A Flow'r, Once Fallen/Part 5

An unseasonable rain shower had come down over the mountains and into the caldera, and Tirien raised his hood and closed his tough robe as he strode through a breezeway. Two weeks into his stay, he had met with Jerex Antilles—both by holo from Coruscant and in person on Alderaan—the king's advisory council; the Committees on Interplanetary Relations from both houses of Alderaan's parliament; and the local governments of Aldera, Crevasse City, and Belleau-a-Lir. He had made his arguments to all of them, refining as he went and working in issues specific to each group, aided and abetted—to his pleasure and mild surprise—by Narasi, who kept raising obscure facts from Alderaan's history germane to his points.

They continued to train each morning, but Narasi had spent much of her remaining free time with Princess Elyria, and Tirien had allowed it; it was critical that a child destined to rule Alderaan be raised with an understanding of the Jedi and their role in the Republic. It was further evidence of Narasi's peculiar gift for bonding with children, but that might be for the best as well; if he did wind up accepting the instructor position in the Temple, he might employ his apprentice in teaching the youngest Initiates so she could revisit old skills with the new eyes of a teacher. Of course, from what he had gathered, the princess had been more the teacher when it came to thranta-riding; she had come back windblown and ecstatic, while Narasi had returned wide-eyed and so soft-spoken Tirien had actually laughed aloud before he could control himself.

He only wished he had made as much progress in his decision as he had with the Alderaanians. Aside from the enormous honor done to him by the offer, he knew that it would be an unparalleled opportunity for further research and study in the Archives, when he had not one but hundreds of holocrons at his disposal, and could consult with many of the Order's greatest masters on more subtle questions of the Force. Narasi, too, would have time to learn and practice new skills—the chance to expand and strengthen her knowledge of the Force without the constant threat of having to use them in life-or-death situations before she was really ready. Tirien had always tried to teach his Padawan as much as he could without rushing her or tempting her with too much power at once, but he was ever plagued by the worry that the skill he had held back would wind up being the one that might have saved her life. On Coruscant they could at last rest from the endless rush of things.

Tirien had another theory on why the Council wanted to remove them from the field to the Temple, but it was not one he had yet mentioned to Narasi, who remained adamantly opposed to the idea.

Stepping inside from the breezeway and throwing off his hood, Tirien shook the rain from his robe until he sensed a mind focusing on him. Looking up automatically, he saw Nerritil Marsh, the Chief of the Alderaanian Royal Guard, approaching him with a dry expression.

"Good morning, Master Jedi," he said. A middle-aged Human, he was fit enough for his profession, though their conversations had been infrequent enough that Tirien had been unable to explore his hypothesis that Marsh had never gotten closer to the war than the war had gotten to Alderaan.

"And to you, Chief Marsh. What's on your mind?"

"Your apprentice had been kind enough to teach my guards a number of stick and staff fighting techniques they can employ if and when the stun functions of their stun sticks fail."

Tirien smiled. "My apologies. We've been on or close to the front lines most of her apprenticeship; it's odd for her to be somewhere so removed not only from the fighting, but from fighting in general."

Chief Marsh chuckled, though Tirien sensed an undercurrent of frustration the man was too courteous to voice. "Understandable. And there's nothing wrong with adding a few tools to the belt, if you will."

Tirien would, though he was unsurprised that the Alderaanian had avoided the more weapons to the arsenal metaphor he had heard more frequently from the Republic Army and even his fellow Jedi. "I'll speak to her. If she's that desperate for combat training, we can see if she's gotten any better at her defenses against Makashi.  That usually tides her over for a week or so."

They set off down the hall together. "Master Jedi, do you intend to remain on Alderaan much longer?"

"I suppose that depends on King Rosulus. Our discussions are ongoing." Tirien frowned. "Is there a problem?"

Marsh wore a conflicted frown of his own. "It's a rather thorny issue, to be candid. On the one hand, you don't need me to tell you about Alderaan's long history of support for the Jedi Order; the people of Aldera are inspired by having you here, and your apprentice is something of…oh, call it validation of Alderaanian beliefs.  That treating others with respect and as equals can raise them out of evil."

Tirien narrowed his eyes. "Not that Narasi was within evil to begin with."

"Of course not," Marsh said quickly. "But that a Zygerrian has become a Jedi isn't treated with suspicion here, just joy."

Tirien had to admit he had seen none of the suspicion or distaste among the Alderaanians that he usually observed among others when they saw his apprentice. He was not as sensitive to it as Narasi, but even he had noticed its absence. "And yet…?"

"And yet the continuing presence of two Jedi, especially in close proximity to the Royal Family…if I may be frank, Master Jedi, the people of Alderaan are aware that the war is not going well. The delight in your presence is just starting to be marred by suggestion that there may be some threat to King Rosulus."

Tirien stopped, reached out with the Force to ensure no one was nearby, then asked, "Is there a threat to King Rosulus?"

"Not that we've heard from any channel—and that's the point. In times like this, with the Chancellor dead barely two months…people are inclined to panic.  Alderaan is blessed with a great deal of peace and tranquility, but I still have to protect the king and his family against real threats; it complicates our work to combat imaginary ones."

Remembering the morass of conflicting intelligence leading up to the catastrophe on Anaxes, Tirien felt a twinge of sympathy. "It isn't my intention to make your work more difficult, or to linger overlong on Alderaan."

"You'll be returning to the battle front?"

"That's one of the possibilities."

Marsh raised an eyebrow, but Tirien offered nothing more, and after a moment the Human nodded. "Well, I appreciate the value of having Jedi around—in another way it makes my job easier—but I recognize that your skills can probably be put to better use elsewhere. If you'll excuse me, Master Jedi."

Tirien nodded, but found himself frowning as they parted ways down different corridors. Narasi, Marsh…would all of them, all the galaxy, see the Jedi as nothing but warriors? The war was indisseverable from the Order, to be sure, but did it have to define every Jedi? Tirien remembered Dorje Sokos forcing Narasi into the admission that, by age fifteen, she had already lost count of how many people she had killed; he had not asked it of Tirien, but the same held true for him. Was that a necessary corollary to their role as warriors, or did its ubiquity merely represent a degradation of Jedi consciousness of their actions?

They were questioned, he mused, that a long assignment to the Temple might afford the time to reflect upon…

He had intended to get lunch after his morning's research, but when his beacon transceiver buzzed he stopped and plugged it into his datapad. He read the message twice, then closed his eyes, taking a long moment for Empty Meditation, trying to return to a state in which there was no emotion. When he had steadied himself, he went off in search of Narasi.

He was unsurprised to find her in a classroom in the royal residence wing; she and Princess Elyria Organa sat cross-legged on the floor opposite each other, with the princess's minder droid in the background, observing but allowing Narasi to proceed. Narasi was looking up when he entered, but she turned her face back to Elyria and grinned. "Okay, Your Highness, let's show Tirien what you've learned so far."

"Okay! First is Jedi Initiates—they're younglings.  Then Jedi Padawans, like you!" Narasi nodded encouragingly, and Elyria smiled. "Then Jedi Knights, like Tirien. And then Jedi Masters; they're the ones in charge."

"Sort of," Narasi agreed. "Can you do the Councils too?"

"Uh-huh. There's Reassignment, if you can't be a Padawan, and…um…First Knowledge, for the younglings and learning stuff…and…and there's the High Council, the ones in charge…um…"

"And—"

"Don't help me, I can get it!" Elyria insisted. "And…aaaaaand…oh, and Reconciliation! They're diplomats, like my mom and Tirien."

"Great job!" Narasi held out her hand, and Elyria gave her a high five, beaming. "Don't you think, Master?"

"I'm very impressed," Tirien said, bowing from the neck. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I need Narasi."

"Hmmm…" Elyria patted her mouth for a few seconds, mulling it over, then bobbed her head. "Okay. But come back later, Narasi!"

"Yes Your Highness." She followed Tirien into the corridor, grinning. "Boy I like her. She's a bright kid."

"I'm sure she'll be a fine queen someday."

Narasi's grin faded into a look of Jedi calm as she caught up to his mood. "What's up, Master?"

"Not here."

He felt Narasi stretch her senses out, searching for danger in the Force. She flexed the fingers of her sword hand but did not reach for her lightsaber, and Tirien was pleased at her confidence in her own perceptions. He led the way back to the guest residence, hanging his damp robe on a hook and gesturing to the floor. Closing the door behind them, he sat opposite her in a mirror of her position with Elyria. "Empty Meditation."

Narasi grimaced as she closed her eyes. She was smart enough to realize at once that he would not have pulled her from Elyria's side for emotional purification without some calamity to follow, and there were enough threats to the Republic these days that it might have been anything; just three days before they had gotten the news that Darth Vandak had stowed away aboard a star cruiser and murdered everyone aboard. Tirien could feel his apprentice warring against her trepidation, but that only made the exercise all the more essential; bracing oneself against the unknown without fear was critical for a Jedi.

It took Narasi a few minutes, but eventually her racing mind steadied to match her slow breathing and she opened her eyes. "Okay."

Tirien nodded, then said, "Taanab surrendered this morning."

Narasi's big blue eyes closed again, and she took deep breaths in through her nose and back out. "Darth Saleej?"

"I'm sure he was in overall command—Taanab was a stain on his reputation that he'd have been eager to wipe away. Intelligence has been thin since Admiral Ok-Majan retreated, but I imagine it was Darth Hokhtan or Darth Shakelli on the ground."

"Will we retake the planet?"

"Saleej is smart enough to have left Taanab's shield generators in place. We won't be able to take Taanab back without overwhelming force."

"Force that we don't have, right?" Narasi asked. Her eyes opened, narrow, and when Tirien nodded she continued, "Because Kuat and Corellia and a bunch of other planets aren't deploying everything they have?"

Narasi got to her feet while Tirien was still weighing his response. "Calm, Narasi…"

"Thousands of people died to save Taanab last time!" she said, flexing her clawed fingers. "Army, Navy, Jedi! Saotu and Finja, and all the others.  People lost their homes, Aldayr lost an arm, Olik got captured by the Sith…all of that, and for what?  Was it all meaningless?"

"Of course not," Tirien said, staying seated and following her with his eyes. "The people had three years of freedom they might have lost. The military was provisioned for three more years.  Imagine if we had lost, and Saleej had taken Taanab three years ago—where might he be now?  We might be fighting him for the Core instead of the Rim."

"What happened to Master Bnodd? Wasn't he supposed to come and help?"

Tirien shook his head. "I don't know. We're pressed from all sides."

Narasi paced for a moment, then suddenly kicked an ottoman. Her brute strength was enough that it came off the floor, but Tirien raised a hand and it froze in midair. Guiding it back to the floor, he said, "You're better than that, Narasi."

She glowered back at him, but the Force told Tirien to hold her gaze, and after a moment her anger faded. She walked back and sat down, looking shamefaced. "I'm sorry, Master."

Tirien nodded and said nothing more about it. "There's nothing we can do for Taanab now."

"But—" She caught herself, but Tirien nodded. "But isn't there? Isn't this what we should be doing?  If Darth Saleej is getting that close, shouldn't all the Jedi be fighting him?"

"We are fighting, Narasi, but we have half a dozen fronts."

"But we shouldn't be stuck in the Temple! I get that it's a great honor, Master, and nobody deserves it more than you, but they need us out there!"

Tirien was silent for a long moment, and raised a hand when Narasi seemed likely to continue. After a moment he sighed. "Narasi, have you ever heard of a Sith Lord named Oltey-Kossp?"

She frowned. "No. Which Overlord?"

Tirien shook his head. "He lived centuries ago, much earlier in the war. He led a raid on the Jedi Temple with about a dozen followers."

"What happened?"

"They killed the Gate Master and a Padawan in the Entrance Hall. They made it to the Great Hall before Knights and Masters intercepted and massacred them."

Narasi raised her eyebrows. "O…kay. So…?"

"You're familiar with Darth Malgus?" She nodded, and Tirien said, "He led a Sith raid on the Jedi Temple too, and that one went very differently."

Narasi winced. "Yeah. But it was a long time ago."

"We still need to learn from the past."

"I'm missing the point, Master."

Tirien sighed. "Narasi, you're old enough for me to be candid with you, and I respect you enough as a Jedi to tell you the truth." She said up straighter, looking both touched and a little scared. Waiting until he had her full attention, he said, "Narasi, we are losing this war. Mizra was a turning point, and despite three generations of Jedi since, we haven't turned it back.  Saleej has made it to the Inner Rim now, and if Gasald can bolster her fleet at Allanteen, she'll hit the Inner Rim from the south, too.  If we lose the whole Mid Rim they'll starve us, and once they've starved the Colonies and turned all the Core Worlds into self-contained islands, they'll sweep into Corellia and Coruscant and the Republic will end."

Narasi swallowed.

"The Council knows that, so they're deploying as many Jedi as they can against the Sith. They're even pulling instructors from the Temple—some of the best strategists, the most skilled swordsmen, the most powerful Force masters."

"So why not us? You're a great swordsman, and you're powerful."

"Malgus, Narasi, and Oltey-Kossp. Oltey-Kossp was led to his death by delusions of grandeur, but Darth Saleej isn't that kind of fool.  If the Council empties the Temple to the field, they risk Shakelli or Alecto walking into the Temple with a squad of Sith killers and slaughtering the rear guard.  With the war going the way it's going, if the Temple was sacked again, the Order would be splintered and public confidence would collapse."

She thought it over. "So…they don't so much want you for your instruction skills…"

"…as for my fighting skills? The thought's occurred to me." Tirien shook his head. "The Council wouldn't let a Jedi teach without confidence in his teaching, but there are many wise Jedi who would be great teachers, but whom I wouldn't want beside me in battle. If I had to guess, I'd say the Council is looking for Jedi it can trust to teach, and then choosing the ones it can trust to stand between the Sith and the Initiates."

Narasi blew out a breath, leaning her elbows onto her knees. "Okay. So…okay.  But what if you can help more in the fight?  What if something you and I do on the front lines prevents the Sith from launching a Temple raid in the first place?"

Tirien nodded. "And that's the problem—the one I need to meditate on. Now that I've told you all this, I'd like you to meditate on it with me, too."

"Me?"

"You."

Narasi cocked her head. "It's a Unifying Force question, isn't it? That's never really been my strength."

"Then that means you need to work harder on it," Tirien said sternly. When Narasi nodded in submission, Tirien softened his tone to add, "And because you're my Padawan. Our lives are bound together until you become a Jedi Knight—to speak of one of us is to speak of the other, and wherever we go, we go together."

Narasi smiled, but though Tirien returned it, his mind was at work, for he had just recalled that he was not the first to see them that way. Had the Jedi Seers seen their bond for something that had already happened, or something yet to come?

"Now?" she asked.

Tirien shook his head. "This is something for deliberation and reflection, not just when we can sneak a moment. The king is expecting me after lunch." One side of his mouth turned up again. "And I suspect Princess Elyria is expecting you."

Narasi snickered as they got to their feet. "I am but a humble servant of the throne, Master."

"Speaking of your services to the throne, I'm given to understand you've been teaching the royal guards combatives…"

They quibbled on their way down to the palace's dining hall, then spent lunch strategizing how the Republic could repulse the Sith and musing on who might be raised to the vacant seat on the Council. Though Tirien could sense her desire to tackle Saleej's front, she asked many questions about Valin Aresh too, though she demurred when he suggested she follow up with Aldayr. Mali, he admitted, had shared Narasi's view of the situation, but Mali also shared Narasi's inclination to solve problems with a lightsaber, so it only moved Tirien so far.

They parted after lunch, and Tirien found the king sequestered in his private office with Jerex Antilles. Antilles was dark where Organa was fair, and wore a short beard, but they were almost of an age and carried themselves much the same way, the same dignified gravity and introspection. If there was a difference between them, Tirien reflected, it was that Organa's eyes showed more thoughtfulness and lacked the intensity behind Antilles's.

"Your Majesty," Tirien said, bowing. "Senator Antilles."

"Tirien," said the king, gesturing him to a seat across from his desk. Antilles half-sat on a credenza, holding a datapad he wasn't looking at. "You heard about Taanab?"

"I did," Tirien said.

"Were any Jedi lost?"

Tirien grimaced. "We haven't received official word, but there were Jedi leading the ground rearguard. Taanab's civilians might have surrendered, but the Jedi never would have."

"In the face of a war machine like that, the civilians can't be faulted for surrender," Antilles said.

"Nor do I fault them, but they could expect better treatment at Saleej's hands than we could. It's better for Jedi to die fighting than be taken alive by the Sith."

The Alderaanians exchanged grimaces, and Senator Antilles nodded in concession. The king sat back in his chair, tossing a datapad onto his desk with a sigh. "Tirien, I've asked Manae to visit Kuat and intercede with the aristocracy for an end to their dispute."

Tirien looked from the king to Antilles and back, and Organa nodded. "Not the choice most beings might have expected, but the Kuati respect nobility and royalty; one might even say they set too much store by it, but at the moment that works to our benefit."

Tirien understood that the benefit was the restoration of Kuati ship production and the redeployment of Kuati fleets against the Sith, but… "Our benefit, Your Majesty?"

The king sighed. "I continue to hold reservations about the conduct of this conflict, Tirien, but in the end you're right—we're at a pivotal moment in history, and if Alderaan withdraws from the discussions that guide the Republic, we risk falling to the wayside entirely. The Republic needs Alderaan's voice."

"Consider a brokered peace on Kuat a sign of Alderaan's good faith," Antilles suggested. "And we hope that Supreme Chancellor Thini can be counted on to show good faith in return."

Tirien kept his elation off his face. "Such as?"

"Kuat will doubtless want Khofin of Knylenn released." Antilles made a face. "The man's a political acklay with the devotion to the public good of a Gamorrean, but by now even the Jedi have to admit he didn't kill Phnyong."

"I've removed myself from following the investigation, but if there's no evidence, I'm sure the Chancellor will agree."

"And since the Republic values Alderaan's voice," Antilles continued, "we expect it to be heeded."

"I can't guarantee the votes of the Senate for you, Senator."

"No, but the Chancellor can ensure militarism doesn't sweep aside restraint in the name of desperation or emergency circumstances."

"We're in dire straits, Master Jedi, and Alderaan appreciates that as well as any world," the king added. "But desperate beings can sometimes gravitate toward what is efficient instead of what is right."

"The Jedi will not set aside the core principles of the Republic, no matter what the Sith do. If we lose those, then it doesn't matter who wins the war anyway.  And with the Mid and Inner Rims in jeopardy—with Taanab's surrender—the High Council and the Chancellor need every Jedi they can spare," Tirien tacked on. He fixed one, then the other with his gaze. "I would not still be here if either doubted Alderaan's importance or considered its words unimportant."

Antilles studied him a moment, then looked at the king. Rosulus Organa did not return the look, but measured Tirien with his eyes; Tirien could sense him deep in thought before the king nodded. "As you say. I appreciate the time you've taken to address my people and confront the issues facing us with me.  But you're needed off Alderaan now, Tirien.  You may assure Chancellor Thini of Alderaan's support, with the understandings we've discussed."

"And I'll inform the Chancellor that I'm available to support Refni Ik'lakt in getting the rest of our friends in the Core World back into the fold," Antilles added.

Tirien privately thought that the planetary leader who could resist the public guilt trip of Caamas and Alderaan combined was made of stronger stuff than he was, but he restrained himself to saying as he rose, "I'm sure Master Thini will appreciate your support, Senator. As King Rosulus said, we're at a pivotal moment—the Jedi will stand against the Sith until the last being, but we're relieved not to stand alone."

"Never," Antilles promised.

He shook Antilles's hand, and then the king's. Rosulus said, "I know the High Council must want you back at once, but I hope you'll remain with us one more night, Tirien.  Elyria will want another chance to learn from Narasi."

Trying not to wince as he imagined the firestorm that would accompany informing Princess Elyria that her new friend was leaving Aldera, Tirien said, "We'd be honored, Your Majesty."