apart the mental threads that bound them together, until the barriers slid back into place. The tunnel in his mind’s eye faded and he was once again sitting on the stone bench. Milya was now on the floor by the bench, her lip bleeding from where she had bitten it and a tear running down her eye.
 * “Did you see what you needed to see?” Selu asked, reaching out to wipe the tear away.
 * “I did,” she said, and turned to look at him. “Selu, that was awful.”
 * “I know,” he said. “I relive it every day. I’m sorry you had to. What did you see?”
 * “I was on Emberlene. I felt all the people die, just like you did.”
 * “What else?”
 * “I saw the Jedi Temple. I’ve never even seen a holograph of it, and I knew what it was. They were there Selu, Skip and Serra. She was beautiful.”
 * “Yes,” said Selu hoarsely. “She was.”
 * “What did you see?” she asked him.
 * “I saw your past,” he said, swallowing hard. “I saw your parents killed.”
 * “I barely remember that,” she said.
 * “No. The full memory is sealed into your mind, but your subconscious has just built up barriers to keep you from accessing it.”
 * “Now you know,” Selu said. “You know why I can’t take up that role that Revan wants me to take.”
 * “Yes, I do,” Milya said. “But I also know something else about you, something that even you didn’t see inside yourself.”
 * “What’s that?”
 * “Lots of things. Strength. Courage. Integrity. Hope.”
 * “Say again?”
 * “You heard what I said. Selu, you’re so strong. To have endured what you have and keep going takes more strength than you are willing to admit.”
 * “Right.”
 * “Selu, you have a hope for the future. You’ve never given up before. You’ve kept going. Why would you stop now?”
 * “I don’t know what you mean.”
 * “Yes you do. Selu, you’re concerned about the consequences of your actions, about what you might do. Have you thought about what might happen if you don’t do anything? If you don’t take up this call, hundreds more people will die. You can sense the Force- you know the prophecy is true. You’re the one who can save those of the Force from the long night of fear.”
 * “That’s not enough,” said Selu. “I cannot risk bringing death on countless others.”
 * “Then how about this? Can you do it for us? For Cassi? For Sarth? For Spectre? For . . . me? A ship’s no good without a captain, and we’re no good without our leader. Will you join us?”

Selu considered her words carefully. He looked quietly at her for several minutes before responding. Her words made sense, and he wanted to be free of the burden of his guilt and doubt, but he had trouble doing so. Guilt had kept him from acting rashly in the past, and doubt had kept him humble. Or had they? Perhaps he didn’t need those emotions. His friends and the Force would give him guidance, and he knew that his companions were there to keep his ego in check. Selu knew that the prophecy was true, and in knowing so, realized that the only way for him to fulfill it was to accept being a leader. It was something he had resisted his whole life, save for on a few occasions, because of his doubt, and later because of his guilt. Selu had come close to the dark side more than once, but he had never felt so certain of his destiny. He was supposed to do this, and he realized that only his own desires were in the way. As Milya had said, people’s lives, those of the Force, were depending on him, and so was the rest of the crew. Only his own stubborn self and emotions stood in the way.

So he laid them down. He put aside his ego, and his doubt. He ignored his guilt and discarded his own desires. To himself, he acknowledged that he could no longer waver in his resolve to abstain from a romantic relationship with Milya. He would have to go the whole way, and put her behind him. It had to be done. He admitted that he was nothing, and that his role was to serve others as a tool of the Force. He accepted responsibility and his destiny. Squaring his shoulders, he faced Milya.
 * “Yes,” he said. “It’s the only way, isn’t it?”
 * “It is.”
 * “You know, I think I always knew that. I just couldn’t accept it.”
 * “Do you now?”
 * “I do,” Selu said simply. “But I can no longer do what I want to do.”
 * “And what does that mean?”
 * “It’s time to stop being smugglers. It’s time to become something else.”
 * “Like what?”

Selu turned and grinned at her.
 * “Lightbearers.”

Selu and Milya strode back into the Room of the Crystal Heart with newfound confidence and vigor. The others, who had been quietly discussing various matters, stood up upon seeing the two of them.
 * “Good to see you, chief,” said Spectre.
 * “Thanks, Spectre,” said Selu. “Are we all ready?”
 * “For what?” asked Sarth.
 * “To accept our destiny,” Selu stated, approaching the crystal.

All five of them joined hands, Sarth with Selu, Selu with Milya, Milya with Spectre, Spectre with Cassi, and Cassi with Sarth. Standing around the glowing blue crystal as the eleven Force spirits appeared and circled around them; together they raised their hands and placed them on the crystal heart. As they made contact, the mineral began glowing even brighter, and they soon witnessed the radiance expanding from through the crystal, spreading along their arms and through their bodies. It was exhilarating and awe-inspiring at the same time. The Force surged into them, its tendrils of energy surging through them. On a microscopic level, midichlorians flowed from the crystal into the cells of each of the five humans standing around it, where they rapidly multiplied. As the crystal grew even brighter, they could all feel the vibrant energy they were receiving. Then, in a final massive flare, the crystal pulsed out one last burst of brilliance that caused an intricate light show to dance across the walls of the room. Then, it grew dim, its light diminished after releasing so much of its stored up energy. The five humans, newly infused and flush with power, released their hands and looked around, each experiencing new sensations in their own way.
 * “Very well,” said Revan. “It is finished. Or should I say, it has begun.”